Over the past year, the organisation has grown from four volunteers to over 40, delivering several fundraising efforts over the 2023 winter season where we raised $65k. With this money, we have invested in a new climate change impact report in conjunction with the Australian National University’s Mountain Research Facility. 

READ: Moments from an Australian winter

The first of its kind, this report shows the at-risk nature of Australian winters and investigates the broad range of impacts that a lack of snow coverage will have on snow sports in Australia, the businesses that surround it and the broader regional communities that rely on snow run off. 

Who is impacted by climate change?

Australia’s snow sports industry is the largest in the world at direct and short-term risk as a result of climate change. What we call for is not only greater action at the community level when it comes to combatting our own carbon footprints, but also greater coordination to make government and society realise the substantial impact that climate change has the potential to have on our environment, livelihoods, and regional communities. 

Our vision is for a future where our alpine playground and the communities and businesses that depend on it still exist. 

How is Protect our Winters fighting climate change?

Protect our Winters first and foremost is a community-based organisation. We are grounded in the team of individuals that support us to spread our message and develop new ideas to advocate for greater climate change action. This exists in the Protect our Winters Jindabyne local alliance which we set up last year and will continue to run this year, but also exists in the communities built around ski lodges, university clubs, competitive snow-sports, local businesses, schools and so much more. 

Through fundraisers, awareness-raising and having those conversations with the communities we’re all a part of, we can start to shift the dial in creating greater awareness of how critical climate change action is to our mountains. 

READ: The affects climate change is having on skiing in the alps

In 2023, we delivered our biggest year yet. This year, we go further. Through fighting for cultural change in our community and raising awareness of climate change, lobbying government for greater recognition of its impacts on our communities, and partnering with businesses, we take steps towards protecting the unique alpine environment we love. 

Our goal this winter is to truly unite our community and the many organisations that are its building blocks to fight for more action against climate change. For that we need your help. By following us on social media, buying our merch, donating, volunteering your time or simply talking to the people around you, you help us in achieving our goals for the 2024 season and beyond. 

More from Australian Winter 2024 Season:

Best ski gear from 2024
The anatomy of a ski turn
The freeride force is strong in the youth

The post Climate Change is Having a Severe Impact on Australian Winter Sports appeared first on Chillfactor.

Chamonix France is a zone that tends to deliver on the promise of snow, but that’s just the half of it.  There are many reasons I am in awe of this place and if I had to choose one spot in Europe for the rest of my life this would be it. 

Chamonix France may not be the most family friendly, nor the most inter-connected ski destination in Europe, but it is the most dramatic and inspiring ski zone for my money. It’s a real town, with schools, ice hockey matches and the everyday stuff of normal life going on as well as a pulsing culture of alpinism up and down this majestic valley.  For me, and many skiers who seek out this place for their adrenaline dose, the fact it is not a ‘resort’ is part of the appeal.  Then there’s the terrain. It’s taken no prisoners here once you head beyond the managed pistes.

READ: Moments from an Australian Winter

One of the bucket list ski lines you’ll find here is the legendary Vallée Blanche which stretches from the top of Aiguille du Midi down to the valley floor into Chamonix France.  The vertical drop is almost 3 kilometres and you’ll have skied around 22kms by the time you reach the base – however doing the whole Vallée Blanche has been a pipe dream recently as the lower altitudes haven’t held snow.  A telecabine (gondola) was built at what used to be the base of the ice field in the 1980’s and would return skiers to the Montenvers station where the famous little red train would link back to town.

This iconic destination provides a stark example of what’s happening to glaciers in the Alps.  In the early 1990’s three steps were added to connect the bottom station of the lift from the ice field as it receded.  By the early 2000s 118 steps were needed to bridge the yawning gap and as climate change has accelerated so has the rate at which new steps were required with the total growing to a staggering 550+ steps by the early 2020s.  These changes underline what my own memories and eyes have been telling me – we are losing fragile ice fields at a rate that is anything but ‘glacial’ in pace. 

In February this year a new ‘La Mer de Glace’ gondola opened as part of a 53 million euro investment by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc to enable skiers, snowboarders and sightseeing visitors to access this magnificent natural wonder.  The new lift extends to the bottom of the valley where it’s hoped the snow-pack will remain, allowing a ski connection to the base station for years to come.  

READ: Chillfactor’s top gear picks from winter 2024

So the good news, “hot laps” (for those fit enough) are now back on the table without a massive hike back up. It’s now technically possible to do 2 or 3 runs in a day.  

Although the Vallée Blanche is skied without guides by those with the knowledge, a ski partner and a plan, guided tours are available and are a must for those not well versed in off-piste glaciated terrain. It’s a very long descent, with numerous routes that can lure you into dead ends. You will be skiing over crevasses with sometimes very fragile snow bridges and this is a wild and untamed place.  A great day skiing can become lethal or at the very least turn into a scary-mad line.  It’s worth remembering most locals and pros here can tackle terrain better than you ever could. Staying humble and making smart choices will mean you get to share your story over après and do it again. Google “extreme ski” and “ Chamonix France ” to see what people get themselves into here. 

The post The affects of climate change on skiing at Chamonix France appeared first on Chillfactor.