Did you know that you could actually go skiing/snowboarding in Australia? I didn’t. The country/continent actually has an established ski industry in their southeast, where the Australian Alps are located. (I also didn’t know they had Alps.)
Their season is short and peaks in July and August. It relies heavily on manmade snow. But now an Australian startup called Snowtunnel is launching a plan to let Australians enjoy wintersports year-round.
What these maniacs are working on is a massive rotating cylinder that’s 12m/41′ in diameter (about four stories tall) and 16m/52.5′ long. Manmade snow is blown into it, and they’ve worked out a proprietary way for the snow to stick to the cylinder, so it doesn’t all just stay piled up at the bottom as the cylinder rotates.
A skier or snowboarder can then carve their way from side to side along the tunnel; it’s something like a wave pool for surfers. The company reckons the 52.5′ length is about the width of an alpine run. The rotation speed can be modulated, maxing out at 31 mph for seasoned skiers and snowboarders.
The company is planning to build multiple Snowtunnels around the country, and says they’ll have their first opening in 2027.