Mountains of Snow Remains in Helsinki

Winter may be over, and having a bit of snow on the ground in April is nothing unusual in Finland. But the mountain of snow left after this winter’s record snowfall has Helsinki residents wondering if it will ever melt.

This winter, some 20,000 truckloads of snow were scraped off Helsinki’s streets, and nearly all of it was brought to the municipal snowpile at Maununneva, resulting in a huge mound of snow, which now dominates the surrounding landscape. It’s become a major conversation piece in the Finnish capital. In response to the question How High Is It? The city’s major daily, Helsingin Sanomat, sent a reporter out to find out. As of April 1, 2010, the pile measured 26.9 meters high (89 feet). That’s higher than the roller coaster at a nearby amusement park. So when do we expect it will melt? While the softer snow at the surface may melt relatively quickly, what has formed underneath is a solid pack of compressed ice, and that could take a while. Some are speculating that if there is an early fall, it might not melt completely before next winter. Public Works crews will be measuring the pile every two weeks, and the newspaper plans to publish the results in its Sunday editions.