SnowGlow
Sculptural light at the summit
High above Jackson, Wyoming, a permanent artwork turns the Aurora restaurant at Snow King Mountain into a glowing beacon against the night sky. SnowGlow merges CNC-carved acrylic, steel and 55 meters of ENTTEC pixel strip into an atmospheric sculpture that captures the spirit of the mountain itself.
| Client | Aurora Summit Restaurant |
|---|---|
| Type | Retail |
| Location | Jackson, Wyoming, USA |
| Products | S-Play SP1-1, 2 x Pixelator Mini Mk2, 14 x PLink Injectors, ELM (ENTTEC LED Mapper), 55 meters of ENTTEC 12V RGBW 60-LEDs/m SPI strip |
| Year | 2025 |
| Project credits | Project designers: Bland Hoke and Dan Sanford. Lighting design: Dan Sanford. Cinematography: Ryan Brim. |
| Photography | Mark Riegel |
Snow King Mountain has been Jackson Hole’s “town hill” since 1939. When Aurora restaurant opened at the 7,800-foot summit in 2025, the venue commissioned local artists Bland Hoke and Dan Sanford to create a permanent lighting installation that would match its elevated ambitions.
Hoke, known for his bespoke multidisciplinary art installations and sculptures, was commissioned to create the main art piece for the new summit building. While designing the work that would transform the restaurant’s main wall behind the bar into an artistic topographical relief, he brought in Sanford for his expertise in lighting.
Sanford is a lighting designer and VJ whose portfolio includes stages for Bonobo and Glitch Mob. Hoke designed a 24ft by 8.5ft artwork in layered, cut, ground and patinaed steel, with CNC-carved acrylic panels mimicking Snow King’s ski slopes. Those panels were then edge-lit with 55 meters of ENTTEC pixel strip.
For the lighting control, Sanford turned to ENTTEC, gear he has relied on for over a decade. That trust in reliability made it the clear choice for a permanent installation exposed to the elements.
Solution
Powered by S-Play SP1-1, two Pixelator Mini Mk2, 14 PLink Injectors and ELM
Lit up by 55 meters of ENTTEC 12V RGBW pixel strip
The installation leans on ENTTEC’s ecosystem of pixel control products working in concert.
S-Play SP1-1 serves as the brain of the operation, storing and playing back programmed light shows autonomously. That keeps SnowGlow performing even without network connectivity, which matters on a mountaintop.
Two Pixelator Mini Mk2 units handle the pixel processing, each managing up to 32 universes of control. With 55 meters of RGBW strip at 60 pixels per meter, the pair keeps effects smooth and synchronised across all 3,300 pixels without bottlenecks.
14 PLink Injectors solve the problem of long cable runs, regenerating the data signal and injecting power exactly where it is needed. Hidden throughout the sculpture’s framework, they hold brightness and data integrity consistent across the whole piece.
ENTTEC 12V RGBW 60-LEDs/m pixel strip provides the visual output: 55 meters of high-density, individually addressable RGBW LEDs. Its robust construction and silicone coating handle temperature extremes from -20°F to 90°F, essential for year-round operation at altitude.
The system communicates over Art-Net, so Sanford can connect a DJ controller for live performances or update show files remotely. In regular operation the S-Play cycles through programmed scenes, warm sunset hues transitioning to cool mountain blues, an ever-changing backdrop to the dining room.
Result
The finished installation runs reliably through extreme mountain weather while holding visual interest all evening. SnowGlow shows how ENTTEC’s professional pixel control can deliver museum-quality results in a demanding environment, and it will keep illuminating Aurora for years to come.
![The Aurora summit building at Snow King Mountain, seen from the snow on a clear day]()
Aurora, at the 7,800-foot summit of Snow King Mountain ![A hand holding the layered concept model of the carved ski-slope panels]()
The concept model for the carved slopes ![The large acrylic panel laid flat in the workshop, being shaped and finished]()
Building up the panel in the workshop ![The sculpture lit blue during fit-out, with a ladder and unfinished dining room around it]()
First light during fit-out ![ENTTEC power supplies and injectors wired up on the bench before install]()
Bench-testing power and injectors before install ![An ENTTEC Pixelator Mini mounted behind the artwork, status LEDs lit, data cables patched in]()
A Pixelator Mini Mk2 mounted behind the artwork ![The control rack with power distribution, network switch and pixel converter]()
Show control, pixel conversion, power and network in one rack ![An installer working across the face of the translucent carved acrylic panels]()
Finishing the CNC-carved acrylic panels ![A coil of cable being carried along the bar while the sculpture is lit overhead]()
Cabling the piece in above the bar ![Close view of the layered acrylic slopes edge-lit in pink, violet and amber]()
Edge-lit acrylic, layer by layer ![The sculpture lit deep blue and mirrored in the polished bar top below]()
Cool blues, mirrored in the bar top ![Blue and amber content running along the carved ridge lines above the back bar]()
Content running the ridge lines above the back bar ![Wide view of the full artwork over the bar, warm peaks above cool blue slopes]()
The full 24ft by 8.5ft artwork ![The layered steel and acrylic topography unlit, reading as a relief of mountain ridges]()
The topography unlit, as sculpture ![Dan Sanford programming scenes from a laptop and controller on the restaurant floor]()
Programming the show on site ![The room washed in warm amber from the sculpture, a person at the bar below]()
Warm sunset hues across the room ![Live control from a controller at the bar, the sculpture lit blue and pink behind]()
Live control over Art-Net ![The carved slopes lit bright white, high contrast against the dark ceiling]()
High-contrast white across the slopes ![The two artists standing in front of the finished, lit installation]()
The artists in front of the finished piece
The full story
SnowGlow: Sculptural Light at the Summit
Read the storyRelated products
Explore products used
S-Play SP1-1
32-universe all-in-one smart show controller. Stores and triggers shows standalone, which is what keeps SnowGlow running with no network at the summit.
Pixelator Mini Mk2
128-universe Ethernet to SPI pixel converter, up to 32 universes of output each. Two of them keep 3,300 pixels synchronised across the artwork.
PLink Injector
Extends a pixel layout by regenerating data and injecting power further down the run. 14 of them sit hidden in the sculpture’s framework holding brightness even.
ELM (ENTTEC LED Mapper)
Award-winning pixel-mapping software for designing, mapping and running content across individually addressable arrays.
12V RGBW 60-LEDs/m pixel strip
Individually controllable 60 pixel/m RGBW strip on black or white PCB, in 5 m rolls. Silicone coated, rated from -20°F to 90°F for year-round work at altitude.
