Even though climate change has made snowfall increasingly unpredictable across the northern hemisphere, winter activities continue to rely on consistent and dependable snow conditions.
A smaller cold window across North America has ended up with resorts experiencing shorter ski seasons, higher costs for artificial snowmaking and growing environmental scrutiny, as traditional snowmaking methods consume tremendous amounts of water and energy to work, straining both ecosystems and operational budgets. These challenges are beginning to reshape early-season planning, and more ski resorts are now turning to snow storage to supplement their snowmaking activities.
Once considered a niche experiment, snow storage is increasingly becoming part of core mountain infrastructure and is used to provide resort teams a predictable base they can count on for first tracks, race lanes, lessons and events. “Think of snow storage like insurance that lets you guarantee you will be open when snowmaking isn’t possible and there’s no natural snow,” said Snow Secure CEO, Antti Lauslahti.
Headquartered in Finland, Snow Secure has emerged as a leading global snow storage solution for resorts looking for greater snow predictability. Founded in 2005, their patented insulated mat technology is specifically engineered and designed to protect the stored snow from heat, sun, wind and rain, and ensure reliable early-season skiing without relying on costly artificial snowmaking. Snow Secure system also offers a tremendous return on investment over the approximate 10-year life of the product.
“One of our customers has calculated that they only need two extra days of being open every year for our system to pay for itself,” said Lauslahti. “That means if Snow Secure allows you to be open two or three weeks earlier on average and have more peak days every year, less than a two-year payback time on your initial investment is completely feasible. It’s really a no-brainer.”
How it works
It is important to note that Snow Secure – and snow storage in general – is not a replacement for a resort’s existing snowmaking operations. Rather, Snow Secure is a system that allows resorts to think about snowmaking in a different way: preserving snow efficiently and responsibly so it can be deployed exactly when and where it’s needed and then focusing snowmaking efforts on other areas of the park.
Snow Secure works in four broad strokes:
- Snow collection: Resorts gather large piles of snow during optimal times.
- Insulation system: The snow piles are covered with Snow Secure’s specialized insulated mats, which protect against heat, sun, wind and rain.
- Monitoring: A real-time temperature monitoring system ensures optimal storage conditions.
- Deployment: In the fall, the mats are removed, and the preserved snow is spread across slopes to guarantee early openings.
“Resorts can also get a step up on the next season by making snow when the temperatures are ideal and efficiency is highest, and then simply store it,” said Sami Piana, sales and service for Snow Secure Canada. “If you have water and you have a place to store the snow, you may as well make as much snow as you can when the conditions are the best. You may lose a little to melt, but it costs a lot less than when you are making snow when temperatures rise to just below freezing.”
We’re proud to be the first ski resort in Canada to adopt this proven technology and to provide a reliable and resilient training facility for young athletes from around the world.
Tim Foster, Sun Peaks Resort
Results from resorts that have already incorporated this technology say that up to 80% of the snow remains under the insulation mats throughout the summer. In addition, snow piles that are built in the same place for a second year in a row tend to melt at a much slower rate than a first-time snow pile. This is because, during storage time, the snow compacts further and the soils underneath become colder.
“If you store the snow in the same place over multiple years, you develop something like permafrost underneath, which helps regulate the temperatures better over the warmer months,” said Lauslahti. “Our system works great wherever it’s used, but if you store your snow in the same location year after year, it works even better and with less melting.”
Snow Secure’s success has brought it to countries around the world, including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Italy, the United States and – more recently – in Canada with Sun Peaks Resort.
Securing Sun Peaks Resort
Seeking to ensure its own reliable early-season alpine ski training, Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia recently became the first ski area in the country to employ this one-of-a-kind approach to snow farming and storage.
Starting in April 2025, the $180,000 Snow Secure project at Sun Peaks preserved a massive snow pile collected on the OSV (Österreichischer Skiverband) ski run on Tod Mountain. The snow pile measured approximately 300 feet long by 100 feet wide by 30 feet tall – enough snow to fill ten Olympic swimming pools.
“Sun Peaks was an ideal place for the Snow Secure product for a number of reasons,” said Piana. “The resort focuses on early season training, is not an especially high altitude, and it has the space available to secure the snow. Sun Peaks really checks all the boxes, and the results have been tremendous, allowing the resort to open early and consistently in a season where they may not have been able to do so without Snow Secure.”
Sun Peak Resort’s grooming team moved, shaped and covered the mountain of snow under the supervision of Snow Secure, which was on site to oversee the process. Deployed and secured in a single day, the 18 interlocking mats offered an estimated 75-80% snow retention rate for the resort. This also saved Sun Peaks approximately 1.5 million gallons of water that would otherwise be diverted to snowmaking.
The project also allowed Sun Peaks to open its Nancy Greene International Race Centre earlier than usual, providing reliable training conditions for athletes worldwide. “This project is an important piece in our ongoing commitment to innovation and operational excellence,” said Tim Foster, chief of mountain operations for Sun Peaks Resort. “We’re proud to be the first ski resort in Canada to adopt this proven technology and to provide a reliable and resilient training facility for young athletes from around the world.”
The snow storage project was completed in concert with the resort’s new multi-million-dollar investment in upgrading the existing Sun Peaks snowmaking system, which started in summer 2024 and will take place over the next few years. This upgrade includes adding new, more efficient snow guns into the fleet, employing on-board weather monitoring stations for automation and upgrades to in-ground infrastructure.
Recognizing innovation
In October 2025, Snow Secure was named among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025, highlighting the company’s role in shaping a more resilient future for winter sports. Its adoption by major resorts across Europe and North America also demonstrates its scalability and adaptability for both alpine and Nordic skiing facilities across varying altitudes and climates.
“TIME’s recognition underscores how snow storage has become a key factor in securing reliable winter operations, not only across Europe but now throughout North America as well,” said Lauslahti. “This isn’t a concept or a stunt – it’s an operational tool that resorts are using today to open earlier and reduce risk.”
The growing interest in Snow Secure innovation has led to more installations being planned for this year. These projects include early-season trail bases for public openings, race and training lanes and event snow surfaces. As resorts are seeking to de-risk their season openings and protect the guest experience, Snow Secure represents transformation in traditional snow management. By combining innovation, sustainability and practicality, Snow Secure is ensuring that winter sports can not only survive but thrive in the face of climate change.
