This Four-Story Snowtunnel Promises Endless Ski Runs

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Nov 5, 2025 3:12 PM ET

You've likely heard of indoor ski areas powered by giant refrigerators. What about a rotating tunnel that simulates the experience of skiing, though?

That's the premise of the aptly named Snowtunnel, which recently dropped a product video and announced that it's looking for testers.

Putting the concept into words is tricky, but we'll give it a shot. Take a half pipe. Then add another half pipe on top of it. This tube of snow rotates, which, according to Snowtunnel, "provides an endless mountain to ride." You could call it a giant, snowy hamster wheel.

Here's a mock-up video of the Snowtunnel in action. Tap or click to watch. Keep reading for more.

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The Australian company's website adds that the Snowtunnel is set to be as tall as a four-story building with a slope width of around 52 feet—that's around as wide as a ski trail you'd find in the real mountains. Snowtunnel noted that in 2023, it tested a working prototype.

The idea of Snowtunnel is that while indoor ski areas already exist, they take up considerable space. The Snowtunnel is, of course, sizable, but it can squeeze into a smaller area around the size of a four-story apartment block.

"How's indoor skiing normally done? Big buildings, huge temperature-controlled environments and chillers, as big a slope as possible, and full-scale lifts," Snowtunnel co-founder and CEO Scott Kessler told New Atlas. "Large amounts of land, typically a bit further out from key urban centers."

Snowtunnel miniaturizes that approach and could, depending on how widespread it becomes, bring skiing to more places that don't have mountains. It's similar in concept to the surfing wave parks that have sprung up in places like Waco, Texas, and East Rutherford, New Jersey. The SkiMachine, which is essentially a ski treadmill, is another point of comparison for the Snowtunnel.

Kessler also told New Atlas that the Snowtunnel uses real snow made by snow guns, with gantries around the ceiling that protect skiers from snowfall. The pace at which the tunnel spins varies, too, accounting for beginners or more seasoned users.

When can you try a Snowtunnel? The first installation is set to open in 2027, but you'll have to catch a flight to Australia if you want to live out your full pipe fantasies.

In the meantime, there's always Big SNOW American Dream, North America's only indoor ski area, just outside Manhattan, New York. Or, you know, you could hit up one of the outdoor ski resorts that have already opened for the 2025-26 season.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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