Dolomites resorts have had to rely on snow machines since the 1980s, but now nature has finally done the job

No challenge appears insurmountable for the people who live among the dramatic and sublime peaks of the Italian Dolomites. Before a cableway was installed at Perca, a commune close to the village of Brunico in the Puster valley district, Günther Auer and his childhood friends would scale the mountain by foot to slide back down on their wooden sledges.

They might not have reached as far as the 2,275-metre plateau of Plan de Corones (Kronplatz in German), which today involves an aerial gondola ride of almost 30 minutes, but back in the 1960s they were more or less guaranteed plenty of snow. “You never saw green or brown areas, it was all white,” said Auer, who has been a ski instructor for more than 40 years.

Ski holiday calendar: will there be snow when I go? Read more

Within a couple of decades, that landscape started to transform dramatically as winter temperatures rose and snowfall decreased. But no snow, no problem. By the 1980s, a decade that ushered in phenomenal growth in winter tourism, huge investment was poured into snow-making machines that would enable ski resorts across the 18 peaks that make up the Dolomites – which receive less snow than the Alps in northwestern Italy – to stay alive.

Nowadays, snow cannon are as much a feature of the slopes as conifer trees. A fleet of 5,800 owned by Dolomiti Superski have been working hard over the past few ski seasons, with 2015-16 being the warmest winter recorded in Europe. Last December, skiers glided down runs of fake snow surrounded by green pasture amid temperatures that reached as high as 20C (68F).

But this season has got off to an entirely different start, with low temperatures bringing abundant snowfall, much to the relief of skiers and those in the winter sport business. “It hasn’t been this cold in December for the last few years – it’s so cold right now, we’re not used to it,” said Auer.

Ski enthusiasts are making the most of it. The gondola lift dropping people off at the top of Plan de Corones opened on 25 November. By last Thursday, the day before Italy’s Feast of the Immaculate Conception national holiday, each gondola was disgorging groups of skiers ready to hurtle straight back down again. Others slid across the plateau to one of the restaurant terraces, taking a moment to enjoy the magnificent sunshine from a lounger, or enjoy an après-ski drink. Around them, workers shovelled mounds of snow. Natural snow or not, the convivial scene doesn’t really alter from year to year.

“All of our instructors are fully booked this week,” said Julian Oberleiter, who mans the desk at one of the ski schools. “Next week is looking a little quieter but it will pick up again before Christmas. It doesn’t matter if there’s real snow or not, people still come.”

It has taken ardent ski fans of the Dolomites, named a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2009, some time to get used to the fake stuff. George Mirtel, from the Czech Republic, has been coming to the region in early December for the past decade. “We heard there was lots of snow this year, so we booked straight away,” he said. “Of course, it’s better to ski on natural rather than chemical snow, but we’ve gotten used to it.”

Fellow skier Jochen Schenk is lucky not to have to travel so far. Living in a nearby town, he comes to the resort about 30 times every season, so has adapted swiftly to the artificial snow. “We’re delighted to find snow so early in the season, but regardless, it doesn’t stop us from coming,” he said.

Proof that people are unperturbed can be gleaned from the numbers: Dolomiti Superski, which manages 1,200km of pistes in the area, enjoyed a record season for ski passes last year, even though snowfall was sparse until the end of January. “I think people are starting to get used to the fact that December is not always full of snow,” said Diego Clara, a spokesman for the company. “If you look at the meteorological statistics of the last 100 years, snow in December is an exception, not a rule. But people think ‘it’s December, it’s Christmas’ and there must be snow.

“Two years ago especially, people were quite demoralised to be skiing on perfect slopes but with a brown or green environment around them. Last year we noticed a big change in this mentality – now they accept that you can’t do anything about there not being natural snow, but if it’s provided for them, they can still enjoy it.”

It is a year-round job to ensure that the slopes are covered with snow when needed. Despite there being enough natural snow to allow skiers to enjoy good conditions so far this season, green patches still blight the view, a far cry from the scene just six years ago. Water to make snow is stored in small lakes or large storage basins underground. When cold temperatures prevail, the pressure is on to make as much snow as possible within a short space of time.

Over on nearby Monte Spicco an artificial lake was created to store water to be used in snow-making. “Water is collected during the summer, so we have it already prepared,” said Clara. “Then we start snow-making from mid-October and if the temperature and humidity are OK, we work day and night.”

Although it is difficult to predict how the rest of the season will pan out, a trip to the Dolomites will at least guarantee a white Christmas. “Everybody in the ski business is making snow. You can’t do without it nowadays,” said Clara.