The heat closes the ski slopes in Europe

Record warm temperatures recorded at the beginning of the year in Europe They have forced the closure of many ski slopes and convert these stations to points of view of nature or in simple paths of excursion and contemplation, when they have not had to close completely. The grass and mud replace seasonal snow from Chamonix in France to Innsbruck in Austria.

The Alps look like scenery meant to be seen from the front row the effects of climate change, which is melting glaciers and exposing remains of ancient aircraft and the bodies of long-gone mountaineers.

A thin and desolate layer of artificial snow, flanked by green pastures, is all that unites the Swiss city of Gstaadat an altitude of 1,050 meters, with the highest sections of the ski area.

Meanwhile in Les Contamines, a French town overlooking Mont Blanc, the telemark World Cup race scheduled for this weekend has just been canceled due to lack of snow.

Eight countries on the continent have registered an unusually warm start to the year, with temperatures reaching 20 °C (Switzerland and southern Germany). MeteoSwiss, Switzerland’s national weather and climate service, reported temperatures north of the Alps that were “worthy of June”.

The resort of Splügen in eastern Switzerland, traditionally regarded as ‘the snow insurance’ at 1,500m, closed its 30km of pistes on Monday until further notice, attributing the situation to ‘lack of snow’, heavy rains and high temperature. A spring snow, with lots of water, nothing compact, prevents you from practicing this sport.

In Verbier, a Swiss resort that attracts off-piste enthusiasts and celebrities, some slopes at 1,650 meters have been closed, an anomaly for January. And in Davos, where the Annual Forum kicks off on 16 January, snow is scarce on the lower slopes.

Natalie Brezing, marketing manager of the Gstaad Palace hotel, says the lack of snow is forcing people to savor the small pleasures of a scenic journeyeven if “for a skier, surely, It’s very sad“, sentence.

in Gstad, walkway of the richvisitors have to settle for mountain hikes instead of enjoying the speed.

In Combloux, in Haute-Savoie, at an altitude of 1,200 metres, no skiing seen since 24th December, and the entire Portes du Mont-Blanc ski area, of which it is part, remains closed. The tourist office entertains the public with face painting, scooters or inflatables.

Patrice Blanc, from the tourist office in nearby Praz, where at the moment none of the slopes that descend into the village are skiable, told Le Monde: “I have been in this village for 20 years and is the first time I see so little snow this time of year.”

Only high altitude stations They are working Good. In Tignes, where this sport can be practiced above 3,000 metres, the constant rains give the false image of an exceptional season. The station is already 53 cm thick at the base of the station.

Shorter and shorter seasons

Skiing is not only no less reliable at Christmas, but the seasons they are getting shorter.

In St. Moritz, at 1,800 metres, less than a decade ago the season opened in mid-October and lasted until the end of May. This year, however, it opened at the end of November and will close around April 10th; and between 2014 and 2019 it closed the slopes in May. At least St. Moritz can stay open.

Most of the ski resorts in the world already depend on artificial snow to grease the snowpack and extend the season. Given the episodes since late December, not even artificial snow can provide this help.

making artificial snow requires temperatures of at least -3°C or -4°Csomething you sometimes only get for a few hours at night.

By the end of this century, according to the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Studies, only resorts above 2,500 meters they will get enough natural snow to keep them going.

For the same reasons, the Paralympic Snowboarding World Cup which was to be held in La Molina (Cerdanya) this January postponed to March