Winter Olympics are running out of winter

Globally, warming has averaged about 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels

• Heavy snow disrupted training at Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics this week
• Europe's mountains see less snow and fewer freezing days due to warming
• Artificial snow can't fully offset warming; fewer cities may host Winter Games.

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When heavy snow hit Cortina d’Ampezzo this week, it disrupted training at the Winter Olympics. On television, it looked reassuringly dramatic — proof that winter still arrives on cue.

But zoom out, and the longer story is less comforting.

Europe has been warming faster than any other continent. In the mountains that host the Games — the Alps, the Carpathians, the Apennines — snow cover has thinned significantly over the past two decades. In Cortina, which last hosted the Olympics in 1956, there are now almost 20 per cent fewer freezing days each year than there were in the decade after those Games.

February temperatures in the region run several degrees higher than they did seventy years ago. Globally, warming has averaged about 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In this corner of the Alps, the shift is even sharper, the Financia Times reported.

Snow you have to manufacture

Italy is considered a leader in artificial snow production. About 90 per cent of its ski slopes rely on it. For the Olympics, reservoirs were built to ensure enough water supply. Sensors monitor snow depth in real time. Modern snow cannons are more efficient than older systems.

But artificial snow is not magic. It needs cold air. If temperatures stay too high, it melts quickly or cannot be produced at all. And it requires water and energy — both of which come with costs.

In some recent seasons, parts of the Apennines have been too warm even to run the snow cannons. That’s a quiet warning sign.

As one climate researcher involved in studying the region put it: artificial snow cannot be the main solution if winters keep warming.

Fewer places fit for the Games

The International Olympic Committee has already commissioned research into how climate change will reshape the Winter Games. One conclusion is blunt: the number of countries climatically suitable to host the Olympics could shrink dramatically by 2040.

In the alpine zone hosting this year’s Games, projections suggest fewer days with snow deep enough to sustain winter sports. Under moderate emissions scenarios, snowfall days could fall sharply over the next few decades.

This doesn’t mean the Winter Olympics disappear tomorrow. It does mean the pool of reliable host cities may narrow.

The paradox

There is another layer to this story. The Winter Olympics themselves generate emissions — from construction to travel to snow production. One recent study estimated that past Games have produced between 1mn and 1.5mn tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The infrastructure built to preserve the image of dependable winter — reservoirs, snow-making systems, energy use — contributes to the broader climate pressures that are making winter less dependable.

Milano-Cortina is often presented as a return to classic alpine scenery. In reality, much of what viewers see is carefully engineered.

A different future for winter sport?

The Winter Olympics were built on the assumption that cold places would reliably stay cold. That assumption no longer holds everywhere.

The question now is whether the Games adapt — perhaps by rotating among a smaller number of high-altitude locations, reusing infrastructure more aggressively, or changing formats — or whether climate pressure gradually forces more dramatic changes.

For now, athletes compete on white slopes under bright alpine skies. But the margins are getting thinner.