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RESORT OWNERS AFFECTED

“How Do You Ski if There Is No Snow?” asks the New York Times, warning that “resort owners and tour operators will be directly and strongly affected by climate change.”  The question turns out to be largely hypothetical:

Resorts in both Europe and North America are opening ahead of schedule thanks to heavy snowfall ...

More than 80 cm of fresh snow in Austria’s Kitzbuhel has prompted a historically early opening date of Saturday November 10th, while Lech received 20 cm of the white stuff on Wednesday November 7th and is all set to open for ski breaks on December 1st.

It’s less a matter of “how do you ski” than “where would you like to ski”:

Heavy snowfalls over the past week — with more forecast for the next few days — mean that dozens of resorts are now enjoying their best start to the season in decades ...

Much of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps saw their first snow at the weekend. Verbier is reported to have half a metre of fresh powder snow. Resorts in Sweden and Germany have also opened.

Similar deal in Australia earlier this year. It’s probably warm snow.

(Via Jim R.)

Posted by Tim B. on 11/14/2007 at 09:58 AM
  1. Skiing in warm snow is way more fun than that cold stuff. ‘Specially naked!

    Posted by Mambo Bananapatch on 2007 11 14 at 10:05 AM • permalink

  2. “Speaking by telephone from the meeting, Mr. Lipman said that if the climate was going to change, ‘which we know it will, we’d all better adapt.’”

    Sadly, the call was suddenly cut off as an avalanche roared down the mountain, burying Mr. Lipman under twenty feet of snow. A moment of silence, please, while we commemorate his “adaptation”.

    Posted by paco on 2007 11 14 at 10:11 AM • permalink

  3. “We are also concerned,” the Times continued, “about what will happen as rising sea levels inundate the ski slopes. Most people haven’t thought about that yet.”

    Posted by ErnieG on 2007 11 14 at 10:21 AM • permalink

  4. I thought the point of “going skiing” was drinking in the lodge? People actually go outside?

    Posted by Mr. Bingley on 2007 11 14 at 10:22 AM • permalink

  5. #4 Apparently.

    I never noticed such a thing, but the mountains I grew up on have no lodges.

    We were just taking a sip of the wine… I swear!

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 11 14 at 10:24 AM • permalink

  6. Skiing isn’t going to be all that safe anymore anyway, what with all the polar bears fleeing the arctic.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2007 11 14 at 10:28 AM • permalink

  7. they’re worried about skiing?  selfish elitist bastards- what about the abominable snow children? Won’t someone please think about the abominable snow children?

    Posted by eeniemeenie on 2007 11 14 at 10:41 AM • permalink

  8. There’s snow limit to what these warmenists will resort to ...

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 11 14 at 10:55 AM • permalink

  9. There’s a fresh load of yellow snow from the PACO Enterprises snow machine ... dunno if it’s the same crowd as the PACO sewage facility guys, do ya?

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 11 14 at 10:59 AM • permalink

  10. #2 paco LOL!!!

    I’m 100% totally convinced that God loves to make fools of climo-tards.

    Posted by Hucbald on 2007 11 14 at 11:36 AM • permalink

  11. It is snowing RIGHT NOW in Heidelberg, Germany. It typically doesn’t snow here until January.

    Posted by Texas Bob on 2007 11 14 at 12:19 PM • permalink

  12. #1 Skiing in warm snow is way more fun than that cold stuff.

    I know you were kidding, but no, it isn’t, and I can hear them now, complaining that the skiing conditions suck and it’s all due to global warming.

    Posted by CraigC on 2007 11 14 at 12:25 PM • permalink

  13. #10: I’m 100% totally convinced that God loves to make fools of climo-tards.

    The Lord helps them who help themselves.

    #9 Egg: We’re all about recycling!

    Posted by paco on 2007 11 14 at 12:39 PM • permalink

  14. If the MSM customarily blames warm conditions in a snow area on global warming, should they not also say that cold conditions in a snow area is evidence against global warming?

    Posted by wronwright on 2007 11 14 at 12:43 PM • permalink

  15. Warm snow?  Naked ski chicks?  I am so there!

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 11 14 at 12:44 PM • permalink

  16. If the MSM customarily blames warm conditions in a snow area on global warming, should they not also say that cold conditions in a snow area is evidence against global warming?

    Sigh. Wron, if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Observations congruent with global warming are evidence; observations in conflict with global warming are anomalies.

    Posted by Dave S. on 2007 11 14 at 12:48 PM • permalink

  17. 11 Texas Bob

    It is snowing RIGHT NOW in Heidelberg, Germany. It typically doesn’t snow here until January.

    Grab a cold one, sit down, feet up and watch… Repeat 1-2-3 and 4, when cold one says empty…:).

    Posted by El Cid on 2007 11 14 at 01:32 PM • permalink

  18. Halp! I haz ski slope. No sno.

    Posted by El Cid on 2007 11 14 at 01:50 PM • permalink

  19. Gee, y’all don’t suppose Gore went to a ski lodge this week….

    Posted by Apostic on 2007 11 14 at 01:50 PM • permalink

  20. Responding to myself….

    One year there was a Thanksgiving that involved lounging on the Sundeck in T-shirts and shorts, said Eddie Liebowitz, who has been in Aspen for 27 years and owns the Ski Service Center.

