Snowfarming sites open in Europe

This weekend, multiple snowfarming sites across Europe opened or are set to open, offering cross-country skiing and biathlon training opportunities. These sites use artificial snowmaking to create trails when natural snowfall is insufficient, ensuring winter sports can continue even in milder climates.

Bessans opens Nordic area in France

In France, Bessans in the Savoie region officially opened its Nordic area with a 3 km loop on Saturday. The French cross-country skiing team was present at the opening, and biathlon teams are expected to arrive on November 3 for training and competition preparation.

Norway adds new snowfarming trails

Norway also expanded its snowfarming offerings, with Sjusjøen opening a 2 km trail on Friday. Beitostølen will open its first winter trail on Saturday, gradually extending it to 5 km by Thursday. Trysil, another Norwegian site, has had a 5 km trail available since Thursday for cross-country skiing.

Snowfarming begins in Finland and Switzerland

In Finland, Muonio and Kontiolahti will open their first snowfarming loops on Sunday. Kontiolahti is notable as the venue for the biathlon world cup, which begins on November 26. In Switzerland, Davos opened its snowfarming area on Friday, while in Italy, Santa Caterina opened a 1.8 km trail on Saturday.

Additional trails open across Europe

Additional snowfarming trails have opened in recent weeks at locations such as Vuokatti, Ruka, Levi, and Imatra in Finland, as well as Idre Fjäll in Sweden, Pitztal in Austria, and Bruksvallarna, Geilo, and Vålådalen in Norway. Each site contributes to the growing network of artificial winter sports facilities across the continent.

Imatra and Pitztal debut snowfarming

In Finland, the Imatra site opened a 2.3 km snowfarming trail, while in Austria, Pitztal opened its first snowfarming trail. In Sweden, Idre Fjäll opened its trail on Friday, and Geilo in Norway opened its trail ten days before the arrival of the French biathlon team.