Adapting Alpine Ski Tourism: Navigating Climate Change Challenges and Embracing Sustainable Solutions in Kranjska Gora and Zre?e

Author: Nina Kobal, Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska

Ski tourism in the Alpine Space is highly vulnerable to snow scarcity, which is increasing due to climate change. Climate change leads to a rapid decrease in snow cover, ski seasons are becoming shorter and slopes are turning green as temperatures rise. Heavy rainfall and extreme weather conditions in Alpine Mountain resorts contributed to snow melting, extreme winds, and poor skiing conditions. Slovenia is not exempt from the challenges posed by climate change.

Kranjska Gora and Zre?e, both characterized by an Alpine climate typified by protracted, snow-rich winters and briefer summers featuring moderate temperatures, easterly winds, and sufficient rainfall for sustaining local flora, are now confronted with climatic shifts. Traditionally, the winter endures for four to five months, with a snow cover lasting approximately four months in the valleys. Kranjska Gora and Zre?e, like other Alpine regions, are facing the consequences of climate change. The contraction of the ski season and the escalating reliance on artificial snow underscore the urgency for a substantive transition toward sustainable tourism practices in these regions. Consequently, this project aims to congregate key stakeholders to collectively identify challenges, diagnoses and solutions to tackle climate change.

Voices of the Slopes: Unveiling Perspectives and Challenges in Alpine Ski Resorts through a Participatory Approach

The project focuses on inclusion and took a participatory approach by using an online questionnaire to reach out to a diverse audience. The survey, which was strategically distributed through the channels of key project stakeholders, benefited from the insights of residents and the general public. Their views on the ski resorts in Zre?e and Kranjska Gora, their opinions and solutions to the area's challenges became the basis of our qualitative data research.

With 331 respondents sharing their thoughts, it's clear that awareness of climate change is prevalent. The majority recognized Zre?e and Kranjska Gora as ski municipalities, attributing a positive impact of the ski resort on the overall quality of life (68% and 83%, respectively).

In Kranjska Gora, over 80% expressed concerns about the future of skiing due to climate change. In Rogla, though slightly lower at 70%, the sentiment remains. The survey highlighted key climate change effects, including reduced snowfall, shorter ski seasons, higher temperatures, and visible impacts on surrounding forest vegetation. The vulnerability of these resorts, situated at relatively low altitudes, intensifies the challenges.

Analysing the factors of change, Kranjska Gora struggles with mass tourism, real estate issues, fragmented ski slope ownership, outdated infrastructure, and general pricing concerns. In Zre?e, the focus shifts to planned windmill construction, outdated infrastructure, ski pass prices, and labour shortages.

Forging a Sustainable Future: Living Lab Workshops in Kranjska Gora and Rogla Ski Resorts for Collaborative Climate Action and Knowledge Exchange

The Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska (RAGOR) is organizing Living Lab workshops in Kranjska Gora and Rogla Ski Resorts to facilitate knowledge exchange and support local stakeholders and resort managers in addressing the challenges of sustainable transition. Social network analysis identified the core stakeholders, revealing distinct associations with nature conservation in Kranjska Gora and tourism and sport in Zre?e. The workshops, comprising diverse stakeholders from public and private sectors, aim to comprehensively understand challenges and opportunities in transitioning mountain resorts towards sustainability.

The Living Lab workshops in Kranjska Gora and Rogla Ski Resorts convene stakeholders from varied sectors, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the complexities associated with sustainable transition in mountain resorts. The workshops aim to identify drivers of change, initiate actions to address climate change, and foster collaborative approaches.

Utilizing a combination of social network analysis and stakeholder identification, workshops have been structured to encourage active engagement among representatives from local authorities, environmental organizations, tourism entities, ski resort operators, and various businesses. The focus is on addressing challenges and opportunities in transitioning ski resorts towards sustainability.

The initial workshops concentrate on determining the factors of change, encouraging a thorough diagnosis of the prevalent issues and challenges in the respective areas. The workshops facilitate an exchange of knowledge, embracing a bottom-up and top-down approach, enriching discussions with diverse perspectives and local insights.

Subsequent workshops will concentrate on developing scenarios for the desired future and exploring transition actions. They will serve as platforms for sharing expertise, fostering collaboration, and addressing the transformation of ski resorts. Insights and recommendations generated from these workshops play a crucial role in shaping policies at multiple levels, aiding local authorities in aligning their strategies with sustainability objectives.

The analysis of qualitative and quantitative data at the Kranjska Gora and Rogla Ski Resorts in cooperation with ZRC SAZU were instrumental in generating SWOT analyses, which will be further developed during the workshops. The collaborative efforts and insights from these workshops are essential for informing decision-making and policy formation at local, regional, national, and international levels, aiding in the sustainable transition of mountain resorts.