With Winter Olympics in town, Cortina d'Ampezzo's snow-making team discusses their work

Описание: (18 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

++PART NIGHT SHOTS++

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy - 14 February 2026
1. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Christian De Luca, head of the Col Gallina ski lift operations in Cortina d’Ampezzo:
++COVERED BY SHOTS 2 - 12++
"It is commonly called artificial snow, but it is not artificial. It is snow produced with water and air, and it is programmed because we decide when to produce it, in what quantity, and with what quality of snow to produce it. Obviously, during the season, natural snow falls on it, and we also continue to supplement with programmed snow, even during the season, so to always guarantee perfect slopes and durability over time. Once the cannon starts, there is a compressor that produces air which mixes with the water, and through a fan, this mixture is shot out. With the cold, the water crystallizes and produces snow. This snow groomer has a blade in front, which is used to level out holes and move snow where skiers have removed it during the day. It is then compacted with the tracks and groomed with the tiller we have at the back, creating the famous Dolomiti ‘thousand stripes’. This is what skiers appreciate in the morning, especially during the first run at 8 o'clock when we open.”
2. Various of snow machine
3. De Luca operating

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy - 16 February 2026
4. Tracking of snow-covered landscape
5. Skiers descending slope

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy - 14 February 2026
6. De Luca operating
7. Various of snow machine
8. De Luca getting into snow groomer
9. De Luca driving snow groomer ++NIGHT SHOT++
10. Tracking views from snow groomer ++NIGHT SHOT++
11. Freshly groomed snow ++NIGHT SHOT++
12. Snow groomer operating ++NIGHT SHOT++
STORYLINE:
The team which creates snow across the Italian resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo works feverishly behind the scenes to ensure that no one actually notices their work, whether the Winter Olympics are in town or it is a typical ski season.

Their goal is to produce so-called "artificial" snow -- a term they do not like, since they use the same elements of water and air -- which is indistinguishable from the real thing. It is also called programmed snow or manufactured snow.

“It is commonly referred to as artificial snow, but it is not artificial,” explains Christian De Luca, the head of the Col Gallina ski lift operations for Cortina. “It is programmed because we decide when to produce it, in what quantity to produce it and with what quality of snow to produce it.”

Manufactured snow was first used for the Winter Games in 1980 in Lake Placid, New York. Beijing was the first to rely almost entirely on snowmaking in 2022.

These days, manufactured snow is a way of life in ski racing, so much so that Olympic athletes don’t think twice about competing on it.

Above all else, they want a course that will hold up over multiple training runs and the races themselves without becoming too mushy or rutted.

"Obviously, during the season, natural snow falls on it. And we also continue to supplement with programmed snow, even during the season, so to always guarantee perfect slopes and durability over time."

Mother Nature can’t always provide for that, and with climate change affecting winter sports in particular, snowmaking has become essential.

For these Olympics, the organizing committee plans to make nearly 2.4 million cubic meters (3.1 million cubic yards) of snow.




Snow cannons are integral to the process.



Once enough snow is in place, it is time to groom the slopes.

And technology has improved here too.




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