Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain
By Linda Hall •
Published: 01 Nov 2024 • 20:46
• 2 minutes read
Finnish ski resorts don’t save for a rainy day, but each spring they do save snow for the coming winter.
In the past it was habitual, just before the spring thaw, to cut ice from a lake or river before insulating it with sawdust and stacking it in pits, ice cellars or barns for use during the summer.
Snow farming is a centuries old system that works, even in Spain, where you can still see old “neveras” in the Alicante mountains, where snow was stored to be brought out for the torrid summer months.
In Finland, ski resorts are reviving this old practice to ensure that there will be enough snow for winter sports although instead of sawdust, they now use polystyrene blankets. These are between 50 and 70 millimetres thick and tailored to fit precisely over huge mounds of snow.
Winters are becoming shorter and start later
The method is currently used at Finland s ski stations, including those in Levi in Kittila, and Ruka in Kuusamo. For a resort like Ruka, which is only 500 metres above sea level, this is a necessity as winters start later and become shorter.
At the beginning of the winter sports season, snow and temperatures are always unpredictable although until around 10 years ago, skiers could rely on good snow conditions from December until April.
“Now, with snow farming we can guarantee good conditions for skiing from the beginning of October and well into May,” Antti Karava, chief executive of the Ruka and Pyha ski resorts told, the BBC.
Although he was speaking to the UK broadcaster in April 2024, he also knew that they would reopen on October 4.
The Levi resort began snow farming in 2016 to ensure that it was prepared for the annual World Cup Slalom in November. The arrival of winter has become increasingly hard to predict, even in northern Finland, Marko Mustonen, the Levi Business manager said.
Snow farming is more environmentally-friendly than artificial snow
“The real winter period with below-zero temperatures can vary from early October to mid-November,”he explained.
Snow farming also means that resorts do not have to rely on the alternative of producing artificial snow, an expensive and less environmentally-friendly process that requires large quantities of both water and electricity.
Ski stations inside Finland have been using the insulating mats for several years but this is the first season that the Snow Secure company has supplied them outside the country. The system is now being used at the Tromso Alpinpark in Krokelvdalen in Norway and Saas-Fee in Sastal (Switzerland)
Meanwhile, next year’s customers include not only ski resorts in Andalucia’s Sierra Nevada but also Tyrol Basin (Wisconsin) and Ski Apache (New Mexico) on the other side of the Atlantic.
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Originally from the UK, Linda is based in Valenca province and is a reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering local news. Got a news story you want to share?
Then get in touch at [email protected].
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