Scientists predict that the ski season in New England may be adversely impacted as a result of climate change. The ski industry in the northeast is, of course, extremely climate-dependent, and has a narrow cost/profit margin of economic viability such that success or failure can depend on the difference of several days or weeks of favorable weather. Climate models predict that warming will be greater in northern latitudes than the projected global average, and will mostly occur in late autumn and winter, with more of the warming occurring at night. Potential impacts of these climate trends to the ski industry include:

• Potential mid-season rain and significantly more freeze-thaw cycles could result in more icy, granular conditions that are unfavorable for skiing.
• Mid-season rain would necessitate additional snowmaking to restore conditions. Combined with the potential that warming will be more pronounced during winter night-time, snowmaking may be more difficult and costly. To cover one acre of ski trails with one foot of snow takes 150,000 to 180,000 gallons of water. Water supply will be an issue, as will be environmental impacts from such large water withdrawals.
• Total ski spending in New Hampshire, including indirect spending such as meals and overnight accommodations, totals $420.7 million. Projected losses of 10 to 20 percent of ski season days represents a loss of $42 million to $84 million in direct and indirect spending in New Hampshire alone.

Participants at last year's New England regional scoping workshop discussed mitigating and coping options, such as:

• Development and use of new technologies that induce freezing of water at higher temperatures and/or increase the efficiency of snowmaking per volume of water.
• Use of alternative energy sources and increased energy efficiency of snowmaking and other ski industry activities.
• Increasing the size of specially built ponds to support snowmaking activites.