Dry Winters Could Impact Future Of Winter Sports In Tahoe

OLYMPIC VALLEY (CBS13) — The future of Tahoe ski resorts may be too hot to handle with another winter season lacking snow. Resorts in our area are already starting to envision a future without it.

The 1960 Winter Olympics put Tahoe on the map as the winter sports destination. The now-Palisades Tahoe hosted athletes from around the world for an Olympic games researchers say may never happen again.

"We can keep fighting and keep trying to make snow, but at some point, the temperatures are going to win out," said Brendan Gibbons, the director of snow surfaces at Palisades.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada say, with high emissions continuing to rise, by 2050, 50-89% of February days will have insufficient snow to host major competition events. By 2080, the month may be nearly 90% unreliable.

"We're just in long dry periods," Gibbons said. "Every year, we feel the effects of it and talk about it and hope it will change in the future."

If the climate doesn't get better, Gibbons said it could put resorts like Palisades in jeopardy.

"I don't want to sugarcoat it at all, but climate change is a major concern for everyone in the ski industry," he said.

So what's the solution? Gibbons said they can stockpile snow day-to-day.

"When we're in these dry spells like this, we put an extra bit of effort in finding the snow on the sides of the trails," he said. "And we'll take that snow and put it back on the main runs."

But in between seasons, their only option is to hope for a white winter.

"We can't save snow from one season to the next,"

This not only puts the resort's future in jeopardy, but the entire industry.

Bill Proffit owns Land Park Skit and Resort in Sacramento — it's one of the few remaining ski shops in the area.

"We're in a funk right now with the lack of snow," Proffit said. "Being very dry, that had a great impact on the ski business and ski shops."

Proffit and his staff, who rely on loyal locals for business, hope the future brings more snow.