While the Northeastern U.S. appears to be hit with a massive winter snowpack, not all areas of the U.S. experience the season in the same way, hurting ski resorts as well.
Mount Shasta Ski Park posted a video on Facebook explaining that the park will be temporarily closed starting February 9 due to rain and lack of snow.
General manager Brendan Hickey said: “We were hit hard by the heavy rain last night and it will hit us hard again today.”
What happened?
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only time the ski area has closed this season. The course opened the season late on Dec. 27 and closed a week later due to similarly difficult conditions, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Mount Shasta Ski Park isn’t the only ski resort experiencing problems, either. Mt. Ashland in Oregon was closed on January 15 due to warm weather, low snowpack and no expected snow.
This problem isn’t just limited to the U.S. West Coast; Japan’s ski season is also off to a terrible start. Some ski resorts in Japan had to postpone their opening at the beginning of the ski season due to insufficient snow to ensure safe operations.
Reduced snowfall has also been a problem for several years. For example, in 2023, parts of the French Alps were completely nude in photos despite being ski resorts.
Why are ski area closures a concern?
Many ski resorts are vital to their communities. They are a driver of a city or state’s economy, providing jobs for locals – not just at the ski resorts, but also in surrounding hotels, restaurants and shops. Delayed startups and shutdowns do impact the communities that rely on them.
At the same time, it is a sign of the impact of rising global temperatures. Warmer weather can lead to more rainfall than snow, which could interrupt the ski season and negatively impact ecosystems that rely on snow or ice.
What measures are being taken in response to ski resort closures?
A number of Swiss organizations, including the tourism board and the Swiss Association of Tour Managers, have collaborated on the “Snow Compass”, a scientific model that predicts the number of snowy days in ski resorts during the season.
The model also provides solutions to help resorts plan better. These include better infrastructure for high-altitude resorts, additional activities such as festivals, wellness events and tubing, as well as the possibility of year-round tourism.
Fortunately, Mount Shasta Ski Park reopened on February 17, as announced on Instagram. However, it is an ongoing problem plaguing ski resorts around the world.
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