Balmy and dry is bad for snow buffs

Balmy, dry fall weather could put the Colorado ski industry’s two-year string of record snow-rider numbers in danger, and most of the West isn’t in any better shape.

Last year, despite getting less snow than the season before, Colorado numbers were still up 6.7% in the first half of the season.

But this year it is even warmer. Some major resorts weren’t open for Thanksgiving, usually the first big revenue producer of the season. Telluride and Steamboat still aren’t open. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent on snow making has made it possible for some resorts to open, but if they use the water now, they may not have it if they need it later in the year.