Rising temperatures at the 2026 Winter Paralympics have transformed competition slopes into hazardous, soft snow, resulting in over two dozen Did Not Finishes and forcing schedule adjustments, highlighting climate vulnerabilities for winter sports.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, are confronting a stark climate reality: warming temperatures are turning championship courses into treacherous mush, directly impacting athlete safety and competition integrity. On March 13, during the men’s giant slalom, bronze medalist Andrew Kurka missed an early gate, a mistake he attributed to dangerously soft snow exacerbated by a 45-degree afternoon heat. “The first three gates were soft and not even raceworthy,” Kurka said, noting that the snow had firmed up at the 9 a.m. inspection but deteriorated rapidly under the sun USA TODAY.
Kurka’s experience was not isolated. A total of 24 racers failed to finish the giant slalom on March 13, compared to just six in the women’s event the previous day. The giant slalom, which includes vision impaired, standing, and sitting classifications—with Kurka competing in a monoski—proved particularly hazardous as the day progressed. Fellow U.S. monoskier Kyle Taulman emphasized the tactical disadvantage of later start numbers: “Sometimes if you get an early bib number, that’s a huge advantage, especially in conditions like this where it gets warmer and the track does change a lot. The track slows down as it gets warmer so it becomes a lot harder to be competitive on that snow.”
Schedule Disruptions and Athlete Frustration
The deteriorating conditions prompted the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to proactively reschedule the banked slalom snowboarding events, moving them up a full day to preserve course integrity and reduce injury risk USA TODAY. This shift, while ostensibly protective, underscores a harsh truth: a single day’s difference can unravel years of athlete preparation. “It’s getting softer and softer every day,” said Saylor O’Brien, U.S. Ski and Snowboard’s 2024-2025 Adaptive Athlete of the Year. “It’s not getting quite cold enough overnight to let it freeze.”
The issue extends beyond alpine skiing. The broader 2026 Winter Paralympics encompass alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding events USA TODAY, all of which rely on consistent snowpack. Guide skier Spenser Gustafson voiced a growing sentiment among participants and observers: “The Olympics and Paralympics are probably too late in the year. Snow is very important to almost all of the winter sports and it seems like a very simple fix. They can be earlier in the year.”
Why This Matters Beyond Cortina
This crisis at the 2026 Games is symptomatic of a global trend. Warmer winters and inconsistent snowfall have plagued recent Winter Olympics and Paralympics, from snow shortages in Sochi 2014 to artificial snow dependencies in Beijing 2022. For Paralympic athletes, whose equipment—such as monoskis or sit-skis—is finely tuned for specific snow conditions, variability poses disproportionate safety risks. Soft snow increases friction, reduces control, and heightens the physical toll of crashes, potentially ending careers in moments.
- Safety First: Kurka labeled the giant slalom course “the most dangerous of the year,” with the high DNF rate serving as grim evidence.
- Fairness Compromised: Start order, determined by world rankings, becomes a luck-based factor when conditions degrade rapidly, penalizing later competitors.
- Four-Year Investments at Risk: Athletes train for entire Paralympic cycles; schedule shifts or course closures can nullify that work overnight.
Fan Theories and the Path Forward
Online communities and athlete circles are buzzing with proposals: moving the Winter Games to February, rotating host cities to higher elevations, or even developing all-weather artificial snow that mimics firm surfaces. While the IPC has demonstrated flexibility by adjusting events, structural change requires long-term planning. The 2030 Winter Games, already in early discussions, will likely face intensified scrutiny over climate resilience.
For now, the spotlight remains on Cortina’s melting slopes. The immediate human cost—missed gates, battered bodies, shattered medal hopes—is paired with a broader existential question for winter sports: if the snow can’t be trusted, what becomes of the games built upon it?
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