With a flair for snow

As soon as the weather forecast indicates that stable sub-zero temperatures are on the way, snowmaking starts in Stöten, usually at the end of October.

Many people associate it with something white that falls from above and wraps the whole landscape in an undulating blanket. And, with a bit of luck, it stays in the mountains at least until Easter is over. But there's much more to snow than that. At least if you ask Kim Sørlie Myrvang, who is, among other things, a snow groomer in Stöten.

- Snow is so many things, it's a science in itself and there's so much more to know about it than most people realise. There are many different types of snow, and of different quality. And there are no shortcuts to knowledge. It's all about experience. I myself have learnt from those who have worked with snow for 20-30 years," he says.

Stöten fan as long as he can remember

Kim is 26 years old, from Trysil in Norway, and has been a full-time employee of Stöten since he was 20. But how long he has been here regularly is a bit unclear, but it is at least as long as he can remember. With a father who started working in the facility in the late 90s, it was natural to be in Stöten as soon as the opportunity arose, and Kim was introduced at an early age to life in the workshop and all the possible technology and equipment required to keep a ski centre running.

We put wet snow at the bottom to form a durable foundation. Then we build layer upon layer of drier, finer and lighter snow. The snow is then excavated into new layers and packed with a snow plough.

He drove a snow groomer on his own for the first time at the age of fourteen, he also took the opportunity to do his school work experience in Stöten and started working extra hours during school holidays and weekends at an early age, eventually becoming a full-time, year-round employee. Since then, he's been involved in pretty much everything to do with operations and has also had time to train as a lift technician with SLAO. And when the ski patrol sometimes needs to be relieved, Kim can be the one to step in and provide first aid on the slopes. He can simply turn up anywhere.

Kim describes the path to where he was going to work as very clear, although with a deviation that he decided to become a concrete worker, which he also trained for. But the longing for the mountains became too great.

- The concrete life was not for me. I longed to go back to the mountains all the time," Kim recalls. And that was probably a good thing. Because here he met love in the then seasonal ski instructor Evelina Lindh from Östergötland, who is now the reception manager at Stöten and Kim's new partner. But what do you actually do during the parts of the year when there is no snow at all?

- Haha, that's actually when you can say that we work for real. That's when all service and maintenance work on piste machines, lifts and all other equipment takes place so that everything is in top condition and works perfectly when we open for the season.

In order for the slopes to be skiable when the season starts in mid-December, the grooming of the slopes must start as soon as the temperature drops below zero.

- As soon as we see that there will be a week with stable sub-zero temperatures, usually around the end of October and beginning of November, we start laying snow. We have everything from manual to fully automatic snow guns and with our new snowmaking system we can guarantee snow on more slopes than before already at the beginning of the season.

How does it work?

- Initially, you want to lay wet snow, which forms a durable foundation. You try to make snow that is durable, easy to work with, drains water and withstands heat well. We usually lay snow in a quality that is around 420 kg/cubic metre. Once the snow is laid, it is important that it is allowed to dry out before you start excavating it. Unlike natural snow, artificial snow is water that freezes from the outside in. Touching freshly produced snow "punctures" the snow molecule, resulting in icy slopes. We're going to have the best skiing in Sälen! The snow is then dug out in new layers and packed with a snow groomer.

But a slope doesn't take care of itself. As soon as the lifts close, the evening and night shifts start, when every run has to be groomed to perfection during the hours when tired skiers are getting their well-deserved beauty sleep. It's been a lot of lonely hours in the groomer over the years for Kim. How do you make the hours go by? Doesn't it get lonely or boring?

- I sit and concentrate very hard to get the best results possible, and that makes time go fast. We deliver the best skiing in Sälen and my job is to lay the foundation for that. As a machine operator, I feel prestige and pride in creating the conditions for the best skiing possible. The quality of our slopes is what guests see and the reason why they choose to come here.

The quality of our slopes is what guests see and why they choose to come here

This is Kim

Name: Kim Sørlie Myrvang
Age: 26 years
Bor: I Sälen but was born in Trysil, Norway
Labour: As a mechanic and snow groomer at Stöten
Number of seasons in Stöten: Full-time employee for over 6 years