The ski industry and the challenges of climate change in Sweden

This study examined how climate change may affect the future viability of the Swedish ski industry by modelling changes in ski season length, snow reliability, and snowmaking needs across 23 ski resorts under different climate scenarios. Sweden is increasingly discussed as a potential “last resort” for European ski tourism as snow conditions deteriorate in the Alps and southern Scandinavia. The article provides a much-needed nationwide Swedish assessment that incorporates snowmaking adaptation, while also comparing regional differences between northern and southern ski areas.

The researchers used the SkiSim2 model to simulate future ski season conditions for 23 Swedish ski resorts under low, moderate, and high greenhouse gas emission scenarios (RCP2.6, 4.5, and 8.5) for the 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s. The model combined historical climate data, snowpack simulations, and snowmaking scenarios to estimate operational ski days and snow reliability. Results showed major regional differences in climate vulnerability. Northern Sweden (Norrland) maintained relatively stable ski seasons and snow reliability under most scenarios, whereas central and especially southern Sweden experienced substantial reductions in ski season length. Snowmaking reduced some impacts, but future climate warming would require very large increases in artificial snow production, raising economic and environmental concerns.

Northern Sweden could become one of Europe’s most climate-resilient ski tourism regions later this century, although this advantage may depend on tourist willingness to travel farther and accept different environmental conditions. The study also highlights the growing sustainability challenges linked to increased snowmaking, energy use, and transportation emissions in winter tourism.

CITE: Rice, H., Cohen, S., Scott, D., & Steiger, R. (2022). Climate change risk in the Swedish ski industry. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(17), 2805-2820. DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2021.1995338