The Future of Skiing in the Alps?

The 2023/24 ski season in Europe wasn't one for the record books. Skiers eagerly arrived at resorts in the Alps, only to be greeted by an unusual sight - scarce snow cover thanks to an exceptionally mild winter. As this unfortunate ski season comes to an end, it's time to ponder the future of skiing in the Alps. Will we need to adjust our expectations and prepare for a different kind of ski experience in the years to come?
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[@EquuleusPictor]

2023-2024 to characterize it briefly was very wet and mild. Everything above 1800m had a very good season, but below that they struggled. Small resort below 1500m suffered the worse fate of all with only a few good days for skiing.

[@bostoncelticsfan07]

0:23 "Poor Alps ski season" *proceeds to show Rockies*

[@Justforthrills-by7pf]

0:23 shows Steamboat Colorado USA. Chairs stacked on the ground, cable removed from the lift on the right - this was shot during summer maintenance!

[@Swiss07]

That’s more like 2022/2023. In 2024 the season was alright. The lower skiresorts didn’t have a lot of snow. Above 2000 Meters there’s more than avaerage.

[@andrewbaggett8664]

Great snow in Tignes all season. A bumper year with plenty of fresh snow (baring February)

[@str20025]

Great snow in Innsbruck, Baqueira and Formigal in the Pirenees all the way until April. Just back from there. I agree there is a warming trend… but I didn’t see it on the slopes this year.

[@Simon-jp7wg]

Mmmm we went twice to La Plagne January and March Fantastic conditions Italy Arraba January Brilliant conditions It’s the weather You never no what you get Check out the web cams in La Plagne now Epic conditions for this time of year It is what it is

[@thatsacrazystory]

I was in Cervinia this Easter and we had roughly 2m of snowfall before we arrived,although it’s the highest place to go in Europe

[@geirheggertveit]

The Nordic countries is also in Europe and here it has been a record season regarding snow and opening days at ski resorts! ⛷️👌😉👍⛷️

[@leenorton5927]

I think people need to wake up, this isn't alarmist at all. It is true that a lot of resorts are pivoting towards longer summer seasons, or as they described in this, wellness holidays. I live and work in the Austrian Alps and it is clear to see with my own ffing eyes that it has been a drought of a season. Only places like Obergurgl and Ischgl have had consistently good snow and for them even the lower slopes have suffered. I have also used my Tirol Pass to get around from early on as it was just awful where I am. Even if you speak to the local ski bums or the locals in places like St Anton it has been a bang average season. You can go into any resort in this part of the Alps (may be happening in other parts, but I am not living there) and one of the biggest expenditures for Hotels and resorts in on Wellness facilities as they know they have to pivot over the next 10/15 years.

[@VictorCopeland]

Austria has my vote with tradition, good ski infrastructure, and sauna wellness complexes.

[@Arc_Luena]

Decent snow in La Plagne mid January, and reasonable above 1800 for the reminder of the season looking at the webcams, despite the warmest February on record in the Alps and a continuing mild March (and now record high temps early April). However, it's a high resort and mostly north facing. The sectors below 1500 have not done well. Seems anything below 1500 in France, Switzerland and Italy (1200 Austria) has had it really bad. I am worried that in the next couple of years the lower Alpine resorts will one by one annouce that they are ceasing winter sports altogether. But when you have temps of 10-15C at lower lift stations/resort level; for much of the season, this is sadly inevitable.

[@peterpozman6972]

Vancouver season was off/on till March. I know people who work there and they were laid off.

[@Forhoris2]

Ikr, the cypress had absolutely zero snow in January

[@timcarswell9559]

Good or bad snow seasons will always vary from year to year. The significant melting of Alpine glaciers over the last few decades is a long-term trend which should be more of a concern.

[@oichilli7309]

Fun fact good and bad snow season directly impact glaciers. You can't have glaciers without snow.

[@hopeenquiries3638]

I went 3 times to Switzerland and had a fantastic time on higher resorts

[@jgdejong1986]

At higher altitudes Snow was perfect

[@soundersiren07]

December and January was great in Austria, mostly. Some areas not so much but that happens every year. February was very strangely warm at the end. The worst year I remember was 2017 I think. Hardly any snow anywhere, it was frightening. Some years are better than others. Last year was better but this year wasn’t too bad.

[@mattwoodford1820]

Went 3 times (Jan, Feb and Mar) and had brilliant fresh powder skiing each time. From my macro perspective, much better than last year where each trip was ice and crud away from the pistes. I was anticipating more snow this season for sure, I thoguht that the pacific oscillation being in El Nino would have a benefit to the snow but being a stronger-than-usual el-nino this may well have created much warmer conditions in the alps. I don't think the question "what will it be like next year" has got any easier to answer. Like trying to decide when to go skiing to get the best conditions. If you were to state a week next season that would be good, it would be pure luck that you get it right. Forecasting in such a collection of microclimates is inherently complicated whch is why a forecast of anymore than 3 days in advance is really just guesswork

[@nicolangel0]

yeah never understood why people (who care about snow conditions and not apres ski) would book their trips months in advance

[@mattwoodford1820]

@@nicolangel0 it's a bit of a balancing act as flights become expensive at the last minute. I guess pick an airport with options and hire car in advance then book the accommodation much closer to the time. or hire/buy a motorhome depending on commitment levels ofc 😂

[@nicolangel0]

True, than id recommend Milan airport. Access to all directions of the alps.

[@christianwestling2019]

Come to Sweden, we have great snow and a long season.

[@panosb3545]

In 02:12 while talking about Alps, it shows Gudauri in Caucasus mountains in Georgia

[@futurebalance6134]

Have fun on Neptune and Uranus!

