Climate change is disproportionately affecting mountain ecosystems due to elevation dependent warming. A major impact of climate change in mountain ecosystems is changing snow cover. Snow cover in the European Alps is predicted to decline by 50 – 60% at 2000 m under an IPCC A2 Greenhouse Emissions Pathways by 2100 (Beniston, 2012). Reductions in snow volume are accompanied by shorter annual duration of snow cover, leading to earlier snowmelt. Future changes in snow cover and snowmelt timing are a challenge faced by seasonally snow-covered ecosystems globally, with important ecological implications aboveground and belowground. Here we will showcase some of the most recent advances in our understanding of how changes in snow cover affect alpine and arctic ecosystems. Following a selection of talks, we will hold a round table discussion with the authors. We will invite the audience to ask questions about the presented research, or raise topics for the authors and audience members to debate and explore.