As some Canadian ski resorts prepare to open this month, they may have to contend with another season short on snow. Luckily, the Finns (who else) might have a solution for the years ahead.
Driving the news: To shore up snow supply, some Finnish ski resorts have adopted mats made of extruded polystyrene, an insulator, to store snow during non-winter seasons. The reserve snow is used to cover their slopes in the event of low snowfall during ski season.
- For example, the Ruka ski resort collects ~60,000 cubic metres of snow, covers it with these mats, and stores it outside from April until the start of the ski season.
- By the time the snow is uncovered in October, between 80% and 90% of it is still around, enough to spread across three or four downhill slopes and its snow park.
Big picture: For the first time this year, resorts outside of Finland are now using these mats to safeguard against low snow. Snow storage is growing in popularity for resorts, as it has the potential to be a less energy-intensive and more reliable solution than artificial snow.
In Canada: Resorts have delayed, shortened, or even outright cancelled ski seasons due to lack of snow. Continued warmer winters will make the problem even worse. A recent study found that by 2050, some resorts could see as much as a 36-day decrease in ski days.—QH