Grand-Bornand is gearing up for the Biathlon World Cup from December 16 to 22, 2023, despite facing snow shortages. Organizers are creating artificial snow and transporting it from nearby sites, sparking controversy over environmental impacts. The mayor acknowledges these challenges and emphasizes plans for on-site snow storage to reduce truck reliance. Concerns persist about sustainability, particularly with climate change threatening natural snow availability. Future events may shift to January, but economic factors favor December. A hopeful weather forecast may bring snow in time for the competition.
Grand-Bornand Prepares for the Biathlon World Cup Amid Snow Shortages
As the Biathlon World Cup approaches, set to take place in Grand-Bornand from December 16 to 22, 2023, the town is facing a familiar challenge: a lack of snow. Two years after the last event, images from the venue show a stark landscape devoid of the white blanket typically expected in this high-Savoyard village, nestled between 900 and 1000 meters above sea level.
To address this pressing issue and ensure a successful competition, organizers have initiated artificial snowmaking efforts on the tracks. With an inspection from the International Biathlon Union (IBU) scheduled for December 9, there is an urgent need to create the right conditions for the event to proceed smoothly.
The Controversy of Snow Transportation
Artificial snow production has become an essential requirement in biathlon and alpine skiing, providing a more reliable surface than natural snow. However, the source of this snow in Grand-Bornand has sparked debate. Similar to 2022, trucks are transporting several thousand cubic meters of snow to the competition site, sourced from ‘snowfarming’—a method that produces and stores artificial snow during colder months for later use. Some of this snow is gathered from a site located 5 kilometers away from the venue.
Valérie Paumier, president of the Resilience Mountain Association, criticizes the situation, stating, “The images of the trucks are shocking and exemplify maladaptation in our current context.” She condemns the lack of foresight and planning from the village, which is facing challenges from decreasing snowfall attributed to climate change.
The organizing committee is aware of the concerns regarding snow transportation. André Périllat Amédée, the mayor of Grand-Bornand and president of the organizing committee, acknowledges the issues and emphasizes efforts to establish snow storage facilities at the biathlon stadium. In addition to the first snowfarming site created three years ago, a second facility is planned for 2024, aiming to store about 25,000 m³ of artificial snow on-site, minimizing reliance on truck transport.
In terms of environmental impact, the truck transport this year is estimated to account for around 5,000 to 6,000 m³ of snow, equating to a minimal carbon cost compared to the overall footprint of the event. In 2022, the total carbon footprint for the World Cup was estimated at 4,500 tons of CO2 equivalent, with the majority stemming from the transportation of spectators, media, and athletes.
Moving forward, the organizing committee aims to reduce their environmental impact by promoting public transport options for attendees, including enhanced local train services and free shuttle buses to the competition site. Périllat acknowledges the event’s impact but expresses a commitment to making it more sustainable and beneficial for the mountain community.
Despite these efforts, environmental advocates continue to voice concerns about the sustainability of a competition reliant on artificial snow, especially given the high water consumption required for snowmaking. With climate forecasts indicating that low-altitude resorts like Grand-Bornand face increasing risks from global warming, the future of winter sports in the region remains uncertain.
Research indicates that natural snow could vanish in the French Alps with just a 2°C rise in global temperatures, threatening 89% of resorts at that threshold. In light of these alarming projections, the Grand-Bornand organizers are contemplating a request to the IBU to shift the competition to January, although this comes with no guarantees. Holding the World Cup in December is economically important for the area, traditionally a quiet time for the mountains, and the resort has plans for additional biathlon events in the coming years. Fortunately, a promising weather forecast suggests that snow may arrive just in time for the competition.