Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der technischen Beschneiung als Anpassungsstrategie an den Klimawandel

Technical snowmaking has been the most important adaptation strategy with regard to climate change since the 1980s. After more than 30 years of application, this publication attempts to take stock of the effects, opportunities and expected limits of this adaptation strategy and to scrutinize its effectiveness using examples. Firstly, the paper considers the environmental impacts and how these impacts have changed over time as a result of technological progress and the changing implementation and use. A second focus is dedicated to the limits of snowmaking in economic terms, but also with regard to local circumstances, ecological aspects and microclimatic requirements for snowmaking. Thirdly, the influence of the demand side and related changes over time will be presented. Finally, the consequences for the future of (winter) tourism are discussed against this background and illustrated using case studies from Germany and Austria. While the example of Schladming (Austria) illustrates how snow measurement can be used to increase the efficiency of snowmaking even under increasingly unfavorable conditions, the case studie Lackenhof (Austria) illustrates that adaptation to climate change through technical snowmaking is already reaching its limits. The example of the Breitenberg ski area in Pfronten in the Allgäu (Germany) shows that there are case constellations in which technical snowmaking does not represent a solution.