Italy is Alpine Country Most Dependent on Artificial Snow

There has been an increasing dependence on man-made snow as climate change takes its toll.

Without the snow cannons and snow management techniques there would be far less skiing.

The study comes from joint research by the University of Trentino, the University of Oxford and King’s College London.

They found that, as natural snowfall declines and dry seasons lengthen, resorts are increasingly turning to technology to minimise the uncertainty linked to global warming.

Snow cannons at work in St Oswald in the Bad Kleinkirchheim ski area. Image © PlanetSKI

Producing artificial snow requires vast quantities of water and electricity.

In Italy, snowmaking consumes 100-150 million cubic meters of water annually, which is the equivalent to the annual water usage of more than one-and-a-half million people.

Co-author and Associate Professor, Alberto Nucciarelli, from the University of Trento, said: “The Alpine ecosystem needs to be protected and it is up to us as researchers to find new ways to match long-term sustainability of winter sports with the protection of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site – and the social wellness of local communities, who are the real guardians of the Alpine valley.”

The study found that snow-making technology is increasingly more efficient too, with newer machines requiring lower levels of energy to operate.

In the Dolomites, researchers estimate that up to 80% of artificial snow-production systems are now powered by electricity from renewable sources, rising to 100% in Trentino and parts of Alto Adige/South Tyrol.

For more on the report, see here.

Artificial snowmaking in the Dolomites. Image © PlanetSKI

Lead author,  Professor Juliane Reinecke, who is Professor of Management Studies at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, said: “Technical snow-making is keeping the winter sports season alive – for now. Technology can compensate for missing snow up to a point. But beyond that point, no amount of innovation can stop snow from melting when temperatures rise.”

Co-author, Professor Paolo Aversa, who is Professor of Strategy at King’s Business School, said: “Artificial snow, also called ‘technical snow’ by industry actors, is at the centre of a climate-innovation conundrum. It has allowed the industry to survive and to a certain extent thrive in the short term.

“But it has also delayed difficult decisions, locked resorts into rising costs, and diverted attention from the fact that climate conditions are fundamentally changing, with average temperatures continuing to rise and forcing a rethink of the underlying business model.”

The study found that snow-making technology is increasingly more efficient too, with newer machines requiring lower levels of energy to operate.

In the Dolomites, researchers estimate that up to 80% of artificial snow-production systems are now powered by electricity from renewable sources, rising to 100% in Trentino and parts of  the Sud Tyrol.

Val Gardena, The Dolomites. Image © PlanetSKI

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