Climate change: the record warm winter in Europe forces the closure of the ski slopes

The record warm winter weather Europe enforced ski slope closures and resorts are opening summer slopes not to close completely as grass and mud replace seasonal snow since Chamonix in France until innsbruck In Austria.

Eight countries across the continent recorded the hottest January day in their history, with soaring temperatures in parts of Switzerland and southern Germany above 20 degrees celcius and 90 monitoring stations in France setting new records in the new year.

MeteoSwissthe national weather and climate service of Switzerland, said a light southwesterly wind combined with a foehn effect (the heating of the air produced when it descends the slopes of the mountains) were producing temperatures on the north side of the Alps that They were “worthy of June”.

the Swiss station adelbodenthat it will host a Ski World Cup event on its classic Chuenisbärgli slope this weekend, he said almost the entire race this year will be run on artificial snowwith temperatures above zero even at 2,000 meters.

“The climate is changing, but what should we do here? Do we stop with life?” said course director Toni Hadi. “Everything is difficult, not just the preparation of a ski slope.”

Altitude is no guarantee of immunity. The resort of Splügen in eastern Switzerland, long considered “snow safe” at 1,500 meters, closed all of its 30km of piste on Monday until further noticeblaming “the lack of snow, heavy rains and high temperatures”.

In France, Méteo France argued that 2022 had ended with one of hottest climates ever experienced for the time of year. Snowfall was close to normal in the southern Alps and northern elevations, he added, but very little below 2,200m and in the Pyrenees.

“There was a good start to the season, with a cold snap in mid-December provided some snow for almost everyone”, said Laurent Reynaud, of the Domaines Skiables de France (DSF) organisation, which represents ski lift operators.

“But then last week there was some rain and warm temperatures, so the tenders had to be closed again”. Just half of all slopes in France were open during the holidays, DSF reported, with several entire resorts, particularly in the Jura, having closed completely.

High-altitude French resorts such as Les Deux Alpes, where nearly 70% of the runs are above 2,000m, have plenty of snow and are 100% booked up for Christmas and New Years. But the medium and low-end resorts they face a bleak season and future.

Some strive to offer alternatives for skiers, opening of summer hiking trails and offering horse-drawn carriage rides or bouncy castles for children. Les Gets, part of the Portes de Soleil ski area, which has kept two of its slopes open thanks to a 300m snow cannon, has opened a chairlift for mountain bikes.

“It is clear that a bicycle lift hardly pays off,” lift operator director Benjamin Mugnier told France 3 television. “But at least it means we can offer something customers: they can ski a little in the morning and cycle in the afternoon».

At 1,200 meters, Combloux in Haute-Savoie He hasn’t seen skiing since December 24th, and the entire Portes du Mont-Blanc ski area of ​​which it is part remains closed. “We put in face paint, scooters, inflatables, everything,” said Aurélien Astre of the tourism office.

Patrice Blanc, from the tourist office in nearby Praz, where he is currently located you cannot ski on any of the slopes going down to the village, he told Le Monde: “I’ve been in this village for 20 years and it’s the first time I’ve seen so little snow at this time of year”.

Not all locations on the continent are affected, with good snowfall in the Italian Dolomites, south of the Swiss Alps. But the experts warn that warm conditions and lack of snow are a sign of things to come, with global warming set to radically change winter tourism.

Not even artificial snow should provide much relief: a recent study by University of Basel calculated that the water consumption of ski resorts using artificial snow could increase by an unsustainable and, for most of the public, unacceptable, 80%.

Wim Thiery, professor of climate science at the University of Brussels, said that by the end of the century “Skiing in the Alps as we know it will simply come to an end. These problems will only get worse… as the weather warms up.”

Source: The Guardian