Thursday, March 9, 2006: Ski Areas and C-Change

Thursday, March 9, 2006<br>1:30-3:00<br>Climate change and the economics of ski areas: Examples from Idaho<br><br>For ski areas at moderate elevation, the Climate Impacts Group (CIG) has found that even modest increases in the Pacific Northwest temperature and precipitation as a result of climate change could significantly decrease revenues by shortening the length of the ski season. Warmer winter temperatures projected under climate change imply later opening and earlier closing dates for ski areas. Shorter ski seasons can have a significant impact on the economic viability of ski resorts.<br><br>Increasingly ski areas are turning to artificial snow-making in an effort to increase skier days and hence profitability. Depending on the location of the ski area, artificial snow-making may not be economically viable. Snow-making requires large amounts of water; it takes 139,322 gallons of water to make an acre-foot of snow. A "typical" ski run of 200 feet wide with a drop of 1,500 feet would take three acre feet of water (55 tanker truck loads) to make one foot of snow. If the resort has affordable water available then snowmaking can be economically be used to extend the season. For those ski areas that don't have sufficient water availability, the future will mean coping with shorter ski seasons.<br>Speaker bio:<br><br>Don Reading is a consulting economist with the Climate Impacts Group. Don is based in Boise, Idaho.<br><br> www.cses.washington.edu/cig/outreach/sem...ading030906abs.shtml

I'd go but hope to be enjoying light fluffy powder. All these CIG talks are open to the public.

This article makes no sense (just like the theory I guess). If the temps warm up to make for shorter seasons you can't turn to fake snow because the temp would be too high since you need tempratures to be around 28 degrees or less. If the temprature was that low then there would be no need for artificial snowmaking..... The areas that have increased snowmaking is not because of warming climate, but to get an earlier start on the season. Eastern WA areas that have colder/drier climates benefit from snowmaking (IE: Mission Ridge). <br><br>Well, with all the warming we've suppose to have caused we have yet to see our seasons get shorter or snowfall get less. <br><br>I wonder who is paying for his research?

With an overall warmer climate there will still be below freezing temperatures, even arctic cold snaps. That is when snowmaking would occur.<br><br>On a side note, technology now allows snowmaking to occur at much, much warmer temperatures (up to 60 degrees F)! One ski area that used to be in my backyard in NH now opens the terrain park in the summer! <br><br>See: www.snowmagic.com/main.html

With an overall warmer climate there will still be below freezing temperatures, even arctic cold snaps. That is when snowmaking would occur.<br><br>On a side note, technology now allows snowmaking to occur at much, much warmer temperatures (up to 60 degrees F)! One ski area that used to be in my backyard in NH now opens the terrain park in the summer! <br><br>See: www.snowmagic.com/main.html

<br><br><br>I'm very familiar with Tenney Mtn as a friend of mine was the one who bought that area and re-opened it prior to its sale to the snowmagic folks (he is from Yakima). Still, there are no ski areas in WA, OR or Idaho that have installed snowmaking because of warmer climate.... The information in the Climate change and the economics of ski areas is flawed. I can guarantee you that no area in the PNW will consider snowmagic.

The Canadians already have this figured out, with the lifts running for mtn bikers at Whistler.<br><br>Snowmaking is more retarded than air "conditioning."

As I said, I mentioned Snowmagic as a side note, but guess I should have not mentioned it at all. It was just as a retort to the comment that snowmaking could only occur below 28 degrees when they are getting pretty good at making it above freezing! (In other cases other than just this new fangled Snowmagic technology too).<br><br>I'm not sure where you got the idea that any ski area in the PNW has installed snowmaking specifically to deal with climate change. It does not state that anywhere in the abstract of this talk. This talk is about what ski areas might do in the future.<br><br>I agree that making snow seems like it will not work in WA; more high elevation rain will probably just wash away whatever snow they can make!