Climate Change’s Impact on the Ski Industry
Economic Policy Brief #63 | By: Reilly Fitzgerald | November 18, 2024
Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash
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Policy Summary
As our world warms as a result of climate change, our winters across the globe are becoming more unpredictable, warm, and with less snowfall. According to Time Magazine, the Western US’ snowpack has decreased by about 23% since 1955; and some reports are estimating that in Vermont, by 2080, the ski season could be about a month shorter. Obviously, there are environmental factors that a warmer winter would lead to; but there are also economic implications on the ski communities that rely on tourism and visitors to sustain their economies. This has led to innovations in snow-making, and snowpack protection, across the world – including at the FIS World Cup level of the industry.
Analysis
Snow is important for the health of Earth. It plays a major part in regulating the planet’s temperature. Snow is hyper-reflective and is capable of sending the Sun’s energy back into space which keeps the Earth’s temperatures from rising too much through the year. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, without snow, the ground would absorb about 4-6x the amount of solar energy that it would if there was snow on the ground – leading to warmer temperatures. Less snow could lead to droughts in areas that typically relied on snowpack melting during the warmer months for access to water, or to harvest with the purpose of providing water. It could also lead to species of animals dying that had evolved to survive in a world with snow, such as snowshoe hares (white fur coats to blend into a snowy environment). It could also lead to a loss of indigenous knowledge related to cultural practices that involve snow may disappear, as well.
The highest level of global ski competition is the FIS World Cup. This is where the best skiers on the planet compete at a professional level; often these are the same skiers we would see in the Winter Olympics. More and more frequently there are World Cup races being canceled due to unsafe, unpredictable, or lack of snow conditions. The competitive side of skiing sends skiers all over the world. During the northern hemisphere’s winter skiers are taking part in races in Europe and North America; during the summer months, they attend training camps and do other races in New Zealand or Chile (southern hemisphere’s winter season). The World Cup skiing events can be huge economic events for the hosting communities; and many communities throughout the world have grown accustomed to hosting these events with great regularity. The ski industry accounts for about $20 billion per year in revenue for local towns and communities in the United States.
So, what can be done to help prolong a seasonal activity whose season appears to be dying? The funny part is that winters are shortening and becoming more unpredictable, and less winter-y, but skiing is still hugely popular. In the United States alone, there were 65 million ski visits over the 2022-2023 season, according to Time Magazine. This has led to innovations in techniques to manage the snowpack, either natural or man-made.
“Snow farming” has been a technique used for centuries to preserve snow around the world. A research study from 2017, by Thomas et al., mentioned how people in Afghanistan used to put snow in deep wells to provide water through the warmer months, and this is just one example. Snow farming involves moving snow at the end of the season to one area, and then blanketing the snow with insulation. The insulation would be able to prevent much of the snow from melting during the summer. The insulation used for this can vary, for example some areas opt to use sawdust, and others opt for large insulated blankets that cover the snowpack. Research suggests that snow farming could preserve as much as ⅔ of the initial snow amount being farmed. This could be a game changer for places that rely on early season skiing such as October or November, and have temperatures to get people on the hill.
Snowmaking, another technique, has been used for decades to get snow onto the hill and kick-start the season, and get people on the slopes. As long as temperatures are cold enough, resorts can produce man-made snow – which means that mountains are less dependent on natural precipitation and are not always at the mercy of Mother Nature. This activity, however, for many years has produced a lot of planet-warming emissions. Ironically, we are able to create snow which helps with the predictability of climate change, but are also furthering the climate change problem. The amount of power needed to provide snow to even a small resort is exorbitant. According to Time Magazine, the seasonal snow production energy needed for Bromely, a ski resort town in Vermont, could power 100 homes. The utility bill for Bromley is also in excess of half a billion dollars.
However, snowmaking technologies have improved drastically. New snowmaking equipment has been said to use about 80% less air, a major contributor to the cost of snowmaking, which makes it more affordable. Some states, like Vermont, have even provided subsidies for resorts to change to more modern equipment for this reason. Also, much of the snowmaking equipment used to run off of diesel gas but has now shifted to electricity which allows for the introduction of renewable energies. Bolton Valley, Vermont, has about 121 wind turbines that produce electricity to run much of the snowmaking operations at the resort. Many ski areas are also investing in solar energy, by placing solar arrays on their property – this has also allowed for cheaper energy..
Winters are changing, and shifting. They are immensely different from what I remember them being when I was a child, and I think most adults would agree. This includes unpredictable snowfalls, the later arrival of cold temperatures, and the later arrival of snowfall. Technology has been a great asset to providing consistent snow surfaces for recreational, and professional, skiing; however, for decades it also contributed to help strengthen climate change via gas emissions. Modern innovations may be able to lessen the greenhouse gas emissions caused by snowmaking technology.
Engagement Resources
- Snow Farming Research – https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2017-93/tc-2017-93.pdf
- Greener Snowmaking Is Helping Ski Resorts Weather Climate Change (Times Magazine) – https://time.com/6695481/ski-resorts-snowmaking-climate-change/
- Why It Matters (National Snow and Ice Data Center/ University of Colorado Boulder) – https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/snow/why-snow-matters