Winter Skiing Is Disappearing

Ski resorts in the US and Europe face a similar problem: NO SNOW. And, often, rain in place of snow. It will be above freezing during the daytime at Telluride, the famous ski resort, for the next ten days. The same is true for Aspen. Skiers who support the ski industry look at the weather and stay away.

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A research report analyzed by the AP showed that “over half of Europe’s ski resorts will face a severe lack of snow if temperatures rise 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while nearly all would be affected by an increase of 4 degrees — presenting challenges for the industry and policymakers, and threatening a harsher reality for ski lovers.”

The National Ski Resort Association came to the same conclusion in the US. It released a policy paper that said, “Climate change is the number one threat to the snowsports industry.” The sparse number of skiers visiting resorts supports the reasons for their concerns.

Danger of Warming Weather

The ski industry is not the only portion of the economy hurt by warm weather problems. A model created by “Ski New Hampshire” showed that the total restaurant, lodging, retail, and grocery sales nearly equaled ticket sales and admission. In a large resort, poor weather could affect thousands of people in the communities surrounding ski resorts.

The ski industry has developed novel solutions to climate warming, but each will only be effective for a short time if warming accelerates. One is to move ski areas higher up in the mountains, where temperatures tend to be cold. “Higher elevation terrain keeps resorts open longer,” Nick Sargent, the president of Snowsports Industries America, told The New York Times.

The other is a significant investment in snow-making equipment. Snow-making machines can make snow for between $70 and $2,100 per acre-foot, according to the Ambipar Group, an environmental construction company. That means a mid-sized resort must invest well into the six figures or much higher in this equipment, A bank or other lender might balk at the cost of weather-related risks of global warming if resorts ask for financing.

Climate change will destroy some industries and make many others smaller. The ski industry is among these.