Alpine World Cup is slammed for ‘stealing snow from a melting glacier’ for its ski competition

• The glacier is high above a cross-border ski resort between Switzerland and Italy
• Its mass has shrunk by 10 per cent in last two years because of climate change

Organisers of the Alpine World Cup have been accused of stealing five football pitches worth of snow from a melting glacier for an international ski competition.

With the help of drone footage, it has been claimed that diggers took the ice from out-of-bounds zones to fill in bald patches on runs that are being prepared for next month’s contest.

Around two-thirds of the course is on the Theodul Glacier in the Alps, parts of which are authorised. However, certain sections are also in protected areas where skiing is a no-go, according to Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten.

For example, large parts of the men’s route cross areas classified as off-limits, while the start of the women’s event is outside of the approved area.

Climate change has already caused the glacier to shrink in mass by 10 per cent over the past two years, while scientists think more than half of it will have vanished by 2080 if the world keeps heating up on its current trajectory.

Caught out? Organisers of the Alpine World Cup have been accused of stealing five football pitches worth of snow from a melting glacier for an international ski competition

With the help of drone footage, it has been claimed that diggers took the ice from out-of-bounds zones to fill in bald patches on runs that are being prepared for next month’s contest

Number of snowy days  in the Alps will HALVE without action to stop climate change

Last year, a study found that the number of days with snow cover in the Alps will halve without faster action to stop climate change.

Researchers said southern Alpine countries, including parts of France, Italy, and Slovenia, would be especially affected without emissions cuts.

For example, if the planet warms by 7.2-9°F (4-5°C), Slovenia could lose 54 days of snow per year – 68 per cent – at an elevation of 4,920ft (1,500m), while France will lose 116 days of snow at 11,480ft (3,500m), or 34 per cent of snow days.

But if the Paris Agreement emissions targets were met this would save 80 per cent of the current days with snow cover, the experts said.

They added that the loss of snow would impact the skiing industry, nature, and downstream water use, and also itself cause further warming.

The alleged digging has been blasted by environmental campaigners, who blame organisers for trying to stage races earlier in the season for financial reasons to satisfy sponsors.

The same competition was cancelled last year because of a lack of snow in the area, which sits above a ski resort between Zermatt, Switzerland, and Cervino, Italy known as the Matterhorn Ski Paradise.

Protect Our Winters (POW) has started a petition calling on the international ski federation (FIS) to become climate ‘leaders’ and ‘adapt the competition calendar to reduce the impact of travel and respect the changing climate’.

‘Pictures of excavator shovels digging into the Theodul glacier in Zermatt and bulldozers demolishing glacier ice in Solden have shocked the outdoor community,’ the group said.

‘All this to prepare the slopes for FIS’s early season World Cup ski races. 

‘At a time when the climate crisis demands a strong and resolute answer from policy-makers and the society at large, such practices damage the credibility of winter sports.

‘Wake up FIS! Seize the opportunity to become a leader in securing the future not only for winter sports but more importantly, for a liveable planet.’ 

French triple world champion skier Alexis Pinturault was also critical of the ski federation. 

He said: ‘Our sport is one of the most affected by global warming and, instead of changing our system, of adapting, we are doing the opposite.’

Mikaela Shiffrin, an American World Cup alpine skier, added: ‘To what extent should we adapt our environment to a schedule that we want? Or should we adapt our schedules to the environment?’

However, organisers hit back amid the furore.

Franz Julen, president of the local organisation committee for the event, told 20 Minuten that no one was ‘breaking off the glacier’, despite what it looked like in the images of the diggers.  

‘That’s wrong, three excavators worked on the glacier for three weeks. However, they did not break anything, but filled and secured crevices with ice and snow,’ he said.

‘They made us a scapegoat. No one knows the issue of the receding glaciers as well as we do in Zermatt. We know what it’s about and take this sensitive topic seriously.’

Julen also insisted that all of the course was within the permitted ski zone on the Swiss side at least. 

Digging: Around two-thirds of the course is on the Theodul Glacier in the Alps, parts of which are authorised. However, certain sections are also in protected areas where skiing is a no-go, according to Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten 

Angry: The alleged digging has been blasted by environmental campaigners, who blame organisers for trying to stage races earlier in the season for financial reasons to satisfy sponsors

The same competition was cancelled last year because of a lack of snow in the area, which sits above a ski resort between Zermatt, Switzerland, and Cervino, Italy known as the Matterhorn Ski Paradise

However, digging has now been halted while authorities investigate the claims.

Skiing in the Alps has been in the spotlight over recent years, amid fears global warming could have a significant impact on the sport. 

Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Basel warned that snowy slopes are quickly disappearing, with climate change to blame.

In their study, the team found that while precipitation will continue to fall over the Alps as temperatures rise, this will increasingly fall as rain instead of snow.

Last year, a study also found that the number of days with snow cover in the Alps will halve without faster action to stop climate change.

Researchers said southern Alpine countries, including parts of France, Italy, and Slovenia, would be especially affected without emissions cuts.

They added that the loss of snow would impact the skiing industry, nature, and downstream water use, and also itself cause further warming. 

Winter ski holidays in the Alps could become a thing of the past thanks to climate change, study warns

It’s a winter tradition for many people around the world, but ski holidays in the Alps could soon become a thing of the past, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Basel have warned that snowy slopes are quickly disappearing, with climate change to blame.

In their study, the team found that while precipitation will continue to fall over the Alps as temperatures rise, this will increasingly fall as rain instead of snow

In their study, the team found that while precipitation will continue to fall over the Alps as temperatures rise, this will increasingly fall as rain instead of snow.

And while artificial snow machines could help the slopes to stay open, these will require huge amounts of water – at a significant cost to tourists.

Read more here. 

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