On 14 November 2024, SIEPPUR hosted a ‘Snow Grooming and Handling’ Webinar that shared the science behind the preparation of snow or ‘snow handling’. The objectives of snow preparation are to ensure the safest and fairest possible conditions for all snow sport competitors through strengthening the snow to an optimum via methods such as watering or salting. Sustainable snow handling practices seek to minimize the environmental impact on the surrounding flora and fauna or bodies of water and optimize resource use.
Some of the methods shared included the development of a snow hardener use plan and protocol as well as the types of distribution tools used. For snow handling, consideration was made of sun cover shields to avoid snow melting on course sections that are heavily exposed to the sun. By temporarily covering sections that are heavily exposed to the sun, meling is reduced with it important that the cover is removed as soon as sun exposure is weak enough, to facilitate refreezing of the snow. Further methods were shared such as:
- excavator use for compressing snow
- use of ground insulation
- covering of snow-free banks or walls next to the course
To view all videos of the webinars see: SIEPPUR Sustainable Snow-How – YouTube