Global warming makes skiing World Cup circuit hit the skids
Global warming is wreaking mountains of havoc on skiing’s World Cup circuit, with stops canceled due to weirdly warm temps at European resorts. Cross-country teams are all training in one place in Italy, unable to find snow elsewhere in central Europe; the only cross-country race held so far this year, in Finland, saw rain the entire time. In North America, meanwhile, trainings have been hobbled by too much snow. The International Ski Federation calls the situation “critical.” U.S. Olympic downhiller Steve Nyman says pro skiers — “living in hotel rooms, having our linens done, driving, flying around the world” — are “probably the worst” spokespeople for the global-warming fight. But Canadian skiers Thomas Grandi and Sara Renner — inspired by An Inconvenient Truth and perhaps some unexpected spare time — are giving it a shot, by cutting their emissions, buying carbon offsets, and teaming up with Canadian eco-celeb David Suzuki to launch a public-awareness campaign. See, there’s slope yet.
