Winter holidays are often synonymous with singing along to the notes of Bublé’s hit "White Christmas" while picturing oneself at a cozy ski resort in the mountains. However, a dream-like experience of this kind is bound to be buried in the past if humans do not make an imminent choice. The Earth is at a historical turning point, and it is being foreshadowed in numerous ways – the future of skiing is just one of them. Modern society is once again serving as proof that shortsightedness and greed go hand in hand.

Skiing has always been a must during the holidays and an evergreen favorite to unwind and enjoy breathtaking panoramas. With over 100 million skiers on the slopes every year as reported by Forbes, ski villages and surrounding cities have become increasingly reliant on the tourism generated by this activity, and are therefore more subject to severe economic consequences if tourist presence is lacking. The pandemic that confined the world to their homes certainly had a detrimental impact on the industry, but this may not be its biggest problem. As Europe faced some of the highest January temperatures on record in 2023 according to The Guardian, ski resorts throughout the continent decided to interrupt the operation of their facilities much earlier than expected. What was the reason? Simply put, there was not enough snow to ski on. 

A research team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, calculated that artificial snowmaking will be the main way of sustaining the skiing business until the end of the century, but it will come at an extremely high cost. To enable ski resort owners to keep their higher tracks open for at least 100 days, the water consumed by snowmaking machines will skyrocket to an increased 80 percent above the current average. However, if climate change continues to worsen even the aid of water will not be sufficient, as it will become a more and more precious resource. Keeping this industry alive in the future will become an increasingly vicious cycle of pollution and low performance until it eventually collapses. Skiing poses a threat to the environment, and it cannot be in the hands of humanity for much longer. 

Indoor skiing seems to have become a new trend to face the adversity of a warm climate with notable facilities existing in the Middle East. The Mall of the Emirates houses the world’s most discussed indoor ski slope at a temperature of negative four degrees Celsius all year round. According to the media outlet Treehugger, the average temperature difference between the inside and the exterior is about 32 degrees, suggesting an electricity consumption rate ranging between 525 and 915 Megawatt-hours (MWh) annually. To make matters worse, Dubai’s electric energy is primarily a byproduct of natural gas, leading to astronomic values of carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, it is evident that artificial winter sports are in sharp conflict with a greener future. 

The world population and demand for skiing do not show any signs of slowing down. Although zero-impact skiing may still be far from the technological reach of this era, higher expenses could certainly facilitate the enactment of environmentally friendly practices to ski more responsibly. As the quantity of snow seems to be the biggest issue, limiting the number of visitors can surely help preserve the natural layer of snow on the mountains. Additionally, ski resort owners should learn about techniques such as forest health management and water conservation to embrace a more conscientious business strategy. There might be a possible world where skiing and safeguarding the planet are not mutually exclusive, but for now, urgent changes should be made.