High electricity and fuel prices are two of the challenges when snowmaking for cross-country skiing tracks around Sweden.

The Swedish Ski Association has surveyed around 80 facilities with artificial snow around the country, and another challenge in parts of the country cannot be overcome financially.

Currently, temperatures are high in large parts of Sweden, but several cross-country skiing facilities have already opened for the season, with saved snow. Vålådalen already opened in mid-October; a week later, there was an opening at Idre Fjäll, and this weekend it was time for both Lugnet i Falun and Skellefteå.

In the past, the temperature has been the biggest challenge when producing and laying out artificial snow. But last winter and the coming winter, there were other challenges, the high prices for both electricity and fuel.

The Swedish Skiing Association, led by consultant Jonas Braam, has conducted a survey of the country’s artificial snow facilities during the autumn. 

About 80 facilities around the country have responded to the survey and all have announced that they will continue with their artificial snow production this winter. However, in two cases out of three, it will be a slightly different arrangement than before.

“It could be about them preparing a track of artificial snow that in previous seasons was three kilometers, and now it will be two kilometers to keep costs down. And that’s where cross-country skiing has an advantage compared to many other sports. Because I am convinced that the usual skier will ski just as much anyway, even if the track is a little shorter. And it’s just a matter of looking at the pre-season in many places around the country where many go lap after lap on a loop that may not be longer than 500 meters,” says Braam.

How can facilities work to lower their costs of producing snow?

“Most people have planned to make adjustments in production so that they do not produce snow when the electricity price is very high. Then the snow production gives a better effect the colder it is, so if, for example, you produce at minus four (degrees Celsius) instead of minus two, you get twice as much snow for the same amount of energy. And right now, it is justified to make investments to expand its capacity. Suppose you expand with more snow cannons and increase the pumping capacity for water. In that case, you can dare to wait and start snow production at lower temperatures and still get the same or even greater amount of snow at a lower energy consumption per unit volume,” says Braam, who sees another risk in the coming winter than rampant costs:

“In southern Sweden, there are low groundwater levels in many places, and it is something that cannot be done “from the outside” in the form of financial support,” says Braam. 

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