Snowmaking’s Carbon Footprint Depends on Local Power Mix, Not Technology

**TL;DR** Snowmaking emissions are driven by the carbon intensity of regional electricity, not the snow guns themselves, according to a 2026 University of Innsbruck study.

Context The familiar claim that skiing’s reliance on snowmaking makes the sport environmentally indefensible is being re‑examined. Researchers at the University of Innsbruck, led by Günther Aigner, analyzed electricity use for snow guns and linked it to the greenhouse‑gas intensity of local power grids. They calculated emissions by multiplying the kilowatt‑hours consumed by snowmaking systems with the CO₂‑per‑kWh factor of each region’s electricity mix, then divided by total skier visits to obtain a per‑visit figure.

Key Facts - Austrian snowmaking produced between 6,246 and 7,424 tonnes of CO₂ annually in the 2022‑23 and 2023‑24 seasons, which equals 120‑140 grams of CO₂ per skier visit. - In Alberta, the same activity emits roughly 7,370 grams of CO₂ per skier visit. - One gram of CO₂ per skier visit is equivalent to driving about 0.9 kilometers (0.6 miles) in a gasoline‑powered car. - Austria’s grid was 88.6 % renewable in 2024, with hydropower supplying up to 67 %; Quebec’s grid is 94 % hydropower plus 5 % wind, yielding only 17 grams of CO₂ per skier visit. - Alberta’s grid remains dominated by natural gas and coal, resulting in its high per‑visit emissions. - Austria aims for 100 % renewable electricity by 2030; its last coal plant closed in 2020. - Under current Canadian decarbonization policies, an 81 % increase in snowmaking by the 2050s would cut national snowmaking emissions by 96 % to roughly 4,700 tonnes of CO₂.

What It Means The study shows that the climate impact of snowmaking is not inherent to the technology but to the electricity that powers it. Resorts in regions with clean grids—such as Austria, Quebec, or British Columbia—produce minimal emissions per skier visit, while those reliant on fossil‑fuel generation, like Alberta, see a footprint comparable to driving nearly a kilometer per guest. Consequently, efforts to make skiing greener should prioritize grid decarbonization and low‑carbon guest travel rather than focusing solely on more efficient snow guns.

Watch for upcoming provincial electricity‑mix reports and travel‑emission analyses to see whether policy shifts will narrow the gap between high‑ and low‑carbon ski destinations.