Robert Hornung details the cancellation of World Cup events set to take place in Squaw Valley in early March. The drought has limited precipitation for the last several years and is wreaking havoc throughout the West Coast.

1. FIS World Cup Cancelled at Squaw Valley
West Coast Drought Continues
Robert Hornung

2. Those who booked a trip to Squaw Valley in hopes of
catching the FIS World Cup ski- and snowboardcross
events March 4-8 will be disappointed to know that the
events have been cancelled.

3. Conditions at Squaw Valley
The record-setting West Coast drought has dramatically
limited precipitation in Squaw Valley, forcing the resort to
cancel the the first World Cup-level event to be scheduled at
Squaw Valley in over 45 years.

4. Current Conditions

5. Current Conditions
While the mountain usually receives an average of 450
inches of snow per winter, this year’s accumulation has yet
to reach 200 inches. The lack of precipitation appears
even more dramatic when one considers that 24 of the 140
inches of accumulation this year fell in a storm a couple of
weeks ago and that February is primetime for ski season in
California.
This is the fourth straight winter that has dramatically fell short
of the average.

6. Extended West Coast Drought
This lack of precipitation is “unprecedented” according to
meteorologist Eric Boldt, who identifies a persisting high
pressure system off the West Coast as the barrier preventing
storms from moving over the continent and into the area.
Normally these high pressure systems move more regularly,
but this system hasn’t shifted in the last couple of years.

7. High
pressure
system
keeping
cold air
at bay

8. Unfortunately, the effects of the drought go far beyond the
World Cup events that were cancelled at Squaw Valley. While
drought-stricken areas have received some rain over the last
couple of weeks, it is mountain snow that, when melted, flows
down into state reservoirs that provide a substantial amount of
clean water. In California, this source provides over 30% of the
state’s water.
Drought

9. The decision to cancel is especially disappointing in
terms of the publicity that the events would have given
to the resort. Less than 10 years-old, both events were
among the most popular at the 2014 Winter Olympics
in Sochi. Fortunately, the cancellation doesn’t mean a
complete shutdown of activity on the slopes; the resort
will reallocate the resources that would have been
used for the World Cup events towards maintaining
and improving the guest experience.
Read more at http://bobhornungiscfamily.com