It may be snowing in many parts of the West now, but it’s been a dry winter so far, and many ski towns haven’t been seeing their typical flood of visitors.
Some fear that the downturn could continue into the summer.
Across the West, the amount of water stored in snow has been at its lowest winter point in decades in many places, according to federal data. As of Feb. 5, 95% of federal Snow Telemetry monitoring stations in Colorado were in a snow drought.
And while parts of the region may be getting storms this week, forecasters worry it may be too late in the season to replenish the snowpack. Less snow means there could be less water in rivers and reservoirs come summer, which could be bad for mountain town economies.
“So a lot of the tourism in our mountain towns revolves around water, rafting, fishing, sailing, water skiing,” said Margeret Bowes, executive director of the Colorado Association of Ski Towns, which also includes communities such as Ketchum, Idaho; Park City, Utah; and Jackson, Wyo.
“As thirsty metro areas pull water from some of our mountain reservoirs, that's less water for recreation,” said Bowes, who lives in Summit County, Colo.
Many tourism-dependent areas are already struggling amid the snow drought. In mid-January, Vail Resorts told investors that ski visits were down by 20% compared to that time the previous year.
Bowes said businesses are having to cut workers or reduce their hours. She said workers are often barely able to afford living in these places.
“They need every hour of work they can get to pay the rent, to buy their groceries and put gas in their car,” she said. “Even just having shifts cut by a shift or two a week can really impact their ability to be able to stay in these mountain communities.”
Bowes said ski towns are concerned that if workers leave, they won’t come back, since it’s often hard to find housing.
Some communities are getting creative and trying to retain workers and entertain visitors in other ways. According to a survey conducted by Bowes, Pagosa Springs, Colo., is promoting hot springs, and Glenwood Springs, Colo., has been encouraging fly fishing. Mountain Village, Colo., has had alpaca meet and greets, DJ ice skating and movie screenings.
Bowes said towns may need to continue to find new activities to entertain visitors in the winter — and summer — if climate trends continue.
According to one 2024 study, by the 2050s, ski communities are predicted to have between 14 and 62 fewer ski days because of human-caused climate change.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
