Abstract
Owing to its reliance on snowfall and cool temperatures, the ski industry is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The Swedish ski industry has remained under-researched despite its cultural importance nationally and potential as a last resort' for European skiing under climate change. This thesis explores the notion of Sweden as a last resort across three studies. Study One modelled climate change risk in the Swedish ski industry using SkiSim2. The modelling revealed areas of Northern Sweden showed significantly less reduction in ski season length than Central and Southern Sweden and, with greater reductions predicted for areas of the European Alps, Northern Sweden may represent a ‘last resort’ for European skiing post-2050. Study Two viewed the perceptions of and adaptations to climate change amongst Swedish ski industry stakeholders. The study combined top-down snow conditions and ski operation data with bottom-up semi structured interviews. Snowmaking was seen as the primary adaptation, whilst cultural differences between Swedish and European skiing were seen as limiting Northern Sweden’s ability to capitalise on its climatic advantage. Study Three utilised a survey-based approach to explore how the UK outbound market viewed the Swedish ski industry and its competitiveness under climate change. The work demonstrated that British ski tourists held negative perceptions around the price and quality/variety of skiing in Sweden which improved upon visiting. Despite a willingness to substitute under poor snow conditions, it seemed until reliable locations in the European Alps become overcrowded or exhausted, Sweden may not benefit from climate change adaptation amongst outbound ski tourists. Ultimately, the findings of this thesis should encourage the ski industry as a whole to think more holistically about how they react, mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as questioning the viability of the current mass tourism model seen in the European Alps.