Lisya Gora, Balashikha: when guns start and the season opens

4 forecasts (MET Norway, ECMWF, ICON, GFS) checked against 10 winters. Updated hourly, last at 14:51 Moscow time.

Too warm: snow cannot be made now.

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When can guns start

No window

What each forecast says: 1 of 4 forecasts see a window within seven days.
ForecastStartsHours for gunsColdest wet bulb
MET NorwayNo window
ECMWFNo window
ICON7 November, 08:004−2.2°
GFSNo window

MET Norway hourly; ECMWF, ICON and GFS through Open-Meteo, fetched at 14:51.

Wet bulb
+0.5°
Air
+1.4°
Humidity
85 %
Wind
5 m/s
Precipitation in 24 h
0.1 mm

When the season starts: Lisya Gora, Balashikha

Our guide by cold hours: 21 December. Spread by past openings: 4 December to 25 December.

Confidence is low: only 3 past openings. Calculated 6 November.
Where the date comes from

Past openings: 7 December 2023, 26 December 2024, 29 December 2025. By those dates 288–608 cold hours had built up since 1 October.

This season so far: 0 cold hours, 58 is the ten-winter norm for today, 0 more in the forecast.

Snowmaking confirmed, number of guns unknown.

A cold hour is an hour at −2° wet bulb or colder. This is a weather guide, not the operator’s date.

Opening dates by season

What the operator says

Closed, no opening date yet. Last season ended on 14 March; no new date yet. In season the operator posts hours and open runs every day on Telegram.

Operator’s post of 14 March · Telegram

See the slope on webcam

Prices and runs

How to read this

Wet bulb is temperature adjusted for humidity. Guns start around −2° on this scale, not on the ordinary thermometer.

Grey: too warm. Darker blue: colder and better for guns. Percent of the gun’s top water flow, our estimate.

Yes means at least 6 hours in a row at about 30 % or more within three days. Our rule of thumb; the operator decides.

Only the operator and the webcam show whether guns are really running.

Wet bulb on one chart

+4°0°−2°−4° Sat 7Sun 8Mon 9Tue 10Wed 11Thu 12Fri 13 Now
Wet bulbAirSpread of ECMWF, ICON, GFSHours for guns Below −2° guns can work. Grey lines: other slopes.

Guns here: Lisya Gora, Balashikha

Snowmaking confirmed, number of guns unknown. Make unknown.

Water cap in the source: 100 m³/h.

Water.ru, подготовка воды на Лисьей горе · SmartSnow о Лисьей горе · Российская газета, 24.01.2025

Checked 6 November · Lisya Gora, Balashikha

Seven days on this slope

DayColdest wet bulbHours for gunsChanceSnow, one fan gunSnow, all gunsWater, all guns
6 November−0.4°08 %———
7 November−1.9°047 %———
8 November−1.2°030 %———
9 November+2.7°01 %———
10 November+0.7°014 %———
11 November+0.7°015 %———
12 November−0.8°035 %———
13 November−1.6°045 %———

Upper bound: every gun at reference flow with enough water and pumps. Real output is lower.

Next 48 steps

All slopes now

SlopeGun nowWet bulbAir, humidity, windNext 7 daysWorth starting?
Leonid Tyagachev Ski Club, Shukolovo Cannot run +0.3° +1.4° · 82 % · 5 m/s Weak: 5 h from 7 November, 07:00
Sorochany Cannot run +0.4° +1.3° · 84 % · 5 m/s Weak: 5 h from 7 November, 07:00
Spas-Kamenka Cannot run +0.3° +1.4° · 82 % · 5 m/s Weak: 5 h from 7 November, 07:00
Stepanovo Cannot run +0.4° +1.5° · 81 % · 5 m/s Weak: 5 h from 7 November, 07:00
Tseleevo Cannot run +0.3° +1.4° · 82 % · 5 m/s Weak: 5 h from 7 November, 07:00
Volen Cannot run +0.4° +1.4° · 83 % · 5 m/s Weak: 5 h from 7 November, 07:00
Yakhroma Park Cannot run +0.4° +1.4° · 83 % · 5 m/s Weak: 5 h from 7 November, 07:00
Lata Trek, Krylatskoye Cannot run +0.5° +1.8° · 79 % · 4 m/s Weak: 3 h from 7 November, 08:00
Loza, Sergiev Posad Cannot run +0.3° +1.1° · 87 % · 5 m/s Wait: colder from 7 November, 08:00
Vorobyovy Gory / Sparrow Hills Cannot run +0.5° +1.6° · 82 % · 4 m/s Weak: 3 h from 7 November, 08:00
Kant, Nagornaya Cannot run +0.6° +1.6° · 83 % · 4 m/s Weak: 2 h from 7 November, 09:00
Olimp, Kolomna Cannot runWind 6.2 m/s: snow drifts +0.8° +1.7° · 86 % · 6 m/s Weak: 6 h from 7 November, 21:00
Freestyle Park, Dzerzhinsky Cannot run +0.6° +1.4° · 87 % · 5 m/s No window in 7 days
Guy Severin Ski Club, Chulkovo Cannot run +0.7° +1.4° · 88 % · 5 m/s No window in 7 days
Lisya Gora, Balashikha Cannot run +0.5° +1.4° · 85 % · 5 m/s No window in 7 days
  • Excellent, −7° and colder
  • Good, −4° to −7°
  • Marginal, −2° to −4°
  • Limit, −1° to −2°
  • Too warm

This shows what the weather allows, not whether guns are running. Operators decide by water, power and schedule.

Gun calculator

Enter the gun and the weather. The box shows how much snow it lays per hour and per night, and at what wind.

With nozzles and bore filled in, top flow is computed from them: Q = n × 0,7 × A × √(2Δp/ρ).

Result

— m³Snow per hour

— m³Snow for the shift

Gun works at
— %
Wet bulb
—
Water per shift
— m³
Layer on the area
— cm
Hours for that layer
—
Energy, guns only
— kWh
Snow density
— kg/m³
Lost to air and drift
— %

At what wind

WindSnow per hourPlume driftAdvice

An estimate for planning, not a manufacturer’s figure. The gun’s own chart beats this calculator. Assumptions are listed below.

Questions

When will snow guns start at Lisya Gora, Balashikha?

The seven-day forecast shows no spell at −2 °C wet bulb or colder.

When will Lisya Gora, Balashikha open in 2026/27?

Past openings: 7 December 2023, 26 December 2024, 29 December 2025. By those dates 288–608 cold hours had built up since 1 October. With ordinary weather from now on, 549 cold hours are reached around 21 December. Spread by past openings: 4 December to 25 December. Confidence is low: only 3 past openings. This season so far: 0 cold hours, 58 is the ten-winter norm for today, 0 more in the forecast. A cold hour is an hour at −2° wet bulb or colder. This is a weather guide, not the operator’s date.

Which snow guns does Lisya Gora, Balashikha have?

Snowmaking confirmed, number of guns unknown. Make unknown. Water cap in the source: 100 m³/h.

What is the weather at Lisya Gora, Balashikha now?

Air +1.4°, humidity 85 %, wind 5 m/s, wet bulb +0.5°. Cannot run.

All slopes: Weather and snow guns