The Snow is a No Go

Devoted skiers searching elsewhere for snow. Children going a season without sledding. No snowmen, no snow angels, no snow forts. This is the perfect way to describe the winter we are having this year and quite frankly it has begun to dampen spirits. Many die hard winter athletes wish for good show rather than being forced to so ski on artificially made snow. We should be grateful, though that in warmer winters like this some of the bigger resorts, like Park City Mountain Resort, have very expensive technology that creates snow.  

“Its disappointing no doubt about it but I am pretty happy with how Park City (Mountain Resort) makes snow because even in a year like this they are able to open,” Highland teacher and former ski instructor Kyle Bracken said.

This lack of snow is partly due to record high temperatures over the Rocky Mountain region. Another factor in whether we get snow in the valley is the inversion caused by a combination of the geographical location of being surrounded by mountains and car and other particulate emissions. This inversion traps heat and has caused this winter to be one of frequent rain rather than snow.

Because of this, many of the more serious skiers are searching elsewhere to find snow deserving of their expensive equipment. One prominent member of Highland’s staff who is going on the search for snow is our head Track and Field coach Gary Rowles. Rowles has been skiing for about 60 years of his life and has plainly been disappointed with the Utah weather and has decided that he must go back the the state of his his childhood in search of better ski conditions.

“I know there is better snow there. They have had a great winter so i’m going to northern Montana.” Rowles said.

Not only is this weather bringing down the spirits of those who participate in winter sports, it also is extremely harmful to the ski industry and Utah tourism. Most of the revenue that ski resorts receive come from tourists, but in a year of light snow and warm temperatures no one from out of state wants to come. This can hurt the economy in a big way, especially in tourist driven towns like Park City. So whether you participate in winter sports, make money off of it, or just love to play in it, this is probably not the winter you hoped for.