France, Feb. 14 -- France's ski resorts this week kicked off their peak holiday period to stark warnings from the Court of Auditors that their operating model is "running out of steam" in the face of climate impacts, which are more pronounced in mountainous regions.

With almost 54 million skier visits annually, France ranks as the world's second-most popular ski destination behind the United States. But diminishing snow poses a major threat to the sustainability of the country's alpine holiday spots.

The Court of Auditors, a financial oversight body, predicted that only a few would survive beyond the year 2050- mostly because of drawbacks linked to artificial snow production.

Faced with warmer conditions, ski resorts rely heavily on ar...