Climate change may force changes to ski World Cup calendar

Climate change could make it harder to hold ski World Cup races reliably at some venues, requiring changes to the calendar, tourism researcher Robert Steiger of the University of Innsbruck told ORF.

Organisers will face greater challenges in preparing suitable race pistes, Steiger said. Securing snow is a smaller concern, but it is uncertain whether some venues can reliably stage races at their usual time of year. Some events may need to move to a different date or location, while other venues could drop off the calendar altogether.

Snow storage and artificial snow can help prepare pistes, but cannot overcome every challenge. The risk of periods of warm weather is expected to increase, Steiger said.

He said elite ski racing could still adapt in the long term by moving to higher elevations or shortening the season. The bigger question, he said, is whether public interest in skiing and its events will remain at its current level.

If weather permits, the World Cup season is due to open in Sölden on 24 and 25 October with giant slalom races for women and men. Organisers want to expand the programme at the Rettenbach glacier from the 2027/28 season to include speed races.