desert turns

Untracked! 😀

Well I suppose that's one option regarding diminishing snowpack 🙀

Will my skins work for that?

groomed nightly

Looks like more vertical than the other option:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_Dubai

Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado is a good place for this.  I've done it there.  I've heard lots of different suggestions for stuff to put on the bottom of skis to help with glide in sand, but never got it working too well.  Mostly had to keep jumping out of the sand to keep it moving.  On skis, old 75mm tele bindings are the best option I think...minimal moving parts to get sand in.  And skinning uphill in sand can be done without anything on your bases and it works easier than walking.