Norway’s Folgefonna Glacier Continues to Retreat as Ski Lift Collapses, Marking a Significant Shift in Summer Skiing

Norway’s Folgefonna Glacier, once a popular summer skiing destination, has been retreating at an alarming rate due to the accelerating effects of climate change. The recent collapse of the ski lift, which was a key feature of the resort, marks a significant turning point for the future of summer skiing in the region. The retreating glacier has made it increasingly difficult to maintain the snowpack that allowed for skiing during the warmer months, leading to the closure of the ski area. The combination of a shrinking glacier and the collapse of vital infrastructure highlights a broader trend affecting ski resorts worldwide, where rising temperatures are shrinking glaciers and threatening the viability of summer skiing. This shift not only signals the end of an era for the Folgefonna Ski Resort but also raises concerns about the future of other glacier-dependent ski areas facing similar challenges.

The Folgefonna Glacier, located in Hordaland County, is one of Norway’s largest glaciers and a key part of Folgefonna National Park. For years, its slopes were a prime location for summer skiing, attracting professional skiers and snowboarders. With its high-altitude terrain, the glacier offered reliable snow conditions even in the warmest months, making it a unique destination for winter sports enthusiasts.

However, as the effects of climate change became more pronounced, the glacier began to melt at an accelerated pace, and maintaining snow for the summer ski season became increasingly challenging. At the height of its operation, workers would haul snow into the lower regions of the glacier to preserve the snowpack and extend the ski season. This process helped keep the slopes viable for summer skiing, but it came to an abrupt halt when the ski area went bankrupt in late 2024. The closure marked the end of an era for the resort, and with it, the ski lift that had once carried skiers up the glacier ceased to operate.

The collapse of the ski lift, which has been partially submerged by a newly-formed lake at the base of the glacier, is a stark reminder of the ongoing impact of climate change. The images of the collapsed lift are a striking visual representation of the glacier’s rapid retreat. As the ice melts and the lake grows, what was once a bustling ski area is now submerged under water, with the future of the resort uncertain. Even local glacier guides have acknowledged that they can no longer bring clients to ski beneath the lift due to the deteriorating conditions of the glacier. The melting is happening faster than ever before, and access to the glacier is becoming increasingly difficult.

As concerns mount about the future of the resort, it remains unclear whether the ski lift will be rebuilt. Reports suggest that a new lift could cost between 30 to 40 million kroner (around $3.5 million), a significant investment in an area that is rapidly changing. In fact, experts have long warned that the glacier’s retreat could spell the end of summer skiing on the Folgefonna Glacier. A 2022 report highlighted the risks posed by the glacier’s shrinking size, signaling that maintaining ski operations in the area would become increasingly difficult as the glacier continued to recede.

This situation at Folgefonna is not an isolated one. The retreat of glaciers is a global issue, with many ski resorts around the world grappling with the challenges posed by climate change. In British Columbia, for instance, the well-known Whistler Blackcomb resort announced the suspension of its summer ski programs on the Horstman Glacier due to the rapid melting of the glacier. Similarly, a study published in Nature in February 2025 revealed that glaciers around the world are losing ice at an alarming rate, with a record 604 billion tons of ice disappearing in 2023 alone.

Despite the grim outlook for many summer ski destinations, some resorts continue to offer limited skiing options. Timberline Lodge in Oregon, for example, is known for having North America’s longest lift-served ski season and managed to stay open well into August this year. Copper Mountain in Colorado also preserved enough snow to offer a summer hiking park, where visitors could still enjoy the thrill of skiing in the warmer months. However, these examples are becoming rarer as glaciers continue to shrink and snowpacks dwindle.

Norway’s Folgefonna Glacier is rapidly retreating, causing the collapse of its ski lift and marking a significant shift for summer skiing in the region. This highlights the broader impact of climate change on glacier-dependent ski resorts.

The fate of the Folgefonna ski area serves as a clear warning of the accelerating effects of climate change. Glaciers like Folgefonna are not just recreational spots; they are vital ecosystems that support local wildlife, water sources, and weather patterns. As these ice masses continue to shrink, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify investments in maintaining ski infrastructure on unstable terrain. The collapse of the ski lift at Folgefonna is a stark reminder that without significant action to combat climate change, destinations like these may soon disappear entirely.

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