The small world of alpine skiing meets this weekend in Sölden, Austria, for the traditional opening giants of the World Cup, the start of a season once again threatened with being overtaken by environmental realities.
In the images from the cameras of the Rettenbach glacier, from where the skiers will set off for this first stage in the Austrian Tyrol, the white tongue which outlines the ski slope is a blot in the middle of a rocky landscape almost devoid of snow.
Nothing to worry about in Sölden, which has hosted the autumn meeting for thirty years. The International Ski Federation (FIS) carried out its assessment last week and gave the green light to hold the events, partly canceled last year due to weather conditions.
But at a time when Austrian glaciers are retreating at full speed under the effect of climate change, such a competition this early in the season is no longer unanimous.
“Our glaciers must not be victims of prestige projects,” denounced Greenpeace, accusing the organizers of having used excavators on the Rettenbach to prepare the track.
The subject even provoked a reaction from the Austrian government. “It is incomprehensible to continue to start at all costs in October, no one understands why it is absolutely necessary to ski on what remains of the glacier in these circumstances,” said the Austrian Minister of the Environment, Leonore Gewessler.
The Zermatt case
A few hundred kilometers west of Sölden, on another glacier and in another country, the reviews are similar.
In mid-November, the first descents of the season must take place during a unique stage between Zermatt (Switzerland) and Cervinia (Italy). Announced with great fanfare, this spectacular race at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn was canceled in 2022 due to lack of snow.
The snow fell well this year but the revelations in the Swiss press of potentially illicit work on the glacier which will host the race were widely relayed, pushing several associations to contact the local authorities who ultimately ordered the work to stop outside the authorized ski area.
Here again, the organizers completely deny having exceeded authorizations and repeat that these decisions will have no impact on the holding of the events.
For athletes, the equation is difficult. “We love our sport, we love our environment so when we see what is happening in Zermatt, we feel affected,” reacted Alexis Pinturault on Thursday evening during a press point in Sölden. “We are the first to be affected by global warming […] We want to preserve our environment and at the same time we want to continue our activity. The question is how we can do all that best,” summarized the winner of the big crystal globe in 2021.
For him, pushing back the start of the season is “a real issue”, especially since it is possible to ski “until June without problem” on certain glaciers. But starting later implies other problems, notably “diminishing training opportunities” for athletes and the challenges for “the entire ski economy behind it”, underlines the Frenchman.
” Wake up “
In February, hundreds of professional skiers, including American star Mikaela Shiffrin, signed a letter prepared by the Protect Our Winters (POW) association asking the FIS to step up its environmental efforts.
The same association launched a petition last week – since signed by some 30,000 people – to ask the Federation to “wake up”, saying that the images in Sölden and Zermatt had “shocked” and “damage the credibility of the winter sports “.
“Your actions harm the reputation of the FIS, but also the future of skiing and the credibility of all those who are genuinely trying to fight for climate action,” the FIS said in a press release, recalling its carbon reduction objectives and the few measures already taken in this area, from postponing the start of the season by one week to the appointment of a “sustainability” manager.
On the sporting side, the race for the globes will be the main objective this season in the absence of the Worlds or the Olympic Games. Mikaela Shiffrin, five-time winner of the crystal globe, and the Swiss Marco Odermatt, victorious in 2022 and 2023, are still huge favorites.