Ski resorts suffer from a lack of snow

Is it global warming? Is it a coincidence? The first seems more likely. Anyway, the fact that ski resorts struggle with a lack of snow. This is a problem for tourism there.

It’s no longer halo metrics, but rather high temperatures that throw a wrench in the works for skiers and their favorite pastime. Because with temperatures reaching nearly 20 degrees on New Year’s Eve, conditions aren’t ideal at the ski resorts around the Alps. says Arjen de Graaf of Wintersport.be at Newspaper.

Ski areas spoiled. Snow stays away, including in Torgon, a region in western Switzerland’s Valais. And skiing without snow, it’s hard. Bottom line: The economy, which is largely based on tourism and skiing, is having a particularly hard time there. Torgon is between 1,200 and 1,900 meters high and that’s pretty low. If you really want to ski, you have to look up.

Val Thorenne survived

The famous Val Thorens, located at about 2,300 metres, with an elevation of 3,230 metres, continues to do well. It is the mid-altitude regions that suffer.

“Especially north of the Alps, in France, Switzerland and Austria, it is warmer than usual, so you have to look for altitude. Snow falls above 1,500 meters, but it is moderate, and even at this altitude not all slopes are open. In Italy, which is not very popular with the Belgians and the Dutch, conditions are better.

American CNN gives testimony from Christine Harrison, who has been traveling for twenty years to the French Le Praz De Lys-Sommand. And unlike all those years when she’d seen snowflakes from her chalet, now she could see grass and nothing else.

About half of the 7,500 ski areas are closed, says manager Laurent Reynaud of Domaines Skiables de France. This is the result of the combination of record temperatures and thus the rain that falls, as it would otherwise be snow.

Ski tourism

Due to the warm temperatures, the snow at many higher altitude ski areas isn’t ideal either. Ice crystals become very granular due to the melting process. That’s why De Graaf warns skiers to be careful when skiing. “When there’s snow, it’s crowded and the quality is also less good than usual. There’s more snow, so you can stop at a lower speed. These are the perfect ingredients for an accident,” says de Graaf.

Many entrepreneurs and others who make a living from ski tourism worry about the immediate (and more distant) future. It’s also warm and humid in Winterberg, Germany, and it’s famous for its bobsleigh run in North Rhine-Westphalia. But optimism remains. “Fortunately, you can also walk very well,” say the tourists who are there.

Many of the slopes are closed, for lifts still in service it’s a long waiting list. With ice supplied, yes. Of the 28 kilometers of snow slopes normally available, 9 kilometers are now open. So say a quarter.

It remains only to “push the snow”, but those who have booked want to “enjoy” their vacation, whatever the circumstances. “We can just be patient,” ski infrastructure operators say. Since we’re only in the beginning of January, there’s still a lot that can be done to save the winter.

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