Climate crisis forces ski industry to rethink nature relationship
A study of Swedish alpine skiers reveals a growing tension: the sport depends on nature preservation, yet relies increasingly on artificial snowmaking to survive warming winters. As glaciers melt and seasons shorten, the industry faces pressure to shift toward local skiing and environmental stewardship—reshaping business models across mountain resorts worldwide.
Originaltitel: “I Live With and By Nature”: Swedish Alpine Skiers Reflect on Professional and Lifestyle Skiing, Nature, and Snow, 1964–2023
<p>Alpine skiing has been a popular activity since the 1950s. However, global warming leads to milder weather, melting glaciers, and reduced snowfall which deteriorates possibilities to skiing. The purpose of this paper is to sketch a contemporary history of alpine skiing and environmental awareness in Sweden through the narratives of ten alpine skiers. A temporal and spatial perspective contributes to make changes over time and meaning of places visible. The skiers share a fixed narrative: nature as central for skiing. This is not unproblematic since nature has been more adapted and modified and resulted in a crowded landscape. Nature is a space to be preserved but also as a space to enable skiing. In this constructed landscape, over time snowmaking is reconstructed to being normal, albeit not natural. A way to handle these changes is to care more for nature, travel less, ski more local, and show environmental awareness.</p>