Traditionally cold and snowy, the region was once known as the “Bavarian Siberia,” but despite this, in 2022, for the first time, the German municipality of Balderschwang didn’t have enough snow to open its cross-country ski trails during the Christmas period.

In Bohinj, a municipality in the Julian Alps, residents have long been accustomed to these changes. They used to say that winter lasts 13 months in Bohinj, but now, the snow only falls at higher altitudes in the Triglav National Park. Lower down, the slopes remain green, and temperatures are often too high to allow for technical snowmaking. As a result, one of the valley’s ski resorts closed in 2011. Last year, Métabief, in the French Jura, was forced to close its ski season in January due to a lack of snow, resulting in a loss of three million euros. Next winter, the resort, which generates 50% of the town’s tourism revenue, will not even open its most difficult slope. A south-facing slope that consumes almost half of the technical snow resources, while only 20% of skiers use it, making it unprofitable.

Three Alpine destinations, proud of their ski tourism tradition, are now facing, to varying degrees, a painful reality: winter, at least below 1,500 meters, is no longer what it used to be. The snow that was once part of their identity and one of the foundations of their economy is increasingly absent, arriving later, less abundant, and experiencing melts earlier in the spring. In addition, it’s very likely this will all intensify in the coming years. Even if low-altitude Alpine destinations were to experience some snowy winters, these exceptions do not change the overall picture – winter is becoming less white. Afterall, it’s better to be prepared for the post-snow era.

Balderschwang, Bohinj, and Métabief are already taking proactive measures with scientific support. All three municipalities serve as pilot regions for “BeyondSnow,” a project under the EU Alpine Space Program led by Eurac Research to help small low and mid-altitude snow tourism destinations adapt to climate change.

“Many small ski resorts are already in trouble or soon will be due to a lack of snow, shorter ski seasons, and rising costs. We want to offer help to all of them,” explains territorial planner Andrea Omizzolo, project leader for Eurac Research alongside his colleague Philipp Corradini. “To continue to attract residents and travelers, these destinations must realign. They need to move away from a tourism model that is heavily dependent on snow.”

BeyondSnow involves ten pilot regions across the Alps, which vary significantly in their challenges. For instance, there’s Monesi di Triora in Liguria, where only abandoned ski lifts remind of its past as a small ski station. Then, there is the region around Großer Arber in the Bavarian Forest where the area is still snow-reliable, but the authorities prefer to make “long-term decisions now,” as a representative from the lift company explained to a newspaper.

“Data alone is not enough,” Corradini explains, emphasizing that “the key question is: What does the local population want? A strategy has no future if it doesn’t align with the interest of the local community.” An initial basic analysis of the destinations was conducted followed by numerous interviews and workshops. One objective was to have people view the destination with “a fresh set of eyes” and identify what makes the destination worth visiting year-round, regardless of snow. “Often, attractive features that no one had in mind are discovered,” says Omizzolo. For example, easily accessible alpine pastures ideal for winter hiking or places of historical or cultural interest connected by a themed trail.

These analyses and participatory processes require a lot of effort. However, they are perhaps the only investment that is unquestionably worthwhile. “Destinations should avoid choosing an adaptation strategy that does not suit it”, explains Corradini. Therefore, to achieve an effective strategy, a thorough diagnosis is required. During the project, tools were developed to assist all the municipalities in the Alps. One of these is the vulnerability map, which shows the changing trends across the entire Alpine region. The map illustrates which regions will experience the greatest reduction in the snow season, where strong increases in temperature are imminent, as well as factors like the quality of infrastructure and population growth, which impact resilience. The map aims to provide field managers with an initial overview and “to understand the scope of the problem,” explains Omizzolo.

Métabief took this step a long time ago. In 2016, after several challenging years, the company managing the ski resort wanted to know if conditions would improve. The commissioned climate scenarios indicated otherwise. Since then, it has been anticipated that skiing in Métabief will only be possible until 2040 at most, but possibly as early as 2030. “It has been ten years that a transition process has been underway,” says Corradini. “This is an interesting case among the pilot regions, from whose experience others can benefit.” Métabief’s adaptation plan includes a “mountain hub” with an academy and conference center where ideas can be developed for the post-snow period and knowledge can be exchanged.

Conversely, many places still attempt to ignore the problem. According to Omizzolo, some are “not seeing, not hearing, and not talking about it.” However, many are beginning to reflect. At a conference organized by the “Alliance in the Alps” network in Bad Hindelang in Fall 2023, 300 tourism experts and professionals discussed the consequences of climate change on winter tourism and how to prepare in order not to be hit too hard by it.