When skiing, why is there snow only on the ski slopes and the mountains are bare?

Have you skied this winter? In the past two years, as soon as winter comes, ski resorts of all sizes across the country are as busy as the ice surface of Shichahai. Whether you are into it or not, you will find that your entire circle of friends are skiing. Even friends in the south who have never seen snow can ski in Guangzhou and Guizhou.

However, whether you are in the south or the north, indoor or outdoor ski resorts, the chances are that you are skiing on "fake snow" .

If there is not enough snow, artificial snow will be used to make up for it.

Unlike the natural landscape of snow-covered mountains in our imagination, most of the ski resorts we see are bare hillsides interspersed with a few white artificial snow trails . The snow on these snow trails is not thick, full, and smooth natural snow, but a layer of artificial snow covering the soil or rocks.

Bare mountains and white snow trails｜Ski Asia

Artificial snow is actually closer to ice than natural snow. Snow cannons and snow guns use high pressure to mix tiny ice balls and water droplets and spray them out in atomized form, which quickly solidify into snow crystals in the cold air. These snows are not snowflakes, but small bullet-shaped particles .

Artificial snow particles｜Hao Jiansheng

Initially, artificial snow was only used to fill in the bald spots on the natural snow. However, nowadays, more and more ski resorts are beginning to use artificial snow in large quantities, creating snow out of thin air at times and places when it is not snowing.

Currently, more than 60% of the world's ski resorts are using snow machines . A large ski resort with an area of ​​more than 100 square kilometers may have hundreds or even thousands of snow machines running at the same time. This is because the amount of snowfall in most parts of the world is decreasing significantly . Compared with 30 years ago, the earth's winter has shortened by one month. Since the mid-1980s, the amount of snowfall in the mountains of the Northern Hemisphere has been steadily declining. The entire winter snow season is shortened, snowfall starts later, ends earlier, and is becoming more and more unpredictable, and snowmelt has become more frequent.

Experts predict that if the global average temperature rises by 2°C, the ski industry will be almost wiped out in the next 80 years, except for a few ski resorts in high latitudes and high altitudes . As the world's top ski resort, the amount of snow in the Alps may decrease by more than one-third, and 40% of ski resorts will not be able to support the 100-day snow season, which is the shortest period for ski resorts to recover their investment and start making profits.

Snowmaking machine makes snow｜TuChong Creative

Warmer winters mean less time and less places to ski. At this time, artificial snow has become the savior of the ski industry, allowing skiing to break through the limitations of time, space and weather . In order to increase snow coverage and extend business hours, ski resorts have begun to use artificial snow to make up for the lack of natural snowfall. However, over-reliance on artificial snow has also brought new problems.

What’s the problem with artificial snow?

Consumes a lot of water

First of all, artificial snow consumes a lot of water resources. It takes 70 to 120 liters of water to produce one square meter of snow that meets the minimum depth required for skiing. Some ski resorts will build reservoirs or recycle melted snow water for recycling. But more ski resorts will directly draw water from surrounding lakes, rivers or reservoirs, or even use tap water or extract groundwater , and then transport the water to the snowmaking equipment on the mountain through water pumps and pipes.

According to a 2011 survey by Friends of Nature, the amount of water used for artificial snow in ski resorts around Beijing reaches at least 1 million tons per year, which is equivalent to the total annual water consumption of 8,300 households in Beijing. In the Alps, where ski resorts are everywhere, the amount of water consumed by artificial snow is equal to the water consumption of 1.5 million local people. Today, one-third of ski resorts in the French Alps are facing a shortage of drinking water, and the ski industry and local residents have a competition for water demand, which directly affects the environment and livelihoods of surrounding communities .

Multiple snow machines are running at the same time to produce enough snow｜Alta Ski Area

Shocking energy consumption and carbon emissions

The long-term operation of snowmaking equipment is also accompanied by astonishing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Some of the world's leading ski resorts have begun to use renewable energy such as solar energy, wind energy, and hydropower, but most domestic ski resorts are still using fossil energy such as coal to power snowmaking equipment .

It is estimated that the five outdoor ski resorts around Shenyang consume about 115 tons of coal for snowmaking and electricity generation in one snow season, which is equivalent to an additional 287 tons of carbon emissions. Indoor ski resorts that are open all year round are completely dependent on snowmaking equipment and refrigeration technology, which consume huge amounts of electricity.

Artificial snow consumes a lot of energy | Tuchong Creative

Snow machines usually operate efficiently at temperatures of -8°C and 40% air humidity. In areas where the temperature or humidity is not suitable, the cost of making artificial snow is even higher .

Take the Guilin Tianhu Ski Resort, the southernmost ski resort in China, for example. The winter temperature in Guilin is not that low, but the humidity is off the charts, causing artificial snow to melt into water as soon as it is sprayed out . Before the ski resort opened, it was necessary to keep three ice-making units working for 20 consecutive days, and the electricity bill for snowmaking was as high as 30,000 yuan per day. In the north, the same ski slope only takes three or four days to produce enough snow. During business hours, the snowmaking machines must also work non-stop day and night to maintain the daily consumption of snow.

