Italy facing snow crisis three years before Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Milan: With less than three years until the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Italy’s ski industry is reliant on artificial snow due to the climate change crisis.

Out of the ten Italian ski slopes, nine of them are suffering from a lack of natural snow and are depending on artificial cannons.

This has also affected resorts in the country as 249 of them have shut down due the cost of artificial snow, with another 84 resorts to open and close repeatedly as snowfall fluctuates, according to a report by Italian environmental group Legambiente.

Artificial snow has increased in price due to the rise in electricity costs, going from €2 ($2.11/£1.78) per cubic metre to between €3 ($3.16/2.67) and €7 ($7.38/£6,23).

Some of the resorts have witnessed the rising of the average temperature by 3 degrees Celsius between 1961 and 2018.

The report also suggested that 142 artificial lakes are being used for the artificial snow cannon, using a water supply large enough to aid one million people.

The region of Trentino Alto Adige is the most dependent on the snow cannon as there are 59 artificial lakes in the area.

The environmental group mentioned that 70 per cent of Austrian slopes are dependent on the cannon, while 50 per cent are for Switzerland, 39 per cent for France and 25 per cent for Germany.

Stefano Ciafani, the head of Legambiente, talked about how this affects the tourism industry.

“Italy is being hit hardest by the problem and has more cannon because it is further south, and also because ski resort owners have been less willing to switch to other forms of tourism,” said Ciafani, according to The Times.

“Italy is rethinking agriculture already, and now needs to start rethinking tourism in the mountains, and do it fast.”

Vanda Bonardo, Legambiente’s Alpine expert, expressed how this affect athletes, especially the ones who are preparing to compete at Milan Cortina 2026.

“It’s the end of an era because as it gets warmer, skiers will be forced higher into the mountains for shorter seasons, meaning skiing will once again become a sport for the rich elite,” said Bonardo, according to The Times.

“Within ten years, skiing will only be possible above 2,000 metres, even with snow cannon, as the Alps warm up.”

Italy faced its hottest summer on record last year and saw only around half its normal snowfall this winter, which makes it increasingly likely that athletes looking to compete in the Olympics will be skiing down strips of fake snow surrounded by green fields.

With the increasing issues caused by global warming, plans for Milan Cortina 2026 could drastically change.

The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from February 6 to 22, followed by the Paralympics from March 6 to 15.