Climate change leaves ski races without snow

MERIBEL, France (AP) — With the exception of a few light layers, there has been no significant snowfall in French resorts hosting the Alpine Skiing World Championships since mid-January.

And there is no snow in the long-term forecast.

Instead, the weather has been perfectly clear, sunny and, yes, cold. But from next week, when a warm front is expected to move over the chic cities of Courchevel and Méribel, the temperature is expected to rise well above freezing and begin to melt the perfectly maintained running surfaces that the organizers prepared mainly with artificial snow. .

Dealing with hot temperatures and a lack of snow has been a constant this season in the Alps for the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), and now it seems the word of Mother Nature and global warming carry equal weight. than that of the sport’s governing body when it comes to deciding when and where to hold races.

Hot weather and lack of snow have canceled nearly a month of racing to start this season, pre-season training on melting European glaciers is on the verge of extinction and the impact of climate change on the calendar is palpable even in January.

“There is a very real threat to what we know and love about winter,” said American skier Mikaela Shiffrin. “We really entered our world and the medals and the wins and the records and everything. But what we hope is to be able to enjoy skiing, winter sports and winter recreation for many, many years. And that is under threat right now.”

For nearly three decades, the FIS has kicked off the Alpine Skiing World Championships season at the end of October with a race weekend atop the Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria. The idea is not only to draw attention to the racing circuit, but also to entice viewers and consumers to think about booking their winter holidays and start buying skis, boots and other equipment.

The whole ski industry in Europe is counting on the race to boost its sales.

The giant slaloms in Sölden start at an altitude of 3,040 meters (almost 10,000 feet) and end at 2,670 meters (almost 9,000 feet).

However, despite such high altitudes, hot and rainy weather forced the cancellation of the women’s race in Sölden this season, while the men’s race the next day only took place after major repairs to the Rettenbach trail.

The circuit was then to take place over consecutive weekends of downhill races on a new, even higher track linking Zermatt, Switzerland, to Cervinia, Italy, which is still under construction by the federations. resorts, at high cost.

Both race weekends in Zermatt-Cervinia were canceled due to lack of snow, as was the following weekend’s race in Lech-Zuers, Austria.

After all, the women’s season started a month late in Levi, Finland, above the Arctic Circle.

But the cancellations continued amid a winter characterized by a drastic lack of snow across Europe: a low-level race in Zagreb, Croatia, had to be called off; and even the races scheduled for January in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany – the Bavarian resort that hosted the 1936 Olympics – had to take place elsewhere.

And it’s not just this year. Season after season there have been problems organizing the races due to the lack of snow. Improved snowmaking capabilities allow many races to take place even when there is no natural snow at all – an example being last year’s Beijing Olympics, where the skiing were held entirely on artificial snow – but skiers and coaches say radical changes are needed in terms of the schedule and selection of ski resorts where the races are held.

“There is a very traditional approach to World Championship racing that we have seen in terms of venue assignments and where we go. And with so much tradition, there seems to be a reluctance to change,” Paul said. Kristofic, head coach of the United States women’s ski team “But what you see on the field year after year, if you’ve practiced that long enough, it’s very, very difficult times for some organizers, just because of the altitude.”

“We see glaciers retreating and in very poor condition if you have a year with little snow or extremely hot temperatures in the summer,” Kristofic added. “A lot of times we now see less snow in South America (during pre-season training), very warm winters here, or extreme conditions where it’s hot and then it’s going to snow two feet and then you have a lot of mayhem too.”

A recent case study released by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization found a “moderate to high risk” threat to winter sports in just 13 years for Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Italian resort that will host the women’s ski race at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics, and is the flagship race of the annual women’s circuit.

The study shows a “narrowing of the time window for snow cover in view of the ski season and the whole ski season itself,” wrote Carlo Pappa, one of the study’s authors, in an email to The Associated Press.

Kristofic questioned the dates chosen for the race schedule.

“Why did we stop racing in March when the conditions are excellent? And yet, we try to do these races in the middle or at the end of October, November, in places that warm up and where it is more difficult to do them,” Kristofic said. “We recognize that there is a huge industry and company behind it that supports our sport, so of course those are things that need to be taken into account. But for the health of our tour and our sport, I think the FIS management absolutely needs to start looking at how we can adjust this to make sense.”

So far, the FIS has only taken small steps. Urban events no longer take place on artificial slopes built on giant scaffolding or inside ski jumping facilities in places like Munich, Stockholm and Oslo. The annual women’s races scheduled in Maribor, Slovenia – with a finish elevation of just 340 meters (1,115ft) – were moved to the Slovenian resort of Kranjska Gora earlier this season after three consecutive years in which the race was moved to the same site in the middle of the season due to lack of snow.

“Low-altitude ski resorts, from the perspective of the likelihood of (hosting) competitions, probably shouldn’t host these races anymore,” American skier Lindsey Vonn said in an interview in January. “I saw a (photo of a) webcam from Maribor, where I liked to compete, and it’s all grass.”

Vonn suggested holding more men’s and women’s races at the same stations to reduce expenses.

Dada la crisis energética relacionada con la guerra en Ucrania, la Federación Italiana de Deportes de Invierno decidió mudar una carrera de esquí de fondo del Campeonato Mundial —programada originalmente para Milán el mes pasado— a Livigno para evitar tener que accionar cannons de nieve en la city.

“We have to be careful with what we do, that’s clear,” said Peter Gerdol, FIS director of women’s racing. “But at the same time, we use tourist tracks, which many ski resorts have to use for their own purposes during certain times, so it’s not always possible to go anywhere and anytime. We We have to make this puzzle work somehow.”

In an effort to raise awareness of climate change, US skiers at the World Championships wear blue and white racing suits depicting the image of chunks of ice floating in the ocean. It’s a concept based on a satellite photo of icebergs disintegrating due to high temperatures. The suit was designed in collaboration with the non-profit organization Protect Our Winters, known as POW.

“The simple truth is you can’t ski without snow and every year we get closer and closer to that,” said Travis Ganong, American alpine skier and POW ambassador. “We really want to make our organizing body a leader in this fight against climate change and I don’t think we are currently leading. I don’t know if it’s the calendar or what (it’s what the FIS) can change, but at least start to analyze in depth what we are doing now and how we can do it better”.

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Willemsen reported from Sölden, Austria.