Since 1960, YORK has provided refrigeration, snowmaking, and air conditioning equipment to Olympic competition sites worldwide and to several Olympic training centers in the U.S. YORK continues that tradition today as the Official Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Sponsor of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and of the 2002 U.S. Olympic Team.
YORK and its operating divisions Frick, York Snow, and Imeco, have worked to supply equipment for most of the Games’ venues.
The most significant refrigeration projects include:
- Salt Lake Ice Center (figure skating)—Frick RXB Plus rotary screw compressors drive a refrigeration plant that freezes the ice to 10 degrees F.
- Utah Olympic Oval (speed skating oval)—Frick RWBII Plus compressors, Imeco condensers and a Frick control system will provide stable ice conditions. (See photo of refrigeration plant, showing Frick compressors).
- Peaks Arena and Steiner Ice Arena (ice rinks) – Frick RXF compressors and condensers installed for ice making.
- Utah Olympic Park (bobsleigh, luge)—The refrigeration system features Frick RWBII compressors, Imeco evaporative condensers, and a Frick PCS Plus monitoring and control system. The control system monitors the entire luge and bobsleigh track and provides up-to-the-second information on changes in ice temperatures. (See photo of bobsleigh and luge runs).
- E Center (ice hockey)—YORK refrigeration and air conditioning equipment includes Frick RXF compressors.
The most significant snowmaking projects include:
- Deer Valley (freestyle and slalom)—SMI snow guns and Snomax Snow Inducer. (Snomax is an environmentally friendly protein added to snowmaking water that causes the water droplets to freeze at higher temperatures and thus requires about 30 percent less energy. It has been used at every Winter Olympics since Calgary in 1988).
- Utah Olympic Park (ski jumping)—YORK B-3 and SMI snow guns and Snomax Snow Inducer are used at the jump site. YORK also modified the guns to limit the throw because the jump and the in run are much narrower than conventional ski trails.
- Park City (giant slalom)—HKD snow guns and Snomax Snow Inducer.
- Snowbasin Ski Area (downhills and Super Gs)— One of only two fully automated snowmaking systems in North America, this system features the Snomax Snow Inducer and YORK automatic hydrants operating 550 YORK B-6 snow guns. The guns, hydrants, and entire snowmaking plant are controlled by YORK software.
- Soldier Hollow (cross-country skiing)—Snomax Snow Inducer.
Various YORK systems are also operating at other Olympic sites. Systems include cooling for electronic equipment, as well as comfort cooling and heating, installed at Olympic Stadium, The Ice Sheet at Ogden, Olympic Village, International Broadcast Center, Main Press Center, and the Salt Lake Olympic Committee offices.
In addition to supplying the Olympic venues, YORK also provided two AirPak-360 indoor air-handling units to each of three NBC Television temporary broadcast studios. (Divided into three sections and equipped with wheels, each 50-ton unit is mounted on tracks installed on a mechanical platform atop the studios. This design makes it easy to assemble and disassemble the units for shipping from one Olympic venue to another).
YORK played a contributing role in bringing the Games to Salt Lake City by helping the Salt Lake City Olympic Bid Committee ensure successful completion of Olympic venues. YORK has paid for much of its sponsorship through value-in-kind contributions (donations of equipment to support Olympic sites and training venues).
YORK first became involved in the Olympics at the 1960 Winter Games in Squaw Valley, CA, where the company provided refrigeration equipment for the ice rinks and skating areas. Since then, many other Olympic sites, including Munich, Grenoble, Innsbruck, Lake Placid, Los Angeles, Calgary, Albertville, Barcelona, Lillehammer, and Atlanta, have benefited from YORK refrigeration, snowmaking, and air-conditioning equipment.
YORK not only supports Olympic competition sites, but also provides equipment at several training centers. The YORK International Luge Training Complex in Lake Placid, NY, is the most technically advanced indoor luge facility in the world. Likewise, the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center and the new San Diego Training Center rely heavily on YORK equipment.
YORK International Corporation is the largest independent supplier of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration products in the U.S., and a leading international supplier. The company sells products in more than 100 countries, and YORK has approximately 25,000 employees worldwide. For more information visit the company’s Web site at www.york.com
