Climate experts and ski enthusiasts call on the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships to show climate leadership

Photo: Jan Arne Pettersen, Narvikfjellet

Leading climate scientists, mountain guides, skiers and sustainability experts from across Europe have signed an open letter to the organisers of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, calling on them to deliver “the most sustainable winter sports event ever” to ensure the championships become a turning point for climate leadership in global sport.

The letter congratulates Narvik on securing hosting rights for 2029, praising the town’s dramatic setting where snow-covered peaks rise directly from the sea. But alongside celebration comes urgency.

“Our world is heating at an alarming pace and it is threatening not only our winters, but our lives,” the signatories write. “We cannot imagine a world where our children and grandchildren will not have the chance to experience the joy of playing in the snow.”

A Championship at a Climate Crossroads

The Championships, governed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, will take place in a region projected to experience some of the most intense warming in Europe. Climate models show Arctic amplification could push winter temperatures in Northern Scandinavia 4.5–5°C higher by late century under high-emission scenarios - far above the global average.

Norway has already seen a significant decline in ski days since the 1960s. Without rapid emissions cuts, that trend is expected to accelerate.

The authors frame Narvik 2029 as more than a sporting spectacle: it will exemplify “the future of winter sports and life in the Arctic in the era of climate change.”