Study: Climate change may force skiers uphill
From the From the Associated Press
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
DENVER — A study of two Rocky Mountain ski resorts says climate change will mean shorter seasons and less snow on lower slopes.
The study by two Colorado researchers says Aspen Mountain in Colorado and Park City in Utah will see dramatic changes even with a reduction in carbon emissions, which fuel climate change.
If carbon emissions increase, the average temperature at Park City will be 10.4 degrees warmer by 2100, and there likely will be no snowpack, according to the study. Skiing at Aspen, with an average temperature 8.6 degrees higher than now, will be marginal.
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/131044
2008 (the year of this article) was the best ski season on record in Aspen.
The closest USHCN station to Aspen with data from the last decade is at Gunnison , Colorado. There has been no warming there over the last 70 years, and the last two years have been among the coldest on record.
There is no reasonable expectation that Aspen will warm “8.6” degrees, given that it is on a long term cooling trend. The fact that they generated their data on a computer model does not excuse them from exercising scientific diligence.