EUROPEAN ski resorts are branching into the summer holiday market as the effects of global warming hit the slopes.

Picturesque alpine towns are moving into golfing, cycling and cross-country trekking to offset losses caused by declining snowfall, as a Swiss study shows snow cover suitable for winter tourism has fallen by 60% in 60 years.

Stephan Lerendu, director of the Tourist Office at Avoriaz, France, said: "It's difficult right now. Tennis courts, saunas and gyms are must-haves. Golf courses are indispensable for ski stations. We are adapting ski schools for the summer, with downhill biking and Nordic walking instead. We are creating green, blue, red and black pistes for cycling. It's the future."

Yves Caillet, of Swiss Mountain Sports, which offers canyoning and paragliding, said: "The winter season is getting shorter and shorter. We need tourists to discover the mountains in summer."

Dr Christoph Marty, who led the study at the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, said it compared the period 1948-1987 with the past 20 years and found falls in snow days at all altitudes: from 28 to 13 days up to 800 metres; 55 to 38 up to 1300 metres; and from 93 to 74 at top altitudes suitable for downhill skiing. "There is nothing similar in 1000 years of records," he said.

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