Fall is here. The days are getting shorter, temperatures are starting to drop, ski mountains are seeing their first snow, and thoughts of face shots and powder days are on the horizon. Winter is coming.
In Finland, winter has arrived. Levi, the nation’s largest ski resort, opened today, October 2, at 9:30 a.m., marking the start of the Northern Hemisphere ski season. Ruka, another of the largest, also opened today. The two are typically the first non-glacial resorts in the Northern Hemisphere to open for the upcoming winter.
To open early, the “two resorts use snow farming–saving piles of snow collected last spring under insulating covers.” Snow farming can save up to 85% of the snow from the season before. Levi managed to store almost 300,000 cubic meters of snow left over at the end of the 204-25 season, with approximately 216,340 cubic meters of snow on the front slope—27% more than the previous year—and the remainder on the World Cup slope “Levi Black.”
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With the continued threat of climate change, snow farming provides a viable safety net for resorts. Often, the holiday period is the most lucrative period for resorts, and having limited terrain can negatively impact the guest experience. Using snow farming can negate these impacts regardless of the weather. Technologies like snowmaking are great when the weather is cold. However, snow farming enables resorts to maintain snow coverage even when snowmaking temperatures are not feasible. Resorts like Ruka can open regardless of the temperature.
The “Race To Open” in North America has been won by various resorts around the country, from Colorado to Minnesota. Perpetually, some of the first to open in the United States are Arapahoe Basin and Loveland in Colorado. Unlike Ruka, these resorts rely on cold temperatures, allowing snowmaking to be possible in late September and October.
So get ready. Do your snow dances and keep an eye on the skies. North America won’t be far behind…
