During the 2023-24 season, injuries became one of the biggest issues for World Cup competitors. Mikaela Shiffrin, her fiancé Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova suffered crashes that derailed their skiing season. However, there was another crisis that the injuries overshadowed, and that was the climate and weather crisis. The situation became so dire in Solden that the FIS canceled the Men’s Giant Slalom event at the legendary Austrian venue. The October 2023 incident led to Shiffrin and several other athletes sending a petition to the FIS to make it more sustainable.

While a year may be enough to make a huge difference, multiple ski resorts made some positive announcements. Oregon, USA’s largest ski resort Mt. Bachelor announced a historic early opening to the skiing season. The skiing season at the resort opened on Friday, November 15, 2024, with a special pre-opening weekend for season pass-holders. The reason behind their earliest opening since 1998 was because of the 40-plus inches of snow cover that had accumulated by November 8.

However, yesterday, two Colorado revenues made a similarly positive announcement. The Aspen Mountain and Snowmass resorts will open on November 23, 2024, five days ahead of their regular schedule. Once again, fresh snowfall led to the Colorado resorts preparing the benefits. “Thanks to the dedication of our hard-working resort teams and the help of some great early-season snow,” said Aspen Skiing Company CEO Geoff Buchheister.

“Aspen Snowmass is grateful to welcome another season and celebrate an early opening,” added Buchheister. The venues took this decision after 10 inches of snowfall within two weeks made conditions suitable for an early opening. Mt. Bachelor’s General Manager John Merriman showed similar enthusiasm on November 8. “Thank you to Mother Nature!” he said.

The early snow in Colorado bodes well for one of the World Cup’s most anticipated stops in Beaver Creek at the world-renowned Stifel Birds of Prey event. However, while things may look promising for the events in Colorado, the climate crisis continues to rear its head at other venues.

An FIS World Cup skiing venue recovers just in time

While skiing icon Mikaela Shiffrin prepared to take a shot at earning her 98th World Cup victory at Levi Finland, things weren’t looking good for the venue after Finland. While the Gurgl waited in anticipation to host its first skiing World Cup double slalom on November 23 and 24, the weather wasn’t cooperating.

Things got worrisome when Levi passed the FIS snow control test, while there was barely any snow on the slalom track on Gurgl. “We should have 5-6 colder nights to prepare the track,” Alban Scheiber of the event organizing committee told the Tiroler Tageszeitung. While there was doubt, as the snow control check happened a week before the event, the venue’s official Instagram handle shared some good news yesterday.

“We’ve received the green light from FIS snow control,” announced Gurgl.Official on Instagram. “There was fresh snow to match, and our ski area is open. Going live on the 23rd & 24.11.24 the Audi FIS Ski World Cup in Gurgl,” the skiing page announced. While things ultimately turned out positive for the upcoming event, it was some last-minute snowfall that ultimately saved the event from cancellation. The incident also showcased why 142 athletes from Protect Our Winters (POW) suggested the FIS start the season in late November instead of October 26.