Lack Of Snow Puts Low- To Mid-Altitude Swiss Ski Resorts In Trouble - Reuters

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LOCARNO, Switzerland (Reuters) - Keep off the pistes, say the signs: not because hikers might collide with skiers, but because their boots would wear away what dregs of snow remain. After a slow start to the season, snow cover may have built up at the big-name, high-level Swiss resorts like Davos, Zermatt and St. Moritz. But less-famous names, still waiting for snow, are planning to seek alternative sources of tourist cash.

"The lifts were open over the Christmas season. Now it's over, I don't know," said Luca, a Locarno resident trekking along paths muddied by melted snow on the steep slopes above the town. "It makes it a lot quieter for walking." Above Locarno on the 1,400-meter Cimetta -- blanketed in snow last year -- the ski lifts and restaurant are closed. A thin trail of brown-streaked old snow runs down a short slope in the shadows. The lakeside resort in Italian-speaking southern Switzerland is known more as a summer destination than for its ski slopes, but the lack of snow cover is indicative of a problem that many mid-level Alpine resorts are experiencing.

The Swiss Environment Ministry and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have already examined the possible business consequences of global warming for winter sports in low-lying areas.

The Swiss ministry says resorts lower than 1,500 metres above sea level will increasingly struggle to maintain revenues. This winter, Swiss pistes above about 2,000 metres have snow cover, but anywhere lower is struggling. For instance many runs at Gstaad and Engelberg (1,000 metres) remain closed.

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