Skiing holidays: Future of ski resorts at risk as hot weather set to force closures across Europe

Ski resorts across Europe are at risk of ‘melting’ and may be forced to close for good in years to come due to climate change, experts have warned. Rising global temperatures have already shortened winter ski seasons as warm weather has left some slopes bare, with low-altitude resorts being hit the hardest. The Swiss Alps - a popular hotspot for recreational skiers - recorded its highest-ever temperatures in January this year, with resorts normally accustomed to -10C instead recording highs of 18C.

Similar issues affected resorts in France last December when the country basked in its warmest weather since 1997, with temperatures soaring up to eight degrees higher than the seasonal norm, according to Météo-France. Elsewhere, skiing hotspot Austria also faced problems with skyrocketing temperatures, leaving slopes bare and skiers disappointed. The balmy climate puts the long-term prospects for many of Europe’s resorts in serious doubt as global warming shows no signs of slowing down, meaning snow could soon disappear.

Ted Shepherd, Grantham Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading, said ski resorts below 1,500m are now becoming “marginal” and warned that “in 20 years any place below this is probably not going to be viable”. Mr Shepherd said the skiing season has already been shortened by a month in the last 30 or 40 years, forcing most ski resorts to rely on artificial snow. But while this “might buy a resort 10 or 20 years, it won’t buy 40 years”.

It is expected that resorts situated below 1,800 to 2,000m will increasingly have to rely on artificial snow just to keep their higher ski slopes open for up to 100 consecutive days, while lower slopes may not be possible to save, a recent study by the University of Basel in Switzerland suggests. But artificial snow has its own challenges as the air must be cold enough to ensure the water droplets expelled by machines freeze and turn into snow particles. Over Christmas and New Year, many Alpine resorts were forced to close their slopes as outdoor temperatures were too high to generate artificial snow.

Professor Shepherd warned that equipment used to make artificial snow uses a lot of water and the Alps are already short of water in the summers for agriculture. It means skiers may be forced to head to higher altitudes to enjoy the slopes. He said: “That will get worse so there is actually a lot of tension in a lot of the local communities, and the energy cost of producing this is very high. If you want to be sure about skiing you are going to have to go to higher altitudes which is going to make it more exclusive as an activity. It is definitely going to change the whole landscape in Europe.”

‘More ski resorts are permanently closing each year’

Henry John, Information and Advice Manager at the Ski Club of Great Britain, told NationalWorld there are “rumours - as yet unsubstantiated” that some of Europe’s popular ski areas “may remain closed for good” due to rising temperatures and decreased snowfall. Resorts located around 1,500m and lower in the northwestern French and Swiss Alps suffered the least amount of snowfall from Christmas to the first week of January this year, according to Mr John, including Morzine (at 1,000m), Adelboden (at 1,350m) and Meribel (at 1,450). But the low-lying Alpine ski resort Anzère (at 1,500m) was forced to close some of its pistes due to lack of snowfall and rainy conditions in late December and the first few days of January.

Meanwhile, the Swiss resort of Gstaad (at 1,050m) was forced to fly in snow by helicopter from elsewhere in Switzerland when temperatures hit 20C in early January. Sara Burdon, communications manager for the tourism office in Morzine, said the closure of some of the resort’s pistes was “very unusual”, but warned that “poor snow reliability” is causing more ski resorts to close permanently each year.

She told NationalWorld: “Each winter is getting warmer which does mean that some years we are having less snowfall than we would have had on average 20, 30 or 50 years ago. We don’t see that skiing is going to be stopped, however I do think that we have to be ready to adapt to that.”

‘Snowfall is becoming less consistent’

The Alps could lose up to 70% of their snow cover by 2100 if global temperatures rise in line with current warming, according to a 2017 study by the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research. But if global temperature rise is kept below 2C, the reduction in snow cover will be limited to 30%, researchers say.

More stark findings in the study suggest that “at low elevations, where the majority of the population in the Alpine area lives, a multi-day snow cover will become a rare event after the middle of the century.” The duration of snow cover in the Alps is now 36 days shorter than the long-term average, according to another paper published in Nature Climate Change, and over the last 50 years, the Alps seen a 5.6% reduction per decade in snow cover duration.

Glaciers are also expected to vanish almost completely by 2100, with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warning that they could lose 94% of their 2017 volume by the end of the century. Melting glaciers could lead to severe flooding and erosion in the valley below and increase the risk of avalanches, while water supplies for local mountain communities would be significantly reduced. Mr John told NationalWorld there is now “less snowfall at the beginning and end of each season with the freezing line becoming consistently higher and snowfall becoming less consistent.”

‘Ski resorts must adapt to survive’

While global warming presents a somewhat bleak future for ski resorts, it may not all be bad news as there are ways to adapt to the increasingly challenging climate. Chad Dyer, Global Managing Director, Mountain News, believes resorts may not be at risk of closure as there are vast amounts of in-resort experiences on offer for visitors aside from skiing during the winter.

He said: “It is true that currently there is more variability in Europe in skiing conditions. However, ski resorts are improving snow making and are investing to create a winter experience for their visitors. For example, the French—Swiss “Magic Pass” or the “No Souci” Pyrénées Pass. All of this takes capital and sophistication. Therefore, the smaller resorts could suffer over time.”

Rachael Carver argues that ski resorts must adapt to ensure they “survive long-term” by offering other activities such as grass skiing, roller skiing and dry ski slopes. She added: “Ski resorts located on glaciers at altitudes above 3000 metres are less vulnerable, as they are more likely to have sufficient snow and cold enough temperatures to generate artificial snow required for ski tourism. However, ski resorts in these locations are still likely to experience the effect of climate change and shorter ski seasons.

“People will still be able to ski in Europe in the future, however this might look very different to what we expect or think of skiing currently. In 30 years time there will be fewer skiing opportunities, due to deglaciation and poor snow reliability.” Lynsey Devon, CEO of Heaven Publicity (a boutique PR company specialising in the ski industry) added that climate change is having an impact but it does not mark the end of skiing, and said in resorts that are high up, “people will pretty much be guaranteed snow.”