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Synthetic snow? Let it faux!
The weather outside is a delightful 70 degrees, but who says you can't have a winter wonderland?
December 14, 2004: 10:17 AM EST
By Sarah Max, CNN/Money senior writer

SALEM, Ore. (CNN/Money) – Just because it's warm and sunny doesn't mean you can't have a good old-fashioned frozen Christmas.

Ice skating in Lake Las Vegas, where temps are in the 70s.  
Ice skating in Lake Las Vegas, where temps are in the 70s.

Between rounds of golf and games of tennis, residents and guests of the Lake Las Vegas Resort can trace figure eights on an outdoor ice skating rink. The resort used 500 gallons of water and 12-ton freezer to ice up its concert stage, which floats in Lake Las Vegas. If skaters work up a sweat, they can just go for a swim.

Meanwhile, the forecast is calling for a dusting of fake snow in shopping malls, city parks and theme parks throughout the nation this holiday season.

It's been snowing a couple of times a night on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., and will continue to snow there and at other Walt Disney World parks during the month of December.

"It doesn't snow continuously," said Walt Disney World spokesman Charles Stovall, who couldn't give details about how the snow is made. It's not magic, just proprietary.

Shoppers at the Channelside shopping center in Tampa, Fla., have also been promised nightly snow showers, a la a recipe of water blown through a snow machine and Mr. Bubble bubble bath.

Snow Business Hollywood spends most of its time creating six- and seven-figure blizzards for television and movie sets – among them "The Day After Tomorrow," "National Treasure," and "The Phantom of the Opera."

But, retailers, car dealers and party organizers also call on Snow Business, which works with 168 varieties of faux snow made primarily from a biodegradable paper called snowcel.

Snow Business Hollywood making snow for the set of  
Snow Business Hollywood making snow for the set of "Gilmore Girls."

"It looks and acts like snow, but it doesn't melt," said Roland Hathaway, co-owner Snow Business Hollywood. "You can make a snowball, you can walk through it or drive a car on it." Add a little polymer and you can even ski on it.

For the person who has everything except the proverbial White Christmas, there is snow to go.

Snow Business and other companies sell snow for about $20 for a pound of the mix. Add water and you have five gallons of snow and instant holiday cheer.  Top of page




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