New England Ski Industry Faces New Challenges

As winter approaches, many skiers are preparing for their yearly trips to their favorite ski resorts. This 2007-2008 ski season however, could prove quite a challenge to resort owners, especially in New England.

One serious problem affecting the New England ski industry, as well as the rest of the world, is the effect of global warming. Warmer, shorter winters mean less natural snow and potentially fewer months of operation for seasonal ski resorts.

Because New England is "down wind" from the rest of the United States, the region's weather often consists of a full range of the rest of the country's weather patterns. New Englanders are accustomed to having to work around the droughts, flooding, extreme temperatures, blizzards, ice storms, nor'easters, tornadoes and hurricanes. Harsh winters are nothing new; warmer winters, on the other hand, are quite challenging to these ski-industry-driven states.

This ski season, people wishing to escape the toils and turmoil of suburbia for a quick weekend ski trip may find their resort choices limited in the eastern portions of the United States, according to predictions.

Due to the persistent 18-month drought that has plagued the majority of the country, especially eastern region of the United States, some experts worry that there won't be enough snow to draw their usual crowd of seasonal guests. Resort owners are trying to remain hopeful that the fall season will bring its usual tropical rain patterns. One resort owner has been quoted as saying "snowmaking would be considered..."

In addition to naturally occurring challenges, the New England ski industry is running into roadblocks such as seasonal labor. The Senate is currently sitting on a bill that could hinder the ability of resort owners to hire their returning foreign seasonal employees.

According to recent employment statistics, more than 122,000 foreign seasonal workers were employed H-2B program. About 51,000 of those were returning workers.

A recent change in federal law could make it more difficult for ski resorts to hire many of their foreign seasonal employees. There are eighteen ski resorts that rely heavily upon the H-2B program for seasonal employment purposes in Vermont alone. The current law limits the number of visas issued per year to 66,000. With more than 50,000 workers who currently hold H-2B visas returning to work, this puts a strain on industries that depend on their foreign employees for seasonal work.

The original federal, Save Our Small and Seasonal Business Act of 2005, allowed workers to return without counting against the cap, if they had previously held an H-2B visa. In 2006, more than 70,000 H-2B visas were issued in addition to more than 50,000 employees who returned without being counted against the 66,000 cap.

Now, as ski resorts and seasonal workers are trying to prepare for the ski season, they're also waiting for a bill to be passed - or not.

Many seasonal tourists have become accustomed to escaping into the New England ski states. Though the 2007-2008 ski-seasons are being faced by challenges such as drought, global warming and a possible shortage of workers, resort owners remain positive. They anxiously await the usual swarm of tourists and skiers.