On the snow-covered summit ridge overlooking the Italian village of Gaver, the bright red bullwheel looks like a relic from a bygone industrial age. This giant pulley was once the top of a busy ski lift, its path still visible beneath the line of rusting steel pylons running down the hillside. But the last time anyone queued to ski here was a decade ago, and the engine, cables, and buttons have long since been sold for scrap.

Abandoned lifts like this have become a depressingly common sight across the Alps, as rising global temperatures make it increasingly difficult for lower-lying ski areas to operate. The lack of snow made headlines this January when it forced several famous French ski resorts to close.