Without a blanket of snow, the alpine resorts live in sadness

Las alpine stations At the beginning of January they offer a sad face with strips of earthy snow that meander on brown hills, in the midst of very clement weather related to global warming.

In France, Italy, Swiss and Austria, many tracks are closed. The cause is the exceptionally high temperatures in Europe that melt the snow.

In Semmering, an hour’s drive from Onewhere the Alpine Ski World Cup events were held at the end of December, only two-thirds of the site is accessible.

There has been no snow for weeks, so it is useless in terms of profitability to run the snow cannons as long as the thermometer does not drop below minus three degrees, he told the AFP Nazar Nydza, station manager.

“The atmosphere is not winter,” he laments, although he has some hope for the rest of the season.

repeated accidents

Among ski fans, Gregor Macara, a tourist from New Zealand, would have liked to discover Austria “under a white blanket” of snow. “It’s disappointing, what a pity!” says the 34-year-old scientist.

Through the years, this mountainous region saw how snow cover is getting thinnera trend that will accelerate in the coming decades in areas located above 1,500 meters, according to UN climate experts (Giec).

Before this winter, hundreds of escalators were already closed in the Alpssince they have lost about a month of snow at low and medium altitude for half a century.

Is the life of skiers put at risk? The debate arose this winter in Austria, after a series of fatal accidents.

Related Post

Excessive personal consumption has serious global consequences

May 14, 2023

Swiss Finance Minister sees no “obstacles” to UBS’s acquisition of Credit Suisse

April 9, 2023

Financial Capitalism to Save the Planet

January 27, 2023

Gas prices in Europe fall to the lowest level since 2021 due to the weather

January 4, 2023

In total, 13 people died from November 1 to January 3, compared to an average of 7 during the same period in the last decade, according to official statistics.

Investigations are underway, but the lack of snow is what stands out the most to explain the deaths of some people who had fatal off-road trips on stony terrain.

desolate landscape in switzerland

The same desolate landscape is seen in Swiss. In the town of Leysin, only the top of the mountain is dotted with snow and skiers concentrate on the slopes located at more than 2,200 meters high.

Below you can see grass on the expanse, very different from the dreamy landscapes on postcards.

Jean-Marc Grosseur, a mountaineer who came from Laustana, expresses “his anxiety about what is happening with our climate.” In another Swiss ski resort, Torgon, people are also lamenting.

The tourist office proposes games based on enigmas to be solved within a time limit, or clue games in the forest, explains Emilie Byland, who lives in the region.

“It is worrying, this saddens us,” he adds.

A tourist from Zurich, Anna Reiner, “worries about the higher temperatures every year.”

In other places dance or yoga courses are proposed to replace the offers.

Those responsible for the ski schools and the professionals want to be optimistic and say that in other times there were also seasons with similarly clement temperatures.

They say it as if to ward off the climate change that threatens their work.