Climate change is driving up the cost to insure just about anything exposed to weather. That includes homes, as we’ve been reporting. It also goes for businesses that rely on cold weather to operate safely — ski resorts, outdoor skating rinks and the like. 

Premiums for ski resorts are up more than 150% in the past decade, according to the National Ski Areas Association.

For more than ten years, John Marsden has spent his winters ice skating on the four-mile Lake Morey Skating Trail in Fairlee, Vermont. He likes to come after sunset.

“And you can skate in the moonlight on the lake, and it’s like nothing else in this world,” said Marsden.

The skating is the main wintertime draw for nearby Lake Morey Resort. Many of the skaters here call the ice trail almost spiritual. But I had to ask resort owner Mark Avery, who maintains the trail, about something decidedly not-spiritual: insurance.

“So now we’ve been running the trail for 14 years and never once did I think about insurance,” said Avery. “We just went out there and plowed and watched the community just thoroughly enjoy the trail.”

Avery said getting insured was never a problem. But when he needed to renew last year, his insurer called him up.

“And they said, ‘We would love to insure you, but…’ You know, of course there’s always a ‘but.’ ‘We’re not going to cover the skate trail. There’s too much liability there,'” said Avery.

These days, insurance headaches like this are common in winter recreation. Kelly Sinclair runs the Highlands Nordic ski centre in Ontario. She said in the last five years, “Our premiums have doubled. And we are a facility that has had zero claims.”

Industry-wide, claims are increasing — which raises premiums for everyone. And warmer winters, with less reliable snow and ice, aren’t the only culprits, said Scott Brandi, president of the Ski Areas of New York.

“Fires, hurricanes, wind storms — all of the above have dramatically impacted what ski areas are paying,” said Brandi.

Back at the Lake Morey Skating Trail, Mark Avery understands his business is kind of at the whims of the weather.

“Climate change is real,” said Avery. “It’s increasing liability. You have to work with it and come up with a creative solution.”

This year, Avery transferred ownership of the trail to the town, which has a municipal policy for ice rinks. That means, the trail is up and running again. And after a long cold-snap, conditions are just right.