Russia to refrigerate 450,000 cubic metres snow

Moscow, March 22 (IANS/RIA Novosti)

A view of the construction of the Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre in the Mountain Cluster of Krasnaya Polyana which will host the Alpine Skiing on May 20, 2011 in Sochi, Russia. Sochi is preparing for the 2014 Winter Olympics with massive construction and regeneration projects. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The Alpine skiing resort for the 2014 Winter Olympics is to refrigerate some 450,000 cubic metres of snow over the summer to guarantee the slopes are covered for the Games, Russian officials said Thursday.

The announcement is an attempt to allay fears that insufficient snowfall and balmy temperatures at the Rosa Khutor venue in the mountains above Sochi could spoil Russia’s first Winter Games.

“Storing snow from the 2012-2013 season will allow us to avoid the risk of insufficient natural snow quantities or anomalous temperatures next season,” a statement from Rosa Khutor said Thursday.

“The 450,000 cubic metres of ‘last year’s’ snow is the volume that will guarantee the necessary covering on the slopes of Rosa Khutor, even in the worst weather conditions,” it added.

The snow is to be stored in seven special on-site reservoirs, the largest of which has a capacity of 100,000 cubic metres, the company said, at a cost of 250 million rubles ($8 million).

More than two dozen medal sets are on offer across Alpine skiing and freestyle skiing and snowboard events at Rosa Khutor during the Games, which start February 7.

The Olympic skiing courses will total 20 km in length, while the resort is designed to accommodate 10,000 spectators.