Europe’s ski industry is facing a turning point as higher temperatures and shrinking snowfall force resorts to rethink how they operate. With the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina just weeks away, the slopes look pristine, but reliable snow is becoming an increasingly rare sight for tourists and local skiers alike.
Snow Reliance and Rising Costs
In many European resorts, snow is now mostly artificial. Making snow is expensive, energy-intensive, and consumes massive amounts of water. These costs are often passed on to visitors, pushing ski passes and winter holidays out of reach for many. For resorts that rely on steady snowfall to sustain their businesses, the combination of warmer winters and higher operational costs is a growing challenge.
Climate Change and the Future of the Olympics
Climate change is affecting the Winter Olympics as well. Research shows that by 2050, only four past Winter Games host cities Lake Placid, Lillehammer, Oslo, and Sapporo will still have reliable snow. If temperatures rise by four degrees Celsius, nearly all former Olympic sites will be unsuitable, leaving only Sapporo by 2080. Even if global warming is limited to two degrees Celsius, just nine locations could host the Games by mid-century. This highlights the urgent need for climate action to preserve both sporting events and winter tourism.
Water, Energy, and the Ski Economy
Europe’s winter tourism sector generated around 180 billion euros in 2022, with the Alps at its center. Germany, Italy, and France have the most ski resorts, but more than half of Europe’s 2,234 resorts are at high risk of insufficient snow if warming continues. Producing artificial snow consumes around one million liters of water per hectare and huge amounts of electricity, increasing emissions and straining resources. Skiing costs have risen nearly 35 percent since 2015, with Switzerland, Austria, and Italy seeing the highest increases. For many skiers, this makes winter sports increasingly unaffordable.
Europe’s ski resorts now face a critical choice: adapt to a changing climate or risk losing their snow, their tourists, and their livelihoods.
