What if keeping snow from melting all summer was as simple as throwing a blanket over it?

That's exactly what Aspen Snowmass ski resort did, and the results might surprise you.

Snow tucked under a blanket all summer

Instead of making all of its early-season snow, Aspen Snowmass tried saving some from last winter.

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After the resorts closed for the season in April, crews piled leftover snow and covered it with insulating blankets from Finnish company Snow Secure.

The blankets are 2 to 3 inches thick and made from thick sheets of extruded polystyrene. The material is able to shield snow from even triple digit heat.

Five months of summer heat

The snow stayed beneath the blankets for nearly five months before it was uncovered in October.

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Under the blankets, the snow averaged 34.8 degrees Fahrenheit, while the air outside the blankets hit nearly 121 degrees.

When the blankets came off, about 85% of the snow at Snowmass and 84% at Buttermilk was still there.

From summer to the X Games

The Buttermilk pile is headed to the X Games. Later in October, when the weather gets colder, Aspen plans to spread it out with snowcats to cover the base area and half-pipe area for the 25th annual X Games in January.

A little snow saved goes a long way

Millions of gallons of water conserved

Crews used snow plows to pile leftover winter snow and what survived the summer equals roughly 3.5 million gallons of water.

Less snowmaking

With saved snow already on the ground, Aspen has can spend less time snowmaking and open early.

A potential solution for other resorts

Aspen isn't the only resort trying it.

Bogus Basin and Sun Peaks Resort have also used Snow Secure blankets to save snow, and many other ski areas across North America are exploring summer snow storage.

If the approach keeps working, more resorts could use it to save water and cut back on snowmaking.

What this means for skiers and snowboarders

Saved snow could help resorts open earlier in the season. With snow already on the ground, resorts need less snowmaking and are less dependent on waiting for cold enough conditions to make it.

At Snowmass, that meant a pop-up rail park ready on Oct. 1.

Faiza Mohammed is a meteorologist intern at weather.com. She studied geography and worked with the Weather Dawgs team at the University of Georgia. She also received her master's in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from the Georgia Institute of Technology.