Sölden relies on stored snow for World Cup opener
Thursday 22nd October 2026 on 13:45 in
Switzerland
Sölden will use snow saved from last spring for this weekend’s Alpine Ski World Cup opening races, despite a mostly brown glacier and only a light snowfall overnight. In an interview with SRF, former Swiss ski racer and broadcaster’s expert Didier Plaschy said snow farming gives organisers the planning certainty needed to stage races.
Snow farming involves piling up snow in spring and insulating it with wood chips or fleece so that much of it survives the summer. The snow is spread out in autumn to prepare ski pistes or cross-country trails. Sölden has preserved 100,000 cubic metres of snow for the races.
Plaschy said the practice had improved considerably. At Adelboden, where he took part in snow farming eight years ago, only 20 to 30 per cent of the snow is now lost over summer. At Diavolezza, he said, the stored snow had formed almost a small glacier.
Natural snowfall in Sölden would not be enough for the World Cup opener. About 10 to 11 centimetres fell in the 48 hours before October 22, with amounts varying by altitude. The resort’s finish area was almost snow-free on October 20 and had received a light covering two days later.
Asked whether the races should wait for natural snow, Plaschy said snow farming uses artificial snow, which is already produced for the sport. He said the timing was right, citing public interest in the season’s start and in seeing how skiers such as Marco Odermatt and Loïc Meillard had progressed over the summer.
Plaschy said the climate impact of skiing and travel was a broader question for sport, but that organisers could plan to reduce travel distances. He noted that the International Ski Federation was considering ways for teams to travel together and save kilometres.
For athletes, he said, adapting to changing snow conditions throughout the season was key. Skis, bindings and plates are adjusted to the conditions on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden, while a skier’s feel for the snow can help determine who is fastest.
Plaschy said there was no need to worry about the Swiss men’s speed team, with several racers capable of winning. He pointed to Franjo von Allmen’s potential to develop further and said Odermatt was keen to win at Kitzbühel.