As snow becomes increasingly rare, mountain tourism professionals are mobilizing to guarantee the future of ski resorts. Meeting on Wednesday, they unveiled the “Snow Compass” project, an initiative intended to guide the adaptation of ski areas to climate challenges.
“Snow Compass” aims to be a real “toolbox” for those involved in winter tourism. Corinne Genoud, member of the management of Suisse Tourisme, explains: “The ‘Snow Compass’ will provide leads, strategies, scenarios. Everyone will be able to draw on it according to their specific situation.”
The project proposes to evaluate future quantities of natural snow in different Swiss regions, while exploring alternatives to compensate for the drop in precipitation. It also involves adapting the winter sports offering and optimizing tourist activities throughout the year.
The project is based on alarming scientific data. According to Adrien Michel, meteorologist at MétéoSuisse, snow cover could decrease by 10% to 40% by 2050, depending on altitude. “The 0 degree isotherm, which determines the snow limit, has already risen by 300 to 400 meters in forty years, and could rise by another 200 to 300 meters in the coming decades,” he specifies. Thursday in La Matinale de la RTS.
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Conclusions expected next summer
Faced with this reality, tourism stakeholders want to diversify the tourist offer, both summer and winter. There is no shortage of ideas: developing hiking trails, creating new play areas, increasing artificial snow, or even abandoning trails that are too expensive to maintain. Some even mention the possibility of moving ski areas to higher altitudes.
>> Also read: Will mountain biking replace skiing in our mountains?
The first “Snow Compass” recommendations are expected for next summer.
Foued Boukari/vajo
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