{"id":2159260,"date":"2026-09-23T18:23:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T15:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2159260"},"modified":"2026-09-23T18:23:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T15:23:19","slug":"heres-how-climate-change-could-reshape-the-regions-you-ski-in-according-to-new-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2159260","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s How Climate Change Could Reshape the Regions You Ski in, According to New Research"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"no\"no<\/a>
Low tide at Deer Valley, Utah, during the outstandingly poor 2025-26 ski season. | Photo: Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Researchers at the University of Wyoming completed a recent study<\/a> examining the impacts of climate-change-driven warming on the future length of ski seasons in the Rocky Mountains and broader American West.<\/strong> Their models, which simulated future climate scenarios based on historic trends, predicted how 36 ski resorts across the Western United States will fare, snow condition-wise, between 2032 and 2066. What they found may come as somewhat of a surprise.<\/p>\n

Evidence showed clearly that resorts in the Central and Southern Rockies of Colorado will have the highest levels of resilience over the coming decades.<\/strong> This comes in contrast to forecasts of the area undergoing higher levels of warming than other regions of the West.<\/p>\n

\"climate\"climate<\/a>
Map showing current (left side of dots) and forecasted (right side of dots) risk of conditions based closer at ski resorts across the Rocky Mountains. | Photo: NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The forecast\u2019s nominal deterioration of conditions in Colorado is mainly due to one factor: elevation.<\/strong> The study found that, across the board, regardless of other factors such as latitude or precipitation, resorts at lower elevations will experience a greater loss in ski days than those at higher elevations. Because Colorado boasts several of the highest resorts in the country, ski areas there should expect to see relatively little change in average long-term ski conditions, compared to the losses seen in other regions of the country.<\/p>\n

Resorts in Colorado should still see consistent temperatures compatible with natural snow and artificial snow production.<\/strong> This is because, even given projected warming of around 2\u00b0C (3.6\u00b0F), many high-elevation resorts should still remain below freezing through much of the core season. As such, some resorts in the state, such as Loveland Ski Area and Arapahoe Basin, may see almost no change in skiing at all over the coming decades. Unfortunately, resorts in other areas of the West may not be so lucky.<\/p>\n

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    Utah, specifically, saw the greatest increase in risk of deteriorating snow conditions and shortening seasons in the Rockies.<\/strong> This is not only because many resorts in Utah sit at relatively low elevations given their latitude, but also due to the fact that the Wasatch Range is projected to see amplified warming \u2014 up to 2.5\u00b0C (4.5\u00b0F) at the highest warming level studied. Sundance<\/a>, Deer Valley,<\/a> and Park City<\/a> saw the three largest increases in risk score of any resort in the Rockies, driven by a forecasted dramatic reduction in days with natural snowfall sufficient for skiing.<\/p>\n