November 2024
Oh no snow?
As snowfall becomes less frequent, ski resorts face operational challenges as well as profitability and sustainability risks.
Key takeaways
- In the last 30 years, there has been a loss of about 11-17 inches of snowfall nationally per BofA Global Research. Plus, the season for snowfall has been getting shorter and peak snowfall has been happening earlier. These shifting snow trends ultimately have a large impact on the ski industry, with the potential for snow accumulation to decline by 20-30% across U.S. resorts by 2050.
- Yet, not all ski resorts are equal, and those with higher base altitudes are better positioned to avoid closures due to lack of snow security than those at lower altitudes. And a shorter season puts a majority of ski resorts at risk for either not opening by Christmas or not staying open for 100 skier days, which challenges operations, profitability and sustainability.
- A critical way to address lower snowfall is snowmaking technology, especially for ski and mountain resorts in the Southeast, Midwest and Northeast. However, rising winter month temperatures put snowmaking at risk, even if the physical infrastructure exists.
Read our full analysis for a more in-depth look at these trends.
