Climate change has resulted in shorter winters and less snow on the ski tracks during the World Cup season. In several places, artificial snow has to be used to build up the tracks. But it could be possible to secure the season, say Norwegian national team skaters, by starting it later.
— You have to postpone the season. We don’t ski in April, but there are quite a few places where skiing is good in April. If you postpone the season by two weeks, I think someone has solved the problem, says Hans Christer Holund to NRK.
This year the season started at the end of November and the last competitions are scheduled for March 24-26. Pål Golberg also thinks it would be a good idea to postpone the season.
— I haven’t skied (competitively) in April many times in my life, but it’s definitely the best skiing month. It would have been possible to move the season, if it was seen that it meant more ski races and fewer cancellations, says Golberg.
To secure the early races in the season, a lot of snow is stored over the summer, which requires a lot of resources. According to Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget, it should instead be easier to store the snow from the cold days of midwinter for possible races in April.
— March and April are perhaps the best months to be a skier. Then the weather is nice and warm, it’s nice for the audience and I think it will be much easier for the organizers to get things done. You can see how big a challenge they have to organize it now in mid-November, he says.