Climate change has shaken many of the certainties in technical snowmaking. However, with the help of digital analysis tools and data-based decisions, snow reliability in the ski area can be guaranteed even under unfavorable conditions - especially at the beginning and end of the season.
Later and later cold snaps in the autumn, fewer days with snow and temperatures that are too warm in late winter are putting ski areas under increasing pressure. Slopes below 1.000 m above sea level are particularly struggling. But even mid-altitude areas up to 2.000 m are feeling the effects of climate change more and more clearly and are increasingly struggling with insufficient snow reliability at the edges of the season.
To a certain extent, however, this problem can be counteracted. One thing must be clear from the start: snow cannot simply be conjured up. The natural factors must be right for the production of artificial snow to be possible.
However, with a precise analysis of various measurement data, forward-looking observation of the weather situation and a clever choice of the time of snowmaking, it is possible to create scope that enables ski areas to guarantee snow reliability even under unfavourable conditions, especially at the beginning and end of the season.
1. Snow security begins with a well-prepared data analysis
Snowmaking is something where the piste team has so far been able to rely on its experience and knowledge of local weather conditions. But with climate change, not only are the seasons shifting, the weather has also become more unpredictable and the situation can quickly change from one extreme to the next.
Digital data can counteract these uncertainties. Measuring snow depth is only the first step and one of many measuring instruments. The more data that is collected, the more precise the picture of the current snow situation in the ski area. It is therefore advisable to keep up with digitalization and to let it take precedence over gut feeling in some areas.
2. No snow security without perfect overview
In order to be able to prepare the collected data clearly, a Terrain model the method of choice. The digital image of the ski area shows the current snow conditions, as well as the target and minimum snow depth and specific key figures at a glance. This makes the work of the piste team much easier by providing an overview and enabling a quick response if necessary.
The terrain model can also be used to determine the condition of each individual piste section and even each hydrant area. Firstly, through the visual representation in the model, and secondly through specific indicators for the efficiency of the technical snowmaking. This knowledge forms the basis for all further measures and makes targeted, localized snowmaking possible. In addition to an optimal snow cover, this also allows natural and financial resources to be saved on a large scale.
3. Preparation is the key to snow safety
When digital tools Since snow depth measurements have been used for several years in a row, this allows a direct comparison of the individual seasons. However, these comparisons are not just limited to the snow depth itself. Weather trends, temperature peaks and the temporal progress of technical snowmaking over the entire season also provide valuable information about performance.
This can then be used to derive action plans, as is the case with ARENA Master Plan is the case. The objective analysis of previous years and their comparison support the individual experience of the piste team and enable the piste staff to make data-based decisions. This allows various scenarios to be anticipated. If these then occur, everyone knows immediately what to do to ensure snow security in the ski area, even under unfavorable conditions.
4. Snow security is a question of timing
It is no secret that timing is essential when it comes to snowmaking. If a ski resort has a terrain model and a digital master plan, it can also include forecast weather and precipitation data, such as the SnowGrid of the GeoSphere Austria This helps significantly to better estimate the weather development and to relate it to the specific situation in the ski area.
If you know that there is a lot of precipitation forecast in two weeks, it will make little sense to produce more artificial snow than is necessary to bridge this period. In the same way, if the weather is changeable, the perfect period of time can be determined down to the hour. This avoids over- or underproduction of artificial snow, saves resources and keeps the slopes in top condition at all times.
5. snow security at the beginning of the season
The start of the season is increasingly presenting many ski resorts with major challenges due to long periods of warm weather in the autumn. The combination of predictive weather data, combined with knowledge of the perfect time to make snow based on data-based information, makes it possible to start making snow very early. This will be a decisive factor for many ski resorts in the future, especially with regard to the Christmas business.
It is quite possible that the times determined contradict the intuitive assessment in some cases. However, data does not lie. Over the years, trust in decisions based on digitally determined data analyses has proven itself many times over. This is especially true because many of the experiences that the piste team has often had over decades with local weather events can no longer be maintained in this way today.
Technical progress and digitalization are therefore an effective means of effects of climate change to defuse effectively.
6. Snow security until the planned end of the season
The situation at the end of the season is similar to that at the beginning of the season. If you know the target amount of snow for each section of the slope, you also know how much snow is required to ensure ideal slope conditions by the end of the season. You can prepare for a predicted warm spell early on with increased and targeted production.
Especially in low and medium altitudes, this can determine whether there is guaranteed snow during the Easter holidays or not. This makes technical support in piste management primarily a financial factor and every ski area should consider whether it wants to be on the winning side of digitalization. That may sound drastic, but it is a realistic view of current climatic developments.
Snow security is a question of will
Ultimately, it is up to each ski resort to organize snowmaking at its own discretion. However, climate data and concrete experience from practice suggest that every available means to ensure snow reliability - especially in the core business at Christmas and Easter. Not least because the winter sports industry is a key economic factor in the Alpine region and plays a key role in many parts of the value chain.
