"Rapidly Diminishing Snow": New Mexico Ski Area To Close a Week Early
Ski Santa Fe, New Mexico, is closing a week earlier than planned due to 'Unusually warm temperatures and rapidly diminishing snow.'The ski area will now close on March 30, 2025 according to a social media update.Those who have pre-purchased a lift ticket or lessons for dates between March 31 and April 6 can secure refunds through their online Ski Santa Fe accounts.Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.
'We would like to express our deepest appreciation to our staff, who worked tirelessly to deliver a top-notch mountain experience throughout the season,' Ski Santa Fe wrote. 'Additionally, a huge thank you goes out to all of our loyal pass holders and guests who visited us this season.'The ski area will conclude the season with a Beach Party at Totemoff's on March 30 with live music and drink specials.For Ski Santa Fe, the start of the ski season looked more promising. Last fall, after 27 inches of snow fell, it opened on November 23, bucking its historical trend of opening for skiing and riding on Thanksgiving day. Thanks to all the snow, the ski area had more opening-day terrain than it had seen in 25 years. The opening of the new Santa Fe Express high-speed quad added to the early-season momentum.But a different, less snowy status quo settled across the Southwest as the season progressed. In basins across New Mexico and Arizona, snow water equivalents are well below the median, indicating a lack of winter precipitation.Another ski area in the region, Sandia Peak—which sits outside Albuquerque, New Mexico—announced a temporary closure in early February, citing warm temperatures and limited snow.Still, skiers at Ski Santa Fe scored some fresh snow earlier this month. On March 15, the ski area shared that it had received five inches of powder. A few days prior, Ski Santa Fe enjoyed a 24-hour storm total of 15 inches.The warm weather Ski Santa Fe is now experiencing isn't limited to the Southwest, either. Ski areas in Washington, California, and Utah—among other states—have seen a sudden arrival of spring-like conditions.At Alta Ski Area, Utah, high temperatures well above freezing are expected early this week. Mt. Baker Ski Area, Washington, is closed Monday and Tuesday this week as balmy weather and rain hits the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
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What defunding public media would mean for the West
Sage Smiley, KYUK's news director, and Morris Alexie visit the proposed site for the climate-driven relocation of Nunapitchuk, a village of about 600 on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. Alexie is the community's relocation manager. (Photo by Katie Baldwin Basile) Late last fall, members of Bethel, Alaska's search and rescue team met at the local public radio station, KYUK, for a program called River Watch. Over an hour and a half, they took calls from listeners around the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, comparing notes on the safety of the ice at different points along the Kuskokwim River. 'Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there,' said a caller from the village of Kalskag, his voice muffled over the phone. He said he'd recently flown over the river to the east and observed lots of holes in the ice. He wanted to warn listeners in other towns: 'There is no trail right now. None of the open water is marked. So it's advised not to be traveling back and forth from Aniak.' 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After Avalanche, Forecasters Urge Caution in Colorado Backcountry
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