BeyondSnow aims to make ski resorts resilient to climate change
Bohinj, 16 March - A drastic worsening of snow conditions is a challenge for Alpine communities dependent on winter tourism, so 13 partners from six Alpine countries, including Slovenia, have joined forces to produce an interactive map to assess their vulnerability to climate change and their ability to adjust to new conditions.
Kranjska Gora.
Zasnežena Kranjska Gora.
Foto: Nebojša Tejić/STA
Many small and medium-sized ski resorts at low and middle altitudes in the Alps are struggling to survive due to warmer winters which have shortened the winter season.
This is a major threat which will affect the businesses and the socio-economic situation of entire Alpine communities, said the regional Development Agency of Zgornja Gorenjska, one of the two Slovenian partners in the project BeyondSnow.
The EU co-funded project was launched at the end of 2022 in a bid to find solutions to turn small and medium-sized ski resorts into tourist destinations active all year long, taking into account their cultural and natural features.
The Slovenian area taking part in it covers Bohinj, northwest, with all ski resorts from Vogel and Soriška Planina to Kozji Hrbet on Mt Kobla, and Senožeti.
The map will be tested in a total of ten pilot areas before it is available online free of charge to all Alpine communities, "which reflects the project's overall aim of democratising climate resilience efforts and facilitating cross-border knowledge exchange".
Andrea Omizzolo from Eurac Research, the project's lead partner, said that the vulnerability map "is an important tool that allows communities to understand their resilience to climate change in more detail, enabling informed decision-making and the development of targeted adaptation strategies".
BeyondSnow is part of the Interreg - Alpine Space programme. The other Slovenian partner in the project is the Nova Gorica-based company Arctur.
This year ski resorts around Slovenia are struggling due to unseasonably high temperatures; some are already ending the season while most others are operating at limited capacity.