The story behind our snowlastalgia
The word “solastalgia" is a combination of “solacium", the Latin word for comfort, and “-algia", the Greek root for pain.
Philosopher Glenn Albrecht is first credited with coining this term in relation to climate anxiety—namely, we’re already nostalgic for the disappearing world we are currently living in.
Skiers and snowboarders, feel this solastalgia acutely every winter—
How many more years will I be able to enjoy this sport?
How many more seasons will my local resort be open?
Will there be enough snow in the future to pass this tradition on to my grandchildren?
While many of us are actively seeing the change in our winters, both on the mountain and in our backyards, many of us don’t know just how dire the future is projected to be, or what we should expect to see in our lifetimes.
Snowlastalgia is built to explore these questions and help visualize the future of our sport.
Climate change news has been pervasive on both ends of the spectrum, varying from unusual reports of snowless holidays in the Midwest to predictions of 12 feet (yes, feet) blizzards in California.
How bad are things really?
Climate change news has been pervasive on both ends of the spectrum, varying from unusual reports of snowless holidays in the Midwest to predictions of 12 feet (yes, feet) blizzards in California.
If there is both too much and too little snow, how bad is the situation in reality for ski resorts?
U.S. Ski Industry Snapshot
2013/14 - 2022/23 Seasons
So, what's the worry?
If attendance and revenues at ski resorts are still on the rise and snowfall and season length, while variable, are still hovering around an average, why is everyone anxious about the end of downhill snow sports?
So, what's the worry?
If attendance and revenues at ski resorts are still on the rise and snowfall and season length, while variable, are still hovering around an average, why is everyone anxious about the end of downhill snow sports?
U.S. Ski Industry by Region
2013/14 - 2022/23 Seasons
The difference is regional
These stark differences between regions may help explain some of the cognitive dissonance we’ve been feeling around the climate future of skiing—while national averages and social media content from out west may look like powder heaven, local hills in the rest of the country are struggling to survive.
The difference is regional
These stark differences between regions may help explain some of the cognitive dissonance we’ve been feeling around the climate future of skiing—while national averages and social media content from out west may look like powder heaven, local hills in the rest of the country are struggling to survive.
Envisioning the future
Using climate prediction models, a team of researchers studied 247 ski resorts to project their season lengths, visits, and revenue into the years 2050 and 2090. This data was used to generate snowflakes for each region, and while the results depict general decline across the country, they also illustrate how these differences will compound into especially devastating futures for the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast.
