California drought, lack of snow got you down? Try rock skiing

A group of filmmakers poked gentle fun at California skiers who were recently photographed skiing on an anemic patch of snow on the state’s drought-ridden mountains, by promoting a new sport: rock skiing.

In the film from Happy United and Groove Guild, a skier and a snowboarder donning winter gear are seen climbing a steep, rocky mountain, then leaping off. The pair ski down the sharp rock edges, landing in gravel instead of snow.

Jumping off boulders, the snowboarder and skier appear to navigate every turn and twist with considerable skill despite the lack of snow.

Then things take a turn for the worse as the pair plunge to the ground. They can barely hold themselves as they slip on rocks down the mountain. The skier ends up spitting dirt.

The short film ends with “No snow,” “No Water,” “#Climatechangeisreal.”

The filmmakers say the video illustrates “the effects of climate change on our once snow-capped peaks.”

The nearly three-minute video refers to a series of photographs taken at ski resorts in Northern California in March, showing skiers gliding on thin patches of snow surrounded by dirt.

Officials say the dismal snow conditions are the result of four years of drought.

“This is arguably one of the driest winters we have had,” Bob Roberts, president and chief executive of the California Ski Industry Assn., told the Los Angeles Times.

This month, Gov. Jerry Brown called for a mandatory cut in water usage by 25% in California after the lowest April 1 snowpack recorded in the Sierra Nevada mountains was measured.

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