A ski company based in Colorado has shown a straightforward method to maintain snow through summer heat, which could help lengthen ski seasons as temperatures climb. Aspen One deployed insulated covers from a Finnish company, Snow Secure, over snow piles last spring. Even with Colorado experiencing its hottest summer ever, the blankets retained 85% of the snow volume underneath them.
The test, carried out at Snowmass and Buttermilk ski areas, involved wrapping snow piles in modular mats constructed from extruded polystyrene. These covers, each measuring 82 feet by 32 feet, kept the snow at an average of 35°F from April through October, limiting melting despite surface temperatures reaching 100°F. Sensors verified that the snow’s structure remained stable throughout the trial.
By holding onto snow from the previous season, Aspen One reduces the demand for early-season artificial snow production, which consumes large amounts of water and energy. The company estimates that the snow preserved in this pilot would have needed 3.4 million gallons of water to create artificially. This method supports broader industry efforts to adjust to climate change, as research indicates Colorado’s ski season could shorten by 23 to 34 days by mid-century due to the effect of greenhouse gas emissions.
Expanding snow blankets to cut costs and emissions
The pilot’s results have prompted Aspen One to expand the initiative. The company has already ordered more blankets for next year, though full-scale deployment plans are still in development. Chris Miller, Aspen One’s senior vice president of Sustainability, Community, & Advocacy, said, “This is a highly effective, and quite simple and low-tech tool.” He added that the technology allows for more confidence in early-season conditions while reducing energy and water use from snowmaking. Miller said, “It’s a great example of what we want to try and do here, which is to do things that both have a sustainability story, but are also smart business decisions.”
The challenges of last winter—marked by low snowfall and unusually warm conditions—showed the need for such innovations. Aspen’s decision to invest in the blankets came before the poor winter conditions emerged, showing a forward-thinking approach to climate resilience. Miller emphasized that the industry must adapt to increasingly unpredictable winter weather, and solutions like this could help maintain consistent ski operations.
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The preserved snow was later shaped into a terrain park at Snowmass, where skiers performed tricks against autumn aspen trees. Though the pilot was limited in scope, its outcomes suggest wider applications for resorts dealing with similar issues. Aspen One’s initiative may encourage others to adopt comparable strategies, given the blankets’ 20-year lifespan and ability to lower snowmaking expenses.
A low-tech fix with high potential for U.S. resorts
Miller said the exact scale of future snow preservation efforts is still unclear, but the technology’s simplicity and efficiency make it an appealing option. The method reflects a growing industry trend: balancing environmental responsibility with operational needs in an age of climate uncertainty.
For now, Aspen One’s experiment stands as one of the largest snow preservation tests in the U.S. If adopted more broadly, it could provide a practical answer to a critical challenge, keeping ski seasons active as global temperatures continue to rise.
Separately, a recent industry report highlighted how resorts in the Western U.S. have already begun testing similar techniques, though Aspen One’s trial remains one of the most rigorous to date. The Finnish manufacturer, Jussi Pyykkönen’s company, Snow Secure, has supplied comparable systems to European resorts for years, but this marks its first major deployment in North America.
