<
https://theconversation.com/french-ski-resorts-risk-becoming-hooked-on-artificial-snow-212921>
"Winter hasn’t arrived yet, but French ski resorts are already resorting to
snowmaking. Milder temperatures as a result of climate change have effectively
led to its use becoming entrenched in recent years, with 29% of French ski
slopes area equipped with snowmaking machines, such as snow propeller canons or
snow lances. Snow is manufactured by spraying micro-droplets of water in a cold
atmosphere, which solidify before they hit the ground. The consistency is close
to that of compacted snow.
There has been no shortage of criticism of this production method, which
started to be aired in the mid-2000s. In September 2023, the mayor of La
Clusaz, a commune to the west of Chamonix, decided to suspend the construction
of a reservoir that would have largely supplied water for snow manufacture,
following years of opposition from environmental organisations. As the climate
crisis worsens, the suitability of this adaptive technology is likely to
inspire more debate.
In a journal article, we uncovered the ways the winter sports industry is
locked in a state of dependency around snowmaking."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
