US ski industry prays for snow in winter season

APD NEWS

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Across America's northern west coast, prayers for snowfall are going up as the winter season has offered little relief to drought-stricken areas thus far.

"Draw a line from eastern Washington down to Colorado - everything north is OK; everything south is in danger," said National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Russell Danielson.

The enormous "danger zone" includes seven large western states - California, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada - and the "four-corner" states of Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.

Danielson told Xinhua Friday that these areas are seeing up to an 80 percent reduction in snowfall so far this season, spelling a disastrous upcoming fire season unless more snowpack occurs.

"This is literally the West's worst winter in 60 years," a headline in influential Outside Magazine read last week, pointing to the lack of snow hurting America's 5.6 billion US dollar ski industry.

Pro Rodeo Cowboys that are competing at the National Western Stock show in Denver came to Steamboat Springs to compete in the 34th Annual Cowboy Downhill Stampede in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, January 22, 2008.

In the 2016-2017 season, Colorado ski resorts saw 100,000 fewer visitors than the previous year and an overall 2.8 percent annual decline in North American ski areas, according to Colorado Ski Country magazine.

Skiing officials are still hopeful 2017-18 will reverse that trend.

"Much of western Colorado is dependent on the ski industry economy, so no snow means no income," said Carbondale Airbnb host Glenn Nemhauser.

While last season heavy December snows pushed visitor totals upward, this year, record low precipitation throughout the west triggered one of the worst Decembers in skiing history.

"There was literally no snow and no base... I went out and scratched up my skis on rocks it was so bad," Ben Edwards told Xinhua Thursday of his experience at Aspen Mountain last month.

Without snow, seasonal ski guests are reluctant to make room reservations, a glaring problem that affects many parts of Colorado's economy.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)