Many ski resorts worldwide are having to adapt to less snow and shorter skiing seasons, including some in France, Italy, Switzerland, and most recently, Spain. Now, some are exploring alternative measures to prevent the complete closure of their resorts.
Mother Nature out, snow machines in
Ski towns in Italy, Austria and Switzerland are resorting to artificial snow production to ensure their skiing season is not disrupted.
In an attempt to make this process greener, Catalonia’s La Molina region has enlisted the Barcelona Institute of Materials Science and FGC Turisme, which manages public ski slopes, to introduce new methods of artificial snow production that will use less energy and work regardless of the temperature.
The technology uses minerals to create nuclei for the water droplets in the snow generator to freeze around, making the process more efficient in terms of energy, despite warm weather conditions.
Sweden’s ski tunnel
In 2006, the Torsby Ski Tunnel, which runs down a natural slope on one of Torsby’s hills in Sweden, was opened to the public. The indoor tunnel’s concrete underflooring acts as permafrost to encourage the presence of snow, making it possible for visitors to ski year round.
Snow guarantees
Club Med Grand Massif in the French Alps was forced to postpone the resort’s skiing season in 2022 by four weeks due to low levels of snow.
To adapt to the global decrease in snowfalls, Club Med offers travellers a snow guarantee. If snow conditions are not sufficient for skiing at the resort that a client has booked, Club Med will move their trip to one of their other resorts.
Club Med has a portfolio of resorts at high altitudes that are less affected by climate change. It said it would be at least another 60 or 70 years before these resorts were affected.
Diversifying activities
Other European skiing towns like Grindelwald and Verbier in Switzerland and Morzine in the French Alps are looking into activities that don’t rely as much on consistent snowfalls. As a result, hiking, foraging, mountain biking, ziplining, and other experiences are becoming more popular at these resorts.
