As I write, the first winter storm in weeks is forecast for our area. I look up at the mountains and see only thin streaks of white where snow should cover the ground. Snow sports depend heavily on natural snowfall which is becoming less reliable. The environmental shifts from climate change are now having an economic effect.

It's almost official, the Taos Ski Valley 2010 Development Plan has been approved by the U.S. Forest Service. Specifically, Alternative 2 has been approved which includes the Main Street lift on Kachina Peak and Ridge lift on the West Basin Ridge. The official Record of Decision was published and a 45 day Appeal Period began on August 23rd, 2012. Information on who can appeal and how to appeal is described in the Record of Decision.

Hey, ski resort. I know we haven't seen much of each other for a few months but the mornings have been getting cooler and I was thinking about you. I want us to be together every winter, but we need to talk. I love the great times we've had together but we can't keep going on like we used to. We could talk about the weather all the time: When will it snow? How much? Will it be light, fluffy powder or a heavy, wet blanket of snow? But things have changed and I'm worried about our future. We need to talk about CO2 and climate change.

We are well into the heat of summer in the Northern Hemisphere (I hope the skiing is great South of the Equator!) and warm weather mountain sports are in season. Heading to the mountains is a great way to escape the heat and find other ways of earning your turns. One of my favorites is Mountain Biking, just a whippersnapper compared to skiing, but it has been around since the early 1970's.

Welcome to Summer all you Northern Hemisphereans (is that a word?)! While winter is half way around the sun for many of us, now is a great time of year for all forms of warm-weather outdoor recreation. If you work in the 'fun' world of outdoor recreation you might feel like some people don't take the outdoor industry very seriously. What if you could tell them that the Outdoor Industry employs nearly three times more people than the fossil fuel industry? It turns out that outdoor fun is serious business.

Dust Blows! Then dust lands on snow and the snow melts off faster. Why is this a problem? Faster snowmelt leads to early spring runoff and reduced river waterflow. Dust on mountain snowpacks amplifies the problem of warmer and drier weather in the Southwestern US brought on by climate change. What can be done about it? The Center for Snow & Avalanche Studies (CSAS) needs funding to research this dusty problem.