With warmer-than-normal temperatures predicted, industries that rely heavily on snowfall are anxious. We visited Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks and Maple Ski Ridge in Rotterdam to find out how they’re preparing.
Read the full transcript below
Molly Anderson: This is Northeast Notebook. I’m Molly Anderson. A ‘Super El Niño’ is threatening to mess up our winter.
Mitch Kessler: Seems like every year is the warmest year on record, and for the ski industry, it's a big deal.
Molly Anderson: With warmer-than-normal temperatures predicted, industries that rely heavily on snowfall are worrying.
Kirsten Ford: This big change in the weather for this winter…yeah, we are nervous.
Molly Anderson: So, as Northeasterners wonder how often they'll hit the slopes this season, how are ski mountains preparing for a warmer winter?
Molly Anderson: First, an explainer: During an El Niño year, warm water in the Pacific Ocean is pushed east toward the Americas. That can cause trade winds to weaken. And, according to NASA, that can cause warmer, wetter winters in some locations like the Northeast. And this year, meteorologists say we’re in for a “Super” El Niño.
Zach Matson: I think what makes it super this year is that it's a bigger, sort of, version of these El Niños, and they'll happen every two years, or even every 10 years. But ones this big in terms of what meteorologists are seeing out there don't come along as often. I mean, people were pointing to the most recent comparable El Niño of this size being in like, the mid-90s.
Molly Anderson: Zach Matson is a reporter at the Adirondack Explorer. He recently did some reporting on how an El Nino supercharged by climate change will impact the Adirondacks.
Zach Matson: I think what forecasters are seeing for this winter is milder temperatures across the board.
Molly Anderson: And, in the Northeast, that can mean more rain, less snow, and a mix of messy winter slop.
Kirsten Ford: You know, everyone else out there is like, “Oh, we don’t like winter.” We love it! We dream of it. We are counting down the days until winter comes, starting in like, June!
Molly Anderson: That’s Kirsten Ford. She’s a ski instructor at Maple Ski Ridge in Rotterdam, New York. She says the predicted warmer season has her slightly concerned.
Kirsten Ford: So just as a skier, and someone who loves winter and loves skiing, it's a little nerve-wracking. You will see different effects at different resorts and mountains based on the technology that they have installed in their snowmaking systems. You know, a lot of ski areas have been future-proofing, if you will, for warmer winters like this. We ourselves actually put in a multi-million-dollar snowmaking system just three years ago.
Molly Anderson: That new snowmaking system might get a real workout this year, with warmer, drier conditions predicted.
Kirsten Ford: We will make what we call a base. Think of it as like a blanket over the entire mountain. And we will pack that down. And then we'll make more snow and put it on top. Now, that blanket that's underneath everything keeps the snow on top colder.
Molly Anderson: According to Kirsten, the new system cuts down their snow-making time significantly. And, critically, it can make snow even when winter temperatures are mild.
Kirsten Ford: What that means is you technically could make snow at 37 degrees Fahrenheit, as long as the humidity was 20% or lower.
Molly Anderson: Kirsten says typically they make snow in December and the first week of January, and that's it. But with a warmer winter on the horizon, she says they won't know until they're in it.
Kirsten Ford: We've prepared as much as we can, and we're hoping that we did enough.
Molly Anderson: Maple Ski Ridge is not located at the top of an Adirondack high peak. It's in the hills of the Mohawk River Valley. But even for larger resorts in the Adirondacks like Gore Mountain, snow-making has become a regular practice. Debbi Satterlee is a Gore Mountain ski patroller and is the assistant supervisor for the mountain's Outdoor Emergency Care program.
Debbi Satterlee: People that spend their time outdoors, so skiing or snowshoeing, whatever you enjoy outdoors, hear this all the time. They just adapt. Here at a ski mountain, they make snow. And at Gore, I’m a little partial. But at Gore, they have this incredible snowmaking team. They made snow last year when we didn't expect to have such beautiful snow.
