5 examples of snow as a renewable resource

There are a lot of companies that use snow and ice as a resource in their businesses, but in what way is it done? This article looks at five examples where snow is used as a renewable resource in many businesses.

1. Arctic Bath

One specific example is the Arctic Bath where visitors take a dip in a hole in the ice. This can be done where the water temperature is very close to zero degrees centigrade and is often done in a beautiful building in a beautiful environment.

2. Ice Hotel

The Ice Hotel is a very good example of how ice is used as a resource to build a unique building and create artefacts with ice. The experience to sleep in a hotel made of ice is one of a kind. In this case, there is an interesting balance between architecture and art.

3. Film

The third example is producing movies and series. As the snow and ice create a magnificent backdrop for epic stories this is a growing business. Not only is the scenery attractive, so is the architecture. Many houses in the region still have furnishings from the 50s, 60s and 70s which is also appealing to the film industry.

4. Testing

In the north of Sweden, the testing industry focusing on vehicles and tires is another business that uses snow and ice as a resource. Some days there can be around 600-800 vehicles out on just one specific lake. There are many objectives for testing vehicles. Some examples are vehicle dynamics, snow builds upon new chassis or as interesting as testing how electric vehicles can handle cold climates. These types of tests often need the low friction test surfaces of snow and ice, as well as cold temperatures.

Knowing the types of snow and ice is important when testing tires since it is necessary to keep parameters constant in order to repeat tests. Hence, knowing what type of snow and ice you are testing on is one of the main issues. This research is still ongoing and the Luleå University of Technology is one of the partners in this area.

5. Experience tourism

Cold temperature and snow is something that those living in the north are used to, but for other people, it could be a really exotic experience. Therefore, events like snowmobile tours, skiing or dog sledging are nice examples of experiences that can be held for tourists. Stargazing and watching the Northern Lights make for a really unique experience.