Can winter sports survive a warming world?

Winter sport depends on one thing that is becoming less reliable each year: snow. As temperatures rise, glaciers are retreating, seasons are shifting, and lower-elevation resorts are struggling to guarantee consistent conditions. Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar explore the ways climate change is reshaping winter sport, from elite competition to local economies. Former alpine ski racer and BBC Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott describes how competitors have to deal with shorter training seasons, cancelled races and increasing injury risks. They also speak to Daniel Scott, a leading researcher on climate change and winter tourism at the University of Waterloo in Canada, about which cities may still be able to host the Winter Olympics and Paralympics by the 2050s. And Professor Scott tells The Climate Question how organisers are adapting through snowmaking, snow storage and changes to competition schedules. Guests: Chemmy Alcott – former British Winter Olympian and BBC Ski Sunday presenter Professor Daniel Scott – University of Waterloo, Canada If you have a question for the team, email: theclimatequestion@bbc.com or WhatsApp: +44 8000 321 721 Presenters: Jordan Dunbar and Graihagh Jackson Production team: Grace Braddock, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle Sound engineers: Tom Brignell and Philip Bull Editor: Simon Watts Image: Reuters

You can listen to Can winter sports survive a warming world? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Can winter sports survive a warming world? is an episode from The Climate Question by BBC.

This episode is 23:46 long.

This episode was published on Feb 8, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Climate Question when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.