Green Light For Snowmaking Pond At Antholz

A reservoir for artificial snowmaking is to be built at the biathlon center in Antholz. The state technical advisory board issued a positive report for the project in early August

Recently, the technical advisory board chaired by regional councillor Christian Bianchi in Bolzano discussed the project for the construction of a water reservoir near the Antholz biathlon centre. The reservoir is to be used for the 2026 Winter Olympics, for which Antholz will be the venue for the biathlon competitions. The committee approved the construction of the reservoir with additional structures.

In total, the open reservoir will hold 31,500 cubic meters of water, which will be used for artificial snowmaking at sporting events. Various implementation options were examined and comprehensive geological, seismic and hydrological studies were carried out. Finally, it was decided to place the reservoir in the flatter area of ​​the "Schwonta" zone on the left side of the Rotwand stream in Rasen-Antholz at about 1,700 meters above sea level.

Storage basin for the 2026 Winter Olympics

"The construction of the reservoir is of fundamental importance with a view to the 2026 Winter Olympics. To ensure that it is completed on time, the project was submitted to the State Technical Advisory Board for approval and was approved at this week's meeting, so that it can move on to the next phase," explains Bianchi. The State Council expects construction work to begin in April 2025 and be completed in October of the same year, so that everything will be ready in time for the start of the 2026 Olympics. The construction of the reservoir will reduce water consumption and enable more sustainable and resource-efficient artificial snowmaking, emphasizes Bianchi.