A future without snow How a data project should help ski resorts

Climate change is causing the snow line to shift further and further - with a major impact on tourism. No wonder the "Snow Compass" project is attracting a lot of interest in the industry.

Keystone-SDA

18.11.2025, 00:00

SDA

How snow-sure is a ski resort? Is it worth investing in the winter sports business in view of the rising temperatures? In future, data models launched by tourism organizations and scientists will help local winter sports resorts to answer such questions. The offer has met with lively interest.

The models introduced around a month ago as part of the "Compass Snow" project have been received "very positively" by the destinations, Berno Stoffel, Director of Cableways Switzerland, told the news agency AWP on Monday. "For the service providers, the models we provide are a confirmation for their projects and help them to obtain the necessary permits based on data."

In Switzerland, the zero degree mark is climbing as temperatures rise and with it the prospect of snow-sure slopes. Winters are getting shorter, less snow is falling and in many places, particularly at lower altitudes, the question arises as to whether skiing can still be offered to tourists in good quality in the future.

Models show snow problems of the future

In order to document the problem of snow reliability based on facts and to support mountain railroads, ski schools and hotels in their investment decisions, the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), with data from MeteoSwiss and the support of ETH Zurich, has developed models that attempt to show the developments in snowfall and snowmaking possibilities in 23 mountain regions in Switzerland.

With just a few clicks, forecasts for snow reliability up to the year 2050 can be called up by entering parameters for the altitude of a destination, selecting the corresponding region and the terrain orientation. By entering further parameters, another tool shows how the potential for snowmaking on ski slopes is likely to develop in the coming years.

The tools are intended as orientation aids for the destinations, explained Christoph Marty from the SLF. Whether a location will still have enough snow for skiing in ten years' time and whether the conditions for making snow on the slopes will be sufficient depends on many factors and is complex: slope position, the influence of foehn winds and other factors all play a part in deciding whether a ski destination will be able to operate.

Marty assumes that the snow sports limit will rise by around 200 meters on average by 2050, with the winter season starting 10 to 20 days later and ending 10 to 15 days earlier. As things stand today, the higher temperatures could already become a problem for destinations at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level.

Increased focus on the summer season

"Winter tourism is not disappearing, it is changing," Stoffel continued to the media. Ski resorts, especially those at lower altitudes, will have to cope with less snowy winters and greater uncertainty. Depending on the situation, the strategy at the destinations would have to be adapted to the circumstances, added Martin Nydegger, Managing Director of Switzerland Tourism.

Three strategy areas were defined as part of "Compass Snow": "Strategy A - Continue with snow sports", "Strategy B - Live with uncertain snow conditions" and "Strategy C - Other seasons as compensation". Even if it is not yet possible to define how many Swiss ski resorts fall into which category, the increased focus on summer tourism is already visible in many places.

At the same time, however, demand for ski tourism in Switzerland and abroad remains good, with higher-altitude areas in particular benefiting from this business segment with relatively high added value, added Stoffel. Compared to nearby foreign countries, Switzerland has numerous ski destinations that offer skiing fun at over 2500 meters above sea level.