Arena: Promotes Snow Security Under All Conditions
Climate change has shaken many certainties in technical snowmaking. With the help of digital analysis tools and data-based decisions, snow reliability can be guaranteed even under unfavorable conditions - especially at the beginning and end of the season. This is because increasingly late cold snaps in the autumn, fewer snow windows and temperatures that are too warm in late winter are putting ski areas under increasing pressure. Slopes below 1,000 m above sea level in particular are in a particularly difficult situation. But medium altitudes up to 2,000 m are also feeling the effects of climate change more and more clearly and are increasingly struggling with insufficient snow reliability at the edges of the season. With the help of digitalization, however, this problem can be counteracted in a targeted manner.
Well-prepared data analysis
Snowmaking is a topic where the piste team has previously been able to rely on its experience and knowledge of local weather conditions. But climate change has also changed the rules of the game. The weather has become more unpredictable and the situation can quickly change from one extreme to the next. Digital data can, however, counteract these uncertainties. Measuring the 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. All measurement data is ideally presented in a terrain model. The digital image of the ski area shows the current snow situation, as well as the target and minimum snow depth and specific key figures at a glance. This knowledge forms the basis for all further measures and makes targeted, selective snowmaking possible. In addition to optimal snow cover, this also allows natural and financial resources to be saved on a large scale.
Forward-looking planning and perfect timing
If measurement data from several consecutive years is available, this enables a direct comparison of the individual seasons. Action plans can then be derived from this, as is the case with the ARENA master plan, for example. 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. In this way, various scenarios can be anticipated and snow security in the ski area can be guaranteed even under unfavorable conditions. If a ski area has a terrain model and a digital master plan, forecast weather and precipitation data, such as the SNOWGRID from GeoSphere Austria, can also be integrated into it. This helps significantly to better estimate weather developments and relate them to the specific situation in the ski area. In this way, the optimal time windows for technical snowmaking can be determined down to the hour, resources can be saved and the slopes can always be kept in top condition.
Snow security at the edges of the season
The combination of predictive weather data, combined with knowledge of the perfect time to make snow based on sound data analysis, 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. The situation is similar at the end 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 at low and medium altitudes, this can determine whether or not there is guaranteed snow at Christmas and Easter.
Snow security is an existential factor
Ultimately, it is up to each ski resort to organize snowmaking at its own discretion. However, climate data and concrete practical experience suggest that every available means should be used to ensure snow reliability - especially in the core business at Christmas and Easter. Not least because the winter sports industry in the Alpine region is a driving economic factor and plays an existential role in the value chain of many tourism regions.
ARENA slope management
With innovation and foresight, ARENA Piste Management supports ski areas in mastering future challenges and remaining attractive and economical in the long term.
You can find all information about ARENA's range of services here: https://arena.or.at/services
