The American Ski Industry: A Story of Climate Pressures, Consolidation, And The Uncertain Future Of Mountain Resort Town Communities

The objective of this research paper is to analyze one of the main underlying causes of change within the American ski industry: climate change, and conclude how the continued deterioration of the ski industry is one of many consequences stemming from the average warming of global temperatures. This study reviews data on both global climates and the local climates in California ski towns, and it consults economic information related to cost of entry into the ski industry as well as its sustainability with artificial snow making in order to synthesize the climactic and economic pressures on the quality of skiing on today’s mountain slopes to forecast the future demographic of skiers, the trend in ski economics, and the rise in the cost of living for ski town communities, especially for indigenous inhabitants. This study found that the average warming of the global temperatures, as a result of climate change, has assisted in the overall reduction of viable natural precipitation levels at historical ski resorts and inspired a cascading effect of artificial snow making, rising costs for both ski resorts and their customers, a consolidation of the ski market under two major conglomerates, and a future outlook of an aging ski demographic made up of the economic elite; all this points to a downturn in new customer participation, in youth participation, and the gradual decline of the ski industry given the shrinking pool of typical customers.