Study: Few cities will host Winter Olympics without artificial snow by 2050

New research published in the journal Current Issues in Tourism finds that by 2050 only four of 93 cities deemed logistically suitable to host the Winter Olympics and Paralympics would be able to stage the events without machine-made snow. The study, authored by Daniel Scott of the University of Waterloo and colleagues, names Niseko in Japan, Terskol in Russia, and Val d’Isère and Courchevel in France as the only locations that would remain snow-reliable without artificial snow.

Karl Stoss, chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission, said the committee expects “around 10 to 12 countries to have a cold enough climate to host Olympic snow sports” by mid-century, underscoring shrinking options for host sites. The researchers warn that Paralympic events are particularly vulnerable because the one-bid, one-city requirement means hosts must be cold enough from early February to mid-March.

The study also noted recent impacts: a greater than 25 percent decline in average winter snowfall depth across the southern Alps since 1980, cancellations of multiple World Cup downhill and snowboard events in recent seasons, and local examples such as late openings at Park City and Deer Valley amid an unusually warm 2025 for the Rocky Mountain region, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Organizers and the I.O.C.

Key Topics

Sports, Winter Olympics, Paralympics, Niseko, Terskol, Val D'isère