Italian Glacier Ski Resort Begins Testing Biodegradable Snow-Farming Covers to Reduce Plastic Pollution

The Schnalstal/Val Senales ski are on one of Europe’s highest glaciers is testing a new generation of biodegradable snow farming covers in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of preserving snow through the summer. The Italian ski area in South Tyrol has partnered with MINI TAKES CARE to launch the country’s first pilot project using geotextiles made from certified biodegradable cellulose fibers instead of the petroleum-based fabrics traditionally used in snow preservation. The trial will take place this summer on sections of the Schnalstal Glacier, where the resort has practiced snow farming for years to preserve snow for the following ski season.

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While the process of snow farming is still emerging in America, it has become an increasingly common practice at ski resorts across Europe. Instead of making snow every autumn, resorts collect the remaining snow in late spring while temperatures are still cold, pile it up, and cover it with thick insulating materials, ranging from sawdust and wood-chips to specifically-designed blankets, to dramatically reduce the snow melting over summer. When autumn arrives, the preserved snow is uncovered and spread across ski runs, allowing resorts to open weeks earlier while reducing the amount of snowmaking required at the start of the season. Snow farming enables resorts to reliably open at the start of the season with a minimal carbon foot print. The snow melt during the summer is limited to 15-20% after many years of perfecting the methodology. The technique is now widely used across Scandinavia and the Alps.

At Alpin Arena Schnals, snow preservation has become an essential part of operating a glacier ski area. The resort, located near the Austrian border, sits beneath the Schnalstal Glacier, one of Italy’s best-known glacier skiing destinations. It is home to the glacier where Ötzi the Iceman was discovered in 1991 and serves as an important early-season training venue for World Cup ski teams from around the world.

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Like glaciers across the Alps, however, the Schnalstal Glacier has experienced significant retreat over recent decades. According to the resort, approximately 300,000 cubic meters (10.6 million cubic feet) of machine-made snow are produced every spring and either spread across the glacier or stored in specially constructed snow depots. During the summer, those snow reserves and roughly 9 hectares (22 acres) of glacier surface are covered with insulating geotextiles to slow melting. The new project will replace some of those conventional covers with the biodegradable alternatives, allowing researchers to compare their performance under real high-alpine conditions.

Traditional snow-farming blankets are typically manufactured from synthetic plastics that can degrade over time after years of exposure to intense ultraviolet radiation, wind, and alpine weather. The new covers developed through the MINI TAKES CARE initiative are produced using cellulose fibers manufactured by Lenzing AG. According to the companies involved, the fibers are TÜV Austria-certified as biodegradable and compostable. Researchers will evaluate not only how effectively the material preserves snow but also whether it can reduce microplastic pollution in sensitive alpine environments. The project will also examine potential reductions in carbon emissions and water consumption during manufacturing compared with conventional synthetic textiles.

Rather than disposing of the covers after use, project partners intend to recycle the material once it is removed from the glacier. Working with Italian textile companies Marchi & Fildi and SAFE, the recovered fibers will be processed into new yarns and fabrics for future textile applications. The partners describe the initiative as a circular production model that extends beyond simply replacing plastic with biodegradable materials.

Across the Alps, glacier ski resorts continue searching for ways to adapt to increasingly warm summers. Many have expanded snow farming, while others have experimented with reflective glacier blankets or adjusted operating calendars to maximize spring skiing rather than extending further into summer.

For Alpin Arena Schnals, the new biodegradable geotextiles represent another attempt to balance glacier operations with environmental stewardship. Whether they prove as effective as conventional snow-preservation blankets remains to be seen, but the project could offer a glimpse into how European glacier resorts may preserve snow with a smaller environmental footprint in the years ahead.