While some people are already wishing that the cold season is back because of the high temperatures, many people also spend the summer on their winter hobbies. Several videos of a Tyrolean glacier ski area are causing horror on social media these days, because: despite the enormous heat wave, people are skiing.
You can see people plowing through heavily melted, blackish snow on a drag lift. “Summer ski tourism” in times of climate crisis and “greed” are criticized. It has since been confirmed that the Hintertux Glacier is the subject, but the pictures may not have been taken this year.
“Circumstances are very difficult at the moment”
He can tell by the fact that there are glacial areas in the background that were not covered this winter, says Matthias Dengg, member of the board of directors. He does not dare to say from which year the recording could come. But: “Such phases happen again and again,” Dengg put into perspective, admitting: “Conditions are very difficult at the moment”. The ramps look the same at this point, as the scene in the video suggests.
Glacier ski areas suffer from heat
You normally only have these conditions from mid-August to early fall in September. Dengg cited the lack of snow in winter combined with an exceptionally warm spring as the reason for the current situation. The current heat wave has done the rest. “It’s unusually warm right now, even at high altitudes,” Dengg says.
“Ice and snow are melting – experts have also responded extensively in recent days”. The melt affects all glaciers. In Tyrol, there are “five glacier ski areas and more than 600 glaciers,” Dengg recalls.
New “disaster movie”?
The video was posted on Twitter on Thursday morning with the title “Tiroler Glacier or New Disaster Movie?”. A few hours after publication, it had already been viewed 42,000 times. In the comments, a user posted a similar video that was also shot on the Hintertux Glacier – apparently “a few days ago”. In this video, skiers take to the valley – in deep slides that look less like a track and more like a water slide.
On the website, the Hintertux Glacier presents itself as “Austria’s only year-round ski area” and advertises “365 days of snow fun” and up to 20 kilometers of slopes in summer. Demand in the summer months is still there, explains Dengg. But it is mainly (upcoming) professional athletes and ski instructors who go to the glacier to train.
Many requests if skiing is possible
This was also confirmed by the Austrian Ski School Association (ÖSSV). During the summer months, most interested parties can take the time for the training, the association explains why the courses take place in the summer. This has been happening on the Hintertux Glacier for years. This year there are three summer ski courses – in which an average of 70 people from all Austrian federal states participate, as well as a snowboard and a dual course.
“In the run-up, a lot of inquiries were made as to whether the course would continue,” explains the employee. The uncertainty was great due to the current high temperatures. However, the training managers decided to do it “despite little snow”: “They know their trade well”.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
