The UN warns that by the end of the century the temperature will rise four degrees and that will make extreme phenomena such as droughts and floods common. We will see how it ends up affecting the Pyrenees and what can happen to the white gold of our mountains, the snow. This issue was discussed in the Núria Valley in some new Meetings in La Vanguardia held together with Lugares de Nieve-Lugares de Aventura. Toni Segarra, president of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC); Toni Sanmartí, director of FGC Turisme; Jordi Masquef, deputy for Sports of the Girona Provincial Council and second vice-president of the Costa Brava-Girona Tourist Board; Santi Farriol, director of the Capçaleres del Ter i el Freser Natural Park; Ferran Salvador, professor of Geography at the University of Barcelona; Irati Querejeta, marketing director of Atomic Espanya-Andorra, and Martí Oliveras, RAC1 and RAC105 meteorologist.
Salvador found that snowfall is one of the most variable meteorological factors. “Naturally, on average, only between 60% and 70% of snowfall falls during the four months we are interested in, from December to March. Therefore, there is a 30%-40% that is produced outside of the ski season and that the resorts cannot take advantage of. You have to adapt. The temperature does not rise in a linear or constant manner. And it is interesting for a ski resort, because daytime and summer temperatures rise more than night and winter temperatures. Regarding precipitation, it is uncertain. If it decreases it will be in summer and it will not be so pronounced in winter. It will take longer to snow enough and melting will increase with spring. The challenge of the Pyrenees is the strong irregularity that sudden changes from one year to the next will cause”, he pointed out. Or in other words, those of Oliveras: “We are going towards a summer that is lengthening. Warming is unavoidable. In the Pyrenees, dry days increase, without rain or snow. Resources have to be managed well. But we have the opportunity to be more efficient and sustainable.”
As a sign of commitment to the fight against climate change, Ferrocarrils, which has six mountain stations, has devised the 2030 Climate Action Plan, which sets the goal of reaching carbon neutrality within a maximum of seven years. “At FGC we have a responsibility and a capacity to impact sustainability: with decarbonisation, with the energy we produce and with the one we buy. We invest in geothermal energy, hydroelectric plants, solar panels and we are committed to the use of biomass. The electrical energy we contract is green energy. All of this has allowed us to go from the 17,000 tons of CO2 emitted in 2018 to 1,860 in 2021. A reduction of 89% in three years. And we have set ourselves a goal of zero emissions in 2030. Even some of our centers such as Montserrat, where we have already reduced emissions by 99%, will be able to reach the goal in 2024”, Segarra confirmed.
The figures confirm that work is done well. But beyond the big numbers, the company thinks about how to become more sustainable. For example, when building a ski slope, many parameters are taken into account to make it more efficient. How do you prepare for the white gold of the Pyrenees to come to life and reach the end of the season? “When you build a track, the first is to throw stones. We try to have the slopes like a green meadow because that way you can open up with less thickness of snow”, explains Sanmartí. Another factor is to face it to the north, because that way the snow will take longer to melt. It is also important how we comb the snow. “The machine, what it does is maintain it. It saves us costs because it prevents it from melting. It incorporates a radar that indicates the thickness. If there is a canyon producing unnecessary snow, it sends a signal to stop,” he specified.
Nowadays, temperature is worked very well when making snow: “Cold windows are always taken advantage of, humidity –with less humidity, better–, weather conditions. If it snows, let’s not produce. We use the latest generation cannons that consume as little as possible. Today we can calculate the need for snow that we will have to open a season from December to May”, highlighted Sanmartí. The objective is to achieve more snow, with less time, less energy and less water, based on the technological evolution of the equipment. For this, TL8 cannons are used, which with a temperature projection of -4 degrees, consume 2.65 KW/m3 of water compared to the old YORK 10, which consumed 11.72 KW/m3. 73% energy is being saved with the same amount of water.
All this helps to preserve the ecosystems of the territory. Farriol knows a lot about that, comparing the management of a park to a stool: “It has three legs. The first is the management of cultural and natural heritage. In Núria we have native birds such as the white partridge, a species that is threatened. It is a great responsibility to take care of these species ”, he pointed out. The second leg involves the management of the public use of the park. “The Capçaleres del Ter i el Freser has half a million visitors a year. We have to make it easier for people to go to certain places to prevent them from going to others,” he explained. The third leg involves finding the balance between tourism as an economic booster and the conservation of the natural environment. “In Núria we are commercial. It is necessary to find the fit with that of the public use of the park. “The Capçaleres del Ter i el Freser has half a million visitors a year. We have to make it easier for people to go to certain places to prevent them from going to others,” he explained. The third leg involves finding the balance between tourism as an economic booster and the conservation of the natural environment. “In Núria we are commercial. You have to find the fit with the preservation of the environment. But the consensus exists,” Farriol said.
The Girona-Costa Brava Tourist Board follows this line. Masquef explained that “the threat that climate change represents for tourism is the biggest challenge we face. We have to be more sustainable and seasonally adjust the tourist seasons. We try to meet the sustainable development objectives of the 2030 Agenda. And we promote a more ethical, more responsible, more sustainable and more innovative tourism, seeking great consensus among all the actors in the territory”.
Companies dedicated to ski products have also been put. Atomic is an example. Querejeta explains that “we have reduced CO2 emissions in our value chain. We have been using renewable energy since 2019 and our impact has been reduced by 95%. And we also guarantee more efficiency in our products with less polluting materials. We have reduced the use of fiberglass, metal and we use local poplar wood to make the skis. With that we have already reduced our environmental impact by 30%. And 77% of our boots are modifiable, can be fixed and parts can be changed.” The event was closed by Gemma Larrègola, co-director of Lugares de Nieve-Lugares de Aventura, who highlighted the commitment of the media to report on the sustainability and efficiency of the companies that manage natural spaces and ensure the future of our white gold.