Guangzhou Sunac Snow World's indoor ski resort has high snowmaking and refrigeration costs | Guangzhou Guide

Impacts on wildlife and the environment

If you want to make snow in an environment above zero degrees, you must mix nucleating agents into the water to freeze the water into snow crystals. The impact of this nucleating agent on the environment has not been fully studied.

Artificial snow contains more minerals and nutrients than natural snow. When it melts, it will flow into the environment , changing the chemical composition of the soil and affecting the growth of vegetation. As the temperature rises in spring, meltwater flows down the hillside and may bring chemical additives into the rivers below the mountain, polluting the water source.

Environmental challenges facing the ski industry

The skiing industry is not just about artificial snow. Ski resorts have been associated with the transformation of the natural environment since their inception.

Most ski resorts are built in forest areas, which requires cutting down a large number of trees to build ski trails. This inevitably damages the already fragile mountain vegetation system and destroys the habitats of mountain wildlife.

Around ski resorts in Scotland, wild black grouse often collide with cable cars, power lines and other facilities , causing their numbers to decline over the past few decades. Studies in the Alps have also found that when black grouse are frequently disturbed by skiing activities, their stress levels increase significantly, affecting reproduction and survival.

The black grouse is a star bird in the Alps｜Les Gets

However, the most criticized environmental issue in the ski industry today is high emissions .

Artificial snow actually only accounts for a small part of the carbon emissions of the entire skiing industry. From the operation of all facilities and equipment on the site to the transportation and accommodation of skiers from all over the country to the ski resort, all are accompanied by high emissions. For example, in order to keep the snow surface smooth and easy to slide, the long-term operation of the snow groomer consumes a lot of energy and produces carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions; many ski resorts open night skiing, which also requires the addition of high-power lighting facilities; cable cars and magic carpets consume electricity continuously during business hours. The average energy consumption of a cable car in a ski resort in the United States for one month is about the energy required by 3.8 American households in a year.

The ski resort magic carpet is a ski resort conveyor device similar to an airport conveyor belt, which can quickly transport tourists on the downhill slope to the uphill slope｜TuChong Creative

The rising temperatures and reduced snowfall caused by climate change have made the long-term development of the ski industry less optimistic. At the same time, the unsustainable management of ski resorts is making the problems they face even worse. There is less snowfall, but more and more ski resorts are opening. If there is no snow, snow must be made, which consumes energy, and energy consumption leads to emissions, forming a vicious cycle for which there is no optimal solution yet .

Night skiing is less crowded and cheaper, but it consumes more electricity｜Elevation Alps

Can we still ski properly?

Skiing was originally a means of transportation adapted to local conditions. Since the 1970s, it has become increasingly popular and has become a sport that can be practiced in specific climates and regions. However, with the large-scale expansion of ski resorts, this outdoor sport that originally meant getting close to nature has become a "luxury sport" that requires extremely high environmental costs . But skiing is really fun. Is there any way to continue to enjoy the joy of skiing while minimizing the burden on the environment?

The most important thing is that we can choose to go skiing at the right time and the right place .

Generally speaking, the snowfall is the greatest in the middle of the ski season, while at the beginning and end of the ski season when the snowfall is smaller, artificial snow is more needed and many ski slopes may not be open.

Northeast my country and Xinjiang have the largest number of ski resorts | White Paper on China's Ski Industry

By checking weather software, or according to geographical location and altitude, we can choose ski resorts with higher natural snowfall . The areas with the most abundant average snowfall in China are Northeast China and Xinjiang. Yabuli, Changbai Mountain, Jiangjun Mountain, etc. are all nationally renowned ski resorts with top conditions. In contrast, Chongli near Beijing has a higher temperature and a dry climate. A simpler and more direct way to judge is to observe with the naked eye whether there is snow on the mountains outside the snow trails . If the snow is only concentrated on the snow trails, and other locations are exposed mountains or vegetation, then it is obvious that the snow in this place is basically man-made.

Hangzhou Lin'an Damingshan Ski Resort, green trees and white snow form a sharp contrast｜Zhu Na Wang

Natural snow has another irreplaceable advantage, which is that it is easier to slide for ordinary people.

Professional skiing competitions mostly use artificial snow because the flattened and fixed artificial snow has high hardness, low resistance, and stable properties, which is beneficial for events that pursue speed. However, for amateur skiers, artificial snow tracks are more slippery and harder, and are prone to ice, making it difficult to control the snowboard. Since artificial snow is four times harder than natural snow, the pain after falling is stronger and the risk of injury is also higher. Ski enthusiasts usually pursue newly fallen natural "powder snow" , which is soft and elastic, and has a floating feeling similar to surfing when sliding, and does not require too much leg strength to control.

Who doesn't want to surf in powder snow? | Snowbird Ski Resort

Of course, if we are still uneasy about the environmental costs of skiing, we can always try other fun outdoor snow and ice sports. In addition to skating, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, which require higher equipment and skills, the fun of snowball fights, snowman building, sledding, and sledding will never go out of style. These activities can maximize the use of natural ice and snow , do not require large-scale infrastructure, and have much less environmental impact.

If you love skiing, you probably also hope that the natural conditions for skiing will not disappear. I hope that in a few decades, we will still have real snow to ski on.

Author: beastiebarks

Editor: Yellowtail Pollock, Mai Mai

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)