Last winter, Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the ski industry. With snowfall totals down by about half and March temperatures soaring into the 80s, skier visits were off by more than 20 percent in the Northeast — the worst season in two decades.
The dismal results had ski areas worried that people would be skittish about hitting the slopes this season, which kicked off this month at many resorts. Some operators are using extra incentives and attractions to combat the dreaded “backyard effect” — if people don’t see snow near their homes, they are less likely to venture north, even if the slopes are packed with powder. But many resorts report season-pass sales so far are even with or slightly higher than last year’s numbers, and with the forecast calling for seasonably chilly temperatures and above-normal snowfall, they hope to tap into pent-up demand caused by last year’s short, rocky season.
Comments
really? and the year before?
Dose anyone remember 2011/2011? 12 inches of snow every 10 days. This is whyso many people think the global warming sky is falling crowd is nuts
While I do not doubt that climate change is occurring, I tire of all these doom and gloom predictions. Everytime there is a weather event it gets blamed on global warming. Yet, when we get our first real cold snap, will people claim it's the start of a new ice age? The ski industry will adapt, the key will be to increase snowmaking capacity, so that they can make snow during shorter windows of opportunity and at more marginal temperatures. This they are already doing, but it's expensive and it takes time. Ski areas may also need to join conglomerates, so that a bad year in one part of the country can be offset by a good year in another part of the country.
Let's not forget that skiing contributes to the issue. Millions of gallons of water drawn from rivers and streams and used to make snow, not to mention thousands of people driving hundreds of miles in heavy vehicles to get to the slopes....
we should all just stay home, bunker down, get fat, wait for the end