Winter has begun. Along with it, it has brought the much-awaited excitement of the FIS Ski World Cup. The skiing tournament, which is known for its incredible showdowns in the snow, came back on October 26th, aiming to give fans the adrenaline rush from the sport they were missing so much. However, the first race of the season may have had a very anticlimactic end for all the fans of the queen of the snowy slopes, Mikaela Shiffrin.
Coming into Solden, many expected her to inch closer to the 100th World Cup victory of her illustrious skiing career. A win in Austria would have brought the number to 98. However, to the disappointment of many, Shiffrin ended up finishing fifth in the race. Thus, her tally remained at 97. But the season is long, and she will have many opportunities to prove herself. However, while the World Cup takes place, other ski events have been plunged into uncertainty.
According to Snowbrains, Colorado was set to host four Super-G races and four Giant Slalom races scheduled in Copper Mountain from November 16-21. Another four-slalom race was also scheduled in Aspen on November 18th. This was part of the Stifel Alpine Nor-Am Cup and the second Stifel Success Nor-Am Cup.
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However, all these races now stand cancelled. This is because of the uncertainty of the weather surrounding these places. The temperature of the areas has been too high to get the right amount of snow in accordance with the FIS standards. While there are talks of hosting the races on later dates, the status remains canceled for now.
The postponement also raises concerns for the upcoming FIS Ski World Cup event in Beaver Creek, Colorado, scheduled on December 3rd. Many competitors for that race are set to arrive at the end of this week in Copper Mountain to train and get used to the conditions.
Thus, it would really throw the skiing federation into a conundrum if the weather doesn’t improve in these few weeks. Rescheduling such a huge event right now will be a very arduous task to take on. Moreover, most locations are not suited for the Downhill and Super-G races, like Colorado. Thus, it seems to be seen what will be done in the future if the conditions of snow do not improve. However, this unfortunate phenomenon seems to have taken over the skiing world. This has caused a very popular skiing destination to close its doors.
Historic skiing destination in France shuts down because of climate change
A historic French Alpine skiing resort, Alpe du Grand Serre, shut its doors on October 7th because of low funds. This was a huge blow to the local economy of the nearby village of La Morte, as the place had employed around 200 people who are now at risk of losing their jobs. This is a heavily sad state of affairs caused by the dwindling of snow in the area.
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As climate change has taken over fully at this point, the temperature increase has led to early closing of the place and late openings. This has decreased the footfall, causing the lack of revenue. Thus, Alpe du Grand Serre has had to shut down. This has occurred despite efforts to develop its hiking and biking tracks.
For this endeavor, $3 million dollars were invested in 2021, but to no avail. Local council head Coraline Saurat expressed her regret because of the situation and said that the state must protect these institutions from their eventual extinction. She believes that there is very little support given right now. This is why the place shut down. Thus, climate change has taken over the world, and immediate action must be taken to save the sport of skiing.