Less snow is falling worldwide, but these ski resorts are good bets for snowy slopes this season
Skiers, take note.

Less snow is falling worldwide, according to analysis of data gathered since 1973 by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The Northern Hemisphere’s middle latitudes (the area north of the tropics and south of the Arctic) are seeing the most notable decline.

Last winter, ski resorts in places such as Austria, Vermont, Switzerland and Spain’s Sierra Nevada region had unexpected closures because of unseasonably warm winter temperatures.

“In the United States, winters are now 2.3°F milder than a century ago,” said Bob Henson, a meteorologist and journalist with Yale Climate Connections. “Although heat waves are a huge risk with summer warming, winters are warming even more dramatically than summers in many areas,” he said.

In some ski areas, the effect has been drastic.

Once the world’s highest ski resort at over 17,000 feet (5,180 meters), Bolivia’s Chacaltaya now sits abandoned after a glacier melted away. And a small ski area in Le Sambuy, France, recently closed for good because of a lack of snow.

“The world’s warming winters are especially devastating for ski areas at lower elevations or in other settings that are just barely warm enough,” Henson said.

This state that booms in summer might be even better under the snow
Planning a ski vacation requires some careful consideration for optimal conditions.

“As a general rule, the highest-altitude resorts – including several in the Colorado Rockies and the Western Alps – will have the most reliably cold weather and the longest snow seasons, since they’re less dependent on periodic Arctic intrusions in order to stay cold enough for snow,” said Henson.

And while high-altitude areas can suffer from prolonged dry periods, the ability to make snow can lessen the impact on ski conditions, he said. However, snowmaking has a “substantial carbon footprint,” he pointed out.

Managing ‘snow-sure’ expectations
As with any especially weather-dependent trip, balancing priorities can be tricky.

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