Davos snow reserve withstands another summer

Davos’s stored snow has survived the summer in much the same condition as in previous years, SRF reports. The snow will be used to prepare a roughly four-kilometre cross-country ski trail in the Flüela Valley.

The snow pile near the first bends of the Flüela Pass is now being uncovered. It was protected from weather and high temperatures over the summer by a layer of sawdust about 40 centimetres thick.

Werner Putzi, who is responsible for snow farming for the municipality of Davos, said the pile was about the same size as in recent years. Its volume typically falls to around 18,000 cubic metres by the end of summer.

Putzi said the main concern is not high temperatures but the dry summer. Snow production requires water from the nearby Flüela stream, which is currently running low. He is not yet worried about producing snow for next year, but said solutions may be needed if little rain falls this autumn. That could mean using less water for snowmaking, while other municipal trails that need artificial snow might not be supplied.

Davos has been practising snow farming for 19 years, building up experience in preserving snow. The sawdust insulation has proved effective, allowing the Flüela Valley trail to be prepared each year with snow stored over the summer. Putzi said tourism destinations from Switzerland and abroad had visited Davos this year to learn about the method.