controversy surrounding a ski slope dug into a glacier for the World Cup

At an altitude of 3,400 m, excavators dig a ski slope in the Théodule glacier in southern Switzerland. Less than a month before the descents of the Alpine Ski World Cup in Zermatt, the current construction site divides the residents of the resort and sparks an outcry from environmental NGOs.

The peace and quiet of Zermatt out of season is disturbed by the noise of the construction work omnipresent in the resort. A rushed project since the season is starting again soon, to the great dismay of Aaron Heinzmann of the NGO Mountain Wilderness. “Professional skiing is not sustainablehe regrets, We want to start it in November, when there isn’t a lot of snow.”

“It’s a lack of respect for this glacier.”

Aaron Heinzmann of the NGO Mountain Wilderness

at franceinfo

The images of construction equipment digging into the glacier caused a certain stir among the Swiss. But Christophe, who has lived in Zermatt for 20 years, remains a little incredulous: “If it’s true that the glaciers are much smaller today, it’s not because we dug a little, it’s because of warming.”, assures the manager of a winter sports store. Elisabeth, whose father participated in the construction of the ski lifts, is more skeptical: “It hurts me so much when I look at the glacier. My daughter went skiing on it last week, and she even cried because there’s no more snow.”

The NGOs requested and obtained the suspension of work on the glacier, part of which was carried out outside the authorized perimeter. However, the holding of the tests should not be called into question.

The World Cup events in Zermatt are scheduled for November 11 and 12 for men and November 18 and 19 for women this year. In 2022, they had to be canceled due to the absence of snow, and especially the impossibility of creating any due to high temperatures.