Mohawk Mountain Ski Area: The Birth of Snowmaking

While Mohawk Mountain is known as a small, family—friendly ski area, many are unaware of the large impact this mountain had on the sport. Its founder, Walt Schoenknecht, changed the face of modern skiing when he helped create the first snowmaking machine in 1950. That “artificial snow” machine, first tested at Mohawk, received the first U.S. patent for such a device. Today, Mohawk is one of the few surviving family—owned ski areas in the United States, and Schoenknecht's daughter, Carol Lug...