Pirate's Cove

In the future, of course

Fairbanks may be stronghold for ‘last skiers’: Climate changing bringing uncertainty to winter sports

Interior Alaskans have often joked about global warming, especially in the middle of winter.

The cartoon above by local artist Jamie Smith is a joke, but it has a kernel of truth. It appears that temperatures will rise in Interior Alaska because of climate change. It also appears that rise will be slow enough to allow snow to stick around, at least through this century. That’s good news for those of us who love snow sports. And there are a lot of us in and around Fairbanks: cross-country and downhill skiers, snowmachiners, mushers, skijorers, snowshoers and snowbikers.

But in other places, such as Southcentral Alaska, the future looks grim. By the end of this century, people in Southcentral might be talking about snow sports in the past tense or as something you do on vacation.

I learned about all this after reading an article titled “The Last Skiers: Climate science points to dying winter sports in Southcentral Alaska” by Charles Wohforth. It ran in the Anchorage Press in January. The piece is sobering and depressing for anyone who likes winter sports. The grim winter Southcentral just experienced looks to be a sign of things to come.

Know what else is “sobering“?

“Children just aren’t going to know what snow is,” Dr. David Viner, a scientist with the climatic research unit at the University of East Anglia, told the UK Independent in 2000.

and

It’s been 10 years since scientists predicted the “end of skiing” in Scotland. An article from the UK’s Guardian in 2004 quoted scientists and environmentalists predicting the demise of Scotland’s winter sports industry, including more remarks from Dr. David Viner, who had already predicted the end of snow in Britain.

The DC notes 3 other failed end of snow predictions. Of course, Warmists are now blaming big snowstorms and snow totals on…you got it…climate change.