Small ski resorts face uphill battle with snow shortfalls
Small ski resorts face uphill battle with snow shortfalls
On a recent blue sky day, families sat outside eating burgers and fries at White Pine ski resort, a two-chairlift ski hill outside Pinedale, Wyoming. But one thing was missing — skiing. The snow was sparse, with rocks and grass poking through.
“Are you guys itching to ski?” local Kelsey Bailly asked her three kids. They replied that they were itching to snowboard.
“Yes, we’re waiting to get up here and play,” Bailly said.
They’re waiting because the small ski hill isn’t open yet. Climate change is making winter unpredictable, and that can mean periods of too little snow. It creates a tricky business model for mom and pop ski resorts, which often are the heart of mountain ski towns. Many of the smaller resorts have easier terrain, and lift tickets generally run under $100 — much less than larger, corporate resorts like Vail or Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
That’s a big perk for the Baillys, especially the kids, who are learning to ski and snowboard. But since the lifts are not open yet, they came up for lunch and to do a “snow dance.” The idea is if they dance enough, the snow just might start falling.
The kids giggled and stomped around.
“Let’s see your dance, Aksel,” Bailly said as she twirled around with them.
White Pine is a winter staple for locals. Owner Alan Blackburn wore a Carhartt jacket and tweed flat cap as he looked up at the empty hill.
“The little road which runs up the hill — normally it’s covered. But you can just make it out here,” he said.
With little snow, Blackburn said, the terrain is dangerous.
“You just go, humpity bump, bump, bump, fall, trip. They could easily come out of their skis and break their leg,” Blackburn said.
In the past, White Pine could rely on opening by Dec. 1, sometimes with hundreds of skiers buying lift tickets daily. But over the last decade, Blackburn said, the snow has become unpredictable, and they can’t open on time and make money.
The closest ski hill from White Pine, Snow King Mountain, is 88 miles away.
“I think the ski resort industry is going to suffer because of just variability,” said Sophia Schwartz, a professional skier with the group Protect Our Winters, which talks about climate change and its effects on the ski industry. “Folks who are looking to plan maybe a holiday vacation might be skeptical about choosing to come to these winter environments.”
That’s because of the lack of snow. The answer to that? Man-made snow.
Snow-making machines use a combination of water, high-pressure air and cold temperatures to spew snow over the ground. The technology is something the Snowy Range ski resort near Laramie, Wyoming, depends on. It’s locally owned, has five chair lifts and it did open on Dec. 1.
“What we’re open on right now is pretty much all snow-making snow,” said Riley Copeland, who oversees snow making at the 250-acre destination.
Copeland said snow-making is a must. Snowy Range would not be open without it. “I mean, that’s just money lost without having customers here,” he said.
But, snow-making is not cheap. HKD Snowmakers, a company that makes snow guns and related products, said the initial investment in technology to make snow for just one acre can run anywhere from $60,000 at the low end to $500,000.
Back at White Pine, owner Alan Blackburn said he might invest in snow-making equipment for next season. It is the only way he might be able to consistently open early and get lift tickets sold.
“It’ll help my pocket because at the moment, it’s got a big hole in it,” Blackburn said.
The wider community is losing money, too — as outdoor shops, restaurants and hotels also wait for snow to bring customers to town.
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