Ski Conditions

TIME Just Honored a Ski Innovation That Saves Snow From Melting

Snow Secure’s mats help preserve snow all summer long

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Read more from Powder contributor Ian Greenwood

TIME’s annual round-up of show-stopping inventions reads like a vision from the future. Advanced AI models join household robots alongside a moon lander and a desalination plant on the 300-invention list.

That vision, perhaps surprisingly, includes skiing, too. Snow Secure, a Finnish company, earned a nod from TIME this year with its extruded polystyrene mats used for snow insulation during the summer.

Notably employed by Finland’s Levi Ski Resort, the mats, according to Snow Secure, normally retain 80% of the snow they cover. To use them, ski resorts gather snow during the winter. Then, ahead of the warmer months, they stash it beneath the mats.

This approach offers mountains the opportunity to open earlier in the season with leftover snow and, hopefully, ward off the decline in snowfall associated with climate change.

Levi, for instance, opened on October 3 this year thanks to the mats, welcoming skiers and snowboarders far ahead of winter’s start—images shared by the resort show white ski trails flanked by greenery.

Thanks to Snow Secure, Levi, Finland, can open far before a natural snowpack builds. — Source: Courtesy Levi Ski Resort/Snow Secure

“It’s no longer just about producing snow—it’s about preserving it efficiently and responsibly so you can deploy it exactly when and where you need it,” said Antti Lauslahti, CEO of Snow Secure, in a press release.

“That’s how resorts de-risk openings and protect the guest experience. Payback time for the investment is extremely short, not to mention the brand risk a resort faces if it can’t open when skiers are expecting,” Lauslahti added.

Last May, Sun Peaks, British Columbia, announced that it was the first Canadian ski resort to use Snow Secure’s system. The mats are being used by Sun Peaks to make early-season alpine race training more reliable.

Another of Snow Secure’s selling points, the company said, is that its product creates energy savings. To build the snowpack that’s later stored, ski resorts can make snow during the winter rather than blowing snow during the early season, when temperatures are marginal.

More mountains are expected to adopt Snow Secure’s technology in 2026, the company said.