Skiers and snowboarders queue up for the lift at Brauneck mountain, on Dec. 28, in Germany, where many ski resorts are currently suffering from a lack of snowfall.
Photographer: Sven Hoppe/Picture Alliance/Getty Images
Record Winter Heatwave Forces Snowless Alpine Ski Resorts to Close Slopes
Climate change is melting mountain glaciers and changing the face of winter in Europe.
It’s January and a forlorn ribbon of artificial snow, flanked by verdant pastureland, is all that links the Swiss village of Gstaad, altitude 1,050 meters, with the ski resort’s uppermost reaches. Les Contamines, a French resort overlooking Mont-Blanc, just canceled this weekend’s World Cup telemark ski race because of a lack of snow. Only weeks into the season, some lower-altitude, lower-budget destinations are closed.
Europe’s iconic mountain range offers a front-row seat to the unfolding effects of climate change, which is melting ancient glaciers at an unprecedented rate, uncovering old plane wrecks and the bodies of long-lost mountaineers. Warming temperatures mean the vast majority of the world’s ski resorts already rely on artificial snow to boost snowpack and prolong the season, but a record run of mild weather in late December means even snowmaking is no longer possible in some areas.