Ober Mountain, new snow machines, $4 million investment

by: Hope McAlee

Posted: Mar 9, 2023 / 01:20 PM EST

Updated: Mar 9, 2023 / 01:57 PM EST

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — After a season where warm temperatures forced the ski slopes to close early, Ober Mountain has announced a $4 million investment in new snow machines.

The winter sports destination says the new snow-making equipment is cutting edge, will improve the slopes for skiers, and will "help deliver one of the best skiing experiences east of the Mississippi River next season."

"Jessi and I are so excited to bring this investment to our home county," said Joe Baker, founder of Ober Adventure, LLC, the controlling interest of Ober Mountain Adventure Park and Ski Area. "We can't wait to develop these ski slopes to be some of the best in the area and continue to improve Ober for all the friends and families looking to enjoy the outdoors in the winter months.

The investment is going toward "new cutting edge SMI Super Polecat Fully Automated Snow Making Tower Machines manufactured by the company Snow Makers." The website for the machine says it was made to "excel in all temperature conditions."

Ober Mountain says the snow machines will help build out the slopes much more efficiently and effectively to produce nearly 95% coverage of the slopes with three to five feet of foundational snow.

"This investment is going to greatly improve the skiing experience for our customers," Mark Adams, CEO of Ober Mountain Adventure Park, said. "With the addition of these state-of-the-art snow machines, our slopes will have some of the best snow throughout the skiing season, and we know our customers are going to notice a difference right away."

The machines are the industry standard and have been used successfully during four previous Olympic Games, providing world-class snow, Ober Mountain said.

This winter's ski and snowboarding season at Ober Mountain closed early, as a release from the resort said it was on account of the "unseasonably warm temperatures." The last day of the season was February 23, a day when the high in East Tennessee was 80 degrees.

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