Some people dream of a never-ending winter, but Canmore’s Noah Jacobs doesn’t have to. For now. For the last eight years, the passionate skier has chased snow to practice his turns.
Even if it’s the middle of summer and 30 degrees outside, Jacobs is tearing up the slopes on what little snow he can find.
Jacobs’ passion for skiing started when he was 18 years old. He worked as a ski patroller at Jay Peak in Vermont, United States, where he patrolled for 20 years.
“In patrol, it was so much fun over the years, but it’s definitely fun to be able to just ski for yourself and really do what you want, go where you want, and have that and have that flexibility,” Jacobs told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
He isn’t the only Canadian to enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Jacobs is part of a small community of skiers and snowboarders called Turns All Year (TAY).
TAY has members across the United States and Canada. The group’s members all follow one rule: You must ski at least once monthly, year-round. What’s in it for members?
Nothing. That’s the great part about TAY. No shiny gold trophy or finish line is waiting for members who complete the challenge. TAY is about the journey, not the destination.
Jacobs enjoys exploring the world in search of snow. His explorations have taken him to Chile, Argentina, Scotland, and even Dubai, where he skied indoors.
The COVID-19 pandemic put a wrench in his plans, forcing the skier to look for snow closer to home. Jacobs has kept his TAY streak going for the last four years in Alberta alone.
From the Columbia Icefields to Kananaskis Country, Jacobs has had plenty of options to choose from.
“A lot of our September, and October turns are on the Columbia Icefield. That’s kind of like our saving grace for always having snow for some summer skiing,” said Jacobs.
TAY has taken Jacobs to all corners of the world, but he didn’t have to go far to meet his wife, who he met on a chairlift at Lake Louise.
Inconsistent Weather Forcing Hill Closures
If the TAY challenge wasn’t challenging enough, the group’s members have had a harder time finding snow in recent years due to warming global temperatures.
“TAY has gotten harder. I’ve watched snowfields, like Ptarmigan Ridge, almost disappear in my tenure. You now have to walk further to find patches. It’s definitely eye-opening to see,” said Mitch Pittman, a TAY member from Seattle.
In Alberta, warmer temperatures during peak ski season have forced the Drayton Valley Brazeau Snow Club ski hill to be closed.
Last week, the ski hill posted on Facebook announcing its closure, citing inconsistent weather conditions as the main factor for closing.
“Mother Nature has not been kind to us, in any way, over the last 10 years,” writes the club in their Facebook post.
Winter sports are our province’s bread and butter. Unfortunately, even in a low-emission future, the average length of seasons across all ski areas in the Rockies is expected to decrease as much as 18 percent by mid-century.
Meanwhile, snow-making is expected to more than double. While there are sustainable methods of snow-making like snow farming, many methods aren’t so green.
Traditional snow-making methods consume massive amounts of fossil fuel energy and water, indirectly producing greenhouse gas emissions—a real catch-22 situation.
“The more they try to adapt to climate change, the more they have to adapt to climate change,” Daniel Scott, a professor in geography and environmental management at the University of Waterloo told CBC News.
The situation is especially grim in Alberta where our energy grid is mostly powered by fossil fuels. Until we decarbonize our energy grid, ski seasons will only get shorter.
Jacobs may have been able to keep his TAY streak going in Alberta for the last four years, but that could change if the global temperature continues to rise and ski hills close.
