Vancouver Olympics Taps Artificial Freezing Technology To Keep Mountain Snow From Melting

February 8, 2010 4:54 a.m. EST

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (AHN) - The Vancouver Olympic Committee is tapping artificial freezing technology to keep the snow in Cypress Mountain from melting as warm temperatures hits one of the sites for the winter games.

The snow-hardening technique involves burying corrugated pipes under the snow filled with dry ice. This method freezes or hardens the snow from the inside out. To trap the cold, the places where the snow-hardening technique is being used are covered with a tarp when not in use.

According to Canadian Freestyle Association Chief Executive Officer Peter Judge, the snow-hardening technology even improves safety for aerials. He said athletes prefer a fast surface on their descent to the jump to have enough air to do their routines.

However, the VANOC does not use any freezing technology on ski-cross and snowboard-cross courses at Cypress Mountain because its higher elevation provides natural freezing for the snow.

Other measures taken by the VANOC include cancellation of official training days and recreational skiing by athletes and banning media on Cypress Mountain until Tuesday. Two days of training for halfpipe snowboarders will be removed from their original schedule, while training for freestyle skiers will be moved to Whistler.

VANOC also had 50 trucks of snow delivered in Cypress Mountain on Saturday.