While Europe began the new year with record – breaking temperatures, recent days have seen some low -level ski resorts forced to close due to unseasonably warm weather, heavy rain, and scant snowfall.
Other nations that have already smashed temperature records this year with conditions more akin to spring include Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
Fears about the impact of climate change on many mountain villages that depend on winter tourism have been rekindled by bare mountain sides and muddy flows.
The end of the year saw France experience its warmest temperatures in 25 years. In a number of European nations, January temperature records have already been broken; one meteorologist described it as “impossible to comprehend.”
Some resorts, which had only been operating for a month, had to close until conditions improved since the northern Alps and French Pyrenees are particularly hard – hit by the lack of snow.
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According to Laurent Reynaud of the Domaines Skiables de France, which represents resorts and lift operators, “the season got off to a terrific start with a cold wave in mid – December, which offered some white to pretty much everyone.”
Then, last week, there was a good deal of rain and warm weather, so several runs had to be reopened.
“Artificial snow for skiing World Cup”
This year, the World Cup skiing competition in Adelboden, Switzerland, will be run entirely on artificial snow.
The resort issued a statement saying, “Unfortunately, due to the lack of snow, severe rainfall, and high temperatures, we have to close our ski resort from January 2, 2023, until further notice.”
Skiers and snowboarders will need to travel high because there is still some good snow available in the southern Alps and on slopes higher than 2200 metres.
“Hike instead of go skiing.”
However, because they stand to lose out, many lower altitude cities are now making plans for a future that emphasises more year – round activities like trekking.
On January 1st, London – based meteorologist Scott Duncan tweeted: “For several European nations, the most recent January day was the warmest on record. truly unheard of in contemporary records.”
Professor of climate science at the University of Brussels, Wim Thiery, issued a dire warning that the impacts of climate change would fundamentally alter European winter tourism.
Skiing in the Alps as we know it will simply cease to exist by the turn of the century.
