New Hampshire ski industry concerned about climate change

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New research out of the University of New Hampshire reveals that the majority of New Hampshire ski industry professionals are concerned about the effects of global warming on the ski industry, which generates close to $278.8 million each season in the Granite State, and believe more should be done. The study released by UNH's Carsey School of Public Policy shows that this shared unease suggests a readiness to adopt sustainable practices and advocate for industry-wide adaptations.

"Understanding the collective views of ski professionals on climate change is an important first step in working to preserve a vital industry to the state, and the region, as the ongoing trend of temperatures rising and winters shortening continues," said Elizabeth Burakowski, research associate professor in UNH's Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space.

The brief highlights the results of an online survey conducted in June 2025 with New Hampshire ski industry professionals to gain insight into how they perceive climate change. The researchers used a set of four simple survey questions and found that 85% of the survey respondents were either "alarmed" (42%) or "concerned" (43%) about climate change. These results were considerably higher than the national average of 54%, of which 26% were "alarmed" and 28% were "concerned" in 2024. Only 6% of the ski industry respondents were "doubtful" about climate change, and 5% were "dismissive."

"We were actually surprised to find that 85% of the survey respondents, who were all ski industry professionals in New Hampshire, had such strong concerns about climate change," said Burakowski. "But it's an indication that people overall are becoming increasingly worried about global warming, are more engaged with the issue, and are more supportive of solutions."

The survey also showed that over half (51%) of the respondents did not think the New Hampshire ski industry was doing enough to address climate change. Burakowski and co-author Jacklyn Tracy, an environmental studies student at Colby-Sawyer College, say these preliminary findings could point to a collective motivation to take more action by engaging in sustainable practices for the ski industry by mitigating its own carbon footprint while also championing policies at the state and national level that can help stem the factors that are outside of the industry's control.

"My hope is that the skiing community in New Hampshire recognizes that many of us share similar concerns about climate change," said Burakowski. "And, that we can collectively take action to reduce fossil fueled greenhouse gas emissions, use and produce energy responsibly and efficiently, and strategize practices that protect our winters while sustaining our outdoor recreational economy."

According to Ski NH, the Granite State ranks sixth in the nation for snow recreation activity. An estimated 2.8 million people visit N.H. ski areas to engage in recreation activities and spend about $384.2 million at ski resorts and surrounding areas, with the vast majority ($278.8 million) spent during the ski season, December through April. Ski-related tourism supports an estimated 10,000 seasonal jobs and 6,000 annual jobs in New Hampshire.

The brief also shares that although a majority of N.H. ski industry professionals do not think enough is being done, there are multiple advocacy, education, and operational changes underway to address climate change through mitigation and adaptation.

The authors hope that their preliminary findings will lead to more comprehensive and targeted surveys in the future that include increased demographics. They cite that expanding the research nationally could also provide valuable insights across regions and enrich the findings with deeper context.

More information

Ski industry professionals in New Hampshire are worried about climate change, scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewconte … =1573&context=carsey

Key concepts

effects of climate changestatistical surveyinggreenhouse gasesSustainability

Provided by University of New Hampshire