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Aspen Snowmass hopes to battle warmer winters by storing snow. Here's how.

Coloradosun · · 1762 words · By Betsy Welch; Eric Lubbers
Ski Industry Economics Climate Adaptation Water Conservation
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What to know about Ski Industry Economics

Where Colorado will find the water it needs to thrive is a more urgent question than ever amid historic drought, undeniable climate change and unprecedented interstate conflicts over limited river supplies.

Claims checked 14
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Where Colorado will find the water it needs to thrive is a more urgent question than ever amid historic drought, undeniable climate change and unprecedented interstate conflicts over limited river supplies.

Why it matters

The Colorado Sun is embarking on a solutions journalism series asking who in the state is doing their share to save precious water.

Common ground

Our solutions-oriented reporting will assess whether specific water conservation projects can free up water at a large scale, or whether local conservation is always overwhelmed by uncontrollable natural conditions or immovable market realities.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/30/aspen-snowmass-snow-storage-system/

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 4
check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 1
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Claim 1: “Last year, Sun Peaks covered a pile of roughly 17,000 cubic meters of snow near its Nancy Greene International Race Centre.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 2: “According to Snow Secure CEO Antti Lauslahti, the company has discussed potential projects with more than 80 resorts across North America, including more than 50 in the United States.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While evidence confirms Snow Secure is working with resorts in North America (Sun Peaks, Bogus Basin), there is no specific mention of CEO Antti Lauslahti or the specific numbers (80 resorts/50 in US) in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2009–10 North American winter was one of the most active and prolific winter seasons on record in the United States and North America as a whole, and the most severe since the 1995–96 winter. Mult…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009–10_North_American_winter
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A large-scale extratropical cyclone brought blizzard conditions across the Upper Midwest starting March 4, 2025, causing widespread gusty winds and several tornadoes. Developing on March 2, the system…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_March_2025_North_America…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The February 9–10, 2010 North American blizzard was a powerful blizzard that afflicted the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the United States between February 9–11, 2010, affecting som…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_9–10,_2010_North_Amer…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “Snow Secure... was named one of Time magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results confirm that Snow Secure was named one of Time magazine's Best Inventions of 2025.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands (Russian: Снежная королева: Зазеркалье, romanized: Snezhnaya koroleva: Zazerkalye, lit. 'The Snow Queen: Looking-Glass Land') is a 2018 Russian animated fantasy adventure f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snow_Queen:_Mirrorlands
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Snow chains, or tire chains, are devices fitted to the tires of vehicles to provide increased traction when driving through snow and ice. Snow chains attach to the drive wheels of a vehicle or special…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_chains
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowmaking
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “Last year, Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia became the first Canadian ski area to install Snow Secure’s system.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm that Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia was the first Canadian ski area to install the Snow Secure system.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Last year, Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia became the first Canadian ski area to install Snow Secure’s system. Encouraged by the results, the resort tripled the amount of snow it stored beneath t…
https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/30/aspen-snowmass-snow-stora…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sun Peaks, British Columbia, has officially become the first Canadian ski resort to deploy Snow Secure, a proprietary snow storage system designed to preserve winter snowpack over the summer months.
https://dadsanz.com/2026/04/20/sun-peaks-bc-became-the-first…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, Canada, is the nation’s first ski area to utilize a snow farming and storage system. Developed by Snow Secure, the system works by collecting snow in massive pile…
https://snowbrains.com/sun-peaks-resort-bc-is-first-canadian…
verified
Claim 5: “Aspen One estimates that the blankets now cover roughly 10 acre-feet, or 3.5 million gallons, of snow-water equivalent spread across the two mountains.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence contains general information about gallons and snow water equivalent, but no specific source confirms the 10 acre-feet or 3.5 million gallons figure for Aspen One.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the Populus (poplar) genus. Aspens were referred to as "asps" in earlier forms of English.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspen
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aspen is the home rule city that is the county seat of, and the most populous municipality in, Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,004 at the 2020 United States census. A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspen,_Colorado
