Swiss resort abandons 175-cannon snowmaking scheme after protected wetland clash

A major snowmaking project at the Swiss ski areas of Leysin and Les Mosses has been abandoned after officials concluded that planned infrastructure at Les Mosses was incompatible with federal protection for a wetland of national importance. The operator, Télé Leysin–Les Mosses–La Lécherette (TLML), will now focus on a smaller scheme at Leysin while accelerating its move towards four-season tourism.

Project withdrawn after eight years

The cancelled plan, first launched in 2018, was intended to install 175 snow cannons across the linked Vaud Alps ski areas: 109 at Leysin and 66 at Les Mosses. Water would have been drawn from Lake Hongrin and carried through a pipeline network extending for roughly 20 kilometres.

The project was designed to address increasingly unreliable natural snowfall and protect the resorts’ ability to operate through the winter. However, its environmental and legal problems persisted through successive revisions.

An initial version was withdrawn in 2024 for further work. A revised proposal submitted for public consultation earlier in 2026 still attracted more than 500 objections from residents, elected representatives and environmental organisations.

The project had been estimated in Swiss reports at approximately CHF20–22 million, with significant cantonal support.

Wetland protection proved decisive

The central obstacle was the Les Mosses marshland, classified as a wetland of national importance. TLML and the canton of Vaud said the interpretation and application of federal law had become clearer during the long approval process.

Their joint statement concluded that new tourist infrastructure in the protected Les Mosses area—including artificial snowmaking facilities—was no longer compatible with federal law. The project’s opponents had also warned that pipes, access works and snowmaking installations could damage marshes, dry meadows, habitats and other sensitive ecosystems.

The authorities also faced the prospect of lengthy appeals. TLML chair Jean-Marc Udriot said the company’s directors had to “take responsibility” because the project was heading towards a dead end, while the company and canton warned that legal challenges could have prolonged the process for several years and left its outcome uncertain.

A smaller plan for Leysin

TLML will now concentrate its investment on Leysin, where it is considering 30 to 40 snow cannons in the key sectors of Aï, Brion, Les Fers and Choulet. Two chairlifts in those areas have recently been rebuilt, and the operator says improved snow reliability would support more consistent winter operations and strengthen the area’s appeal.

A new public consultation for the reduced Leysin scheme is expected by the end of 2026. Cantonal funding for the revised project is guaranteed until the end of August 2030, although Vaud is seeking an extension of planned federal contributions.

The retreat from Les Mosses does not mean an immediate end to downhill skiing there. TLML says skiing will continue as long as natural snow cover permits, but the company now intends to accelerate the development of activities that can operate beyond the traditional winter season.

Environmental campaigners welcome decision

Pro Natura Vaud, one of the organisations opposing the project, described the cancellation as a relief. It repeated its concern that the proposed snowmaking system could have caused serious damage to nationally protected marshes.

The organisation said the future of tourism in the Vaud Alps should be built, as far as possible, without further expansion of artificial snowmaking. The campaign against the project described it as water- and energy-intensive and out of step with a warming climate.

The scale of public resistance grew sharply during the latest consultation. More than 500 formal objections were filed, following earlier opposition to previous versions of the scheme.

The wider Alpine dilemma

The decision highlights the increasingly difficult choices facing lower- and medium-altitude ski areas. Warmer winters and shorter periods of natural snow are making snowmaking an important operational tool, but expanding it requires substantial investment in water supply, electricity, reservoirs, pipelines and maintenance.

Recent research has found a broad decline in snow reliability across the European Alps between 1985 and 2024, with late-season conditions deteriorating particularly sharply. In one 2026 remote-sensing study, 94% of analysed downhill ski areas showed a negative full-season snow trend, rising to 97.8% for the late season.

Snowmaking can reduce short-term operational risk, but it does not remove the underlying climate pressure. A 2026 study of ski resorts across 28 countries concluded that snowmaking could lower the number of resorts at very high operational risk under warming scenarios, while simultaneously increasing demand for water and electricity and the associated emissions.

That tension was evident in the Leysin–Les Mosses debate. TLML argued that artificial snow was necessary to maintain winter activity and support local businesses, while opponents questioned whether building more infrastructure at vulnerable elevations was a durable response to climate change.

Jobs and the four-season pivot

TLML says its operations support 37 full-time jobs, more than 250 direct winter jobs and around 30 summer positions, in addition to supporting a wider network of local businesses.

The operator’s revised strategy therefore combines selective investment at Leysin with a broader diversification programme. At Les Mosses, the future business model will rely more heavily on natural snow when conditions allow, alongside tourism that is less dependent on a continuous ski season.

The cancellation is not a rejection of snowmaking across the region. Instead, it marks a sharper distinction between investment in already developed, less legally constrained ski sectors and further infrastructure inside protected landscapes.

For TLML, the next test will be whether a much smaller Leysin project can secure approval—and whether four-season tourism can develop quickly enough to compensate for the loss of the proposed snowmaking capacity at Les Mosses.