Climate change and winter tourism: Ecological and economic effects of artificial snow

Standardised interviews with tourists were made to analyse their criteria when choosing a holiday destination as well as to assess whether tourists perceive snow making as an adaptation strategy towards snow deficiency.

The interviews showed that the tourists’ choice of a holiday destination differs largely between the three study regions. Also the acceptance of snow making by tourists varies spatially and seasonally. Winter sport tourists in particular approve snow production as an adaptation strategy, while the majority of guests interviewed in the summer season have a negative attitude about artificial snow. However, there is a general trend towards higher acceptance of snow production compared with previous studies. Reliable snow conditions are important in the choice of a holiday destination but often not the determining factor.

Adaptationstrategies of the Stakeholder

We also interviewed local stakeholders from the mountain railway companies and the local communities about current and future adaptation strategies to climate change and subsequent less reliable snow conditions.

The interviews showed that the stakeholders are conscious about climate change and the resulting consequences. They consider snow making as the key measure to guarantee the ski season and to be able to compete in the skiing industry. However, it is also acknowledged that it will be crucial in the future, to concentrate on regional strength that distinguishes one region from others and to provide a diverse and high-quality range of activities in summer as well as in winter. Guaranteed snow-reliability alone is not enough to compete with other tourist destinations.

Ressource consumption for snowmaking

The annual energy consumption for snowmaking in our study areas is between 14’000 and 1.7 Mio. kWh. In Davos, snowmaking represents approximately 0.5% of the entire energy consumption in the respective community. Housing in the community of Davos, for instance, requires 32.5% of the entire energy budget.

The water consumption for snow making can be considerable and can comprise 20 – 35 % of the amount of the regional water consumption.

The ecological effects of artificial snow

Artificial snow production can have ecological impacts on vegetation, soil, animals and aquatic ecosystems. Impacts differ largely between regions, elevation etc. However, for impacts on vegetation it can be concluded that 1) artificial snow can protect vegetation and soil from mechanical disturbance, however, mechanical damage on ski pistes in general is high, 2) artificial snow can protect vegetation and soil from frost that occurs on ski runs with only natural snow, 3) the late snowmelt due to artificial snow can alter the vegetation composition, 4) the input of ions and water through artificial snow is not problematic where meadows and pastures are fertilized by agriculture anyway, but should be avoided on nutrient-poor vegetation such as fens and low-nutrient meadows and 5) species diversity and productivity are decreased on both types of ski pistes (with and without artificial snow).

Furthermore, our studies on vegetation and soil stability indicated that diverse vegetation, site-specific plant species and symbiotic fungi can enhance soil stability and reduce erosion after construction of snowing facilities and ground levelling of ski pistes.

Future changes in snow cover and future possibilities of snowmaking

When investing into snowing facilities, it needs to be considered whether snowmaking will be possible under the predicted temperature increase. We used regional climate scenarios to estimate future changes in snow cover and future possibilities of snowmaking.

Our results show that snow cover is not reliable anymore (at least 100 days with a snow depth ≥ 30 cm from 1 December through 15 April) at the lowest elevation (approx. 1’200 m a.s.l.) of some ski resorts. By 2050 snow reliability will be questionable even at intermediate elevation (approx. 1’500 m a.s.l.). Climate conditions for snowmaking may be insufficient at low elevation by 2030. An alternative to snow production at low elevation is more efficient transportation to high elevation areas of ski resorts.

3. Conclusions

The three investigated study areas Davos, Scuol and Braunwald differ not only in climate conditions and elevation but also in their tourism activities, the guest mix and their tourism strategies. Given the increasing economic competition and the changing climate, it will be crucial to use the specific regional strengths to provide high-quality summer and winter tourism activities.

Snow production at the high-altitude destinations Davos and Scuol represents a valuable adaptation strategy to enhance winter tourism. Each new snowmaking installation needs to be checked for its economic cost efficiency and potential ecological impacts. To optimize this process, all relevant stakeholder groups, i.e. mountain railway companies, communities, tourism organizations and nature conservation agencies need to collaborate as early as possible in the planning process.