⛰️ What the Alps Are Telling Us - Fionn's Green Journey
Hello everyone,
It has been a little while since the last Fionn’s Green Journey. The past two months have been unusually busy, between research, travel, and time in the mountains I’ve been constantly on the move. Thank you for your patience during the gap. I’ll also send another newsletter in the coming week or two explaining what I’ve been working on during this time, which I’m excited to share.
Part of that time was spent doing something I love: skiing in the Alps. Over the course of this winter I ended up spending more than 20 days on skis.
And after that much time in the mountains, one thing became hard to ignore.
The snowline is quietly moving uphill.
On several days I found myself skiing slopes that should normally be buried in deep snow, yet patches of rock and grass were already visible. Some lower descents were closed entirely, while others relied heavily on artificial snow.
At first glance that might seem like a bad snow year. But the underlying physics tells a more interesting story.
The 150-meter rule
Mountain climatologists use a simple rule of thumb: for every 1 °C of warming, the snowline moves upward by roughly 150 meters.
The Alps have already warmed about 2 °C since the late 19th century, roughly twice the global average. That means many slopes that once reliably held snow now sit 300 meters lower in the temperature zone where snow can persist.
In practical terms, this means entire ski elevations are slowly shifting out of the climate conditions that made them viable in the first place.
Glaciers respond with a delay of decades.
The ice melting today is not just responding to this year’s weather. It is responding to the climate of the past 30–40 years finally catching up with the ice.
According to the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS), Swiss glaciers lost around 10% of their remaining volume between 2022 and 2023 alone, and nearly one third of Switzerland’s glacier ice has disappeared since 2000.
In other words, even if global temperatures stabilized tomorrow, glaciers would likely continue shrinking for decadesbecause of this built-in lag.
A hidden phase: “peak glacier water”
Another lesser-known effect is something scientists call peak glacier water.
As glaciers melt faster, rivers initially carry more water, not less. For a period of time the Alps actually release extra meltwater into major rivers like the Rhine, Rhône, Po, and Danube.
But once glaciers shrink past a certain point, that extra supply disappears — and river flows begin to decline.
Many Alpine basins are expected to reach this peak sometime in the coming decades.
Spending over 20 days skiing this winter was an incredible privilege. But it also made something very clear.
Climate change in the mountains isn’t just visible in satellite images or scientific papers. Sometimes it’s visible between the turns. The snowline is slowly moving uphill, and the Alps are quietly recording the change.
What I have been Up
📝 PhD Project Making real leaps and bounds with my research, working alongside an incredible team. Exciting progress happening behind the scenes.
🧗🏽 Climbing Staying strong and building endurance for some summer summits I have planned.
⛷️ Exploring the Snow After more than 20 days skiing this winter, you could usually find me on (or occasionally beside) the slopes most weekends.
📺 Tommy Tiernan Show Interview The interview aired in late January. I shared some stories there that I don’t think I’ve ever spoken about publicly before. Watch here.
🥂 Spring Arriving The first sunny spring evenings have arrived, and with them the first bottles of prosecco opened outside.
Goals this month
🚀 A few secret projects about to surface… Some things I’ve been quietly working on are nearly ready. Stay tuned.
🧪 PhD progress Pushing forward on research goals that are still a bit under wraps but that I hope will have real impact.
🏔 Back into the mountains With the snow slowly retreating, it’s time to start exploring the mountains on foot (and hands) again.
A Small Thought Before We Go
If there’s one thing I’ve learned spending so much time in the mountains this winter, it’s that snow is surprisingly fragile. It feels eternal when you’re surrounded by white peaks, but in reality the conditions that create good winters are quite delicate.
The good news is that protecting them doesn’t only depend on large policy decisions. Small choices, multiplied by many people, matter too.
Taking the train to the mountains when possible, supporting resorts that invest in renewable energy and responsible water use, and simply spending time outdoors appreciating these landscapes all help build a culture that values them.
And perhaps the most important thing is staying curious and informed. The mountains have always been incredible teachers… quietly showing us how nature responds to the way we live on this planet.
If we listen carefully, they might also help guide us toward protecting winters for the generations that will ski, climb, and explore them after us.
Until next time,
Fionn 🌿
This edition of Fionn’s Green Journey is fully carbon offset, thanks to the amazing support from Atlas Project! Each tree emoji below represents a verified tree planted to offset our digital footprint.👣
🌟 This Month: A new White Fir has taken root! 🌲
Fionn’s Green Journey Forest
🌲 🌳 🌴 🌿 🥑🌴🌿🌳🌲🌳🥭🌴🌴🌺🥭🌲
🌲 = White Fir, 🌳 = Black Ironwood, 🌴 = Indian Cedar, 🌿 = Red Mangrove, 🌺 = Pomegranate, 🍋 = Lemon tree, 🥑 = Avocado tree, 🥭 = Mango tree
Watch the forest grow with every edition. Feel free to request exact coordinates 🥾✨
Sources:
Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS); IPCC AR6; Huss & Hock (Nature Climate Change); Alpine cryosphere studies on snowline elevation and glacier response times.
Dear Fionn,
Thank you very much for your description of the snow line in the Alps. This article was very interesting, as I used to ski every day in winter in my youth.
I grew up in southern Germany in an area that was reliably snowy at the time, at an elevation of 850 to 1000 meters above sea level. In my childhood, it would already start snowing at the end of October, and there was usually enough snow until Easter of the following year. Even as small children, my siblings and I grew up on skis. The ski club was one of the largest associations in the village. I can remember several winters when the snow had to be transported out of the village in order for life in the village to function.
The snow depth reached over 2 meters in snowy winters. Because of the snow cover, it could become very cold in February during high-pressure weather, as the sun's rays were reflected back into space. I still remember temperatures of up to minus 30 degrees. Then the snow glittered and sparkled, it was beautiful. Skiing was a part of our youth and for a long time afterward still a way of life.
Today, almost 60 years later, it only snows occasionally there. Under optimal winter conditions, it is possible to ski for two weeks. Usually, that is enough for cross-country skiing, but no longer for downhill skiing. Global warming has taken away a dream from the young people in our area that we were allowed to dream. Snow right outside the front door for an entire winter, without mass tourism, and a great camaraderie with many like-minded people in the village, and everyone could afford it.
Therefore, let us do everything to mitigate climate change and to improve biodiversity again, so that fewer dreams are lost.
Kind regards
Peter