SCIENCE: WHEN THE FUTURE OF SNOW COVER CAN BE READ IN THE CARDS

Funiflaine Axed

Thanks to Climsnow (Dianeige, INRAE and MétéoFrance consortium), a modelling tool for changes in snow cover, with forecasts as far as 2100, scientists can now predict the future of snow in the mountains. The super-calculators consider several types of data: altitude, inclination of slopes, the orientation of the sun, the kind of snow, temperature and wind speed, all modelled on maps according to several scenarios, which are either more or less favourable depending on the level of greenhouse gas emissions. By providing visibility about the future of snow cover in a warming world, Climsnow informs resorts about the viability of artificial snow equipment investments and can help them select more sustainable development projects before 2050 and beyond. It can do this for every resort, slope and even every slope sub-sector. In just two years, the team has made projections for 135 French resorts, including 48 in the Sud Region, which has ordered a special study.

Climsnow analyses the capacity of resorts to continue operations, what efforts will be required, by what method and over what timeframe.

Due to additional costs, the Funiflaine, which aimed to link in under 20 minutes Arve Valley (leaving from Magland) and the resort of Flaine by 2025, was axed last spring. With an estimated cost of 88.5 million euros, there was a risk that the budget could increase by 30% to absorb the sharp increase in the price of raw materials and the time delay. The Funiflaine Joint Association passed a deliberation on 17 May 2022 confirming that works would cease.

The number of ski resorts studied since 2020 by Climsnow, a tool for predicting snow coverage introduced by Météo France, Dianeige and Inrae.