Since The 1970s, 180 European Ski Resorts Have Closed Permanently; More On The Brink

All over Europe alarm bells are ringing over the state of winter snow sports and fears for the future. In France, the ski resorts of Alpe du Grand Serre and Grand Puy have announced they will not open for this coming winter season, adding to a growing tally: 180 since the 1970s, according to geographer Pierre Alexandre Metral of Grenoble University. Alpe du Grand Serre’s closure was blamed on a lack of funds to become a year-round destination as the snow season shrinks, while Grand Puy is shutting its slopes due to a lack of regular snowfall leading to a drop in visitors and an annual loss of hundreds of thousands of euros, according to the local town hall.

The pattern of decline is now well established: as snow lines and glaciers retreat, lower-level resorts are forced to make difficult economic decisions and many call it a day. In Spain’s Sierra Guadarrama the bulldozers have moved in on the Club Alpino, opened in the late 1940s, and now regularly snow-free. The situation is repeated worldwide: a recent study estimated that of the 21 locations that hosted past Winter Olympics, only one could manage it by the end of the century (Sapporo). Beijing in 2022 was completely run on artificial snow. The assessment of Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, is that the ski industry is facing an existential crisis.

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The economic rationale behind snow-making has also been accepted in Slovenia. “It works,” says Matej Kandare, director of the Slovenia Outdoor Association. “We calculate that every euro spent generates six in the wider economy.” But the country has also taken broader measures. “We are investing in the summer activities: gastronomy, cycling and hiking. With the income generated by summer and winter activities combined, we believe our 11 major ski centres will survive.”

Not everyone is convinced. A report by Legambiente, the Italian environmental group, points out that 90% of Italian resorts are now dependent on a vast, unwieldy and expensive system of artificial snow production that will not cope with rising temperatures. “It’s not a sustainable practice,” says co-president, Vanda Bonardo. “It is bad for the environment and a waste of public money. It’s time to think about a new model of winter tourism.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2024/oct/12/fears-for-future-of-ski-tourism-as-resorts-adapt-to-thawing-snow-season