Keystone Resort in Colorado was the first resort in the country to open in 2025, in part due to their emphasis on early-season snowmaking. As climate change amplifies drought in the Mountain West, ski areas across the region are considering how best to use increasingly scarce water resources.

Colorado’s statewide snowpack, as of Friday, sat at 70% of the median between 1991 and 2020, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Water and