For a long time now it has been obvious the climate crisis is reducing snowfall across much of northern Europe. This is not of much consequence to most people, but to those who love skiing – and to the Swiss economy – it is a major blow. Snow-making machines are keeping the industry alive.
For the first time the Swiss have been able to quantify their snow loss. Using measurements from 350 stations spanning 25 years – and some data going back to 1962 – the average loss of snowfall per decade has been 8cm. In the lower areas in the Swiss central plain there has been almost total loss of snow cover, but in higher mountains the snow depth has been much the same.
The height of Swiss ski resorts in between those extremes varies enormously. They lie between 1,500 metres and the highest ski lift at 3,600 metres. These figures spell potential future economic disaster for those lower down, since snow-making machines are expensive to operate – sometimes as much as 50% of a resort’s energy costs.
The Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, based in Davos in Switzerland, is sharing the information with all the business aspects of the ski industry, including cable cars, and is also incorporating it in apps for tourists to predict local skiing conditions.
