Each winter, skiers chase clean carving turns, dependable snow and that dream run. Because the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026 unfold on Earth, it raises a enjoyable query: if the Video games ever depart our planet, the place else within the photo voltaic system may you truly ski?
Snowboarding is surprisingly choosy about physics. Snow, gravity and temperature all need to cooperate for circumstances to be appropriate, and only a few worlds get that steadiness proper.
Earth: the gold standard
Earth doesn’t just have snow; it has historically reliable snow. Our planet’s axial tilt of 23.5 degrees produces regular seasons, allowing winter temperatures to build and maintain good snow conditions across mountain regions.
But skiing depends on more than just snowfall.
On Earth, skis can glide across snowy surfaces because of the way water ice behaves. Ice surfaces develop a thin, mobile surface layer, sometimes called a quasi-liquid or premelted layer, that reduces friction and allows sliding. Earth’s gravity, at 1g, supplies us with sufficient downward pressure for skis to grip and carve.
Put all these elements collectively — seasonal snowfall, water-ice physics and reasonable gravity — and Earth produces one thing uncommon within the photo voltaic system: ultimate snowboarding circumstances.
Moon: mud, no snow
The moon could also be our closest companion and the best vacation spot to go to for a cosmic vacation, however would you need to pack your skis?
The moon has no atmosphere capable of supporting weather or snowfall and its surface is covered in regolith — nice jagged sharp rock materials, removed from optimum snowboarding circumstances.
Nonetheless, that did not cease former NASA astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt, a part of the Apollo 17 crew, from giving it a go in 1972. Schmitt claimed his information of cross-country snowboarding helped him glide effortlessly throughout the dusty lunar floor.
“Once you’re cross-country snowboarding, when you get a rhythm going, you propel your self with a toe push as you slide alongside the snow,” defined Dr Schmitt, according to the BBC.
“On the moon, in the primary you do not slide, you glide above the floor. However once more, you utilize the identical sort of rhythm, with a toe push.”
Schmitt additionally commented that the mountainous jap rim of the Sea of Serenity, the Apollo 17 landing side, would make an ideal alpine skiing spot, according to the BBC.
“I think there are some excellent downhill skiing areas there.”
So perhaps the moon could make for a decent ski holiday afterall, take it from the man who’s been there, done that.
Mars: Looks promising, skis terribly
At first glance, Mars looks promising. It has seasons, polar caps, steep slopes and even snowfall. Sounds good to this point, proper?
Wrong. Much of Mars’ winter snow is not water ice; it’s frozen carbon dioxide, also called dry ice. Below Martian atmospheric pressures, 6 to 10 millibars or about 1/100th that of Earth’s, CO2 would not soften right into a liquid. As a substitute, it sublimates straight from a strong to a gasoline.
That issues for snowboarding.
When stress is utilized to skis on dry ice, the mechanical stress would fracture the brittle, dry floor. As a substitute of forming the lubricating soften layer like water ice does on Earth, the fabric would sublimate, destabilizing the floor beneath the skis.
So in the event you’re into chaotic sliding quite than carving, then go forward, Mars is for you.
Europa: Ice in all places
Europa, one of Jupiter‘s moons, is covered in water ice, the precise materials — in concept. Afterall, water ice is strictly what snowboarding on Earth depends upon. However Europa’s setting throws a wrench within the works.
Floor temperatures average round -260 levels Fahrenheit (-160 levels Celsius). At these temperatures, ice turns into extraordinarily inflexible. At such excessive temperatures, the cellular floor conduct that helps skis glide on Earth can be tremendously diminished. In Europa’s near-vacuum, warmth from friction would dissipate shortly quite than constructing a lubricating floor layer. Mix that with the gravity that is solely about 13% that of Earth’s and skis would press so flippantly on the ultra-hard floor that as a substitute of carving into responsive snow or ice, you’d doubtless simply scrape and drift throughout one thing nearer to frozen glass, with little management.
Pluto: exotic but impractical
Pluto is coated in nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide ice, and may be the strangest solar system ski destination of all.
The rocky world’s average temperature is about -387 levels Fahrenheit (-232 levels C). In such frigid circumstances, Pluto‘s ice behaves (sure, you guessed it) very otherwise from water ice on Earth.
Snowboarding on nitrogen or methane ice would really feel inflexible and brittle, and make for an disagreeable expertise. Whereas carbon monoxide ice is extremely risky, in Pluto’s excessive temperatures, it might stay strong and glass-like.
None of those would type the unfastened, granular snow circumstances that compress beneath skis on Earth and Pluto’s gravity solely makes issues worse. At about 6% that of Earth’s, Pluto’s gravity additionally signifies that you’d not be capable to apply a lot downward pressure and skis would solely press very flippantly on the floor. With out the sting grip you may get in Earth’s snow, carving managed turns can be extraordinarily tough, so that you’d find yourself with extra drifting than snowboarding.
The ultimate verdict
Throughout the photo voltaic system, there are many worlds which have ice, snow and even spectacular slopes, however just one has the three working collectively that permits for pleasurable snowboarding.
If the Winter Olympics ever do go interplanetary, Earth would nonetheless take gold.
