Winter tourism is strongly influenced by changes in climatic conditions. These conditions are not only a prerequisite but also have a direct impact on the behavior of winter sports enthusiasts.
The objective of this study was to analyze the development of climate parameters and the spatiotemporal use of the Feldberg Winter Sports Center ski resort in order to gain a better understanding of climate changes and their impact on visitor behavior in a low-mountain ski resort. Methods such as trend analysis, descriptive statistics, and linear multiple regression were used to analyze and evaluate the data and their relationships.
The results of the analysis of the climatic time series show a positive trend regarding the development of seasonal snow cover during the study period: a longer duration, an earlier onset, and greater consistency. Natural snow reliability has also improved in recent years. The average seasonal air temperature, on the other hand, shows a significant increase over the study period. In terms of spatiotemporal usage, a decline in total guest numbers and total lift rides is evident. However, at the same time, the number of skier-days per operating day has increased. Furthermore, there has been a significant shift in operating days toward the later part of the season. A linear multiple regression analysis of the usage data against climate parameters reveals a significant negative impact of increases in wind speed and air temperature on the number of lift rides. In contrast, more hours of sunshine and greater snow depths increase the intensity of ski lift usage.
The results of the analysis largely confirm the findings of previous studies in the European Alps and North America. They also show an unusually positive trend in local snow conditions in the Feldberg region. More specific models and the inclusion of additional parameters may further enhance the potential for modeling the climatic influence on spatiotemporal usage in the future.