Ski resorts aim for more efficient snowmaking amid drought

“It’s not insignificant, especially in a place where we don’t have a whole lot of water to begin with. … Every drop of water matters,” he said.

Belmont, an avid skier who recently published a wide-ranging study on snowmaking and climate change, also is concerned that man-made snow, which is denser and melts later than the real thing, can affect stream flows.

“There are a lot of fish that take their cues for things like when to spawn or when to do different things in their life based on how the flows are going up or down. So we’re changing those types of natural cues for some of those organisms,” he said.

Ski resorts have made huge strides in becoming more efficient and environmentally friendly, said Schendler, of the Aspen Skiing Company. But he also recalled a time when they often didn’t pay much attention to weather forecasts, only to see the fruits of their labor melt in the warm afternoon sun.

“One way the industry has gotten smarter is they said, ‘Look, we’re not going to make snow if it’s not cold and if there’s not a forecast for it to stay cold,” he said. “That sounds dumb and analog, but this industry is historically very analog.”

Many resorts also have invested heavily in recent years to upgrade their snowmaking operations. Some have dug storage ponds to collect water in the spring when it’s abundant, while a few are eying the use of reclaimed wastewater.