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pando (from Latin pando 'I spread') is the name of a quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) clone located in Sevier County, Utah, United States, in the Fishlake National Forest. A male clonal organism, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pando_(tree)
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “In Europe, he estimates snow storage costs less than about $2 per cubic meter each year”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 7: “Colorado ski areas typically use about 3,582 acre-feet of water, or 1.2 billion gallons, of water in snowmaking, according to Colorado Division of Water Resources director Jason Ullmann, who cited stats based on data collected from 2001 to 2020.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence mentions water usage for specific resorts (Loveland, Telluride) and general water diversion, but does not provide the specific aggregate figure of 3,582 acre-feet or the quote from Jason Ullmann.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colorado is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, and part of the Southwestern United States, sharing the Four Corners regio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 19…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Rapids
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Colorado War was an Indian War fought in 1864 and 1865 between the Southern Cheyenne, Arapaho, and allied Brulé and Oglala Lakota (or Sioux) peoples versus the U.S. Army, the Colorado militia, and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_War
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “Climate Central, an independent climate research organization, recently found that winters have grown shorter in 80% of major U.S. cities since 1970, shrinking by an average of nine days.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results from Climate Central and reporting on their data confirm that winters have shortened by an average of nine days in 80% of major U.S. cities since 1970.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The coldest time of year is shrinking in 195 U.S. cities — getting nine days shorter on average compared to 1970-1997.
https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/shorter-winte…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — But the typical winter is actually getting shorter in 80% of major US cities scrutinized by researchers, according to new data released by Climate Central, an independent climate science and ...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/27/us-winters-g…
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web search NEUTRAL — Climate Central analyzed temperature records for 245 U.S. cities, comparing 1970-1997 to 1998-2025. Winters, defined as the historically coldest consecutive 90 days, are now shorter in 80% of cities, …
https://tnnews.ai/stories/20260225-97386d57.html
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Claim 9: “Sun Peaks retained roughly 80% of the pile through the summer”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 10: “Typically, resorts retain between 70% and 90% of the snow they store through the summer”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the typical percentage of snow retained (70-90%) through the summer.
help
Claim 11: “In Levi, Finland, organizers began storing snow in 2016 to guarantee the resort’s annual Alpine World Cup race.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding snow storage in Levi, Finland in 2016.
schedule
Claim 12: “Aspen officials first began exploring the technology in 2025”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 13: “Aspen’s average use over that same period is about 300 acre-feet per year.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source (Aspen Journalism) mentions Snowmass uses an average of 383 acre-feet, which is close to but not exactly 300, and no other sources confirm the 300 acre-feet figure for the 2001-2020 period.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Snowmaking plants require water pumps – and sometimes air compressors when using lances – that are both very large and expensive. The energy required to make artificial snow is about 0.6–0.7 kW h/m3 f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowmaking
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Snowmass currently uses an average of 383 acre-feet of water per season for snowmaking from the Snowmass Creek watershed. The water is provided to Skico by the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District, …
https://aspenjournalism.org/skico-snowmaking-will-use-around…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Snowmaking uses ~2,900-4,000 m3 of water per hectare per season (~1 acre-foot per acre). Where it goes, why most returns to the watershed, and how to use less.
https://deepsnow.tech/fr/blog/snowmaking-water-usage-explain…
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Claim 14: “Aspen Snowmass has become the first resort in Colorado to adopt Snow Secure, a Finnish snow storage system designed to preserve snow through the summer months.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results explicitly state that Aspen Snowmass is the first resort in Colorado to enlist/adopt the Finnish company Snow Secure.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A snowskate is a snow sliding device which can be described as a hybrid of a snowboard, and a skateboard. Unlike a snowboard which uses bindings to secure the board to a riders feet, a snowskate is ty…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowskate
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline is a chronology of significant events in the history of the U.S. State of Colorado and the historical area now occupied by the state.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Colorado_history
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Scott James (born 6 July 1994) is an Australian snowboarder, five-time Olympian, and children’s book author. He was the flag bearer for Australia at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where he won a bronze med…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotty_James
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.