Before the arrival of electric refrigerators and freezers, the Finns saw a block of ice in a river or a lake before the spring thaw, covered it with a thick layer of sawdust and stack it in barns, pits or ice cellars to protect the heat products from summer months.
With global warming and its increasingly short and unpredictable winters, a modern version of the traditional technique of Jään Säilöminen – Preservation of ice – was born, this time using extruded polystyrene carpets, the same material as that used for the insulation of Nordic houses. With a lifespan of more than 20 years, these carpets are presented by their manufacturer as a means of saving the ski resorts of low and medium altitude, indicates The Guardian.
More artificial snow?
The principle of “Snow Farming”: Collect the snow at the end of the season to store it and use it at the start of the next one. Marko Mustonen, director of the Levi station in Kittilä, in the northwest of Finland, was tempted by the system in 2016, when his domain was preparing to host the annual slalom World Cup. “The period when real winter begins can vary from early October to mid-November. Since the competition took place in early November, this allowed us to be sure of having snow for the event ”he explains. Another advantage: keeping the snow last season would avoid using artificial snow, very energy -consuming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxrtqrevlhi
Last week in Levi, the levels of snow on the main tracks were the same as at the same time last year, despite months of September and exceptionally hot October. “Thanks to the recycling of snow, we were able to do exactly the same as last year for the start of the ski season”continues the director of the station. According to him, the model put in place in Kittilä intrigues: many ski resorts to be intrigued. “Interest is growing, several European ski resorts, especially in the Alps ask us questions about this”he says.
“The” snow farming “avoids last minute disappointments for tourists”
What delight Antti Lauslahti, the director general of Snow Secure, the company causing this model of “Snow Farming”:: “Being able to guarantee the opening date of the station and the start of snow allows companies to hire staff reliably, and to avoid last minute disappointment for tourists”.
After Levi, Ruka station in Kuusamo has also taken the plunge. But this year, Snow Secure designers hope to see their model exporting internationally. What comfort the stations most affected by global warming in their mirage of possibly eternal snow.
