You Can’t Ski Without Snow. There’s Less Snow Than There Used To Be. What’s Next?

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Photo: Steamboat Springs gondola (Flickr/CC)
The iconic gondola at Steamboat Resort in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Ski season isn't what it used to be because snowfall isn't what it used to be. That's prompted the town of Steamboat Springs to try to reinvent itself. Sonja Macys is a member of the Steamboat Springs City Council. She tells Colorado Matters snowfall there is less than half of what it was two years ago -- numbers borne out by the website On The Snow.

Complicating the climate issue for Steamboat: It's a low-elevation mountain, topping out at about 10,400 feet, which also puts it at a disadvantage. The ski industry has been preparing for that for awhile so its not so ski-dependent. The question, Macys said, is how to create a permanent, year-round economy that supports jobs that are less dependent on snow.