Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Winter in Colorado looked very different this year. Many parts of the state experienced record-high temperatures and record-low snowpack, which had downstream effects on farming, sports, tourism, and more. For those economies and livelihoods that rely on snow, what happens when snow becomes unreliable? And can we prepare for it?
Producer Kathleen Davis speaks with Halle Zander, news director at Aspen Public Radio, about how this is playing out in Aspen. Then, environmental historian Mike Childers talks us through how Colorado’s economies may need to adjust.
Guests:
Halle Zander is the news director at Aspen Public Radio.
Dr. Mike Childers is an associate professor of environmental history at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
Transcript will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com (sciencefriday.com/segments/colorado-snow-drought-outdoor-recreation-economy-skiing/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri) .
Subscribe to this podcast. (pod.link/73329284) Follow our show on Instagram (instagram.com/scifri/) , TikTok (tiktok.com/@scifri) , Facebook (facebook.com/scifri) , and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/scifri.bsky.social) @scifri and sign up for our newsletters (sciencefriday.com/newsletters/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri) . Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 (about:invalid#zCSafez)
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Winter in Colorado looked very different this year. Many parts of the state experienced record-high temperatures and record-low snowpack, which had downstream effects on farming, sports, tourism, and more. For those economies and livelihoods that rely on snow, what happens when snow becomes unreliable? And can we prepare for it?
Producer Kathleen Davis speaks with Halle Zander, news director at Aspen Public Radio, about how this is playing out in Aspen. Then, environmental historian Mike Childers talks us through how Colorado’s economies may need to adjust.
Guests:
Halle Zander is the news director at Aspen Public Radio.
Dr. Mike Childers is an associate professor of environmental history at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
Transcript will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com (sciencefriday.com/segments/colorado-snow-drought-outdoor-recreation-economy-skiing/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri) .
Subscribe to this podcast. (pod.link/73329284) Follow our show on Instagram (instagram.com/scifri/) , TikTok (tiktok.com/@scifri) , Facebook (facebook.com/scifri) , and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/scifri.bsky.social) @scifri and sign up for our newsletters (sciencefriday.com/newsletters/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri) . Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 (about:invalid#zCSafez)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
