"This is not natural," said Maylyn Bubala, who wore a bikini while skiing in New Mexico during unseasonably warm weather
Credit: REUTERS/Cheney Orr
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Key Takeaways
- Record-breaking heat in the Western US has caused over half of ski resorts to close early or not open, according to a Reuters report
- Skiers are hitting the slopes in swimwear as temperatures soar 20 to 30 degrees above normal in many areas
- Experts warn the lack of snow threatens water supplies and increases wildfire risks in typically snow-covered regions
Skiers in the Western U.S. looked more like they were going surfing as they recently hit the slopes in swimwear amid record temperatures.
More than half of the 120 ski resorts in the western United States have already closed, will close early, or never opened this year due to an unseasonably warm winter that saw record-low snowfall, according to a Reuters report.
At Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico, snow had to be bulldozed from remote parts of the mountains and transported to trails to keep them covered.
Credit: Michael Ciaglo/Getty
Shirtless skiers reportedly "water skied" over a large puddle forming at the base of the resort. One visitor, Maylyn Bubala wore an athletic bikini top to ski in the 80-degree heat, days before the resort closed.
"The rising temperatures, it's pretty insane," Bubala, a 19-year-old student at Oregon State University who recently wrote a paper on the environmental impact of early melting of snowpacks, told Reuters. "This is not natural."
In the week leading up to to Thursday, March 26, temperatures in the Western U.S. were 20 to 30 degrees higher than normal, breaking daily records in over 150 locations, according to the National Weather Service.
Climate scientist Daniel Swain told Reuters that snowpack — accumulated snow that becomes compressed and hardened and forms a base layer at most ski destinations — was on track to be the lowest on record at almost every western ski resort.
"This was a remarkably bad snow year, not just one basin, but across most of them," said Swain, attributing the trend to long-term climate change. "It's really just been a tale of astonishing warmth throughout the West."
Credit: Michael Ciaglo/Getty
These conditions also raise the risk of wildfires at elevations that are typically covered with snowpack and threaten water supply to major cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas, which rely on snowmelt that feeds the Colorado River, according to Reuters.
The warm weather has impacted a region that relies on skiing as a driver of the economy, as well.
Credit: Michael Ciaglo/Getty
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PEOPLE previously reported on several resorts that were forced to close temporarily.
In mid-March, Mt. Shasta Ski Park in McCloud and the Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort in Pinecrest marked the end of their 2025/2026 season after an unseasonably warm and short winter.
The Mt. Shasta Ski Park, one of California’s northernmost ski areas, announced the closure in a social media video posted on March 10. General manager Brendan Hickey cited the “terribly warm” forecast with a zero chance of precipitation. He notes the resort only made it to day 55 of its 60-day guarantee, and current passholders would receive a credit via email.
Similarly, Dodge Ridge announced its closing on social media and on its website on March 13, citing “unseasonably warm conditions.”
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