Latest news with #SunPeaks
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Canada's Second Largest Ski Resort Using New Technique to Preserve Snowpack
Sun Peaks Resort is thinking long-term when it comes to early season snowpack. The resort located in British Columbia, Canada is taking advantage of leftover snow from this season to get a head start for next season. Starting in April, Sun Peaks' grooming team harvested 14,000 cubic meters of snow and and shuttled it to the OSV (Österreichischer Skiverband) ski run. The harvested snow was then covered by mats developed by a Finnish company called Snow Secure. These insulated mats are filled with a material called Finnfoam and arranged over a an oblong dome-shaped pile of snow, which Sun Peaks' case is 300 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 30 feet tall. See to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates. The mats work to protect snow from wind, rain, and high temperatures that decimate snowpack and utilize a real-time monitoring system. Come fall, Sun Peaks' grooming team will shape the mound of snow into an ideal surface for alpine racers and skier cross athletes to start training early at the Nancy Greene International Race Centre.A set of 18 mats cost Sun Peaks $180,000, which is not a small sum for a ski area. However, in a feature on the resort by CBC British Columbia, CBC's meteorologist Johanna Wagstaff claims it's a worthy investment. Wagtaff says that based on a 'middle of the road' climate change scenario, we could lose between 10-40% of our overall winter snowpack. Elevations around 1500m or 5,000ft will be particularly affected by these changes, which is bad news for winter sports destinations. If how rapidly our planet's climate has changed in the last five years is any indication, we're likely in for anything but a 'middle of the road' scenario. Solutions like Snow Secure mats are, all things considered, less costly than snowmaking, and take up less precious resources, while having great potential for extending a ski area's season. Preserved natural snow also retains its quality better than man-made snow which makes for a better ski experience. The mats are also highly durable and one set is expected to last 10-20 also interviewed local ski cross racer Euan Curry, who noted that an extended season at his home resort could help him and other racers get a competitive edge with a longer training season. An already costly sport, this could save folks like Curry some significant cash if they're not traveling to Europe to find snow during that early season. You can see the full CBC piece below. Tap or click to watch. Sun Peaks is not the first resort to utilize this technology, but they are the first in Canada. According to Snow Secure's website, their system has been installed at several European resorts such as Saas-Fe, Trømso Alpinpark, Ruka, and Levi. North American resorts like Ski Apache, NM and Tyrol Basin, WI have also began utilizing the installation of the Snow Secure system comes in conjunction with a multi-million dollar upgrade to the resort's existing snowmaking system that began in 2024.
CBC
19-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
The surprisingly low-tech way a B.C. ski resort is saving its snow
Social Sharing The Sun Peaks ski resort near Kamloops, in B.C.'s Interior, has a new tool to fight the impacts of warming temperatures: 18 giant, insulated blankets to help keep their powder cool during summer months. The resort said its 300-foot long snow mat, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, was developed by a Finnish company called Snow Secure. The company marketed the product as a way to ensure reliable early-season ski conditions amid warming temperatures. Crews at Sun Peaks spent part of the winter harvesting snow and bringing it to a singular location high in the mountain. They then covered the pile to protect it from the summer sun. When fall comes around, they'll begin distributing the snow in order to make full runs, available for alpine teams to train on. "It's fantastic ... we can stay home and save some money," said Euan Currie, a ski cross racer based at Sun Peaks. Typically, he travels to Europe early in the ski season in order to find enough snow to work with, but he hopes this new strategy will help give him a home-court advantage. "Earlier ski times equals more winning," he said. WATCH | Sun Peaks launches snow storage technology: Sun Peaks Resort launches new snow storage technology 2 days ago Duration 2:44 The surprisingly simple technology was launched in Europe around the turn of the century, and has become increasingly popular among resorts there. The blankets are made using extruded polystyrene and have real-time temperature monitoring. More recently, they've been adopted by North American ski hills as they deal with increasingly unreliable climate patterns that have led to declines in both revenue and people willing to shell out money for season passes that may not be put to good use. Currie's father, Duncan, is Sun Peak's operations director and one of the people who has been laying the blankets out. He said each one covers the equivalent of about four football fields. He said even when temperatures surpass 30 C, it's expected 75 to 80 per cent of the snow should stay secure. "We have confidence that the quality of the snow will be what we want to train on," he said. Sun Peaks said it shelled out $180,000 for the mats but believes it's a worthwhile investment if it means a more secure ski season. According to CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe, the spring snow pack in B.C.'s souther Interior mountains has dropped between 20 and 40 per cent since the 1970s. Based on current trends, another 10 to 40 per cent could be lost by 2035. "We are going to lose more snow," she said, adding many winter resorts are looking for ways to preserve the season. Sun Peaks communications director Christina Antoniak said she's excited for the mats to come off this fall and the ability to announce the start of the season, earlier and with more confidence than in recent years. "I think it's going to be a very milestone day," she said.
CBC
17-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Sun Peaks Resort launches new snow storage technology
B.C.'s Sun Peaks Resort has a new tool to preserve the snow on its slopes: an insulated blanket that protects snow even through the heat of the summer. Reporter Shelley Joyce shows us how this latest snow technology can give ski competitors an edge.
