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Shorter, warmer winters are becoming more common in the Northern Hemisphere, affecting how winter athletes train and perform. Michel Cottin/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Sport By Natasha Vizcarra 6 hours ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print The 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, was a slushy affair. And the Paralympics, which start March 6, may be more of the same. From ice rinks to ski slopes, conditions were warmer and wetter than expected. Some Olympians — including figure skaters, speedskaters and cross-country skiers — cited the slush as contributing to an unusual rash of falls, crashes and disappointing performances. But warm, wet conditions are something that elite winter athletes will have to get used to. Climate change is driving temperatures higher, leading to less snowfall and shorter periods of safe ice on frozen bodies of water. As competing on artificial snow or in indoor ice arenas becomes more common, what athletes learn could offer the rest of us tips for enjoying these environments safely. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday. Snow-fakes Sarah Cookler remembers the first time she saw a racecourse covered with just artificial snow. “It was in the Pyrenees Mountains in France,” she recalls. “The snow run had grass on either side.” Cookler was coaching Team USA at the International Ski Mountaineering Federation’s World Youth Cup. Ski mountaineering — also known as “skimo” — is a sprint up and down a snow-covered mountain. It was March 2023, almost the end of ski season, and the snow run was beat up and compacted. It was also a warm day during an unseasonably hot month worldwide. “Gosh, it was probably around 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit,” Cookler recalls. “The conditions were wet.” Her team had never competed on a warm, slick course. In warm or dry winters, many ski competitions take place on artificial snow, such as here at Val-Louron, a ski resort in the French Pyrenees, in March 2023. It was an unusually warm month worldwide.S. Cookler The team warmed up by stretching and running on the dry, yellow grass bordering the starting line. Then they carried their skis over to the snow to get ready for the starting whistle. This team trains in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, where winters bring high snowpack and months of powder snow. “Our athletes are used to skiing cold, deep, dry snow,” Cookler says. Artificial snow differs from the natural stuff, and Cookler’s team had skied on less-slick artificial snow before. Cookler had coached the athletes on techniques for artificial snow. So as they kicked off, they had some sense of what was ahead. The 2026 Winter Olympics also relied heavily on human-made snow. And the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing used the stuff exclusively. Watch reruns online and you probably won’t notice it wasn’t the real thing, but those who skied on it have said they could definitely tell. Sponsor Message The color is almost beige, which the eye can easily pick out, says snow hydrologist Noah Molotch of the University of Colorado Boulder. “It’s not yellow snow, but it does have a slightly darker appearance.” Molotch studies mountain snowpack and spends a lot of time snowboarding. The best way to understand how to ski safely
Take it from the Olympics, slushy winter sports may be the new normal
