Skiing calls on UN climate science to combat melting future

The World Ski Federation teamed up with the United Nations weather agency on Thursday to bring its meteorological expertise to bear on the “existential threat” to winter sports posed by climate change.

Ski resorts around the world are increasingly having to grapple with the reality of a warming climate, with resorts suffering from a lack of snow and a shorter season – and the associated economic impact on destinations that rely on winter tourism.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) hopes that cooperation with the weather and climate agency of the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) will provide better future prospects for winter sports.

“The climate crisis is obviously much bigger than the FIS – or even sport: it is a real crossroads for humanity,” the organization's president, Johan Eliasch, said in a statement.

“However, it is true that, simply put, climate change poses an existential threat to the sport of skiing and snowboarding. We would be remiss if we did not make every possible effort based on science and objective analysis.”

Eliasch, a Swedish-British multi-billionaire and environmentalist, was previously former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's special envoy on deforestation and clean energy.

– Canceled races, artificial snow –

In the organizations' joint statement, the WMO said the impacts of climate change on winter sports and mountain tourism are “becoming increasingly clear.”

Climate change poses a major challenge for skiing, which already almost routinely uses artificial snow for most World Cup, World Championships and Olympic races – a practice that uses large amounts of water and energy.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the downhill races took place in a drought-stricken region and the slopes were completely artificial – which was strongly criticized by environmental organizations.

The so-called “White Circus,” which constantly travels between competitions around the world, is also condemned by environmentalists for its carbon footprint.

In 2023/24, the FIS organized 616 World Cup races in all disciplines at 166 venues. 26 races were canceled for weather-related reasons.

The WMO and FIS said they would work together to highlight the impact of rising global temperatures on snow and ice and find practical ways to promote dialogue between science and sport.

“Spoiled winter holidays and canceled sporting events are – quite literally – the tip of the climate change iceberg,” said WMO chief Celeste Saulo.

“Glacier retreat, reduced snow and ice cover, and permafrost thawing are having significant impacts on mountain ecosystems, communities, and economies, and will have increasingly severe impacts at local, national, and global levels in the coming centuries.”

– Frozen world a hot topic –

The partnership marks the first time that the WMO has signed a memorandum of understanding with a sports association.

It comes days after the local assembly in the eastern French department of Doubs announced that a third of the slopes would be closed in the Metabief ski resort, which needed to be quickly transformed away from an economic model that was “no longer viable” given unreliable snowfall.

Councilor Raphael Krucien said: “We must begin to mourn the loss of low mountain skiing, we must accept the consequences of climate change and seize the opportunity to transform this ski area into a 'mountain resort'”, even if the decision is “brutal”.

On November 7th, the WMO and FIS will host a webinar for all 137 national ski associations as well as venue managers and event organizers on the topic of climate change and its potential impact on snow, ice and winter sports.

There will be an overview of advanced forecasting tools to help optimize snow management around ski resorts.

Earlier this year, the WMO Executive Board decided to make the cryosphere – the frozen parts of the Earth – one of its top priorities as concerns grow about melting snow, ice and permafrost.

About 70 percent of Earth's fresh water is in the form of snow or ice, with about 10 percent of the land covered by glaciers or ice sheets, meaning changes in the cryosphere will impact the entire planet.

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