We have frequently run stories on Mountain Journal about the expected impact of climate change on the future of snow (and hence alpine environments, skiing/boarding, and the economies of towns reliant on the industry). Some of these include DEEP: The Story of Skiing and the Future of Snow , less snow – less skiers, Snow gone? US ski resorts see melting future, Climate Change and the Ski Industry – an Australian perspective, Alps could become snow-free by 2050

This recent piece comes from Powder magazine, and focuses on the situation in North America.

The Truth About Snow

An interview with the world’s top skiing climatologist, Daniel Scott

When it comes to the future of snow—and more importantly, the future of skiing—Daniel Scott is the man with the answers. Or, at least, the man with the possibilities. Will the Northeast have snow in 30 years? No. Will Colorado? Yes. Scott holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Change and Tourism at the University of Waterloo in Ontario—the first research facility in the world to comprehensively investigate the relationship between climate change and skiing, starting in the 1980s. Many of the computer models used in Europe today come from the university. Scott built his own model 10 years ago and has been using it ever since to predict what will happen to skiing in the next century.

When it comes to reading the future, Scott does not pull his punches. He co-authored a report that spelled the coming end of half of the ski resorts in the Northeast in the next 30 years. He also contradicted studies saying Colorado would suffer the same fate—saying that most climate models are done from a hydrology point of view, and leave out snowmaking in their predictions. The point being, Scott’s studies are scientific, without a conservative or progressive bent. And in a world flooded with misinformation, this is the kind of resource skiers need.

You can read the full interview here.