From Superinnovators 05/12/23
Australian company Snowtunnel are building giant revolving metal cylinders covered in ice and artificial snow so snowboarders and skiers can practice all year round.
The Snowtunnel has a much smaller footprint than dry or indoor ski slopes and potentially lower costs.
Refrigerant is pumped through embedded pipes which are sprayed with water and powder from snow guns to form icy layers. Motors turn the tunnel at variable speeds, chosen by the rider.
They completed their R&D prototype tunnel in Melbourne, Australia last month (10m diameter, around 10m long) and are now looking for partners to deploy them across the globe.
Inventor Darren Visser first conceived of the Snowtunnel concept in 1999 but things are now accelerating after investor Chris Northwood co-founded the company with Darren in 2022.
More info:
Snowtunnel 2009 article New Atlas
More info
Snowtunnel 2009 article New Atlas
