Climate change puts Norway’s love of skiing to the test

LORENSKOG, Norway — Skiers swish down the slope, no sun or sky in sight. It may be the middle of winter high up in the North, but lack of snow has Norwegians flocking to an indoor ski centre near Oslo. In Norway, the saying goes that babies are born with skis on their feet. With opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics approaching Friday, the Scandinavian country has won the most Winter Olympic medals. But how long can Norway’s success last? With shorter winters and less snow, will Scandinavians be able to continue to practice their favourite pastime, and will their athletes continue to dominate? By the end of this century, Norwegian winters are expected to be 2 to 3C warmer, and the ski season, defined by at least 25 centimetres (10 inches) of snow, between one and three months shorter depending on the location, according to a published in October. “Most of Norway’s habitation is in coastal areas and in these areas we are actually seeing that many of the towns will not have any winter as we know it in the future,” climatologist Hans Olav Hygen told AFP. Less interest in ski

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