As the government and private investors rapidly expand infrastructure projects on Bjelasica—including new hotels, ski slopes, and luxury accommodation—questions are growing about whether climate change will allow this ambitious concept to succeed. Experts warn that the snow line is rising each year and that the ski resorts Kolašin 1600 and Kolašin 1450, both situated below 1,800 meters, already fall into the high-risk category due to increasingly unstable snow coverage.
Tourism specialist Petar Golubović argues that sustainability can be achieved only through strong investment in artificial snowmaking and the development of year-round tourism, as natural winter seasons are shortening faster than ever. Meanwhile, Zorka Raičević, owner of the travel agency Eastwest Voyage Montenegro, notes that major international financial institutions, including the European Investment Bank, generally do not finance ski resorts below 2,000 meters precisely because of climate risks—raising questions about how Kolašin 1600 was ever placed on the list of strategic investments.
How Bjelasica and its investors respond to these challenges, and whether it will be possible to preserve the attractiveness of the ski resort under conditions of reduced snow cover, remain central issues for the future of the destination.
A major study on the impact of climate change on snow cover in European and Austrian ski resorts, published in PLOS ONE, predicts a sharp decline in the number of days with natural snow by the end of the 21st century. Alpine ski resorts could lose up to 42% of their snowpack, while Austrian resorts may lose as much as 78% of snow days—seriously threatening winter tourism in those regions.
Lower-altitude Alpine resorts such as Chamonix and Megève in France, as well as destinations like Germany’s Berchtesgaden and U.S. Rocky Mountain resorts like Aspen, are already facing challenges similar to those on Bjelasica due to shrinking seasons and more frequent snowless winter periods.
In Switzerland, destinations such as Davos and Zermatt are also at risk and rely heavily on snowmaking systems, while investing in activities that attract visitors outside the winter season—cycling trails, spa facilities, and summer sports. Similarly, Italian resorts in the Dolomites increasingly depend on artificial snow and are adapting their services to extend tourism into the summer months.
Kolašin 1600 recognizes the need for artificial snow, but the installation of water reservoirs and the supporting infrastructure is still underway. High costs and the need for additional resources such as water and energy are slowing progress.
Despite climate change, many ski resorts worldwide continue to develop hotels and recreational facilities, but are adapting to mitigate risks from diminished snowfall and shorter ski seasons. Key shifts include transitioning to year-round operation, offering hiking, biking, and wellness activities that draw visitors even without snow.
Golubović maintains that profitability on Bjelasica depends on investing in snowmaking systems to secure ski operations during periods of limited natural snowfall. He adds that northern Montenegro lacks high-category hotels, and the construction of four- and five-star facilities is necessary for serious tourism development. Not only will such hotels provide adequate accommodation, but they will also strengthen the local economy and boost employment, ideally for local residents.
Golubović stresses that winters with less snow are becoming the norm and that sports like alpine skiing and snowboarding cannot exist without sufficient snow cover. These are precisely the activities that attract the largest number of winter tourists, and without them, the success of winter seasons in Kolašin becomes uncertain.
When asked whether investing in tourism infrastructure is a wise economic move given the uncertain long-term sustainability of winter tourism, Golubović points out that the success of recent winter seasons has largely depended on weather conditions. He identifies the main weakness of Kolašin as the lack of adequate infrastructure to prepare ski slopes even in low-snow conditions—specifically, the absence of a complete snowmaking system. If this problem has been recognized for years but remains unaddressed, the question arises whether investors building hotels have made a prudent decision.
He also notes that the local tourism industry must diversify its products and create a broader offering to attract visitors. Golubović sees significant potential in nature-based tourism, agro-tourism, and rural experiences. Activities like hiking, jeep safaris, cycling, quad rides, horseback riding, mushroom picking, team-building programs, orienteering, and paragliding all enrich the destination, particularly outside the winter season.
Raičević adds that European funds and financial institutions—including the EIB—never approve funding for ski centers located below 2,000 meters, considering them risky, climate-vulnerable, and unsustainable. She questions how Kolašin 1600 was approved as a strategic project under these conditions. She also highlights another issue: despite having two gondolas, the resort hardly uses them during summer, even though panoramic rides and mountain excursions are among the most attractive draws for tourists in the region.
According to her, the road from Kolašin to the ski center is in extremely poor condition, creating a negative first impression for both domestic and foreign tourists. Infrastructure does not match the scale of the project’s ambition; aside from a few good hotels, the area lacks a cohesive tourism product. The hotel “Bjanka” is already outdated, while most other accommodations are apartment-style—solid but insufficient for a destination aspiring to lead winter tourism.
She ultimately asks how Kolašin 1600 is expected to function in the long term under the pressures of climate change, reduced snowfall at its altitude, limited summer offerings, weak infrastructure, and a lack of high-quality accommodation—especially when it fails to meet criteria required by international financial institutions.
Among researchers studying climate impacts on ski resorts, Dr. Samuel Morin of the French National Centre for Meteorological Research stands out. His team examined the effects of global warming on more than 2,200 ski resorts across Europe. Their findings show that resorts below 1,800 meters are the most vulnerable, facing dramatic declines in snow cover in the coming decades. With a 2°C temperature increase, 53% of European ski resorts face high snow-risk; with a 4°C rise, that figure jumps to 98%.
As a partial solution, Morin’s team suggests intensified use of artificial snowmaking, although this brings environmental challenges such as higher consumption of water and electricity, contributing to additional CO₂ emissions.
