Through a sports history post on Facebook, the Colorado Snowsports Museum recalled what Genesee Mountain looked like in 1925. This Jefferson County ski resort was built in the 1920s for ski jumping training. In fact, the hill had a drop of more than 200 meters that served as a research site for the University of Denver in the 50s and was proposed as a bid for the 1976 Winter Olympics. Today this resort is closed, but you still can. look jumps.
Ski jumping in 1925: Genesee Mountain ski resort, Colorado, United States. Colorado Snowsports Museum
Because of this little lesson in sports history, the authors of the article report that the state of Colorado, one of the most famous places in the world for snow, has closed and/or abandoned more than 140 ski resorts throughout history. And it is clearly something common. Not surprisingly, a study by the University of Stockton (New Jersey) states that between 1969 and 2019 up to 59% of skis in all of North America have disappeared. After the boom of the 60s and 70s, the United States lost 65% of its stations and Canada 31%.
It is clear that the lack of snow in the context of global warming is one of the reasons why many resorts are forced to close their doors. In fact, Genesee Mountain has an average of 2 meters of snow per year which was also variable. But according to research from Stockton University, it’s also due to higher insurance premiums, loan defaults and limits, and more expensive snow production.
The study itself draws conclusions about possible solutions to this problem: adapting to climate change by betting on sustainability, as well as passes that include more stations and large groups of stations that can withstand economic problems.
