Snow of Tomorrow | Hello winter, how are you?

Well, it's not as if winter will be completely absent. And it is also unlikely that this will be the case completely in the near future. Rather, it is likely that there will continue to be some kind of colder phase until the earth tilts off its axis at some point. But whether this "winter" will still feel like the winter we remember is questionable.

Winter also arrived late this year. A lack of precipitation and excessively high temperatures have kept us waiting a long time for snow in Central Europe. The initial high at the start of the season was soon followed by a prolonged low. Droughts in Italy and record-breaking precipitation deficits in France reflect the thin layers of snow and barren mountain slopes that we encounter everywhere on our searches for first tracks and pow shaded slopes.

Even at 2000m, snow was literally scraped together to maintain the pistes to the lifts. To do this, snow groomers tear up the earth with their shovels and chains, destroying sensitive ecosystems. Even helicopters are now being used to transport snow to lower altitudes. There is a reputation to lose and the fear of an economic emergency is great. We have already become accustomed to the fact that the only reminders of valley descents are signposts, like signs of a bygone era. But things are now getting scarce at higher altitudes too.

I think the citizens' movement, which has been around since the 1970s, has achieved a lot, but is still being blocked in important areas, especially politically. The larger the group that actively wants change becomes, the more change inevitably occurs because it becomes capable of gaining a majority and consequently political power. We can already see this in many examples today.

The real problem, however, is much more profound and of an existential nature. Humans are at the bottom of the food chain. They have limited resources, the preservation of which is the basis of their existence. However, the social and economic system in which they live, capitalism, is based on the assumption and principle of constant growth and increasing profits. A principle that is not compatible with sustainable economic activity, as the latter does not generate profit. The assumption that we can maneuver our way out of the crisis with a green, capitalist economic system is a fallacy. If only because we will hardly be able to achieve the global energy input required for a "keep it up but green" approach, and above all not in the time it takes to reach critical tipping points.

We are therefore at a crossroads and may still have a short time to choose between an orderly retreat with a shutdown of our system, our production and consumption services, or collapse due to increasingly hostile living conditions on our planet. The former seems to be the wiser, albeit extremely difficult, solution. However, it will certainly not be without loss.

In the end, it is less a question of "what?" than "how?". Of course it's good to stop eating meat, buy organic produce at the farmers' market, wear vegan sneakers and pants made from bamboo fibers and T-shirts made from recycled ocean plastic and only travel by bike or train, but in the end it's about something much more fundamental. We need to change our consumer behavior.

In 1972, the Club of Rome published "The Limits to Growth", a study on the state of humanity and the future of the global economy. At that time, it was predicted that humanity would exceed the critical mark of 100% of its available resources by 1980. Today we are at 180%. And the trend is still rising.

So what are the measures and options that we as winter sports enthusiasts can offer?

• Boycotting the ski resorts?

• Exiting the capitalist system?

• Self-sufficiency and renunciation?

• Political activism?

• Revolution and the mobilization of all comrades-in-arms and like-minded people?

That's probably what it boils down to.

Let's get back to the starting point: Hello winter, how are you? This sentimental question seems quite insignificant in relation to the scale of the changes we are likely to face. After all, in view of the rapidly melting glaciers, an exploring terminal moraine landscape can also have its charm...