Crevasses are exposed
Climate change threatens alpine skiing
07/28/2022, 8:29 p.m
Climate change is more present than ever. Forests are burning in Europe, glaciers are melting in the Alps. This has external effects on competitive sport. So the alpine ski stars have to stop their preparation for the winter. This is due to historical temperature records.
The world’s best ski racers have been caught up in ongoing climate change as they prepare for the upcoming World Cup season. Because summer skiing on the glacier above Zermatt in the Swiss canton of Valais will be suspended indefinitely from next Friday, many national teams and stars like Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) have to reschedule and look for new training areas.
The German team around Kira Weidle and Thomas Dreßen is no longer affected by the suspension, they are leaving Zermatt as scheduled on Friday. No further units are planned there; instead, on August 9th, the three-and-a-half-week trip will take place in the ski resorts of La Parva in Chile and Ushuaia in Argentina. Conditions are good there at the moment.
In summer, Zermatt is one of the most important destinations for ski racers. The local mountain railways are now forced to close the glacier, which goes up to 3800 meters. On Monday, the zero-degree limit on the Matterhorn rose to over 5,100 meters. Due to the heat and the lack of snow, the result of the last winter with little snow, many crevasses are now exposed.
The Swiss ski racers had already stopped their training because of the conditions. As giant slalom specialist Justin Murisier reported to the Swiss media, meaningful training was no longer possible last week. The problems on the glacier also made it difficult to install safety precautions or anchor the lifts.
In the shadow of the Matterhorn, two downhill races for women and men are to be held down to Cervinia in Italy for the first time at the beginning of November. According to the mountain railways, half of the “Gran Becca” racing slope is already prepared on the Swiss side. For Olympic champion Shiffrin, the ban means additional trouble. She had only arrived in Valais on Monday with a delay after her luggage had not been on board on the flight from the USA.