The ski world faces a shocking prospect: a less white future. Or directly green. As global warming affects the thickness of the snow cover, resorts close, seasons are shortened and the sector risks (in an increasingly palpable way) that part of its facilities will no longer be viable, even with the support of artificial canyons, in the world of skiing there are those who are already looking for alternatives. The goal: for snow sports fans to continue enjoying their passion… even without snow.
And there is a specific option that has been expanding throughout the world to reach dozens of countries: dry ski slopes.
Dry ski slopes? Yes. Or artificial tracks. The concept may seem strange, but it is simple and not exactly new. It basically consists of slopes that imitate the behavior of snow with alternative and synthetic materials on which skiers can slide. Just like on a snowy hillside, only without real flakes. There are different alternatives to achieve this, such as those proposed by Neveplast, Snow Monkey or Geoski, which use plastic bristles or certain polymers.
In the 70s they gained some popularity in countries like the United Kingdom, although they lost ground during the following decades. Their advantages are obvious: they allow you to practice skiing or snowboard without the need for snow, either because the slopes are far away or because in a scenario marked by climate change they can no longer open. Today it is possible to find them in popular destinations, such as CopenHill, in Denmark, or even in western Ukraine, in a tourist complex that managed to rise despite the war.
More than a thousand examples in 50 countries. The BBC has just dedicated an extensive report to this type of artificial ski slopes in which it presents several interesting ideas. First, that in the world there are, according to his calculations, just over a thousand spread across fifty countries. Second, after successful beginnings in the 1970s followed by a loss of interest in the 1990s and early 2000s, they now appear to be making a comeback. In fact they seem to enjoy more than acceptable acceptance in China.
“In China, hundreds of slopes have been built in city centers and they are being promoted as an activity for everyone,” Patrick Thorne, author of the DrySlopeNews.com newsletter, tells the British network. Dry slopes are an attractive option for resorts where snow is scarce.
And it is not the only example. A quick review of the international press shows other similar installations in countries such as Japan, the United States, Israel or Brazil, although the specialized website Brave Skimon points out its success especially in Europe. According to the data it managed before the pandemic, in 2019, there would be dozens in the United Kingdom alone.
The case of Denmark. Among all of them, Denmark leaves a particularly interesting example. At CopenHill, an architectural landmark located in the heart of Copenhagen that is crowned by a wide, 400-meter-long green slope, made of a synthetic material (Neveplast) that imitates grass and allows snow sports fans to slide.
The BBC specifies that since it opened its doors in 2019, around 10,000 people come to the slope every year wanting to test their skills on skis, both residents and tourists, whether it is winter or the sun is shining and the thermometers read 22º. .
Its characteristic silhouette and architectural solution has made CopenHill one of the most iconic slopes of its type in the world, but it is not the only one, nor the most extensive. The one at the Emily Resort complex, in western Ukraine, includes two slopes of about 450 meters and, as In the Snow clarifies, it is designed so that it can also be used in winter, when the area is usually covered in snow. Similar initiatives have sparked interest in Spain.
An alternative for the sector? That’s the big question. Pistes like CopenHill allow ski fans to practice even in the middle of August, with sun and more than 20º, but… Can it help resorts extend or guarantee their ski seasons, even when the snow stops coming? In the sector, where there are businesses that have had to redouble their commitment to cannons, there are certainly supporters of their benefits.
“Artificial slopes make a lot of sense. If it’s dry and it snows, you’ll never know it’s there. But if the snow doesn’t come, you have a surface on which you can still ski,” reveals Rob Stweart to the BBC, who recalls that ” “Artificial snowmaking has become ubiquitous in most ski resorts in Europe and North America.”
Tracks between canyons. A few years ago Ballena Blanca carried out an analysis on the expansion of artificial snow cannons and, based on data from the employer’s association, Atudem, concluded that the six largest ski centers in the country – located mainly in the Pyrenees, although there is one also in Sierra Nevada—already had more than half of their slopes (52%) guaranteed with artificial snow systems. The percentage is high and above all it is 12% more than in 2021. Some already estimate that the demand for artificial snow production will grow between 55 and 97% in the coming decades.
The great challenge. What is clear is that the future promises to be challenging for ski resorts. This is clearly reflected in one of the latest studies by the Pyrenean Climate Change Observatory (OPCC), which warns: “The impact of climate change on snow reserves could reduce their thickness and duration, to such an extent that many of these stations could stop operating. be viable despite artificial snow. In addition, remember, this last option faces another risk: “It can negatively impact the flows of mountain rivers.”
“Spanish resorts below 2,000 meters could disappear or be converted to other tourism modalities due to lack or scarcity of snow,” the organization adds before pointing out that resorts located at lower altitudes are especially vulnerable to global warming.
“Considering all the stations in the Pyrenees (Spain and France), a 4ºC scenario would leave only 7% viable, while with a 2ºC scenario only 44%. Up to 85% could be viable if artificial means are used.” The report also warns of a notable reduction in seasons, which would be shortened by 15 or 38%.
From theory to facts. It is not the only wake-up call from the OPCC, which in another of its analyzes warns that in the Central Pyrenees, at 1,800 meters of altitude, the average thickness of the snow could be reduced by half in 2050. It would also last much less time in the floor. His “period of permanence”, he clarifies, would be reduced by more than a month, according to the calculations of his experts.
Not everything is theory or medium-term projections. There are already ski resorts that have been affected by regular snow shortages, as recently happened with Le Grand Puy, in Seyne-les-Alpes. Without flakes there are no visitors or resources, so the community has decided that the installation is not worth it. Again, this is not an isolated case.
Another phenomenon that the sector is also dealing with are the “lightning” seasons, conditioned by a lack of snow that forces the resorts to delay the ski season or pause while it has already started.
Images | CopenHill, Neveplast 1 and 2, Snow Eternal and Geoplast
In WorldOfSoftware | The ruins of the snow: the map of the ski resorts that once populated Spain and that are abandoned today
