- Olympic and Paralympic organizers are testing a snow storage technique at Soldier Hollow ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympic Games.
- The method, used in Europe, involves insulating snow to prevent melting.
- Organizers aim to preserve 80% of the snow as a backup for warmer conditions.
MIDWAY — Utah Olympic and Paralympic organizers are testing a new way to preserve snow at Soldier Hollow, hoping it could provide a backup plan for the 2034 Winter Olympic Games if warmer conditions become a concern.
Members of the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Committee, as well as Utah venue operators, tourist boards, transportation managers and others, recently returned from Italy, where they spent several weeks in Milan, Cortina, and other host sites for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
While there, one of the operations they studied was a snow storage technique already being used in parts of Europe.
Now, that concept is being tested for the first time in Utah.
At Soldier Hollow, the venue for cross-country skiing and biathlon during the Salt Lake City 2002 Games, there is a massive pile of snow, roughly the size of a football field. That snow has been packed together and covered with large insulating tarps.
The idea is simple: Try to keep the snow from melting.
The testing comes as Utah has seen warmer temperatures this winter, with some ski resorts already closed for the season, which has raised concerns about what conditions could look like during the 2034 Games.
Organizers said snow storage could serve as a safeguard.
"Most of the efforts are when it's cold, make snow, and we've got the systems to do that," Colin Hilton, CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, said. "But this is one more layer of extra safety for us to be able to store snow in large quantities and use it as (an) early build-out base layer. Then, we would just bring the snow to our venues if it was needed."
The technique has been used in Europe, including at mountain venues tied to recent Olympic events. The hope is to use the technique again at Soldier Hollow for the 2034 Games if needed.
Utah 2034 organizers said some venues they have studied claim this snow storage technique can preserve about 80% of the snow.
"We're testing that out," Hilton said. "We obviously have a lot of sun in Utah, but we're going to see what sort of amount of snow we can retain by doing the snow storage system this coming summer."
While it's impossible to predict what weather conditions will look like during the 2034 Olympics and Paralympics, organizers said testing ideas like this now could make a difference later.