    “We always get snow,” he said. “The only person skiing that day was Al Gore getting pulled by ski patrol in a snowmobile, but we proceeded to have 21 straight powder Saturdays.”

    Aspen Daily News, “Anxiety For Opening Day Is Nothing New”

    Posted by Apostic on 2007 11 14 at 01:58 PM • permalink

  21. How can you report the ‘news’ if no one will bother reading you?

    Posted by oldirishpig on 2007 11 14 at 02:21 PM • permalink

  22. 11.  Texas Bob

    I feel your pain.  It’s 84 degrees here in ALPINE, TEXAS this afternoon. *evil snicker*

    Posted by Hucbald on 2007 11 14 at 02:27 PM • permalink

  23. “We always get snow,” he said. “The only person skiing that day was Al Gore getting pulled by ski patrol in a snowmobile, but we proceeded to have 21 straight powder Saturdays.”

    Try to imagine a 400 HP snowmobile, with huge caterpillar tracks.

    Posted by ErnieG on 2007 11 14 at 02:45 PM • permalink

  24. Whistler-Blackcomb have had snow since 30 Sep. The general snow level is now about 1000m.

    Cheers

    Posted by J.M. Heinrichs on 2007 11 14 at 02:56 PM • permalink

  25. It’s probably warm snow.

    Or frozen global warming.

    Posted by kae on 2007 11 14 at 03:27 PM • permalink

  26. If memory serves, Upstate NY & New England had a huge snowfall-for-skiing winter last year. I distinctly remember lots of after-the-blizzard photos posted here on TimB’s site. I don’t remember what the gorebal warmening-distracting story in play was then, though.

    (I guess it was, like hurricanes, the blizzards were GW-induced phenomena!)

    Posted by Forbes on 2007 11 14 at 03:28 PM • permalink

  27. Ah crap - here comes the first cyclone of the season:

    Cyclone Guba????

    Where on earth did they get the name of Guba from??? Oh well - here we go :)

    Posted by rbresca on 2007 11 14 at 03:41 PM • permalink

  28. Sorry guys - wasn’t wearing my Al Gore mask - OMG a cyclone this early!!! It’s global warming, global waming!! See my film, buy my book, rub my head! Head for the hills!

    That is much better.

    Posted by rbresca on 2007 11 14 at 03:42 PM • permalink

  29. Also, these pre-season snowfall speculations are similar to the pre-Christmas forecast regarding holiday retail sales. They are storylines invented to sell a perspective on a larger political theme.

    The current storyline for Christmas retail sales in the US is that it’s going to suck—consistent with the “economy sucks” theme that the MSM has pounded so hard that nearly half of polled Americans “think” the economy is in a recession.

    So the current angle on low snowfall is just one more storyline regarding goreball warmening.

    But don’t worry, after a normal winter the MSM will be full of all those stories pointing out how long term weather forecasting is problematic—more art than science—just like they did after this past hurricane season turned out to be extremely mild, in contrast to the extremely active forecast.

    Uh, don’t hold your breath.

    Posted by Forbes on 2007 11 14 at 03:46 PM • permalink

  30. No snow?

    If we can steal a lake or two, I am sure we can steal a mountain full of snow and transport it to wherever it is required.

    House and land prices have been booming at Australian ski resorts for the last 5 years.  Must be a sign that people have little faith in there being snow around in 50 years.

    Posted by mr creosote on 2007 11 14 at 04:00 PM • permalink

  31. Nice try, Blair - but all the snow in Australia has already melted. Try and explain that!

    Posted by Margos Maid on 2007 11 14 at 04:39 PM • permalink

  32. Don’t you just love it! 

    From the New York Times article, “At the end of the Davos conference, the World Tourism Organization advised travelers to take the climate into account and “where possible to reduce their carbon footprint.” But if Europeans stopped flying to Fiji or Antalya, poverty would worsen, tourism officials said.”

    Yeah, sure ... because ‘we’ still need our trips to Bali now, don’t we? All 15,000 of us!

    Posted by Wand on 2007 11 14 at 05:08 PM • permalink

  33. #27 Guba was named by Port Moresby met bureau following the name list for PNG cyclones.

    The interesting thing is that early yesterday the Australian Bureau of Met was labelling it Cyclone Rebecca (next name on the list for an eastern Australian cyclone).  Wouldn’t it be amusing if there was a bit of international argy bargy over cyclone naming rights behind the scene? 

    Met geek fight! LOL.

    Posted by entropy on 2007 11 14 at 05:11 PM • permalink

  34. #33
    Met geek fight? Hands on hips, leaning, hissing.
    The cyclone was named yesterday afternoon, it was one degree within the PNG area so they got to name it.
    Guba means big wind (it’s a certain special wind).

    Posted by kae on 2007 11 14 at 05:27 PM • permalink

  35. #34 so no met geeks going slap happy?  BOOORING!

