Sustainability of Snow Machines and Ski Resorts

August 7, 2022

Written by: Caroline Kim

It’s still summer, but my love for the winter season causes me to think about snow even in the hottest times of the year. Skiing is my absolute favorite activity to do in the world; I could ski 365 days a year and have zero complaints, but it was a shock to me when my younger self first discovered that many ski trails were covered in fake snow. It appears that this is a necessary tool for many ski resorts and skiers, but it recently got me thinking: are fake snow machines sustainable or environmentally suitable at all? How might it affect the ecosystem? These machines are described to work such that “Compressed air is shot up through the nozzle, where it meets water and splits it into tiny droplets. The sudden loss of pressure robs the system of heat, rapidly cooling the water to form a tiny ice pellet – a snow “seed”. The giant fan now propels these seeds into the air alongside the fine mist of water droplets. As the droplets encounter the seed, they stick to it and begin to freeze.” (Newby). Though the actual fake snow may not be so harmful to the environment, the energy used in the creation of it can be; while technology has allowed for biodegradable fake snow, the chemicals/density of it still has negative effects (Rinkesh). (Specific statistics and details on energy expenditure can be found on the home page (top picks link number 9).

Some scientists propose artificial snow machines as a possible solution to ice melt in Antarctica (Woodward). However, much more research and experimentation would need to be conducted to determine if this is actually a viable solution. For example, concerns of ecological impact would need to be considered as the sound pollution could drive away organisms from their habitats. Additionally, the maintenance of the snow would have to be considered as the melting of new ice would result in significant rises in sea level. But in terms of ski resorts, it appears that solar energy is something many ski resorts aren’t hesitating to make use of. In fact, a ski resort in Safien Valley, Switzerland has already implemented a solar powered ski lift by setting up solar panels (Neumeister). Even in the U.S. Bromley Mt. Ski resorts in Vermont have launched their very own solar project to generate clean/local solar power (Bromley Ski Resort Powers up New Solar Array at Sun Mountain). Hopefully, ecologically safe methods can be implemented more prevalently throughout the world in ski resorts; this way, many environmentalists such as myself can enjoy their favorite hobbies with peace of mind.

Sources:

Newby, Jonica. “From the Vault: How Do Snow Machines Work?” Cosmos, 9 Nov. 2021, https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/how-does-snow-machine-work/#:~:text=Compressed%20air%20is%20shot%20up,fine%20mist%20of%20water%20droplets.

Rinkesh. “Is Artificial Snow Bad for the Environment?” Conserve Energy Future, 27 July 2021, https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/is-artificial-snow-bad-for-environment.php.

Woodward, Aylin. “Antarctica Is Melting so Fast That Scientists Are Proposing Shooting Artificial Snow out of Cannons to Slow It Down.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 19 July 2019, https://www.businessinsider.com/artificial-snow-could-stop-antarctica-from-melting-2019-7#:~:text=If%20they%20collapse%2C%20global%20sea,glaciers%20to%20stop%20the%20melt.

Neumeister, Karsten. “Solar-Powered Ski Resorts: Adapting to Changing Winters.” EcoWatch, EcoWatch, 3 May 2022, https://www.ecowatch.com/solar-skiing.html.

“Bromley Ski Resort Powers up New Solar Array at Sun Mountain.” Bromley Ski Resort Powers up New Solar Array at Sun Mountain | Vermont Business Magazine, 21 Dec. 2021, https://vermontbiz.com/news/2021/december/21/bromley-ski-resort-powers-new-solar-array-sun-mountain.