CLIMATE CHANGE

Utah Ski and Snowboard Industry

 SCIENTISTS
PREDICT THAT
THE “GREATEST
SNOW ON
EARTH” COULD
DISAPPEAR BY
THE END OF THE
CENTURY.
A STUDY PREDICTS THAT UTAH WILL
NO LONGER BE A SKI DESTINATION
BECAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE WILL
HAVE CAUSED THE AMOUNT OF
SNOWFALL AND SNOW COVERAGE
TO DECREASE DRAMATICALLY.
 Utah ski industry is
very important,
dependence of snow
in that industry.
Climate change
impacts to snowpack
at Utah ski rresorts
can have a significant
impact on the
regional economy in
the future.
 ACCORDING TO SKI UTAH, A
MARKETING FIRM OWNED AND
OPERATED BY THE 14 SKI RESORTS
LOCATED IN UTAH, SKIING
CONTRIBUTES $1.29 BILLION TO UTAH’S
ECONOMY AND CREATES 20,000 JOBS FOR
THE STATE. EVEN THOSE WHO DO NOT
SKI OR SNOWBOARD IN THE STATE
BENEFIT FROM THE TOURIST
ATTRACTION, WITH THE SKI INDUSTRY
REDUCING THE TAX BURDEN ON UTAH
HOUSEHOLDS BY $1,076 IN 2012.
“SKIERS AND SCIENTISTS WILL TELL YOU
THE SAME THING: UTAH IS GETTING
WARMER, AND IT IS GETTING DRIER.
THAT MEANS SHORTER WINTERS AND
DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THE WEATHER
PATTERNS THAT SKIERS IN THE WEST
DEPEND ON FOR THE UNMATCHED
SNOW CONDITIONS THEY ENJOY,”
WHITEHOUSE SAID.
NOT ALL BYU SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS AGREE WITH SCIENTISTS
PREDICTION THAT UTAH WINTERS WILL COME TO AN END.
 “A LOT OF SCIENTISTS TRY TO PREDICT
SNOWFALL YEAR ROUND. THEY’LL SAY THIS
YEAR WE ARE GOING TO GET A LOT OF
SNOW AND WE MIGHT OR WE MIGHT NOT.
YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW,” SAID COLLIN
FRANCOM, HEAD OF MARKETING FOR
FREERIDE ACADEMY, BYU’S CLUB FOR
SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS.
DURING THE LAST WINTER OLYMPICS
HOSTED IN SOCHI TWO OLYMPIC TEST
EVENTS WERE CANCELED DUE TO
HIGH TEMPERATURES AND A LACK OF
SNOWFALL. THIS LED CLIMATOLOGIST
DANIEL SCOTT, PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL
CHANGE AND TOURISM AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO IN
ONTARIO, TO ANALYZE POTENTIAL
VENUES FOR FUTURE WINTER GAMES.
 HE CONCLUDED THAT OF
THE 19 CITIES THAT HAVE
HOSTED THE WINTER
OLYMPICS, AS FEW AS 10
MIGHT BE COLD ENOUGH
BY MIDCENTURY TO HOST
THEM AGAIN DUE TO A RISE
IN THE AVERAGE GLOBAL
TEMPERATURE. BY 2100,
THAT NUMBER SHRINKS TO
6.
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE AND WRITER
PORTER FOX, AUTHOR OF “DEEP: THE STORY
OF SKIING AND THE FUTURE OF SNOW”
CITES RESEARCH SHOWING THAT THE
WESTERN U.S. WILL LOSE AN ESTIMATED 25
TO 100 PERCENT OF ITS SNOWPACK AND
REDUCE THE SNOWPACK IN PARK CITY TO
ZERO IF THINGS CONTINUE THE WAY THEY
ARE.
A MAP DEPICTING UTAH RESORTS TOTAL YEARLY SNOWFALL IS FOUND BELOW. THE MAP
SHOWS HOW THE HISTORY OF SNOWFALL IN UTAH DURING THE PAST SIX YEARS HAS
EXPERIENCED UPS AND DOWNS BUT OVERALL TOTAL SNOWFALL IS DECREASING.
“WE ARE TRYING TO
GET AHEAD OF THAT
BALL AND SAY THE
TRENDS YOU ARE
SEEING ARE ONLY
GOING TO GET
WORSE,” SAID FOX IN
A VIDEORELEASED
IN 2014.
 COMMUNITY AND SKI
INDUSTRY LEADERS ARE
ALREADY SPEARHEADING
INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS
AND SOLVE CLIMATE
CHANGE. THIS LAST AUGUST
THEY MET WITH MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS AND
DISCUSSED WHAT COULD BE
DONE.
 “THESE UTAHNS SEE THE EFFECTS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE EVERY WINTER AND
ARE DOING IMPRESSIVE WORK TO
ADAPT TO THE CHANGING CONDITIONS
AND REDUCE THEIR INDUSTRY’S
CARBON FOOTPRINT,” SAID SEN.
WHITEHOUSE. “WE NEED TO CONTINUE
TO PUSH LEADERS IN UTAH AND
WASHINGTON TO FOLLOW THEIR LEAD
AND ACT ON CLIMATE.”
 ALONG WITH GETTING
INVOLVED POLITICALLY, UTAH
LOCALS CAN ALL HELP STOP
THE END OF WINTER BY USING
PARK AND RIDE TRANSITS
FOUND AT THE BASE OF BIG
AND LITTLE COTTONWOOD
CANYONS; EMPLOYEES CAN
ALSO USE RIDE SHARE
PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY
RESORTS, AND EACH CAN TAKE
STEPS TO REDUCE THEIR OWN
CARBON FOOTPRINT.
Sources
◦ https://universe.byu.edu/2017/01/12/scienti
sts-predict-climate-change-to-impact-utah-ski-
industry/