Higher Elevation Washington resorts needed...?

seems like additional ski resorts are unlikely until climate change eventually/possibly ends lift skiing at Snoqualmie & Stevens.

If/when WA is down to just one or two reliable ski areas, then perhaps taking a slice out of the North Cascades or developing the east side of Adams is going to become something that everyone takes another look at.

If Al Gore is right, we don't have time to mess around here. I say Peak To Peak Gondy between Crystal and the top of Inner Glacier, to start with. ..........................................just kidding too much Elk habitat, I understand.

seems like additional ski resorts are unlikely until climate change eventually/possibly ends lift skiing at Snoqualmie & Stevens. 

If/when WA is down to just one or two reliable ski areas, then perhaps taking a slice out of the North Cascades or developing the east side of Adams is going to become something that everyone takes another look at.

I find it hard to be optimistic about the future of skiing when reading articles like the one in today's NYTimes:

www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/science/earth...-will-be-costly.html

Nations have so dragged their feet in battling climate change that the situation has grown critical and the risk of severe economic disruption is rising, according to a draft United Nations report. Another 15 years of failure to limit carbon emissions could make the problem virtually impossible to solve with current technologies, experts found.

Delay would likely force future generations to develop the ability to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and store them underground to preserve the livability of the planet, the report found. But it is not clear whether such technologies will ever exist at the necessary scale, and even if they do, the approach would likely be wildly expensive compared with taking steps now to slow emissions.

The article is alarming, perhaps alarmist.  But I have a hard time avoiding the conclusion that we're screwed. And not just because of this article.

"First world problem" may ultimately be too generous a term to describe the decline of skiing.

I've said the same thing about Mt Baker Ski Area in the past...if only it were another 2000' higher we wouldn't have the conditions that give us 35* and snowing as Gwynn so cheerfullly reports on many a "powder day".  This year I don't think another 2000' would change much, we really haven't seen much in the way of "almost not rain" at the lodges, it just isn't precipitating at all and we've been dealing with inversions! I left my house nearly at sea level this morning in the mid 30's and checked the telemetry when I got to work and it's been in the mid 40's at 4000-5000 feet.  Yes the snow is more consistent up higher but the glaciers are much more broken up and the snow quality really isn't that great, often windblown or heavily sun affected.

It's interesting that generally the climate models show the PNW receiving more precipitation in the winter (and less in the summer) during future decades, so if true, what we've had this season (dry) isn't really typical of what to expect. If that played out, it might be a bit of a wash for PNW skiing, at least in the near term: more precip but also progressively warmer. Higher elevations would do well and the lower resorts (Snoqualmie Pass, Skibowl, etc.) would get more rain.

But, I agree that in the grand scheme of things, this is a first world problem - more pressing is that there are probably going to be "climate refugees" moving here in droves from harder hit places to our (relatively) cool and wet Shangri-La.