Glacier Training in Europe Challenged by Climate

Many European summer ski training glaciers are struggling to offer traditional training space. Now a few glacier areas have decided to reduce their opportunities or close until they receive cold temperatures and additional snowfall.

Les Deux Alpes Glacier in France

One of the more popular training areas in France is Les Deux Alpes. In the past, it has been a dependable resource for ski teams through August. This year Les Deux Alpes started with a low snowpack and has experienced record heat. Consequently, they decided to discontinue their snow sports opportunities on the 10th of July. 

Their website states:

End of summer skiing on 10th July 2022

Sata 2 Alpes team Information:

Wednesday 6th July 2022, the safety commission met on the glacier this morning to discuss the safety of the ski area.
We must take the current global warming crisis very seriously and preserve the treasure that is our glacier.

Despite our daily efforts which began early last winter to preserve the snow (which also maintains the ice), the skiing conditions no longer meet our quality and safety standards.

As a result, the summer ski season will end on the evening of Sunday 10th July, both for the ski slopes and the snowpark.

Stelvio Glacier suspends training on the lift-serviced portion of the area

Stelvio, Italy, is one of Europe’s highest training glaciers. Usually, Stelvio begins its season in May and ends at the start of November. This is because there is no open road to Stelvio in the winter. One of the Stelvio training providers is still operating. Uniquely they use snowcats and snowmobiles to transport teams to the top of their portion of the glacier. However, the more extensive lift-serviced training has temporarily closed. On 20th July, the lift operators sent this message to the teams in their WhatsApp group chat.

The message translates to: “Hello, everyone. Unfortunately, this morning, due to a period of extremely high temperatures, with freezing temperatures only above 4400 meters, we gave up. We regretfully communicate that, despite our best efforts, we will temporarily suspend skiing on the glacier. However, we are confident that the current situation will improve, at which time we will reopen for training. We will update you as soon as the conditions allow us to offer skiing.” 

Swiss Glaciers

The most dependable training glaciers in Europe are Saas-Fee and Zermatt. Zermatt is the highest, and although it currently doesn’t have the standard depth of snow, all teams presently training there report excellent conditions. Saas-Fee is an amazingly vast and diverse glacier for training. However, it is lower than Zermatt, so it doesn’t freeze as regularly as its neighbor. On the other hand, Saas-Fee is probably the most popular glacier during the prep period.  

Saas-Fee is aware of the changing climate and begins its glacier season preparations at the height of the winter. This year because of low winter snowfall, they closed the upper part of the glacier a month before the end of the winter season. Consequently giving them the opportunity to stockpile snow for the training season. Saas-Fee also used additional glacier covers to protect their snow resources from the sun. And like many of the more sophisticated glacier training areas, they continually invest in additional snowmaking. However, despite their best efforts, they could not open the two lower lifts for summer training. Unfortunately, the lower lifts service a significant amount of training area. Subsequently, it will take additional snow to change the situation.

Current training reports from Saas-Fee are that the upper training lanes have good conditions. However, the loss of the lower training lanes has caused them to cancel some training reservations and prioritize others.

Saas-Fee notifies teams of reduced training availabilty

Because of the reality of limited training space, Saas-Fee has had to make  difficult decisions. 

From the management:

Teams of athletes with higher World Cup rankings have priority. 
Slope reservations from the same team during the same period might be reduced to fewer slope lines. 
The booking behavior of previous years will influence the allocation of slopes in the summer of 2022. 
Teams who have made deposits receive priority.

There is no ski access available for individuals. A lift pass purchase will require a connection to a valid lane reservation. 

Zermatt Switzerland Glacier

All reports from Zermatt say that the snow is thin, but the training is excellent. Zermatt is the highest of the training glaciers; Zermatt, therefore, is the most likely to freeze during the night. Thanks to the lower temperatures, they also experience less snow melt. However, if the record heat wave continues, it could also affect the amount of training available in Zermatt.

The teams that rely on European glacier training are looking forward to relief from the record high temperatures and the arrival of the subsequent snowstorms. 

Glacier experience is a one of a kind

Keep in mind that glacier training continues to be very valuable. Glacier weather can be challenging, even when there is a lot of snow. Rain, wind, and cloud cover at night can prevent a glacier from opening. These challenges are especially difficult for teams that have traveled a long distance as they cannot go home and wait for better weather to arrive. Also, the villages that serve the glaciers are usually popular tourist towns and are likely expensive. That said, a day on a glacier is a great day. Glaciers offer fantastic terrain, great snow and indescribable beauty. And everyone knows tourist towns are great places to  spend time. 

Indoor alternatives have been gaining popularity; this year, demand is overwhelming

Over the past decade, training at indoor European ski halls has steadily gained popularity. It would be fair to say that most World Cup SL skiers spend time training on ice in ski domes. However, many other WC athletes from different disciplines use them for a short prep camp. British Kitzbühel SL champion Dave Ryding is a known ski hall frequenter. He often trains indoors for nearly 40 days throughout a prep period. In addition, more teams of all levels have been booking space inside. 

Indoor ski halls are relatively short and flat; however, the surface can be highly consistent and the weather doesn’t interfere. For upper-level athletes, the lanes are usually solid ice. For younger athletes, they provide groomed snow. The primary benefit of ski halls is that they provide dependable and predictable training. They are an excellent location to work on technical and tactical skills, test equipment and gain confidence often before heading to the southern hemisphere or the glaciers.

Bart Mollin’s family owns Snow Valley in Peer Belgium, one of the most popular training ski halls. They do everything they can to accommodate ski teams. Snow Valley began this season with a significant number of bookings, but since the glaciers started closing or limiting space, they receive ten or more training requests daily. Mollin reports they have almost no availability through the end of October. He reveals he has a few days with one or two available lanes, but that is it.

Tough year for European training

In conclusion, the current climate is challenging most European glaciers beyond their ability to operate or operate normally. The record high temperatures and low winter snowpack reveal the fragility of the summer glacier skiing industry. Let’s hope the situation doesn’t affect the opening World Cup Zermatt/Cervinia downhills. By then, however, the European winter in the Alps should arrive.