Molly Anderson: Last year's "beautiful snow" was also appreciated by staff at Willard Mountain in Washington County.
Lee Burns: Last winter was really amazing. It's the first amazing winter we've had in forever.
Molly Anderson: Lee Burns is the Patrol Director at Willard Mountain and an Outdoor Emergency Care instructor. I spoke to her when I visited Gore Mountain in North Creek during their annual medical refresher. She vaguely remembers the last time winters in the Northeast were consistently cold and white.
Lee Burns: Probably in the late '80s, early '90s. Things just kind of have been, it's gotten more and more and more difficult. Not this past Christmas, but the Christmas before, Willard didn’t open until after Christmas because they couldn't make enough snow because it was too warm. It's a fight.
Molly Anderson: Warm winters are more than just disappointing for those in the industry. It can be dangerous for skiers.
Lee Burns: Bad winters, from a patrolling perspective, really increase injuries. The snow is not ideal. It's icier. It's wetter. It's slower. It's thin. So, you can potentially run into rocks and dirt. So that's a concern.
Molly Anderson: Ski mountains across the region are more than just a destination for winter recreation. They're also vital to the local economy.
Lee Burns: If there's no one skiing at Gore Mountain then North Creek suffers terribly.
Mitch Kessler: But if we don't get the same snowfall we got last year, I expect we won't see as many people. And for the ski industry, it's a big deal because if it stops snowing, they go out of business.
Molly Anderson: Mitch Kessler has been ski patroller for over 30 years. And he says the ups and downs of the weather paint a bigger picture.
Mitch Kessler: We've had a lot of relatively warm winters recently. And I also remember a brutally cold one in 2015, but this is all part of climate change. And, you know, seems like every year is the warmest year on record.
Zach Matson: A lot of this is on the margins, and maybe it does come out a little colder, and that helps, or what have you, but it does kind of show you the difficult situation these ski resorts are in, going into the winter sort of on a knife's edge. But we follow the Olympic ORDA mountains up here and, you know, they've invested so much into snow-making equipment over the years. But even then, you need consistent cold weather to be able to make snow.
Lee Burns: Unfortunately it's the way the world is today. And that's a reality for anybody who's involved in any kind of outdoor sports.
Molly Anderson: Long-term, scientists are saying we should get used to milder winters. Here's Zach Matson from the Adirondack Explorer again.
Zach Matson: The general trends are towards warmer temperatures across the board. Sort of, later-arriving winter, you know, warmer weather hanging on longer in the fall, picking up earlier in the spring. And then, you know, less frequent deep cold.
Molly Anderson: Snowmaking systems like the one at Maple Ski Ridge are ensuring snow-covered slopes for a climate that is trending warmer in the Northeast. In order to keep the runs open, the equipment has had to keep up with wetter, warmer winters. But those come at a cost. And while Kirsten Ford says Maple Ski Ridge has upgraded its equipment, it can't spring for the top-of-the-line models.
Kirsten Ford: Our snowmakers are TechnoAlpin. We don't have one of these, they're very expensive, but they make a refrigerated…they call it the snow factory…they can make snow at like 80 degrees.
Molly Anderson: But even if Maple Ski Ridge had the ability to make snow in temperatures more likely in June than January, she says natural snow is still going to do more to bring people to the ski lift. There's cozy memories and excitement that comes with a fresh blanket of snow.
Kirsten Ford: Because natural snow, when it falls in everyone's yards, gets people excited, and gets them thinking about skiing and snowboarding. People will often forget that we're here if there's no snow in their backyard.
Molly Anderson: Northeast Notebook is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. It was produced by me, Molly Anderson. Our Executive Producer is Lucas Willard. Our editor is Diane DeVore. Music by Eduardo Rivera. Consider subscribing to Northeast Notebook wherever you get your podcasts. And if you like the show, take a second to rate and review. It really does help others find us. Thanks for listening.
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