An estimated 400 million people visit ski resorts every year, looking for some action on the slopes.
But trips to many of the world’s most popular resorts could soon become a thing of the past due to a lack of snow due to climate change.
Researchers from the University of Bayreuth, Germany, found that by the end of the century, one in eight ski resorts will have no snow days at all.
From the Australian Alps to the Andes, this shocking map shows which areas are likely to be snow-free or closed for the next 75 years.
Is your favorite vacation spot at risk of disappearing forever?
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Although skiing is both a very popular sport and a very profitable industry, little research has been done to date on the potential impacts of climate change.
To understand what effect a warming climate might have on skiers, the researchers looked at seven popular ski resorts around the world: the European Alps, the Andes Mountains, the Appalachians, the Australian Alps, the Japanese Alps, the Southern Alps (in New -Zeeland) and Rocky Mountains.
The team then identified which parts of these regions are used for skiing and used climate models to see how many days of snow cover they would get under different emissions scenarios.
The worst-case scenario is the case of ‘very high emissions’, where there are no concerted efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In this case, both temperatures and emissions would continue to rise, with CO2 emissions doubling by 2100.
In this scenario, the researchers found that 13 percent of the world’s ski resorts would be completely snow-free between 2071 and 2100.
This map shows how each ski resort identified by the researchers will be affected by climate change by 2100. The purple squares show areas that won’t get snow days, while the yellow dots show regions that won’t be affected.
Researchers predict that resorts in the Japanese Alps, like this one in Niigata, could see 50 percent fewer snow days each year in a high-emissions scenario
Another 20 percent would lose more than 50 percent of their snow days by the same time.
If you happen to go skiing in Japan, the US or Australia, your favorite places could be in trouble.
In this scenario, 18 percent of the areas in the Andes, 14 percent of the areas in the Appalachians and 17 percent of the Japanese Alps will no longer be covered with snow for days by 2100.
However, the worst affected areas will be Southern Hemisphere ski resorts, with the Australian Alps expected to see 78 percent fewer snow days each year, and the Southern Alps and Japanese Alps expected to lose 51 to 50 percent of their snow cover. snow days respectively.
Resorts in the European Alps like this one could have 42 percent fewer snow days each year by the end of the century
Even the European Alps, where 69 percent of the world’s ski resorts are located, are expected to have 42 percent fewer snow days by 2100.
The findings come as the Alpine regions see rapid warming due to climate change.
Some studies have predicted that almost all alpine glaciers could disappear completely by the end of the century.
Worryingly, some areas are even expected to fall under the ‘100-day rule’, suggesting that a resort with less than 100 days of snow cover is not economically viable.
Both the Australian Alps and the Japanese Alps may no longer be viable ski locations by 2100, with only 38 and 86 snow days per year in a high emissions scenario.
Lead researcher Veronika Mitterwallner told MailOnline: ‘We are already observing temporal and spatial changes in reliable snow cover in ski areas, resulting in a concentration on fewer ski areas.
‘This means that skiing is becoming less accessible than before, and this trend will be exacerbated in the future by climate change.’
Ski resorts in the Australian Alps (pictured) could no longer be economically viable as the number of days with snow cover could fall below 100 days
The research also shows that ski resorts closer to more populated areas will be more affected by climate change.
In densely populated areas, 55 percent of snow cover days will be lost in a very high emissions scenario and 49 percent in a high emissions scenario.
Ms Mitterwallner said: ‘Our research indicates that ski resorts in the outer and lower parts of the mountain ranges, as well as more coastal resorts, will be particularly sensitive to the impacts of climate change.’
More remote areas, such as the more mountainous regions south of the European Alps, will meanwhile be less affected.
The researchers suggest that this could lead to ski resorts moving into increasingly remote areas.
They suggest this could lead to the decline of already fragile mountainous ecosystems and the loss of local plants and animals.
The researchers in their paper published in PLoS ONEwrites: ‘This study demonstrates significant future losses in the natural snow cover of current ski areas around the world, indicating spatial shifts in the distribution of ski areas, potentially threatening high-altitude ecosystems.’