Ski resort abandonment is more frequent due to global warming,which progressively reduces snowpack and persistence.However,projects aiming for new resorts in the Apennines have proliferated.Such economic investments a...Ski resort abandonment is more frequent due to global warming,which progressively reduces snowpack and persistence.However,projects aiming for new resorts in the Apennines have proliferated.Such economic investments are risky,especially without long-term data on snow cover duration.Our aim,thus,is to provide the first census of abandoned ski resorts in the Apennines and compare them with the resorts currently open to understand the causes that led to their abandonment.Subsequently,we explore factors behind resort failure by analyzing the relationships between climatic,geomorphological,and economic variables.Overall,we found 101 ski resorts in the Apennines,of which 28 were open,41 closed and abandoned and 32 partially closed(i.e.,closed in more than at least 7 years in the last 10 years).The closed and partially closed resorts represent 358 km of ski slopes(44%of total available).The number of structures per resort(i.e.ski lifts,chair lifts)is higher for open compared to partially closed and closed ones.Notably,the maximum elevation reached by the resorts is higher for those open(1793 m a.s.l.)than for those partially closed(1687 m a.s.l.)and especially those closed(1577 m a.s.l.).Finally,the mean size of the resorts in terms of skiable track length is larger for open(15.7 km)than partially closed(7.1 km)and closed resorts(3.2 km).The average duration of operation for abandoned resorts is 29.5 years,varying from a maximum of 56 years to a minimum of 0 years for two sites that were never opened after reconstruction.The year of abandonment is positively associated with the maximum elevation,size,and duration of operation.Furthermore,the duration of operation is negatively correlated with the construction year.Our multivariate analysis confirms and strengthens the hypothesis for the causes that lead to abandonment are multi-factorial.Most of the closed resorts are located at low altitude and have small ski areas although some higher altitude sites have also been abandoned in recent years.This information can be useful for investors,policymakers,and stakeholders who should use it as a starting point when designing and planning new resorts to avoid future failures and the loss of public money.展开更多
文摘Ski resort abandonment is more frequent due to global warming,which progressively reduces snowpack and persistence.However,projects aiming for new resorts in the Apennines have proliferated.Such economic investments are risky,especially without long-term data on snow cover duration.Our aim,thus,is to provide the first census of abandoned ski resorts in the Apennines and compare them with the resorts currently open to understand the causes that led to their abandonment.Subsequently,we explore factors behind resort failure by analyzing the relationships between climatic,geomorphological,and economic variables.Overall,we found 101 ski resorts in the Apennines,of which 28 were open,41 closed and abandoned and 32 partially closed(i.e.,closed in more than at least 7 years in the last 10 years).The closed and partially closed resorts represent 358 km of ski slopes(44%of total available).The number of structures per resort(i.e.ski lifts,chair lifts)is higher for open compared to partially closed and closed ones.Notably,the maximum elevation reached by the resorts is higher for those open(1793 m a.s.l.)than for those partially closed(1687 m a.s.l.)and especially those closed(1577 m a.s.l.).Finally,the mean size of the resorts in terms of skiable track length is larger for open(15.7 km)than partially closed(7.1 km)and closed resorts(3.2 km).The average duration of operation for abandoned resorts is 29.5 years,varying from a maximum of 56 years to a minimum of 0 years for two sites that were never opened after reconstruction.The year of abandonment is positively associated with the maximum elevation,size,and duration of operation.Furthermore,the duration of operation is negatively correlated with the construction year.Our multivariate analysis confirms and strengthens the hypothesis for the causes that lead to abandonment are multi-factorial.Most of the closed resorts are located at low altitude and have small ski areas although some higher altitude sites have also been abandoned in recent years.This information can be useful for investors,policymakers,and stakeholders who should use it as a starting point when designing and planning new resorts to avoid future failures and the loss of public money.
