Will the Drought in the Northeast Curtail Snowmaking This Fall/Winter?
It all begins with water availability. Resorts draw water for snowmaking from reservoirs, ponds, rivers, streams, or groundwater. In drought years, those sources may not be “fully charged” ahead of the snowmaking season. In Vermont, resorts have expressed concern that their ponds haven’t recharged fully, and if dry conditions persist, their ability to sustain snowmaking over the season will be strained. Sugarbush Resort has noted its pond levels are currently lower than normal, and its usual source (the Mad River) is too low to allow withdrawal. They have “enough water to cover a few trails … enough for opening day,” but worry about sustaining broader coverage. Further complicating the issue, many resorts are bound by legal and regulatory limits on withdrawals, or environmental regulations that prevent them from drawing water when streamflow drops below thresholds (to protect aquatic ecosystems).
The sun comes up on Alex Phillips of the Sugarbush snowmaking team.
Even with water in hand, making snow requires sufficiently cold, dry conditions. Snowmakers use a crucial measurement that combines the ambient air temperature and humidity called “Wet Bulb”. A lower wet bulb reading means that snow can be produced more efficiently, even at temperatures slightly above freezing.
Advances in snowmaking technology — more efficient guns, better automation, lower-pressure systems — let resorts achieve more snow per unit of water (or per unit of energy) than older systems. In drought years, that becomes more critical. Some resorts are already investing in snow guns with lower water demands to adapt to drier conditions.
Current drought conditions may affect the early season (November/early December). In a “normal” year, resorts might push snow guns aggressively or respond to brief cold snaps. In a drought year, they may have to ration water usage, being more selective about when and where to make snow. The timing of reservoir refill (from late summer and fall rains) is going to be critical. If those refill cycles are weak, reservoir levels may start the snowmaking season below “full” capacity, constraining how early (or how much) water it can divert from streams. Resorts may be able to cover a few critical trails (e.g. base zones, beginner runs) when cold weather arrives but fully covering or “blanketing” entire ski areas early might be tougher if reservoir water is low. They may choose to reserve water for prime cold periods rather than using it broadly on marginal nights.
In the heart of winter, snowmaking is used to maintain and augment snow surfaces (filling thin spots, optimizing coverage). Drought constraints might force a resort to scale back “top-up” snowmaking (the process of supplementing natural snowfall with machine-made snow to ensure optimal surfaces) in less critical zones. If some reservoirs or ponds are drawn down too far, they may not be able to sustain high-volume snowmaking over prolonged cold periods. Resorts might have to scale back snowmaking, maintain minimal coverage, or stop making snow until conditions improve. They may incur extra costs (energy, pumping, infrastructure) or push investments in more efficient snowmaking technology to stretch available water. If reservoir draw is aggressive early, there might not be enough buffer left late in the season if cold spells reappear — meaning a resort could run into resource constraints before season’s end.
The undisputed king of snowmaking in the Northeast is and has long been Killington, VT. Killington is one of the more capable and well-resourced ski areas in the Northeast, if not the country, with substantial snowmaking infrastructure. But it also has regulatory and physical constraints (reservoir levels, permit limits, environmental flow constraints, refill limits, etc.). To provide some perspective on just how colossal their water needs are, and without getting too far into the weeds, here are some facts from publicly available sources:
- Killington claims that under ideal conditions, its snowmaking system can deliver 9 million gallons of water per day (on average, that’s 30,000 households per day!) to more than 250 snow guns covering ≈ 45 acres with 12 inches of man-made snow.
- Killington has been actively investing in snowmaking upgrades. They plan to deploy 1,000 new high-efficiency snow guns for the 2025/26 season (across Killington & Pico) to reduce water and energy use.
- Killington owns and operates infrastructure (including water rights) in its capital planning.
- There are historical precedent and regulatory context: for example, Killington has permits concerning the use of its Woodward Reservoir for snowmaking withdrawals. They may not begin before November 1 each year.
- Killington also has upstream influence: it has acquired the ability to pipe water from Killington’s sources to Pico (another Vermont ski area nearby under its ownership) via an interconnect system.
These constraints mean that even if water exists somewhere in the system, Killington cannot necessarily always draw it at full capacity — especially in low-flow/drought conditions. Of course, major, well-resourced resorts like Killington are more likely to navigate the drought with less disruption. Those with large, deep reservoirs or multiple water sources (streams, groundwater) have a buffer. Resorts whose water rights or permits allow more flexible withdrawals will have more leeway. Areas already using state-of-the-art, water-efficient systems will be at an advantage. Resorts at higher elevations, or in colder microclimates, may have longer viable windows for snowmaking and rely somewhat less on aggressive snowmaking.
The quality of snow surfaces in the Northeast this season, and the ability of resorts to open extensive terrain early, will hinge on the amount of rain received this fall and sustained cold weather. Even with adequate rainfall, resorts will still have to deal with an increasingly prevalent and destructive freeze thaw cycles and temps too high to make snow.
It’s shaping up to be a challenging season for resorts in the Northeast. Before you do your snow dance this season, you may want to do your rain dance.
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Excellent article David. Your closing statement regarding temps and freeze-thaw cycles highlights the importance of conservation of all resources on the part of ski areas everywhere. As skiers and boarders we all need to do our part, encourage areas to do the same, and reward those that do.
Best of luck finishing your bucket list. Just out of curiosity, which are you saving for last?
Alan
Hello Allan,
Thanks for your comments. I’m glad you enjoyed the piece. Let’s hope for a wet fall and a cold winter.
The list of the top 50 resorts in North America is a moving target. With every expansion or lift installation the list changes. I find that the dozen or so resorts I have left are now the most difficult to get to. I’ll be knocking off Big Sky this February with the 70+ Ski Club. My last trip may be to both Telluride and Crested Butte, but that could change with the list. Happy trails Alan.
The Northeast is dry and the lakes and ponds along the Canadian border are at 40 years low levels, back when snowmaking was in its infancy stage. Think of the carbon foot print that will be downsized from the recent historic levels of electric pumps along with compressors and portable generators operating on fossil fuels to avoid the electric company’s commercial peak usage month being set as their due for the other 11 monthly usage rate, as well. We’ll be able to refer to all the ski areas as joining the MRG club of limited snow making, limited grooming and ski it if you can. Poaching on partially covered trails will make this a technical skier’s year, not cruisers. Perhaps, more crowded trails because the majority has come to expect impeccable pristine corduroy snow and these numbers and types of boulevards will be at a greatly reduced level with the water shortage. I guess we can say, welcome back to the sixties. I prefer the MRG’s type snow conditions. It slows everybody down a few notches. It may even lower lift ticket prices to the early winter rate. This article is dead on in the subject at hand but it drips with AI phraseology.
Hello Cansnowplow,
While technology is improving the snowmaking process with automation (fewer crews moving guns in the middles of the night, no guesswork on temps and humidity, a central “brain” to monitor operations, etc.), the consumer demand for consistent, superior surfaces triggered huge expenditures in multiple areas. This season has the potential to open the eyes of climate change deniers when they ski on the limited cover you describe. With regard to “AI phraseology”, much of what you may be referring to is the terminology of snowmaking. It would be tough to write this article without it. AI is useful in gathering facts and generating outlines but the final product is still mine.