Artificial snow | Vars: Hautes-Alpes ski resort

Artificial snow

How is it made?

In Vars, artificial snow ensures excellent skiing conditions throughout the season.
But how is it produced? And, more importantly, how is it managed?

Artificial snow is based on a simple, natural principle – just three elements are needed:

– Water
– Compressed air
– Cold

Artificial snow is produced by spraying very fine droplets of water into cold air using snow guns. As they cool rapidly, these droplets freeze before reaching the ground and form ice crystals.

See artificial snow in real life – A tour of the snow-making plant

Understanding is all well and good. But the best way to experience it is to see it for yourself.

Every week during the school holidays, go behind the scenes of artificial snow production alongside the snowmakers. A unique opportunity to discover first-hand how water, air and cold are transformed into snow… and how the teams manage the entire snowmaking network.

On the programme:
– A tour of the facilities
– Understanding how snow guns work
– Chatting with industry professionals

Every Wednesday throughout the season from 23 December until 11 April 2027, from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm. No booking required; free entry.

Artificial snow

Key figures for Vars

Across the entire ski area, snow production is managed and optimised:

– 60 per cent of the ski resort’s slopes can be guaranteed to have artificial snow
– There are 3 hillside reservoirs containing 225,000 m³ of water
– 1 m³ of water produces approximately 2 m³ of snow
– More than 300 snow guns are distributed across the ski area

The aim: to produce just the right amount, at the right time.

A carefully managed resource

Producing snow requires water, but this forms part of a natural cycle:

The water comes mainly from local sources (in this case, predominantly from the Chagne torrent and the Vallon des Prises)
It is stored in suitable hillside reservoirs: Peyrol, Chabrières and Peynier
In spring, the snow melts and returns to the natural environment

In conclusion, nothing is wasted: the water returns to the soil and watercourses

Natural snow needs looking after too!

Proactive measures taken by the teams help to maximise the lifespan of natural snow and, as a result, reduce the need for artificial snow production. A robot, used as a snow blower in winter and a garden shredder in summer, improves the snow’s grip on the ground.

And when Vars takes action…

In Vars, snowmaking is managed to ensure maximum efficiency.

> 1. A snowmaking network with pressure balancing to optimise production according to water availability in each of the hillside reservoirs.

> Modernisation of the snow guns to reduce air, water and electricity consumption whilst producing the same volume of artificial snow.

> Modernisation of the artificial snow production monitoring software to reduce communication times between the control room and the snow guns, thereby improving performance and optimising artificial snow production.

> Installation of snow barriers in windy areas (the top of the Vars Speed Master chairlift, Col de Crévoux, Crêtes de
Patégous). These allow natural snow carried by the wind to be stored, thereby limiting the production of artificial snow and, by extension, saving water and electricity. These ‘snow traps’ are natural, economical, effective and blend into the environment thanks to their wooden construction.

> Preparing the ski runs in summer to reduce the need for artificial snow and, consequently, cut back on its production.

Ever more

Ski Area

Discover the Forêt Blanche ski area!

Find out more