The (Snow) Gods Must Be Crazy!
I've joked around about Ullr and 'the snow gods' more times than I can count. I don't take it seriously, nor do my skiing friends. So, it's no surprise to see a snow sports writer use 'snow gods' in an article. But, I didn't expect a Powder Magazine article about increasing weather volatility and snow droughts to make absolutely no mention of climate change. I was particularly surprised because the article references a '2012 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the non-profit organization Protect Our Winters'. That study just happens to be titled Climate Impacts on the Winter Tourism Economy in the United States.
I know that the snowsports industry has a complicated relationship with climate change, to put it mildly. I get it. But to refuse to acknowledge the elephant in the room is ridiculous. I am reminded of 'The Gods Must Be Crazy' where a Kalahari Bushman is hit on the head by a falling Coke bottle (do you remember glass Coke bottles?) and decides that this mysterious object is a gift from the fickle Gods. I get the same feeling from this article; snow is a incomprehensible gift that the gods provide, or don't, at their whim.
Of course, we are not bushmen. We know that there are no snow gods (my apologies to any devout Germanic pagans). We also know that human activity (e.g. CO2 emissions) is changing the climate and making weather patterns less reliable. To pretend otherwise is laughable, but not funny.
More Info:
Powder Magazine - The Snow Gods Are Unfair
NRDC & POW Study - Climate Impacts on the Winter Tourism Economy in the United States
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