Hey Utah, New Snow Farming Technique Uses Blankets to Save Snow Over Summer Months

If you ski or snowboard in Utah, you know some years get off to a bang with tons of snow and some years get started late and it’s too warm for the snow machines. In Europe, they have found a solution that could help Utah. 

How to Keep the Snow from Never Leaving 

A resort in Finland started using a novel approach to preparing for the next year’s ski season. When they had tons of snow in the winter months, they piled it up and covered it with polystyrene blankets. 

This keeps the snow from melting through the summer. When it hits late October, they take the blankets off and spread the snow across certain runs so that they are prepared for an early opening. 

In British Columbia they take a similar approach, but rather than stack the snow, they cover their terrain park and key runs in the white mats to keep that the snow there through the summer months. This saves the trouble of stacking and spreading the snow. 

Consistent Results Could Benefit Utah Resorts 

Most of the resorts in Utah get plenty of snowfall, and it may not be worth the investment to cover the snow through the summer. However, I grew up learning to ski at Sundance, and there were years they could have used more snow. 

There are also resorts in the southern part of the state like Eagle Point and Brian Head where the temperatures aren’t always ideal for snow making in the early parts of the year.

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I talked to Brian Head, and they said they aren’t currently looking into this technology. I’m sure there and costs and logistics that I’m not aware of. Still, it seems promising, especially how they are using it in Canada, could something to look into.