    Posted by entropy on 2007 11 14 at 05:31 PM • permalink

  36. Australia is the worst polluter producer and emitter of greenhouse gas (CO2) per capita in the world. A study by Dr David Wheeler has shown that the two worst emitters of greenhouse gases are Bayswater and Eraring power plants.

    Um. Yes. Let’s just do without electricity, shall we?

    I think there is a silver lining mentioned here.

    And there’s these Greenpeace morons. D’ya reckon they should just start up the coal conveyor belts and see what the BTU output of green turds is?

    Posted by kae on 2007 11 14 at 05:34 PM • permalink

  37. #35
    Hmm. Not sure about the slapping and hair pulling.

    Posted by kae on 2007 11 14 at 05:35 PM • permalink

  38. any one have a ski lodge for sale I’ll buy it for 100. smackers since they will all be in receivership soon anyway.

    Posted by hollingshead on 2007 11 14 at 05:36 PM • permalink

  39. We already know all about Cyclone Rebecca(H).  Thus far she has only attacked the supercilious of Australia with spit and gusts, but beware of pushing her too far.

    Posted by saltydog on 2007 11 14 at 05:39 PM • permalink

  40. #27

    Fear not, the best drought breakers and dam fillers that there is.

    Posted by Pickles on 2007 11 14 at 06:09 PM • permalink

  41. All of which snowy weather will not be reported at all by the BBC.

    Actually in BBC news, we have discovered why they did not report on the Wegman Report or the Congressional Hearings into the Hockey Stick:

    “Nature’s refusal to publish a re-analysis by Stephen McIntyre and Ross McKitrick of the famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) “hockey stick” graph has been so well documented elsewhere, not least in hearings instigated by US congressmen, that there is really nothing new to say.

    In other words, because the Congressional Hearings were so well reported elsewhere, the BBC couldn’t be arsed reporting it at all.

    It must be the new excuse for censorship: Non-reporting of important events due to apathy.

    Posted by John A on 2007 11 14 at 06:40 PM • permalink

  42. #34 Thanks for clearing that up.

    Don’t get me wrong - I don’t mind the odd cyclone, just as long as it doesn’t wreck all the banana crops again :(

    Makes the Barron river flow like a beaut though!

    Posted by rbresca on 2007 11 14 at 06:41 PM • permalink

  43. #40, Of course.

    The only thing is my boy is sailing through those waters now.  Yesterday he said they were heading for some sort of cyclone anchorage and then, depending on which way the cyclone tracks, they’ll either return to Cairns or head on up to TI.

    Posted by Janice on 2007 11 14 at 07:10 PM • permalink

  44. #43 Janice
    Sounds like a sensible plan, I’m sure they’ll be fine, she’s not too skanky yet.

    Posted by Pickles on 2007 11 14 at 07:22 PM • permalink

  45. Hmph!  Please send any surplus snow to Los Angeles.  Hubby and I haven’t gone skiing (clothed or otherwise) in yonks, and we’d like to do it again before we reach hip-breaking age, if you please, Mr. Gore?  :angry:

    Posted by Mary in LA on 2007 11 14 at 07:28 PM • permalink

  46. Pickles,

    Thanks.  I don’t know enough about rough seas to know when it’s reasonable to start worrying so I just worry anyway.

    Posted by Janice on 2007 11 14 at 07:34 PM • permalink

  47. Disproven over clean coal, the CCC’s Dr KKK now tries to diss nuclear power.

    Have they not heard that Dear Leader Al is investing in nuke power, sheesh, always behind the times in the antipodes ...

    Awaiting another geek egg-on-face retraction ...

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 11 14 at 08:04 PM • permalink

  48. Yeah, but there could have been no snow.

    Posted by Mystery Meat on 2007 11 14 at 09:06 PM • permalink

  49. #36
    Disconnect the juveniles’ parents’ homes from the grid for a month, see how they fare ...

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 11 14 at 09:12 PM • permalink

  50. Get with it team:

    Less snow = global warming;
    More snow = global warming;
    Late snow = global warming; and
    Early snow = global warming.

    Same applies to rain, hail, sunshine, earthquakes, cyclones, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, frogs, polar bears, moose, Tasmanian devils, Norwegian blue parrots, giant moa - whatever.

    Posted by Ubique on 2007 11 14 at 10:08 PM • permalink

  51. #18 Mio Cid,
    I thought for a minute Puce had turned up again.  Treacher really needs to find out what happened to him.

    Posted by Michael Lonie on 2007 11 15 at 01:21 AM • permalink

  52. Hey!  I had a pretty good little storm going here, and somebody stole it!  What happened?

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2007 11 15 at 12:40 PM • permalink

  53. Killington (Vermont) is opening this weekend with 4 lifts.  They have fresh snow.  We may get some way down south here in Massachusetts this weekend. 

    We only got rid of the glaciers 10,000 years ago.  Does Algore really miss them that much?  He should think a bit before arranging to have reliable Democrat states like Massachusetts, New York, and Minnesota under a half-mile of ice.

    Posted by Mitch on 2007 11 16 at 07:35 PM • permalink

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