Europe has the largest ski tourism market on a global scale, with almost 50% of the world's total ski resorts and over 80% of the world's ski resorts that exceed one million visits per year. The snow on which the pistes rely becomes at risk as the global temperature rises. For instance, the snow cover in the Alps has dropped to unprecedented levels in the past 600 years.
A quarter of European ski resorts are expected to have scarce snow every year with 2°C of global warming. It asks whether ski tourism will have a future as the climate crisis worsens.
Challenges in Snow Production
The ski tourism industry plays a significant role in the economies of mountain regions in Europe. However, climate change causes a decline in snow cover, which disrupts ski resorts across the continent and increases the number of days without skiing.
In response, resorts turn to artificial snowmaking to produce reliable snow cover for their pistes. A 2021 data released by Swiss lift operators associations Seibahnen reveals the amount of artificial snow used in ski slopes in various countries: 90% in Italy, 70% in Austria, 53% in Switzerland, 37% in France, and 25% in Germany.
In a research study led by Hugues François, a team of researchers investigated the effect of global warming on the snow supply risk to ski tourism. They focused on the climate and water footprints of the resorts' future snow-making needs.
After assessing 2,234 ski resorts across 28 European countries, the experts predicted that without snowmaking, 53% and 98% of European ski resorts would be at high risk for snow supply under global warming of 2°C and 4°C, respectively. If snowmaking is used to achieve 50% snow coverage on their pistes, these figures can be reduced to 27% and 71% of ski resorts, respectively.
However, additional snowmaking could also impact the environment by increasing water and electricity demand. It can also add to the ski industry's considerable carbon footprint, typically due to transportation and housing. Covering half of a resort with artificial snow does not go hand-in-hand with improved snow conditions in a warmer climate. Additionally, increased water and energy requirements contradict the efforts to reduce tourism's environmental impact
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Life Beyond Downhill Skiing
As snowfall becomes less and less reliable, ski resort owners decide to invest in infrastructure to develop other forms of attraction as an alternative source of income.
Tourist destinations such as Panarotta 2002, an Italian ski resort that closed its lift, proposed to rebrand as "Panarotta Skialp-Natur," a destination dedicated to ski touring in winter and hiking in summer. A similar initiative was presented in the nearby ski resort owned by couple Felix Saller and Christin Hellermann. Using their background in the bike industry, they realized the other potential of the site and reopened it as Green Hill Bike Park.
The industry widely accepted the successful revival of a once-dead resort. Experts assume that in the coming years, mountain bike parts will boom, especially in areas under 1,500 meters.
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