🎿Skiing: Does climate change mean it's all downhill from here?

When the [elites meet at Davos]( for the World Economic Forum, it means three things—[talking]( partying, and skiing. The last of those might seem like a respite from the political economy, but the sport is inseparable from the globalization that was the theme of this year’s conference. For millennia, cross-country skiing was a practical form of transportation; downhill skiing as recreation was almost single-handedly made possible by the engineering genius of a farmer’s kid. It was the desire of prominent summer- and health-resort towns—like Davos and St. Moritz—to fill their hotels year-round that led to the birth of the ski resort, and enshrined the sport as aspirational. 20th century technology in turn made it accessible. (Robots, for their part, still have [a long way to go]( until they can compete.) But the forecast for the 21st century is grim. Climate change could make skiing far less accessible in the future. Some resorts may be wiped out altogether, while higher-elevation ones, like Davos, could see seasons shrink significantly. There’s a lot to talk about on the lift and après ski, so let us show you the slopes. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( Sponsored by [Quartz Obsession] Skiing January 25, 2019 Race to the bottom --------------------------------------------------------------- When the [elites meet at Davos]( for the World Economic Forum, it means three things—[talking]( partying, and skiing. The last of those might seem like a respite from the political economy, but the sport is inseparable from the globalization that was the theme of this year’s conference. For millennia, cross-country skiing was a practical form of transportation; downhill skiing as recreation was almost single-handedly made possible by the engineering genius of a farmer’s kid. It was the desire of prominent summer- and health-resort towns—like Davos and St. Moritz—to fill their hotels year-round that led to the birth of the ski resort, and enshrined the sport as aspirational. 20th century technology in turn made it accessible. (Robots, for their part, still have [a long way to go]( until they can compete.) But the forecast for the 21st century is grim. Climate change could make skiing far less accessible in the future. Some resorts may be wiped out altogether, while higher-elevation ones, like Davos, could see seasons shrink significantly. There’s a lot to talk about on the lift and après ski, so let us show you the slopes. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( Have you tried the Quartz app yet? --------------------------------------------------------------- 👉Keep up with news for you, curated by Quartz editors 👉Personalize your feed with the topics you love 👉Engage with an informed community of leaders, subject-matter experts, and curious minds 👉Available for iOS and Android [Try the Quartz app]( AP Photo/Keystone brief history [8,000 BC (maybe):]( Cave painters in what is now China’s Xinjiang region depict skiing. [6,300 BC:]( The oldest known archaeological evidence of skiing, a ski fragment found in Northeast Russia, dates to this era. [549:]( Skiers add animal fur on the bottom of skis for grip. [1300:]( Ski boots and the use of two poles, rather than one, emerge. [1760:]( Norwegian troops compete in skiing skill competitions. [1843:]( The first recorded cross-country ski race takes place. [1908:]( German farmer Robert Winterhalder patents a “Hydraulic Elevator for Skiers and Tobogganists”—the first ski tow. [1924:]( The first Winter Olympics features only Nordic skiing—in which the heel can rise off the ski, as in cross-country and Telemark skiing. [1936:]( The Winter Olympics adds Alpine skiing—in which the heel is fixed to the ski, as in downhill. Sponsored by Refinitiv The true cost of financial crime is more expensive than we think. --------------------------------------------------------------- Refinitiv’s recent financial crime survey revealed that 47% of respondent companies were a victim of at least one financial crime in the last 12 months, resulting in an average $1.45 trillion in lost revenue. Refinitiv is committed to uncovering the true scale of financial crime and creating the data and coalitions that will inform us on how to fight it together.[Join the conversation #FightFinancialCrime]( Person of interest The inventor of modern skiing --------------------------------------------------------------- The skiing that most of us think of when it comes to leisure—Alpine or downhill skiing—is a relatively recent phenomenon. It began with the innovations of a ski-crazy Norwegian named Sondre Norheim. Born to a small farmer in Morgedal—“the cradle of the sport of skiing”—in the Telemark region, he developed a wide reputation as a [brilliant, risk-taking skier]( (as well as an excellent dancer). Perhaps because of his technical needs, Norheim and the craftsmen of Telemark became [pioneers of ski technology](. His skis were among the first to be cambered—or bent so that weight is distributed to the tip and tail, which made them lighter, more shock-absorbent, and easier to keep on top of the snow. He also had some of the first side-cut skis, which are narrow at the “waist” and rounded at the ends, to improve turning. He’s credited with the first [modern ski binding]( made from birch roots. Norheim also [invented turns]( for his fancy new equipment: the [Telemark]( and the Christiana ([name-checked by Bing Crosby’s]( character in White Christmas). His victory in the country’s first national competition in 1868, when Norheim was 42, helped [usher in the era of competitive skiing]( as a popular sport. But neither formal innovation nor fame brought Norheim wealth. So at 59, he and his wife set out for the Dakota Territory, following four of their children; the couple is buried at [Norway Lutheran Church]( on