The story of White Pine Touring Center this winter is about more than a difficult season. It’s a glimpse of what climate change is beginning to look like for mountain communities across the West. Nordic skiing depends on consistent cold temperatures and a reliable snowpack. This winter deliv ered neither. Snowstorms were repeatedly followed by warm spells and even rain, quickly erasing carefully groomed trails. The result: only 38 days of skiing instead of the typical 130. For many of us along the Wasatch Front and Back, that hits close to home. Winter recreation isn’t just a tourist activity — it’s part of our way of life. Friends who normally spend much of the winter skiing at White Pine simply didn’t have the chance this year. Even people willing to travel and chase snow found themselves driving farther and farther to find reliable conditions. Scientists have long warned that warmer winters will bring exactly this kind of volatility. Warmer air increases the chances that precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, especially at mid-elevations like Park City. The impacts ripple outward. At White Pine, instructors, groomers, retail staff and technicians all saw reduced work hours. Youth ski teams had to chase snow to other venues, and community races were canceled. We can’t control the weather, but we can influence the long-term trends. Expanding clean energy, modernizing the electric grid, and reforming outdated permitting rules so clean energy and electrical transmission projects can be built faster are practical steps that can help stop the carbon pollution that is driving the warming of our climate Encouraging state and federal leaders to act on climate solutions can help protect the winters that sustain Utah’s economy and our outdoor culture.  If we want future generations to enjoy these trails, the time to act is now. Karen Jackson Salt Lake City The post Where’d winter go? appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less