Schilthornbahn Ag Submits Application For Snowfarming Project In Engetal.
The Schilthornbahn AG has submitted the building regulations and the building application for the Snowfarming project in the Engetal. The approval process is ongoing and has already passed the first phase of public participation. Each spring, a total of 62,000m3 of snow should be stored covered in two summer snow depots. The snow depots increase the snow reliability and guarantee a guaranteed start to the season in November.
The application submitted by the Schilthornbahn for summer snow depots in the Engetal below the Birg station is currently going through the approval process. The first phase of public participation has already been successfully passed. The snow available through the snow depots will enable the company to start operating the winter season as early as the beginning of November. The necessary snow volume for securing slope No. 11 amounts to a total of 62,000m3. This amount is divided between two depots. The larger snow depot with 42,000m3 of snow will be set up at the Engetal slope. At the beginning of May, snow is collapsed on an area of 170x37 meters and a height of 10 meters and covered with suitable materials. The second snow depot is smaller with 20,000m3 (84x38x12 meters) and is stationed at the lowest point of the slope. At the end of October each time, the depots are covered again, the snow is shed and processed into a ski slope. The sparse vegetation, the altitude at around 2550 meters and the low level of solar radiation spoke in favor of the location in the Engetal. In addition, artificially blasted avalanches bring a lot of snow into the valley floor during the winter season, which also made the choice of location easier.
Multi-layer cover
For the snow to be successfully covered in summer, it must be collided at the end of the winter season and piled up in a trapezoidal shape. The top is then covered with perimeter insulation panels made of rigid foam. As a second cover layer, foam mats are laid overlapping and fixed with a seam cover tape. Finally, the entire depot is covered with white glacial fleece strips connected with Velcro strips. For better fixation, the ends of the fleece are buried in the ground. Based on experience from other ski destinations, these cover materials can be used for at least five summer seasons before a replacement is necessary.
Not a novelty in the Schilthorn area
The permafrost on the Schilthorn has been researched and documented by the ETH Zurich and the University of Freiburg since the 1980s. Accordingly, the Schilthorn cable car began to cover the snow in the sensitive areas on the Schilthorn with a special glacial fleece back in the 1990s. This depot had to make way for the renovation work on the summit building in 2015. “Driven by the positive experience, the idea came up about ten years ago to cultivate the winter snow for the coming winter season,” says Christoph Egger, director of the Schilthornbahn. “At that time, however, the technical term snow farming did not yet exist. A building permit has recently been necessary for this, which we are now obtaining. ”Due to the wild, barren landscape at this point, the snow requirement for a good winter sports slope is relatively high. As an alternative to a snow depot, the construction and operation of a snow-making system or a comprehensive slope correction to reduce the snow requirement for the preparation of the slopes were available. These alternatives are to be assessed more critically than a summer snow depot, both from an ecological and landscape protection point of view.
