‘Technology at the service of nature’, this is the mantra with which organisations, technicians and institutions in Val Gardena approach the topic of innovation. Thanks to the collaboration with reliable and recognised partners, technology is employed in order to guarantee the highest energy saving possible.

It is always a matter of balance. Technology becomes crucial especially when it concretely contributes to an objective improvement.

The topics of mobility, resource management, ropeways and snow production are considered in the same way, which means that for them technology becomes necessary when it offers the opportunity to optimise available resources.
In order to gain an essential advantage, it is necessary to cooperate with companies that put ethics at the forefront.

Let us make an example. Val Gardena is located in the middle of the Dolomites and the entire Dolomiti Superski carousel is covered for more than 95 per cent by snowmaking systems.

For years Val Gardena has been cultivating a solid collaboration with a partner like Demaclenko, an international company that mainly deals with systems that guarantee snow on the slopes throughout the season.

In the last 15 years, thanks to Demaclenko, there has been a 200% increase in efficiency; research and development, as well as technical innovations, have enabled energy consumption to be reduced by more than three times, producing three times as much snow with the same energy input.

Today, Demaclenko uses fan guns to optimise snow production at any temperature, i.e. at both marginal and very low temperatures, reducing the operation hours required. The low water pressure required generates high energy savings for the pump station, while the improved snow distribution due to a wide throwing range, in combination with the swivel mode, leads to lower operating costs.

In fact, the snow jet coming out of the snow gun is set up in such a way to achieve not only the maximum width but also optimal snow distribution over the entire length of the throw. Also thanks to the pivoting system, the spread is perfect and makes ground preparation even easier, which also saves on the snow groomers' energy costs.

Speaking of snow groomers, cost efficiency, innovation and sustainability also play a key role for Prinoth. Being Leitwolf, Bison or Husky, which use alternative refueling energies, or Husky E-Motion, the only mass-produced electric snow groomer on the market, Prinoth aims at emission-free future in snow grooming.

Finally, it is worth noting that there is an index that can measure energy efficiency: the ESR (stands for ‘Energy-Snow-Ratio’), which is expressed in kWh/m³ and describes how much energy is used to produce one cubic metre of snow. The lower this value, the better its efficiency.