Bleak Topic - Global Warming - What major resort will be first to throw in the towel?

[nickwm21]

Sorry for the downer topic but the rollercoaster weather through the west this winter has me thinking...

What major brand name resort will be the first to shut their doors due to climate change? When?

My thoughts:

Snoqualmie pass. Base at ~3000ft depending on which side of the freeway you’re on. Mid winter rain often kills snow quality/quantity.... How long before it rains more than it snows in January? Do we get 15 more years of the padded seats?

Big Bear / Snow Summit. Base at ~7000’. They run off 100% snowmaking for the first half of the season every year. They get their the water from Big Bear Lake. If there is a long enough drought and I can imagine the state wouldn’t let them suck that lake dry.... with the last drought being 2016, they are kinda due for one soon....


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[TahoeJ]

Resorts around New Mexico / Arizona are going to come up against how much they have to spend to make snow lower down each year. I would guess. Curious what locals like RaisingArizona think...

[hatchgreenchile]

If Apache is considered major by the southern NM and El Paso crowd, that's my vote.

[raisingarizona13]

Resorts around New Mexico / Arizona are going to come up against how much they have to spend to make snow lower down each year. I would guess. Curious what locals like RaisingArizona think...

I don't know. Our base is at 9300 feet and honestly it seems like getting a decent base is becoming more regular with warming. Maybe we are seeing more rain events but when it snows it freaking dumps here. The nights are cold and Snowbowl has an agreement with the city that gives them x amount of water every year to make snow. With one of the largest population centers 2 hours to the south they can continue to stay profitable for a good while I imagine. This place is a cash cow now with the improvements and population growth. I don't really know though and my data set is really small with only 19 years living here.

I think the smaller places at lower elevations will be the first to go. As far as major resorts it may be more based on financial stability more then location I'm guessing.

[Lurch]

I would think one of the resorts in the east go first. Do you consider Snowshoe or Hunter big? The southern Appalachian resorts will go before that but I don't think they approach anyone's definition of big.

[cloud cult]

Second vote for Snoqualmie. Huge amount of snow that falls right around freezing. Would think that all the Vancouver North Shore areas are not far behind, along with lower places in Oregon.

With areas like Snowbowl and Apache, it's more drought that will get them, not rain vs snow. Pajarito ran out of water this winter and could not make enough snow to open even though it was cold enough to make it.

Many of those places in the Appalachians are operating today only through creativity and by finding efficiencies in their snowmaking.

[Core Shot]

Ski beech