a hill above a river in North Dakota. Giphy By the digits [$1:]( Cost of a day pass for the first ski tow in America, built in 1934 and powered by a Ford Model T truck ($19 in 2018 dollars) [$30:]( Cost of a lift pass at Davos [600 km (373 miles):]( Total length of runs at France’s Les 3 Vallées, the most of any ski resort in the world [20 km (13 miles):]( Longest on-piste ski run in the world, crossing from Switzerland to Italy [3,989 m (13,000 feet):]( Highest ski resort in the world in Gulmarg, India [100%:]( Increase in skiing speed, at a constant metabolic rate, made possible by the evolution of skiing technology from 542 AD to 2005 AD [64 cm (25 inches):]( Decline in average snowfall in the French Alps from 1960 to 2005 [$40,000:]( Cost of an automated snowmaking gun Watch this! If you’re an avid skier, you might have noticed aesthetic similarities between the maps at many ski resorts. That’s because over 200 of them have been done by [one man, James Niehues]( a 72-year-old from Grand Junction, Colorado. Niehues took over from the previous go-to ski-map artist, Bill Brown, when the latter retired; having successfully [completed a recent Kickstarter]( Niehues will cap his career with a book. Have a friend who would enjoy our Obsession with Skiing? [ [Forward link to a friend](mailto:?subject=Thought you'd enjoy.&body=Read this Quartz Obsession email – to the email – Origin story The bet that birthed ski resorts --------------------------------------------------------------- Davos, fittingly, has probably the most august origin story of any ski resort in the world. As we [mentioned previously,]( Sir Arthur Conan Doyle moved to the mountain resort in 1893 when his wife sought treatment at one of the town’s famous sanitariums; like many of the first ski resorts, it was already a getaway for summer or health. The world-famous author [fell hard for “ski-running,” wrote up his adventures]( and created a fad. But the path had been broken by a Swiss hotelier and his British guests almost 30 years before Doyle arrived. In 1864, Johannes Badrutt [made them an offer they couldn’t refuse]( “Come back and spend Christmas in St Moritz. It’s sunnier and less rainy than London. If you don’t like it, I’ll pay your travel costs. If you do, you can stay as long as you like.” Four of them did and liked it. And voila—an industry was born. Giphy Pop quiz In what film does James Bond first ski? On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)Goldfinger (1964)Live and Let Die (1973) Correct. Bond escapes from SPECTRE by skiing down the Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Million-dollar question Will skiing survive climate change? --------------------------------------------------------------- For the rest of the century it will—but the seasons and pistes will get shorter. According to [Jakko Järvensivu at Downdays]( the rule of thumb for a viable ski area is a 100-day season, meaning at least 30 cm of snow (a little less than a foot) 70% of the time. The elevations producing that kind of weather are expected to rise. Under a high-emissions scenario, one study suggests that in the Tyrolian Alps, just half the resorts will offer those conditions by the 2070s, and it will fall to 15% by around 2100. The snow season in the Swiss Alps is already [37 days shorter]( than it was in 1970, and the area has warmed twice as fast as the global average. Davos, at 1,560 meters, is well above the 1,200 meter elevation that, researchers say, could [mark a no-snow zone]( by the end of the century. But under a high-emissions scenario, in which global temperatures rise from 2.5°C to 5.9°C, the town’s snow season could drop from about six and a half months today to just two in the same period. Projections for the US aren’t any better. Under the same scenario, some of the country’s most popular ski resorts could see below freezing days cut from [25%-80% annually]( by the end of the century, depending on the location. Lake Tahoe would [lose its entire ski industry](. Even by 2050, the US’s ski resorts could lose [half their snow-season days](. Reuters/Ints Kalnins Quotable “There is nothing peculiarly malignant in the appearance of a pair of skis. No one to look at them would guess at the possibilities which lurk in them. But you put them on and you turn with a smile to see whether your friends are looking at you, and then the next moment you are boring your head madly into a snowbank.” [—Early ski buff Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]( Take me down this 🐰 hole! In The Atlantic, historian Andrew Denning [explains how technology]( from ski lifts to air travel transformed skiing from an elite pursuit to middle-class status symbol in the 20th century. Giphy Poll Do you like to ski? [Click here to vote]( I love itEvery once in awhileIt’s for the bunnies 💬 let's talk In yesterday’s poll about [business class]( 30% of you said “I will starve to avoid economy.” 📧 Akke wrote: “Just in via United Airways. Guatemala City, Guatemala to Toronto, Canada. Seats and space in economy ample, better than most. Weird always, walking through business class. I count male/female numbers (women in symphony orchestra; credits roll of movies; number of experts interviewed on radio shows). Approximately 75% are male flying business. Business class folks do not meet the peasant’s eye during walk through. Shame? Annoyance? What?” We covered [Davos-adjacent topics]( this week, including making [small talk]( perhaps over [fondue](. Catch up on all of [Quartz’s on-the-ground coverage]( of the WEF conference. 🤔 [What did you think of today’s email?](mailto:obsession%2Bfeedback@qz.com?cc=&subject=Thoughts%20about%20skiing&body=) 💡 [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:obsession%2Bideas@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) [🎲 Show me a random Obsession]( Today’s email was written by[Whet Moser](