Endangered rivers, rain in February above 8,000 ft., glacier-less icefields. The once unimaginable is now the norm. No matter where you live or how old you are climate change is unavoidable, suffocating us as we encourage its continual destruction. As skiers, we are used to putting on goggles to shield our eyes from the unwanted. Unfortunately, there are no goggles dark enough to blind us from the effects of climate change. As skiers, we are also used to seeking powder days. OpenSnow is our speed dial. Unfortunately, powder days still exist but are no doubt dwindling, especially at resorts which sit at lower elevations. As skiers, we have seen first-hand the detrimental effects of global warming, not only on our one true love: skiing; but also on its impact to the environment and the economy.
According to the Protect Our Winters Climate Impacts on the Winter Tourism Economy in the United States Report, 14 of the 15 hottest years have occurred since 2000. By the end of the century, should we remain in our current high emissions state, the temperature will increase by 4°F to 6°F and 25%-100% of snow depth in the Western U.S. will be lost. What does this mean for ski season? Possibly a season that will be shortened by nearly 50%. Many resorts have already been forced to postpone opening dates, some lower elevation resorts, particularly in the Northeast have even had to close their doors. Although some of the most drastic effects are seen in lower elevation areas, climate change is taking a toll on resorts throughout the world. As noted in Powder magazine’s article “Deep: The Future of Skiing in America,” the Northern Hemisphere has lost one million square miles of spring snowpack since 1970. 20% of this has occurred in the Rockies, while 30% has taken place in the Cascades. To put matters into perspective even more, consider that at high emissions, Park City will lose all snowpack by the end of the century and Aspen Mountain’s snowpack will only remain on the top quarter of the mountain (Burakowski and Magnusson). Additionally, snow depth in Big Sky Country would be 50% less by 2100. On the topic of bad news, 97% of climatologists agree with scientific findings that in the next 75 years skiing will be no longer (Fox). As skiers, that is a pill we aren’t quite ready to swallow.
Documentation of the warming trend.
Aside from climate change’s direct impact on our sport, it also affects the community around us. The ski industry and winter tourism have a remarkable impact on the economy, roughly 12.2 billion dollars (Burakowski and Magnusson). On low snowfall years, Colorado, the state with the greatest number of skier visits, loses around 154 million dollars a year in ski resort revenue. Nationwide, low snowfall years contribute to 152 million fewer skier visits. This equates to 1.07 billion dollars that would’ve been possible ski resort revenue during high snowfall, nearly 13,000 fewer jobs, and roughly 810 million dollars less value added to the U.S. economy. Should this all too likely prediction become reality, in the Northeast, where several resorts have already closed their doors, only 4 of 14 major resorts would stay profitable by 2100. Resorts have already had to diversify to maintain profits. This is most commonly seen by making ski resorts year-round destinations through the implementation of activities, such as mountain biking or ziplining. While this practice may be a solution for larger resorts and conglomerates, that is not always the case for your local ski hill. What about snowmaking you ask? Aside from the fact that snowmaking is not always the most green practice, constituting nearly 50% of the resort’s energy costs, it is also absurdly costly, averaging $500k per resort, per year. Cost factor aside, snowmaking isn’t even successful when temperatures are often too warm to put the machines to use (Burakowski and Magnusson).
To draw the point home, as if you haven’t heard enough depressing news for the day, climate change impacts us on a day to day scale. According to Powder magazine’s article “Deeper: The Future of Snow in America,” people that live downstream of mountain ranges are in direct danger of losing water supply. As Fox states, “Snow and ice are the largest reservoir of fresh water on the planet, with a billion people depending on snowmelt for drinking water, farming, and hydroelectricity.” Stop thinking you have it worse than everyone else; climate change is not only affecting skiers.
The good news is that skiers have in fact been actively combating climate change. Protect Our Winters has been extremely active in not only spreading the word, but also in holding events accessible to nearly anyone. The events range from carpool days at resorts where those who choose to share or chose alternative transportation are rewarded with front row parking, sponsor prizes, or raffle tickets, educating our future generations through school assembly’s with the Hot Planet Cool Athletes organization, and a personal favorite, partnering with New Belgium and Ben & Jerry’s in the 100 Days to Change Our Ways campaign which melds beer tastings with athletes in efforts to sign letters of advocacy. Aside, from POW there are numerous other positive initiatives being taken. The National Ski Areas Association currently has 36 resorts participating in their Climate Challenge. This is a voluntary program which recognizes areas who will adhere to their “Sustainable Slopes” program and actively reduce greenhouse gases. Of the participating resorts, a particularly active area is Aspen. Aspen now runs 100% of electrical utility with renewable energy forms, they actively take action by educating and volunteering in the community, along with reaching out to senators. Furthermore, employees have the opportunity to donate to the Environmental Foundation, which has donated over $3 million to local projects. Although, these are certainly steps in the right direction, the most drastic measures must come from Congress.
With the Climate Change March quickly approaching, we encourage you to take a stand, raise up the goggles, face the harsh reality, and go be as determined to fight climate change as you are to hit up those life-changing powder days. And if it happens to cross your mind that your energy would be spent better skiing than walking, please think again! Remember that there is power in numbers. In the past the marches have not only raised awareness, but actively influenced congress. Although, there is no guarantee that policies will change, there is a guarantee that you will make an impact. A guarantee, that your energy will be well spent. Please take your energy off the slopes and let your voice be heard, whether it be this Saturday or any other day of the year. Let’s band together, not only as skiers, but as citizens of the world, preservationists of the environment, and fighters. Yes, fighters.
This Weekend’s Events:
If you can’t make the march in D.C., there are many local opportunities no matter where you live. Protect Our Winters has compiled a list of marches on 4/29 all over the world. For Denver locals, we hope to see you at Civic Center Park this Saturday, and make sure you stop by and say hi to any of us in Powder7 gear!
Free downloadable signs and social media graphics, like the one above, are available from artist Jeremy Collins.
Works Cited:
Burakowski, Elizabeth, and Matthew Magnusson. Climate Impacts on the Winter Tourism Economy in the United States. Rep. NRDC, POW, 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.
Fox, Porter. “Deep: The Future of Skiing in America.” Powder Sept. 2013: n. pag. Powder. The Enthusiast Network, 17 Aug. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.
https://www.aspensnowmass.com
https://peoplesclimate.org
http://www.nsaa.org
