2017 Presentation: The Future of Skiing

Telluride has fueled its culture and economy by being a ski town for more than four decades, but what would happen if there was no snow? This year, the resort had a big snow year, but only after it opened late because of warm temperatures. It also experienced repeated instances of winter rain — something that used to be extremely rare. The concept of a ski area whose snow has vanished is explored in the film Samuel in the Clouds (page 40), which looks at Chalcataya in Bolivia, formerly the world’s highest ski resort, rendered dusty and barren when a glacier melted in 2009. The Future of Skiing will examine the bleak consequences posed to the sport by climate change and attempt to understand what can be done. We’ve assembled a dynamic and influential lineup of speakers that includes Auden Schendler from Aspen Ski Company and the snow sports advocacy group Protect Our Winters, Telluride Ski Resort CEO Bill Jensen, OpenSnow climatologist Joel Gratz, head of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office Luis Benitez, pro skier and activist Angel Collinson, pro skier Chris Davenport and pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones, who founded Protect Our Winters. Skiers have not often been known as advocates, but it’s up to this vibrant community to better understand the issues and work toward a solution — so we can all continue to shred.