Climate change: How Alpine ski resorts are adapting to the end of the ‘white gold’ era

euronews (in English)

As a result of climate change, low- and medium altitude ski resorts are becoming less attractive in winter. With the help of ten pilot areas, BeyondSnow is preparing them for ‘after the snow’.

Transcript

00:00With climate change, snow is becoming increasingly rare,

00:05which is threatening low- and medium-altitude ski stations.

00:10We had, like, 35% of all tourism in wintertime,

00:1410 years ago, 15 years ago.

00:16Nowadays, we're speaking about 18% to 20% tourism in wintertime.

00:22European project Beyond Snow aims to help alpine regions

00:25to overcome their dependence on snow.

00:28Our main objective is actually to provide them

00:31with the necessary tools and data

00:34in order to develop their own community-based transition strategies

00:40for climate change adaptation.

00:45Lake Bohinj in Slovenia attracts 250,000 tourists per year,

00:50most of whom now visit in summer.

00:53Overlooking this stunning view,

00:55Bohinj is a 22-piece for skiers between 1,500 and 1,800 metres of altitude,

01:00but for how long?

01:02We need to find how we will develop the hiking trails,

01:05the cycling trails, not to damage the pastures.

01:08There are three main pillars,

01:10agriculture, tourism and environmental protection,

01:13that we need to have in our mind.

01:15Bohinj is one of the ten pilot sites of Beyond Snow.

01:19In France, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany and Austria,

01:23they are trying to reinvent themselves by sharing their experiences.

01:27They did interviews with stakeholders, they did workshops,

01:31we did for them a tourist survey,

01:34and based on all this information,

01:36they're actually elaborating currently the transition strategies.

01:40So it's a very community-driven strategy that they're elaborating,

01:44and not solely focusing on tourism,

01:46but on the overall livability of the place that they call home as well.

01:52This transition also means fighting against rural depopulation.

01:56In Italy, young people are leaving the Carnia Mountains

01:59at the same pace as the snow,

02:01which deserts the tiny Pladibosko resort at 1,100 metres of altitude.

02:06They want to stay, but they don't have perspective.

02:09Mostly they need jobs here, on the territory,

02:13that would allow them to live here and make plans in the future here.

02:18Beyond Snow is funded by the European Union Cohesion Policy

02:21to the tune of almost 2 million euros,

02:24and it also encourages communities to grow their own potential,

02:27like the neighbouring village, Pesari, which is banking on its famous clocks.

02:32There was an enterprise, it's been established 300 years ago,

02:36and they produced monumental clocks.

02:39Actually, the municipality, they are developing a narrative around this,

02:44so they are investing in their museum of the clocks.

02:48To win this race against the clock,

02:50Beyond Snow will soon be offering a digital tool

02:53so that the threatened areas can be successful in their transition.

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