A Canadian-born ski enthusiast Jacques “Jack” Brunel dreamed he could make snow on Mount Beacon in New York state in August.

He achieved this in 1956, gaining nationwide attention in the US, by placing ground up pieces of plastic placed over a matting of surplus nylon parachutes, which in turn lay on a base of cotton batting (Brunel later patented this early form of “Artificial Skiing Mat.”). 

The plastic was reported to have come from ground up reject poker chips and badminton shuttlecocks from local factories giving a colourful ‘snow’ surface. 

People skied the surface in 90-degree Fahrenheit (30C) heat in their swimwear causing a media sensation.