The 2024/2025 FIS Ski World Cup is officially back on the slopes! After a thrilling opener at the iconic Sölden in Tyrol, Austria, where Mikaela Shiffrin made an impressive showing with a fifth-place finish history was written as the American team shone at the first event of the 2024 FIS Ski World Cup. Shiffrin may have fallen short of the top spot this time, but as she heads to Levi, Lapland, her sights are set on inching ever closer to a monumental goal—her 100th World Cup win. But before the event heads there, climate challenges have reared their head once again, with less snow in some areas becoming a growing concern for both athletes and fans alike.

It was only last year that Mikaela Shiffrin herself led calls for a more sustainable approach to the sport. With a letter titled “Our Sport is Endangered,” Shiffrin and numerous others petitioned FIS President Johan Eliasch, expressing that current sustainability efforts weren’t enough to safeguard winter sports for an increasingly eco-conscious world. Now, as this season begins, the climate crisis remains a pressing issue, yet there’s a twist—a venue is set to make history, and it seems justice is finally being served in Shiffrin’s fight for sustainability in skiing.

In a recent update shared by Powder, another contender has entered the race for the earliest ski season start on the West Coast. Mt. Bachelor in Oregon is gearing up to open its slopes earlier than expected, with a special pre-opening weekend for pass-holders from November 15–17, 2024. This exclusive weekend will offer access to the Skyliner and Little Pine lifts, along with the resort’s cross-country trails for Nordic pass-holders. It’s a chance for season pass-holders to get a head start on the snow, celebrating the early kick-off with the resort’s team.

John Merriman, Mt. Bachelor’s president and general manager, expressed his excitement: “I couldn’t be more excited to kick off the season with our passholders on Friday,” he said. “We’re thrilled to open earlier than expected…. It was a big push and I’m so proud of everyone—we are ready to make this the best season yet.” This marks the resort’s earliest opening since 1998, a big leap forward after a strong November snowfall. So far, more than 40 inches of snow have blanketed the mountain, with even more on the way.

After the exclusive weekend, Mt. Bachelor will briefly close before reopening for public skiing from November 22–24, offering discounted lift tickets at $50. Daily operations will officially begin on November 29th. Thanks to its impressive snowfalls and forecasts predicting up to 16 more inches by the 15th, the resort is ready to race ahead with an early start to the season, giving skiers and snowboarders a head start on what’s looking like a fantastic winter.

In the petition, Mikaela Shiffrin and fellow athletes called for swift climate action in skiing. Last year, they cited race cancelations, shrinking glaciers impacting pre-season training, and warmer temperatures preventing artificial snow as signs that public support for skiing is slipping because of sustainability concerns. “We as a winter sports community have to take the lead in the fight against climate change and make our sport climate neutral,” the letter urged, pushing for the FIS to aim for net zero by 2035, halve emissions by 2030, and establish a transparent sustainability department.

Among their suggestions, the 142 athletes from Protect Our Winters (POW) proposed shifting the World Cup season to late November through April and a “geographically reasonable” race calendar to cut around 1,500 tons of CO2 emissions. Yet, as the new season unfolds, the climate crisis is making itself felt, with several venues already struggling against warming threats to the slopes.

Skiing venues in danger, with slopes on the melt

That’s right. Despite the petition efforts by Mikaela Shiffrin and fellow athletes to prioritize sustainability, the ski season is playing out on a varied stage—some venues are breaking records with early openings, while others face the hard truth of climate change. For starters, with just over two weeks until the world’s top skiers arrive at Gurgl, Tyrol, Austria, an unseasonably warm climate casts a shadow over the event, leaving it at risk of cancellation unless fresh snow arrives. Although the International Ski Federation (FIS) chooses locations well in advance, each venue must pass a “snow control” just one week before its event and Gurgl is staring down a tough reality—a narrow strip of snow on its slopes, hoping for a last-minute boost from nature.

Across the Atlantic, things aren’t smooth either. Colorado was set to host Super-G and Giant Slalom races at Copper Mountain and Slalom events in Aspen as part of the Stifel Alpine Nor-Am Cup, but unusually warm weather has left these races canceled for now. The chance of rescheduling remains uncertain, as the temperatures fail to cooperate with FIS standards. But there’s a bright spot! Levi Black, the snowy gem of Lapland, successfully passed FIS’s “Snow Control” test, meeting the required 60 cm snow depth. With a green light for the World Cup Slalom event on November 16-17, Levi Black is ready to carry the torch for this season.