[@anejkrilic898]

In dolomites they had one of the best seasons this year

[@ssmoto1]

I don't know what you're on about... 23-24 has been great in general. Went to France and Switzerland and sure there are sometimes the snow quality isn't as good but that's far from "no snow"... It feels like one of those salty British journalist try to convince people there isn't much snow in Europe....

[@SmalKitty]

just coming back from la plagne at 2000m and we had 150cm of snow!

[@grogsand4102]

this time of year there should be around 3m

[@SmalKitty]

there were 3.69 (nice) meters of snow at 3000m but 150 at 2000m

[@realmadwinny]

Worst season in Apennines , not in Alpes

[@yeshuruntavior2]

There is uncertain how things will develop- one of the worries of climate change is the stop /slow of the golf stream that is giving mild temperatures to west eu - if this will happen the outcome would be a drop of temperature in western eu …

[@MrJudgementday99]

Very poor editing, too many shots of US ski resorts when you are talking about Europe. Personally though we have a place in Tignes and it was ridiculously good snow this year. I agree that lower resorts are in trouble, but the higher snow assured resorts are going to boom

[@damianysek7978]

Data shows that three is in total less and less snow,

[@bensaunders73]

What absolute rubbish!! I went to the French and Italian Alps 5 times this season (Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb & March) and the conditions were amazing! Especially in December and January! Some resorts like La Plagne and VT even opened earlier this season due to great early snow!

[@secretPENGUIN69]

past 2 years has been killer in southern california. 200% above the norm. It’s to with weather patterns, not everybody needs to drive a prius & run off solar power

[@Benzknees]

Haha, this is nothing new. My brother went to the Alps in the early 1970s & couldn't ski atall due to their being no snow.

[@SkiMachineAlpineEngineering]

That's a pessimistic review of the season...

[@p.f132]

I think a good 50% of skiing tourism in Austria will just be gone at the end of the next decade. It was very easy to predict as well, but the mostly conservative elite in all those rural valleys doubled down as if climate change was just a phase that would pass. It will get more and more temperate during the winters here, and eventually even the artifical snow will be impossible to keep up. And how many of these resorts can you keep going with a half-assed wellness offering?

[@Edwardstjohnbailey]

It’s very depressing… that I know.

[@summitupmark5615]

I skied in St Anton in Austria the 2nd week of January 2024 - there was tonnes of snow with every run open and snow piled up in the villages. Fake news 🤪🤪🤪

[@SteveThompson-li2fc]

Here in North America we had a record year for snow last year and a great year for snow this year, it’s April now and Utah and Colorado are still getting hammered snow. Weather is cyclical. Great snow will return to the alps and the climate change alarmists will simply find some other “emergency” we need to feel panicked about. Drought years come and go. Flood years come and go. Skiing in the alps will be fine.

[@grogsand4102]

yes, there will be exceptional record breaking snow seasons in the alps in future. This is due to the collapsing jet stream which allows large cold fronts similar to north america recieves most new years. The AMOC is also collapsing meaning europe will have a similar climate to canada. However this isnt a good thing because it is unnatural.

[@RIPPEDDRAGON40k]

Out west at high elevations had a record for snow. Mid west through New England had plenty of precip but it was nearly 40 degrees and raining all winter. Warmer climate means more precip but less cold air to make snow. Tall rockies mts will keep getting snow even if the rest of the world melts.

[@SteveThompson-li2fc]

@@RIPPEDDRAGON40k so “global warming” doesn’t mean “global”?

[@RIPPEDDRAGON40k]

@@SteveThompson-li2fc You must have had lots of concussions growing up. Hotter weather means more available moisture. So yeah at high elevations that are cold enough to snow will get more snow while low elevations will see more rain due to the increased evaporation rate. If you look at data around ice fishing tournaments and cancellations due to lack of ice it never happened till the 90s. Since the 90s more than 30% of tournaments have been canceled around here and that was unheard of before 1990.

[@Kim-gt4ye]

Wow. You are pretty stupid. Just look at our poor glaciers. 😢 Its nothing "cyclic" its getting warmer and warmer - faster as expected. You are talking nonsense thats easy to refute. I love the winter and skiing and its my biggest wish that global warming does not exist, but it does. Very sad that many people think like you - just breaks my heart.

[@rainmaker3700]

Climate done changed again!

[@carildezeeuw454]

"promo sm"

[@cvv800]

I live in the middle of the Swiss alps and the season was great in Nov/December warm in January Feb, average in March. You can still ski till the valley in Davos on the 8th of April. I do not know who you are and which are the intentions of this video but it is full of rubbish

[@flyingmortgageman]

What a load of rubbish.....December Snow was great all over the alps as was Jan and Feb. What sort of anti ski resort post is this or are you trying to get comments in which case i just fell into the trap :-(

[@zeanonimogameplay6305]

Maybe you can trying in ski in North America

[@mikingization]

Absolutely disagree. I went to Bad Gastein in mid January and there was definitely lack of snow. Some of my friends had their trip cancelled this season.

[@enaniux182]

I got the tirol snow card, went to every fucking ressort possible during this winter, and honestly, snow was shit most of the time. So I gotta say, he ain't wrong.

[@flyingfreddie2941]

@@mikingization but how often is Bad Gastein really snow covered at the bottom? you've probably just been lucky for snow in your past visits there

[@lorcanduffy9590]

It’s not rubbish just simplified there seems to be an outrageous amount of precipitation just the higher temps mean it’s raining higher than usual up high they’ve had some of the heaviest snows in a long time it seems to be dumping later in the season too? I’m not sure all of that can be solely attributed to climate change as opposed to seasonal changes

[@poliloko19]

Pirineos 💀💀