Vermont's Newest Crop: Snow Farming at Burke Mountain
A Vermont ski area has received state approval to begin snow farming.
Burke Mountain, which was acquired by the investor & ski area operations group Bear Den Partners in 2025, was granted the necessary permit last Friday, April 17, 2026.
The permit was secured alongside Burke Mountain Academy, with the hope of extending the start of next season. Climate change has posed a significant threat to Vermont's $1.6B ski industry, which University of Vermont climate researchers say could shrink by up to a month by 2080.
Snow farming is a process that's become increasingly popular, particularly in Europe, to maintain a portion of a ski area's snowpack through the summer months. It's done by piling snow up and covering it with an insulated tarp system.
A Finnish company called Snow Secure makes a product that has gained worldwide press attention, including a nod from TIME Magazine.
The method has been used by resorts like Levi in Finland, and more recently, Sun Peaks, British Columbia, and has allowed ski areas to open earlier in the season thanks to a chunk of stored snow. See below.
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Burke's implementation of the system would entail making snow when the weather is cold and dry, and then piling it into one or two mounds that stretch up to 20 feet high and 300 feet long.
These piles would be placed on existing trails and covered by the Snow Secure tarp system during the summer months. In the fall, piles would be spread out across the trail to create an evenly covered ski run before snowmaking can take place, ideally extending the ski and training seasons of racers from BMA.
According to Vermont Public, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury, Vermont, is also experimenting with the system. Records have shown that the Craftsbury ski area has lost roughly 3/4 of an inch of snow per year over the last 30 years.
In 2017, they partnered with the University of Vermont to find the material that would best cover snow for storage. Sawdust, wood chips, foam, and space blankets were considered, and ultimately, research showed that about a foot of packed wood chips with a white blanket on top was fairly effective.
In contrast, Snow Secure uses a patented technology: a super-thick polystyrene mat that's both wind- and rainproof to cover snow mounds. Alongside Levi and Sun Peaks, the system has also been used at Saas-Fe in Switzerland, Tromsø Alpinpark in Norway, Tyrol Basin in Wisconsin, and Ski Apache in New Mexico.
Burke Mountain expects to begin farming in the spring of 2027.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 6:22 AM.