Schilthorn: Early Start To The Winter Season Thanks To Snow Farming
At the end of September, the protective fleece layer of the snow depots below Birg were removed and the snow from last winter will be turned into a piste. This measure allows the season to start on November 5, 2022. Possible alternatives to snow farming were unthinkable.
An early start to the winter season should also be possible this year - thanks to snowfaming! As early as June, around 95,000 cubic meters of snow were stored in two summer snow depots below the Birg station. The snow was collided with snow groomers on two areas of different sizes and heaped up in a trapezoid shape, each around six to ten meters high. The two depots of 53,000 and 42,000 cubic meters respectively were set up in the Enge valley. In painstaking manual work, the tops were then covered with perimeter insulation panels made of hard foam, covered with foam mats and fixed with seam masking tape. Finally, the entire depot was covered with white glacier fleece and the ends of the fleece were buried in the ground for better fixation.
Winter sports operations from November 5, 2022
Before the first big snowfall, the depots are covered, all the snow underneath is cleared and processed into a ski slope. The snow volume required to secure slope number 11 totals 62,000 cubic meters. According to measurements from mid-September, there is still around 82,000 cubic meters of snow left. Despite the summer being hotter than average, the total amount fell by just under 15 percent. The available snow allows the company to start operating the winter season as early as November 5, 2022. "This early start is also important for regional ski teams," emphasizes Christoph Egger, Director of the Schilthornbahn, "so they have the opportunity to complete important training for the upcoming season without great effort. Just this summer where the training opportunities were minimal due to the closed glacier areas, the demand will certainly be high,” Egger is certain. At the same time, a snow park will be offered before it is moved to its planned location in the Maulerhubel and Winteregg area for the winter. A week after the start of the season, on November 12th, a big party is planned. Various DJs around the up-and-coming artist Brina Knauss from Slovenia will perform various electro beats in the afternoon until sunset. Tickets will be on sale soon, more information to come. before it is then moved to its intended place in the Maulerhubel and Winteregg area for the winter. A week after the start of the season, on November 12th, a big party is planned. Various DJs around the up-and-coming artist Brina Knauss from Slovenia will perform various electro beats in the afternoon until sunset. Tickets will be on sale soon, more information to come. before it is then moved to its intended place in the Maulerhubel and Winteregg area for the winter. A week after the start of the season, on November 12th, a big party is planned. Various DJs around the up-and-coming artist Brina Knauss from Slovenia will perform various electro beats in the afternoon until sunset. Tickets will be on sale soon, more information to come.
The right solution, no chance of alternatives
As an alternative to the snow farming project, the construction of a snowmaking system or a comprehensive slope correction were considered. Due to the barren, stony landscape, the snow requirement for an optimal slope at this altitude is relatively large. However, the two possible alternatives were to be assessed more critically than the snow depots, both from an ecological point of view and from the perspective of landscape protection, and were therefore rejected.
