Snowdome Fundamentals

There has been a steady progression in the techniques used to create indoor snow - and an associated improvement in the user experience.  Here is a brief history of the processes - note how prominently Australian companies feature in this evolution.

Permasnow
When it first opened, Mt Thebarton used a product called 'Permasnow' invented by an Australian man, Alf Bucceri. This was a mix of water and some chemicals that formed a 'snow like substance.'

Just how snow-like it was depended on your point of view, but Permasnow wasn't a huge success. The patent was sold to a Japanese company, which is still building domes using the same product, now known as 'Snova.' The most recent one is believed to be the Coolval snowboarding park in Tokyo, which opened in 1988.

Sloping Ice Rink
The next idea was the 'sloping ice rink’, which has subsequently been used in about a quarter of the existing snow domes.

With this system you create a refrigerated grid identical to that used in ice rinks around the world. But instead of keeping the surface smooth for ice skating you encourage ice crystals to form and scrape the surface to create a soft snow surface about 15mm in depth.

This system is not very popular because it creates a very hard surface under the thin cover of loose ice flakes and crystals. Some professional users of this surface - such as ski instructors who teach classes in domes - have informally questioned its safety if not used carefully. Mt TheBarton changed from Permasnow to this type of system and some domes in Europe have opened with it, notably England's Telford dome.

Acer Snowmec
The third idea, pioneered in England by a company called Acer Snowmec is essentially the same as making snow outdoors just as ski resorts do all over the world. However, the system requires a refrigeration unit which can produce temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius to make the snow.  About a quarter of the world's existing domes use this system.

Polarsnow
The Australian company Polar makes the only other system that creates a realistic snow product. Over the past few years, the Polar system has been the most commercially successful. Their system is able to create snow at up to +50 degrees Celsius and it can be used anywhere -- it does not need a dome structure, although it works very well in domes.

The process uses compressed air, water and liquid nitrogen operating at -196 degrees Celsius. The company says it costs half as much as the Acer Snowmec system and that the snow is denser, which means it lasts longer and requires less 'topping up' to maintain conditions.

'Polarsnow' can be produced outside of a dome with no refrigeration at outside temperatures of up to +50 degrees Celsius. The company has made snow at temporary venues worldwide ranging from the beaches of Hawaii to major snowboarding exhibitions in Zurich, Berlin, Prague, and Milan. Polar's product has also been used as special effect snow for Disney and MGM movie studios, and for functions for heads of state.

The product was first used in domes at the Skidome Nicky Broos in Ruchpen, Holland that opened in 1995. The company currently has contracts for new domes in Malaysia, Singapore, Manila, South Africa and more in The Netherlands.

Ice Grinding
The fifth system is similar to the 'sloping ice rink' but involves grinding down ice (rather than 'growing and scraping' it) and then depositing it within a giant fridge. This is a cheap system and generally regarded as not very snowlike - it is also a process which could have been used decades ago had anyone thought of it, as no technology is needed beyond freezing. Users include Snow Valley in Belgium and the new Snow Planet in the Netherlands.

Ski-Trac
One of the most imaginative plans for year-round snow skiing is another Australian company - SkiTrac - which proposes to build a giant revolving snow hill. The structure would have a section where snow fell and as the dome revolved the snow would keep falling on it, replenishing the surface. 

The revolving platter would be supported by magnetic levitation to eliminate friction and reduce energy costs.  The beauty of this system is that it can simulate a very long ski run in a limited space.  SkiTrac claims to be the front runner to build the first such facility in Tianjin, China and has several other sites in negotiation.