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I never thought I would see it, but that’s what has also happened here in Michigan. The smaller ski areas closed down a few years ago and now even some of the l

I never thought I would see it, but that’s what has also happened here in Michigan. The smaller ski areas closed down a few years ago and now even some of the larger resorts, that cater to the more affluent, are struggling to stay open. The winter’s here now seem so strange and disquieting from what I experienced as a child.

bluedino 7y ago
Yup - our local ski hill (Apple mountain) closed a few years ago. No snow - no skiing
cmrdporcupine 7y ago
It isn't just climate change. Skiing has become less popular. Places are closing down because of a demographic change. New ski areas not being built, existing ones closing down. Mostly, anyways. There's a bit of an exception to that in B.C. Cheap flights also mean that people don't bother with their local ski areas in the midwest -- they fly west for luxury vacations instead. It does seem though that skiing might be having a fairly recent resurgence.
- bamboozled 7y ago
  No, it’s climate change. If it’s anything to do with popularity, it’s skiing becoming less popular due to worse conditions. Japan used to be beautiful fluffy powder snow for 4 months straight. Now it’s icy moguls with the occasional powder day and a sad 1.5 meter base in January. No one can believe it but climate change is destroying snow country.
  - claudeganon 7y ago
    Agreed. My stepfather used to work at one of these ski areas and the sporadic opening and closures, before the snow just disappeared altogether, drove away business.
    - bamboozled 7y ago
      This is why people are travelling more to ski (ironically, making the snow worse). It’s insurance for your holiday. Now people aren’t looking for just nice snow, we’re hunting higher elevations as we know it’s colder. I actually probably wouldn’t bother with a < 1400m Ski resort anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere this year.
  - turk73 7y ago
    Does that have to do more with the popularity of skiing? The resorts in Colorado get big dumps and then two days later the places are totally skied off with the same "icy moguls." It's because so many people ski powder days. It doesn't take long for the snow quality to degrade, even on a powder day.
- Ensorceled 7y ago
  Demographic change was kids switching to snowboards from skis, climate change is chasing everybody from the hills. Less days of skiing makes skiing less "fun" as a hobby; your free weekends need to correspond with the remaining good ski days. Can't ski too many times and you stop getting your skis or boards waxed and sharpened, stop buying new gear and you just stop going.

bluedino 7y ago

Yup - our local ski hill (Apple mountain) closed a few years ago. No snow - no skiing

cmrdporcupine 7y ago

It isn't just climate change. Skiing has become less popular. Places are closing down because of a demographic change. New ski areas not being built, existing ones closing down. Mostly, anyways. There's a bit of an exception to that in B.C. Cheap flights also mean that people don't bother with their local ski areas in the midwest -- they fly west for luxury vacations instead. It does seem though that skiing might be having a fairly recent resurgence.

bamboozled 7y ago
No, it’s climate change. If it’s anything to do with popularity, it’s skiing becoming less popular due to worse conditions. Japan used to be beautiful fluffy powder snow for 4 months straight. Now it’s icy moguls with the occasional powder day and a sad 1.5 meter base in January. No one can believe it but climate change is destroying snow country.
- claudeganon 7y ago
  Agreed. My stepfather used to work at one of these ski areas and the sporadic opening and closures, before the snow just disappeared altogether, drove away business.
  - bamboozled 7y ago
    This is why people are travelling more to ski (ironically, making the snow worse). It’s insurance for your holiday. Now people aren’t looking for just nice snow, we’re hunting higher elevations as we know it’s colder. I actually probably wouldn’t bother with a < 1400m Ski resort anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere this year.
- turk73 7y ago
  Does that have to do more with the popularity of skiing? The resorts in Colorado get big dumps and then two days later the places are totally skied off with the same "icy moguls." It's because so many people ski powder days. It doesn't take long for the snow quality to degrade, even on a powder day.
Ensorceled 7y ago
Demographic change was kids switching to snowboards from skis, climate change is chasing everybody from the hills. Less days of skiing makes skiing less "fun" as a hobby; your free weekends need to correspond with the remaining good ski days. Can't ski too many times and you stop getting your skis or boards waxed and sharpened, stop buying new gear and you just stop going.