Climate change: Athletes flag the dangers of manmade snow

By MARTHA BELLISLE
Associated Press

Many top Nordic skiers and biathletes say crashes are becoming more common as climate change reduces the availability of natural snow, forcing racers to compete on tracks with the manmade version. Olympic and World Cup race organizers are already used to needing snow-making equipment to create a ribbon of white through the forests as natural snowfall becomes less reliable. Skiers and experts say manmade snow has a higher moisture content, making it ice up quickly. They say race organizers should take that into consideration when designing courses in order to make the sports safer.