Relief as snow hits ski resorts

Relief as snow hits ski resorts
By James Cove
BBC News



Tignes is amongst the resorts celebrating the arrival of fresh snow
With a week to go until Christmas, ski resorts are breathing a
collective sigh of relief as snow finally falls across many parts of
the Alps.
However, low level resorts face a bleak future with scientists
increasingly concerned about global warming.

It's been one of the most worrying build-ups to the season on record
with poor snow levels across Europe. Earlier this month, the slopes of
Tignes in France, one of Europe's highest resorts, were bare.

I was there last week when the first snow fell and to say the resort
was delighted would be an understatement.

Artificial snow

"This is always a very worrying time of year for ski resorts", says
Fiona Sweetman from The Ski Club of Great Britain. "If there is poor
snow then the multi-million pound ski industry suffers badly."

Austria has the best conditions in Europe with more snow set to fall
this weekend. Obergurgl, Kaprun and Solden have near record amounts for
this time of year.


Resorts are increasingly relying in snow makers to improve conditions

The most popular resort with the British, St Anton, does not have quite
such good conditions but it has been very cold, -13C, so the resort has
made large amounts of artificial snow.

Snow canons have been the saviour of many ski resorts as the warmer
winter temperatures have meant less snow.

All resorts now make artificial snow and pride themselves on how many
cannons they have. However, they come at a huge environmental cost,
blighting the landscape and using up large amounts of water and power.

The Swiss resorts of Zermatt and Sass Fee now have thousands of people
on their slopes. Many are professionals within the ski industry -
instructors, guides and racers.

"Quite frankly it's been a bit of a struggle these last few weeks",
Julian Griffiths, a trainer with The British Association of Snowsports
Instructors (BASI) told me out on the slopes of Zermatt.
Julian Griffiths says the late snow has affected his students

"Our students need reasonable conditions to pass their exams and we
haven't had it. But now we have the snow it's changed everything."

Hundreds of British instructors now teach in the European Alps - both
in national ski schools and British run ones.

In the Pyrenees, Andorra has had another good start with snow falling
during the past few weeks. The principality has had an enviable snow
record in recent years and now more British skiers go there than the
USA, Canada and Switzerland combined.

Increased anxieties

British tour operators have also thanked the snow gods as resorts now
resemble the blue sky and powder snow pictures that adorn their
brochures.

The companies are blamed by some for selling as many holidays as
possible for Christmas without pointing out to clients that often the
low resorts receive little snow.

"It's always nice when the first snow of the season arrives but this
year it's particularly welcome as the snow is definitely later than
normal and the worries about climate change and global warming have
increased our anxieties", says Marion Telsnig from Crystal Holidays,
the UK's largest tour operator.

Many people book their Christmas holidays up to a year in advance to
secure discounts and guarantee a place so they are taking a large risk
on conditions.

The latest UN report on climate change warns that within 50 years over
200 ski resorts may have to close due to lack of snow so it is easy to
see why the snowsports industry is concerned about winter's late
arrival.

Could anyone explain to me why anybody in their right mind would pay
loads of money to go somewhere colder than where they live?

The latest UN report on climate change warns that within 50 years over
200 ski resorts may have to close due to lack of snow so it is easy to
see why the snowsports industry is concerned about winter's late
arrival.

All those rich ******s who go skiing are going to be ****ed in the ass
by global warming!!!

Some of the ski resorts in Scotland were open for a few days earlier
this month but the whiet stuff has disappeared. Snow lying in the
North_east of Scotland almost to sea level this weekend but the
temperature has risen slightly and it is now raining. Skiers in
Scotland will have to wait a while yet although it is normally well
into the New Year when the skiing is at its best here.

Lindsay
www.caledoniahilltreks.com

aanbe wrote:
The latest UN report on climate change warns that within 50 years over
200 ski resorts may have to close due to lack of snow so it is easy to
see why the snowsports industry is concerned about winter's late
arrival.

All those rich ******s who go skiing are going to be ****ed in the ass
by global warming!!!

I thought the Gulf stream was getting colder !

archierob wrote:

Could anyone explain to me why anybody in their right mind would pay
loads of money to go somewhere colder than where they live?

Many reasons. Skiing and winter sports, obviously (we may
have some skiing in Southern California, but it hardly
compares with the Alps). Quite apart from that, there are
many seasonal and cultural attractions which are only
available in wintertime, and only in Europe.

eat in Belgium wrote:

aanbe wrote:

The latest UN report on climate change warns that within 50 years over
200 ski resorts may have to close due to lack of snow so it is easy to
see why the snowsports industry is concerned about winter's late
arrival.

All those rich ******s who go skiing are going to be ****ed in the ass
by global warming!!!


I thought the Gulf stream was getting colder !


I think it is, but the dynamics of global climate are very
complicated! Unlike our moron U.S. president, I believe the
scientists who study such matters (and for years have been
issuing warnings in a vacuum of "don't want to know", until
it appears it may be too late to change the situation).

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
...


archierob wrote:

Could anyone explain to me why anybody in their right mind would pay
loads of money to go somewhere colder than where they live?

Many reasons. Skiing and winter sports, obviously (we may have some
skiing in Southern California, but it hardly compares with the Alps).
Quite apart from that, there are many seasonal and cultural attractions
which are only available in wintertime, and only in Europe.

Lake Arrowhead is very nice at this time of year.

JohnT

Here comes the US president once more
duuuhhhh

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" a écrit dans le
message de news: ...


eat in Belgium wrote:

aanbe wrote:

The latest UN report on climate change warns that within 50 years over
200 ski resorts may have to close due to lack of snow so it is easy to
see why the snowsports industry is concerned about winter's late
arrival.

All those rich ******s who go skiing are going to be ****ed in the ass
by global warming!!!


I thought the Gulf stream was getting colder !


I think it is, but the dynamics of global climate are very complicated!
Unlike our moron U.S. president, I believe the scientists who study such
matters (and for years have been issuing warnings in a vacuum of "don't
want to know", until it appears it may be too late to change the
situation).