Skiing Holidays Becoming Exclusive to Global Elite as Climate Costs Soar
The Winter Olympics recently showcased alpine sports at their most spectacular and universal. However, in the mountains themselves, access to winter sports is becoming increasingly unequal. The cost of keeping slopes open in a warming climate is climbing dramatically – and so are prices for visitors. Investment is becoming concentrated in higher altitude resorts that can adapt, while smaller and lower areas fall behind. The crucial question for the future of skiing may not be whether it survives at all, but who it survives for.
The Changing Economics of Alpine Tourism
Unlike the UK, where skiing is associated with expensive foreign holidays, in Alpine regions it has traditionally been a mainstream hobby without the same class connotations. Born as a means of transport, more affordable equipment made it increasingly accessible to people beyond the mountains. In Italy, for instance, it is not unusual for state schools to take their pupils into the mountains for a traditional "settimana bianca" – white week – skiing holiday.
Each winter, locals and tourists together support a sector that accounts for roughly €12 billion (about £10 billion) – that's 0.5 per cent of Italy's national GDP, and a far higher percentage of the economy in mountain regions. Winter sports have become a major employer, as communities that once depended on seasonal farming and agriculture have progressively shifted to tourism. Yet the climate conditions that made this possible are changing fundamentally.
Peak Prices and Artificial Snowmaking
With snow falling less and melting faster, resorts invest heavily in artificial snowmaking to maintain reliable winter seasons. These investments have worked – most ski runs in the Alps are now lined by modern snowmaking machines – but they also reshape the economics of skiing. That's because the cost is being passed directly to skiers themselves.
For instance in the Dolomiti Superski network, Italy's largest, a high-season daily pass has surged from €67 (£59) in 2021 to around €86 (£75) this year, a rise of 28 per cent in just three years. The cost of skiing in Europe has risen by 34.8 per cent above inflation since 2015, with Swiss, Austrian, and Italian resorts mostly responsible for the price increase.
In the US, prices are increasing even faster and American skiers are increasingly heading to relatively cheaper resorts in the Alps. Together with skiers from Russia and Eastern Europe who are wealthy enough to ignore the prices, they've helped keep Alpine tourism fully booked. But skiing is becoming less and less accessible for many less-affluent families, including many locals.
The Growing Divide in Mountain Communities
Former Italian World Cup skier and TV commentator Paolo De Chiesa recently warned that skiing in Italy is becoming a sport for the elite. As climate adaptation demands more and more investment, skiing will be increasingly concentrated in fewer higher altitude resorts. These resorts tend to be further into the mountains and already attract most of the wealthy tourists, which means they can also afford more snow-making.
Smaller and lower-altitude resorts with mostly local visitors are far more likely to struggle – many are already seeing their winter seasons shorten, and some have already closed entirely. These changes are felt most strongly in mountain communities themselves. During childhood, most friends knew how to ski, but today only a handful can afford to take their children.
This is one side of a growing divide within ski tourism between places that can afford to adapt and those that cannot. Artificial snowmaking increases dependence on capital investment, energy and water. This favours large resorts which, over time, pass costs on to deep-pocketed visitors and local communities.
Beyond Winter-Only Tourism
Meanwhile, seasonal workers now often struggle to find accommodation as housing is prioritised for visitors. Narrow mountain roads are congested, parking is difficult, and public services are under pressure. If climate change is concentrating skiing in fewer, higher-altitude resorts, the change needs to be gradual and managed rather than sudden and brutal.
Much of the industry still profits from the status quo and won't be keen to transition to other arrangements. That's why policymakers have a responsibility to guide the transition, starting with lower-altitude resorts. There, diversification into year-round tourism, gastronomy, wellness, or other nature experiences is one way to build a more resilient future.
Protecting the local community and more fairly distributing the revenues of tourism is becoming as important as maintaining visitor numbers. Investment and opportunity – and even snow itself – is being further concentrated in fewer spots. Technology may save skiing, but the question is for whom. A global affluent elite may be able to handle the price rises, while local people are increasingly excluded from the system they helped to build.
