Snow software aids Swiss Olympic alpine team

Scientists at Davos’s institute for the study of snow and avalanches (SLF) have developed software to provide the Swiss Olympic ski team with vital clues on piste conditions just 24 hours before winter sports events.

A 3D model of the relevant slope will indicate snow temperatures, wetness or solar radiation allowing technicians working for the Swiss team at next year’s Vancouver Olympics to prepare skis or snowboards accordingly.

“They could change the wax, and depending on the conditions they might use different ski base roughness and ski constructions, especially in cross country skiing," Mathieu Fauve, head of the project and now an employee at ski company Stöckli, told Swisster. Different waxes apply for different snow conditions.

The snow modelling software was tested at the last winter Olympics in Turin in 2006. Each February for the past three years Fauve has visited Whistler, the resort where the next Olympic Alpine races are scheduled, gathering measurements to calibrate the system.

After inputting the mountain topography, Fauve and his team then plotted the exact GPS coordinates of the slope.

“I did this by skiing down the piste with a GPS device attached to my helmet," he said.

He explained that during the Olympics next year further data will be assessed at two or three carefully selected spots on the slope, where experts will measure snow density and crystal formation. Tree height will also be recorded; shade can affect the quality of snow.

Weather during the races provides another essential ingredient. Along with data from national Canadian forecasters, the team will monitor three of its own weather stations in the field. “We are then able to calculate what’s going to happen regarding the heat and mass exchange between snow and atmosphere, depending on the positions on the track," said Fauve.

The computer model will assist experts in preparing for all alpine competitions including cross country skiing, ski and snowboarding cross, as well as downhill events.

Fauve said other Olympic teams such as the Norwegians and the French have arrived at the site over the past three years to make similar measurements. A camaraderie exists among teams, he said, and while they may compare notes, valuable information, such as the critical measuring positions is not revealed.

But Fauve said the computer model is just one means of enabling the competitor to go fast enough to win an Olympic gold medal.

“It’s only a small help we bring. The main parameter to win a medal is the skier, but if he has the right material and we can help him gain two to five milliseconds, this could get him the medal," said Fauve.