School Winter Break, Snow Shortages and Energy-Efficient Snow Cannons – A Timely Issue During the Warm Winte

The warm winter of 2025 has brought the question of snow firmly onto the agenda, especially during the school winter break weeks. In light of the unusually mild season, we revisited our archive and highlighted this study and report from 2011.

The report is available to read and download here: Download the 2011 report.

For many Swedish ski facilities, snow cannons are an essential tool for providing skiable trails and slopes. However, snow production is an energy-intensive process — and with rising energy prices and increasing climate challenges, energy efficiency is becoming more important than ever.

View of the test area at Holiday Valley USA - NY

A 2011 report developed by EKA in collaboration with the Swedish Cross-Country Ski Association, the Dalarna County Administrative Board, and the Swedish Energy Agency shows that energy use for snow production can vary significantly.

At Swedish cross-country ski facilities, older snow cannons use an average of 3.5–4.3 kWh of electricity per cubic metre of snow, with extreme cases reaching up to 14 kWh/m³. For a facility producing 7,500 m³ of snow per season, this corresponds to an energy use of 26,250–32,250 kWh.

But there are solutions. Tests carried out by EKA at Lugnet in Falun show that modern snow cannons can produce the same amount of snow using only 1.1 kWh of electricity per m³. This represents an energy saving of around 70%, which means a facility could save 18,000–24,000 kWh per year. On a national level, Swedish cross-country ski facilities could save 1.8–2.4 GWh per year by upgrading to new technology.

As winters continue to become warmer, ski facilities need to invest in technology that both reduces energy use and enables snow production at marginal temperatures. Choosing the right snow cannon, optimising operation, and recovering energy are all important factors.

Energianvändning vid snötillverkning 18apr11.pdf

Download PDF • 2.98MB

Do you have new information about snow production in 2025?

We would be interested in hearing from manufacturers, ski facilities, or others with up-to-date data and insights. Would you like to share your knowledge and help us update the picture of the situation in 2025? Please feel free to contact us.

EKA can also provide support and guidance on energy-efficient snow production, facility optimisation and choosing the right technology for the winter sports facilities of the future.

Would you like to learn more about how EKA can support your facility?