The Vasaloppet is currently building an artificial snow facility near Oxberg. This will ensure enough artificial snow to cover the entire 90 kilometer Vasaloppet course from Sälen to Mora.
Vasaloppet's director Tommy Höglund explains: “The hope is that the system will be able to produce 100,000 cubic meters of snow during a season. That translates into about 100 kilometers of tracks.”
Will be able to take care of Itself:
The last couple years of mild winters, in combination with the anticipated climate changes, has convinced the Vasaloppet to invest in this new project.
“Up to this point we have gotten artificial snow from Alpine resorts in the region. This has meant that we have always been a second priority,” says Höglund.
Meanwhile, for artificial snow production to take place, there needs to be at least 30 days of with temperatures below -5 Celsius. The ground must also be frozen solid in the Alpine areas and on the race course to allow the trucks and tractors to transport the artificial snow.
The sports chief means that “If we can be independent of these factors, we can guarantee our races independent of whether natural snow falls or not.”
Recycling the Snow:
The facility that will be extremely modern, allowing personnel to control snow production from Oxberg, Sälen, or Mora.
The plan is to recycle the artificial snow – using at the Sundsvall hospital for air conditioning.
“We are trying to develop solutions that will work for this region as a whole,” concludes Höglund.
Source: Langrenn.com
