Russia preserving snow for Olympics

• Tweet

SOCHI, Russia, March 22 (UPI) -- A Russian Olympic venue said it is storing about 588,500 cubic yards of snow to ensure it is available for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

A statement from the Rosa Khutor venue in the mountains above Sochi said the snow will be stored during the summer to ensure the slopes will be covered with snow for the country's first Winter Games in the case of unusually low snowfall or high temperatures, RIA Novosti reported Friday.

"Storing snow from the 2012-2013 season will allow us to avoid the risk of insufficient natural snow quantities or anomalous temperatures next season," the statement said.

"The 450,000 cubic meters [588,577 cubic yards] of 'last year's' snow is the volume that will guarantee the necessary covering on the slopes of Rosa Khutor, even in the worst weather conditions."

The facility said it is spending $8 million to refrigerate the snow for the 2014 Games, which begin Feb. 7.