For most, Nordic skiing is a rare winter pastime. But here in Lake Placid, it’s a way of life. As winters across the country grow warmer and less predictable, the future of cross-country skiing hangs in the balance. Yet in the heart of the Adirondacks, Mt Van Hoevenberg (Van Ho) is leading the charge to preserve the sport — not just for today but for generations to come.
Thanks to our higher elevation and northern latitude, we have an edge in adapting to climate change. And we’re using that advantage to test forward-thinking strategies that safeguard our ski season. Among them: cutting-edge snowmaking systems that have already proven their worth, extending our trail openings from late November through March and enabling us to host major competitions well into spring.
Now, the team at Van Ho is implementing an even bolder solution — one rooted in centuries-old wisdom and driven by modern innovation: snow storage.
A Surprisingly Efficient New Solution
This year, the team at Mt Van Hoevenberg is piloting its first snow storage initiative — and if all goes to plan, it could become a game-changer. The idea is simple: stockpile snow in winter, cover it with insulating material like wood chips, and preserve it through the summer for early-season use, ready to be uncovered and spread on trails in November.
“The main reason for us to store snow through the summer is to always ensure, regardless of the weather, when trails will be open,” says Trails and Cross Country Manager, Allan Serrano. “There are energy- and water-saving efficiencies, too, because the snow we put into storage is produced in prime winter conditions, not the marginal early-winter time frame. For snowmaking we need consistently cold temperatures for many hours, and that’s rare in November. But when we have the right conditions any time during the winter, we can just open up the system and efficiently produce snow.”
The snowmaking system at Mt Van Hoevenberg is a powerful one that allows the crew to pre-produce most of the snow needed to begin the next season far more efficiently than they ever could early in the season. Once on the ground, it can – surprisingly – be successfully stored over the summer. So the snow you ski on one winter could be the same snow you ski on the following winter.
Another energy consideration is that Van Ho crews are also preparing the bobsled, skeleton, and luge track that same time of year. Says Allan, “If we can delay snow production while we’re making ice for the sliding track, then we’re saving energy at a peak time.”
The Feasibility of Storing Snow
It’s been said, “Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.” Sure enough, when it’s kept in one big pile, their strength is undeniable.
It’s a practice that goes back centuries and more recently has been experimented with and proven by ski areas around the world. In fact, one study found 72 to 85% of snow mass can be retained over summer.
To store snow, it is produced in or pushed into a pile and covered with insulation to protect it throughout the summer. When ready to open a new ski season, the ski center uncovers the pile and spreads the snow to create trails. Though many Nordic centers around the world already store snow, its implementation has not been widely researched.
“We’re using an old fashioned technology,” says Allan. “We covered it in wood chips, easy to come by and inexpensive, wood is an effective insulator. The wood chips will be a bit messy to deal with and will degrade over time, but there are a lot of ways to tackle this. We’re currently in a trial phase, and for future years, we are looking at other, more durable synthetic materials.”
Many Nordic ski areas around the world are now doing some form of snow storage and experimenting with different techniques. It’s widely recognized that although some snow will melt or get dirty in the storage process, the efficiencies are real, and any loss can be compensated by simply storing more snow.
How Much to Store
This season Van Ho crews stashed away about 5,000 cubic meters of snow this season. Studies indicate that a critical mass of 7,000 cubic meters or greater is optimal, so this year’s pile is vulnerable to somewhat more loss from melting over the summer. “Our goal is to produce and store about 25,000 cubic meters,” says Allan. “About five times what we have this year. That will provide greater efficiency but also to allow us to open the next season with two kilometers of recreational trails and two kilometers of competition trails.”
Another goal is to avoid transporting snow to a storage pile and instead, doing as was done this year, producing it in place. Alpine ski trails are often up to three times as wide as a Nordic trail. The narrow cross country trails make wind a major factor, blowing snow into the forest rather than onto the trail. The snowmaking crew at Van Ho watches carefully and monitors the wind and temperatures continually. Especially when temperatures are higher and more marginal for effective snowmaking, the Van Ho crew prefers to point the nozzles of the guns upward. More time in the air means it freezes better before coming down. However, pointing nozzles up makes the process more susceptible to wind on narrow Nordic trails.
That’s why snow intended for storage is better made in Van Ho’s spacious 1980 stadium. “When the target is small, you’re still missing out on some efficiencies, even if you’re doing a great job,” says Allan. “When we’re blowing snow in the 1980 stadium, which is 30 meters wide and 150 meters long, we can just turn them on, and we don’t waste a flake.”
The Future of Storing Snow
This last winter, Lake Placid experienced conditions more like those we’ve known in the past – snowy and cold throughout – while other places in the Northeast and many others around the country could not say the same. Inevitably, however, warmer winters will return, and snow storage will play an important role in ensuring reliable openings while also serving as a bridge throughout the poor seasons.
Plus, it enables crews to put exactly the right amount of snow down to smooth bumpy areas, fill holes, and maintain a well-groomed surface. Despite the relative ease of turning uneven ground into a beautifully groomed trail, the best and easiest places to use stored snow will always be the paved roller ski trails.
Therefore, to facilitate better trails for beginning skiers, for older athletes, for others who just aren’t into the hills, and even for elite athletes who simply want to ski greater distances on roller skis, Van Ho’s vision includes more paved trails on moderate to flat terrain that will provide a strong backbone of nearly weatherproof winter skiing.
From Wild Idea to the New Norm
At first glance, the idea of saving snow through the summer feels counterintuitive. How can snow survive scorching sunshine, heavy rains, and heat waves? But it does, and it’s already being done at top Nordic centers around the globe.
The technology may be old, but the approach is bold — a blend of science, strategy, and stewardship designed to keep winter alive.
As climate challenges mount, snow storage is not just smart — it’s essential. It’s how we make sure the joy of gliding through quiet woods, the thrill of racing on groomed trails, and the connection with nature that skiing offers aren’t lost to warming winters.
At Mt Van Hoevenberg, the future of snow is already being written — one flake at a time.