climate

State of Winter: Climate Change, Snow Sports, and the Future of the Olympics from Protect Our Winters

Protect Our Winters' mission is to combat climate change and preserve our winters and those in the industry. Photo Credit: Rocky Mountain Freeride Series

Boulder, CO (January 29, 2026) — As the world turns its attention to the Winter Olympics, a growing body of scientific research and the athletes who depend on snow for their careers are delivering a clear message: winter is warming, snow is becoming less reliable, and the future of winter sport is increasingly at risk. New peer-reviewed studies show climate […]
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Avatar photo Press Release |
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Salt Lake City, UT’s, Snow Crisis: The Least Snowy Winter on Record

Salt Lake City, Utah, typically a premier destination for world-class skiing, is currently experiencing its least snowy winter on record. According to Matthew Johnson, a Salt Lake City-based meteorologist, the disparity is staggering. While the average snowfall for this point in the winter is 28.2 inches, a measly 0.1 inches has fallen in Salt Lake City. The primary culprit of […]
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Greg Wedow |
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The Average Winter Temperature in the U.S. Has Risen Drastically Over the Last Century

The United States has experienced a concerning rise in average temperatures over the past century, with winter emerging as the most affected season. While all seasons have warmed by several degrees, rising winter temperatures are especially damaging for skiers and snowboarders, leading to poorer snow quality, reduced snowfall, shorter seasons, and more frequent hazardous conditions. Related: Killington, VT, Holds Off […]
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Avatar photo Joseph Kaufmann |
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Vail Mountain, CO, Ranked Most Climate-Resistant Ski Resort in the World

Vail Resort. | Photo: Shutterstock

Climate Change is widely considered the most significant threat facing the ski industry. This winter is already highlighting the disruptive nature of changing weather patterns. Some western resorts have pushed back opening dates, while the East Coast is experiencing a banner start to the season. Related: Arizona Snowbowl Has Defied the Season with a Blockbuster 57 Inches of Snow While the […]
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Greg Wedow |
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USDA Moves to Roll Back Roadless Rule, Putting 45 Million Acres of National Forest at Risk

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is preparing to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a landmark policy that has protected roughly 45 million acres of national forest across 37 states for nearly a quarter century. The Trump administration announced it will publish a Notice of Intent to roll back the rule on Friday, August 29, initiating a process that […]
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Martin Kuprianowicz |
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Snow Algae Found to Accelerate Antarctic Ice Shelf Melting

Snow algae, a microorganism found in Antarctica, has been shown to accelerate ice sheet melting. These microscopic algae thrive in snow and ice as extremophiles, capable of surviving in harsh, cold environments. When present in high concentrations, they turn snow red, reducing its reflectivity—known as ‘albedo’—and accelerating melt. A recent study led by Dr. Liang Dong from the Aerospace Information […]
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Avatar photo Joseph Kaufmann |
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Nebraska Professor Awarded Grant to Study Rain’s Impact on Snow Melt and Flooding

nebraska professor

University of Nebraska professor Tirthankar Roy has been awarded a five-year grant to lead what he describes as the most comprehensive study to date on how rain falling on snow can trigger catastrophic flooding. “The work that we are doing is to understand sort of the characteristics of rain-on-snow events, specifically looking into their flood-generating potential,” Roy told Nebraska TV. […]
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Martin Kuprianowicz |
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NOAA: Did La Niña Shape North American Precipitation this Winter as Expected?

This article originally appeared on climate.gov on March 27, 2025 While many of us in the U.S. are reveling in the excitement of college basketball tournaments and trying to win our March Madness pools, it’s also a good time to look back at this past winter’s (December 2024–February 2025) precipitation pattern over North America. Were the seasonal forecast models a […]
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WeatherBrains |
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New Study from Swiss Researchers Takes Detailed Look at How Avalanche Risks are Projected to Evolve Across 21st Century

A groundbreaking new study by Swiss researchers offers the most detailed look yet at how climate change could reshape avalanche risk across the Alps but also globally. Published in Natural Hazards, the paper, authored by scientists from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF and ETH Zurich, uses high-resolution models to examine avalanche danger in painstaking local detail—down […]
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AvyBrains |
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SnowBrains Podcast Ep. 79 | Erin Sprague – CEO of Protect Our Winters

SnowBrainsPodcast_S5_Ep.79_ErinSprague_FI

This episode of the SnowBrains podcast is brought to you by Club Med. Erin Sprague became Protect Our Winters‘ (POW’s) CEO at the beginning of 2024. Since then, she has spearheaded the organization and movement of outdoor recreationists fighting climate change. POW’s mission is to “depoliticize the climate discussion and bring together those from all backgrounds to advocate for the outdoor […]
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Podcast |
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Sending It to the Legislature: Ski Mountaineer Caroline Gleich’s Campaign for U.S. Senate

This November, Utah voters will be faced with a unique opportunity: to elect the first professional skier to the U.S. Senate. Caroline Gleich, a 38-year-old professional ski mountaineer and Park City resident, is running for Mitt Romney’s seat after he said in a speech that it was “time for a new generation” of leaders. Gleich hopes to continue to fight […]
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Zach Armstrong |
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NOAA Climate Report: US Hit With Historic Snowfall, Late-Season Hurricane in November

New York snow

Last month a number of significant weather events struck the U.S., including late-season Hurricane Nicole and record-breaking lake-effect snow in parts of New York. Despite an overall average month for temperatures and precipitation, the U.S. saw decreased drought across the nation, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Below are highlights from NOAA’s U.S. climate report […]
WeatherBrains |
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Two Pictures 104 Years Apart Show Disturbing Glacial Melt in Norway

Global warming is taking its toll on the world’s glaciers. This could not be more drastically represented than by this side-by-side picture comparison. The original picture was taken in 1918. It shows such massive glaciers that you could barely see the impressive mountains behind them. In the second picture, it is the mountains that look massive. These photos show the […]
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Avatar photo Brent Glogau |
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