What has happened to all the snow? (Skiing)

Name: cabletow

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Product:	Skiing
Date:	02/02/02 (291 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap, warm, no queues

Disadvantages: no snow

Many thousands of us are packing our bags, as I write, and are about to embark on the annual trek to the mountains for the half term skiing week. Unfortunately we will have to contend with the worst snow record for 40 years. February is normally reliable for heavy snowfalls, but not since 1964, have the pistes of France, Switzerland and Italy been so bare. This spells disappointment for many skiers and financial chaos for many low-lying resorts.

Only Austria has escaped unscathed this year. Andorra and the Pyrenees also have adequate snow depths to keep most happy.

More Brits go to the French Alps than anywhere and there the season has started badly and seems to be getting worse as traditional resorts are basking in temperatures of 14 degrees at 1500m and the freeze line is at 3200m. This is unprecedented in mountain climate and probably reflects the effects of Global warming. At present resorts are experiencing a thaw more commonly associated with May than February.

This contrasts greatly with the Arctic conditions that skiers experienced just after Christmas.

Visitors to Val d'Isere and Meribel have been surprised at the extent of skiing available to them, but this is due to the hard work of the pisteurs and snow cannons. In today's conditions, though it is too warm for these cannons to work and it must be heart breaking for the average pisteur to see hours of grooming and snow care washing down into the valley.

Worst hit is Italy who has experienced only a slight dusting of snow before Christmas and there is none forecast on the horizon. To make matters worse rain is forecast for next week.

Climate specialists forecast that global warming will shorten the Ski season by as much as 40 percent, and suggest that alpine snowfalls will only occur for three months of the year. At present the snow season lasts for five months. This means that average snow depths will reduce from the present 100cm to about 60cm
and many resorts will not be able to open as a result. The present unwelcome state of the snow certainly seems to add weight to these reports.

Doom and gloom if you are a skier or boarder. But fret not; there are just as many reports that claim global warming will add to Europe's snow record. Because of the various climate models some predict Europe will soon experience record levels of snow and will be cooled by an alpine ice cap.

Meanwhile this is good news for those looking for a bargain. A weeks skiing next week, if you book today, can be purchased for a massive 40 percent discount. American resorts too have no such snow shortage troubles and skiing is near perfect at resorts that are quite far south, such as Lake Tahoe. But if Italy takes your fancy I think that you may be lining up a week of hill walking and dairy animal gazing. You may not even have to pack your thermals. If you ask your rep the perennial question of "what is the snow like?" You may get the answer "green" instead of the usually dry and witty reply that usually comes ? "white".

The current conditions also spell good news for ski technicians throughout most resorts. Most pistes are hard and have worn thin. Rocks are strewn about and edges are in constant need of repair. The going rate for an edge repair and wax is double that of last year and the sight of many skiers limping home with broken gear is common.

Milton Keynes and other indoor ski centres also have never looked better. There are some who feel that the world will end if they don't spend at least a week a year brushing up their skills and techniques and many have abandoned their annual break in the mountains and opted for a few weekends indoors instead. I presume in the hope that better snow will fall next season. For many, however next season is just too far away and I, for one, need my fix of mountain air.

My tip: A great week can still be had in Fra
nce. Any resort above 2000 meters is still skiable. The pistes are hard but well covered and holidays are cheaper than ever before. Another bonus of the unusually warm weather, is that it is also keeping European nationals away and even though the range of skiing is less there are many fewer skiers and the queues are not too bad.

Last week I was in Val Thorens in the French alps and we had a great few days up high on the glacier and just below it. We waited no more than fifteen minutes for a lift and we even found a little skiable powder on some north facing slopes.

Skiing is still a great holiday. For those of you who fear the cold, I am willing to bet you will not experience as much sun on any other holiday, and in today's conditions you will never feel cold. I spent all my time skiing in shorts and gloves only and my torso has never been so tanned.

Despite the pessimism that global warming imparts to all of us who love this sport, a good time can still be had and at a cost that is affordable.

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