During the Milan‑Cortina 2026 Games, veteran Olympians Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and Italy’s Federica Brignone warned that the glaciers framing the Dolomites are vanishing. The once‑visible ice fields around Cortina have shrunk to isolated patches, and reaching the nearest major glacier, the Marmolada, now requires a long mountain drive. Their remarks underscore a threat to the sport’s training grounds.

Italian glaciologist Antonella Senese reports the country has lost more than 200 square kilometers of ice since the late 1950s, with a marked acceleration in the past decade. Inventories show the Cristallo and Sorapiss glaciers have contracted by roughly one‑third since the early 1960s, while the Marmolada has been halved over 25 years and could disappear by 2034 if warming reaches 2.7 °C.

With glaciers disappearing, the ski industry faces a shrinking pool of reliable snow, forcing resorts to invest in artificial snowmaking and higher‑altitude lifts—costs that pressure profit margins. Athletes like Shiffrin and Brignone are urging sponsors and governments to act, linking climate policy to the future of winter‑sport venues and related tourism revenue. The message is now echoing beyond the slopes.