Winter sports boom faces a climate reality check
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The Milan Cortina Olympics were a showcase for growth and inclusion in winter sports, but the infrastructure that keeps those sports alive is on thin ice.
Why it matters: If warming weather trends continue, the map of where people can learn to curl, play hockey, or ski will be limited.
- "Climate change is ultimately going to be an arbiter of the growth of winter sports versus people's interest," Lauren Anderson, director of the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Business Center, tells Axios.
State of play: National and local grassroots efforts led to more diverse representation in the Winter Olympics, with U.S. women Elana Meyers Taylor, Alysa Liu, Chloe Kim and Laila Edwards among the success stories in Italy.
- Organizations like Black Boarders CT in Connecticut offer programs for youth and mothers of color.
- The Professional Women's Hockey League is taking games and clinics beyond home markets to increase exposure and participation.
Yes, but: Warmer, more unpredictable winters are forcing the industry to rely heavily on artificial snow just to keep the slopes open — and fake snow has limits.
- It requires near-freezing temperatures and relatively dry air to work, so the window of time when fake snow can be made has been shrinking.
- Anderson says a lack of natural snow forces a heavier reliance on specialized dry-land training centers or indoor ski warehouses.
And more ice rinks "aren't going to just pop up," says Anderson. They're an expensive investment.
- The Minnesota Park Board spent nearly $110,000 per day to maintain outdoor rinks during the winter of 2024, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
- And Portland didn't open its popular downtown ice rink for the 2025 holiday season because of city budget limitations, a spokesperson told KOIN 6 News.
The bottom line: No matter how strong demand is, winter sports still need winter.
