Climate change continues to weigh heavily on mountain ecosystems. During the winter season, mid-altitude resorts in particular are facing serious difficulties, and have been for many years now. So much so that in some locations — especially those in the Apennines and in lower-lying, sun-exposed Alpine valleys — every year the battle to reopen the ski lifts for yet another season is fought against the backdrop of a lack of snow.

Snow: a complex 52 per cent deficit across Italy as of 13 December

Monitoring by Fondazione Cima indicates that, after encouraging signs at the end of November — with favourable temperature and precipitation conditions across the main mountain ranges — the higher-than-normal temperatures in the first part of December negatively impacted snowpack accumulation. As a result, on a national scale, the overall deficit stands at 52 per cent (according to data updated to 13 December).

CIMA Research Foundation @CIMAFoundation

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Parallelamente, ci attendiamo un dicembre fortemente sopramedia per quanto concerne le temperature, e l'ondata di calore durante la prima decade del mese ci ha già fatto intuire cosa questi significhi: fusione intensa, specialmente alle quote medio-basse.

♥ 3💬 1 18 dic 2025 · Apri su X →

"The main limitation of this first phase of the season – the report reads – is the scarcity of precipitation. Across many areas of the country, and in particular the north-west and the central Apennines, November recorded significantly below-average rainfall, with negative precipitation anomalies reaching as much as -60 per cent compared to mean values. In the absence of significant precipitation, the potential offered by low temperatures has not, for the time being, translated into a lasting and substantial snowpack."

A partial recovery over part of the Alps during the Christmas period

As explained by 3B Meteo, however, the situation changed in recent days thanks to a widespread weather system that brought considerable amounts of snow, particularly to the western Alps. "On Christmas Day, accumulations of up to half a metre and more were recorded across the higher reaches of Piemonte and eastern Valle d'Aosta above 1,500 metres, with 30 to 40 centimetres in the Torino valleys (and even greater depths at higher elevations), and 20 to 30 centimetres across the Ligurian and Maritime Alps — the latter having already been affected in the preceding days by exceptionally intense precipitation, with the total snowpack depth exceeding 2 metres at Prato Nevoso," the specialist portal reports.

Nevertheless, the long-term dynamic — exacerbated by global warming — remains critical. And as far as the 2025–2026 winter season is concerned, Fondazione Cima highlights how the deficit is "clearly visible when observing the evolution of the main Alpine water basins. In the Po, the increase recorded in November was followed by a phase of substantial stagnation in the first two weeks of December. A slowdown of this kind, at the start of the season, represents a critical factor because it introduces a delay that, if not recovered in the following months, could affect the entire winter water balance. As of 13 December, the deficit in the Po basin stood at 48 per cent."

The Apennine ridge in particular difficulty

Although the Christmas week precipitation certainly offset the situation at least in part, for hundreds of ski resorts the question of reconversion has long been pressing. Alternatives to skiing and snow are needed — different offerings to keep tourism alive and prevent depopulation.

This is especially true along the Apennine ridge. Fondazione Cima, at the start of this winter season, stresses that "the lower altitudes and the frequent temperature fluctuations typical of this part of the country make snowpack accumulation particularly sensitive even to brief mild spells." In an area like the Apennines, "there is no glacial contribution, and knowing how much snow has accumulated in the mountains during winter is especially critical."

Precisely in order to better monitor these dynamics, Fondazione Cima has this year introduced an integrated indicator covering the entire Apennine arc. The resulting figure is particularly alarming: the overall deficit stands at 67 per cent — "a figure that clearly conveys the fragility of snowpack accumulation in these areas even in the early stages of the season."

The snow situation is also critical in France. The summit of Mont Blanc is shrinking

But even the highest peaks are cause for concern. A recent study by the Fondazione Montagna di Courmayeur has revealed that the summit of Mont Blanc is gradually getting lower, due to the melting of the ice cap that covers it. The elevation of the highest peak in the Alpine arc has now dropped to 4,807 metres.

It comes as no surprise that on the French slopes of the Alps snow conditions are particularly challenging. Even in Haute-Savoie and Savoie, around 20 per cent of the runs are closed, and at Val-Cenis, just before Christmas, skiers had only a single strip of snow a few metres wide to make their way down to the valley.