Finland — Ski season has officially begun in Finland, which means we’re one step closer to winter.
On Friday, Levi and Ruka opened for the season. These openings were made possible by tarping off their remaining snow from last season during the summer. Levi has three trails and four lifts open, while Ruka has three runs and three lifts operating.
These resorts aren’t the first to open in Europe, as various ski resorts are open across the Alps. According to Snow Forecast, these open ski areas are situated on glaciers.
What also distinguishes the opening of Levi and Ruka is that this was possible by tarping snow. After the conclusion of their ski seasons, the ski resorts move the remaining snow and cover it with snow preservation blankets. These blankets reflect the sun’s rays, resulting in near-freezing temperatures below the blanket, which preserves the snow. This method allows ski resorts to make less snow during the ski season. According to Levi, they started using the practice in 2016 to bring in business during the fall, ensure that they can host the Levi World Cup, and extend their ski season.
For Ruka, who also started doing this in 2016, it allowed them to extend their season. Antti Karava, who’s the CEO of Ruka and Pyha Ski Resorts, described the benefits of this method to the BBC in April:
“About 10 years ago, we could guarantee good snow conditions from early December until April. Now, with snow farming, we can guarantee good ski conditions from early October until the second week of May.”
WIRED also wrote a great article about Levi’s snow farming methods, which you can read here.
Perhaps more ski resorts in North America should consider doing this on their trails.
Image/Video Credits: Ruka Resort, Levi Ski Resort