I LOVE TO SKI. IT’S A GREAT WAY TO GET away from the city and shed the stresses of congested life here in the mythical world of Hollywoodland. Last year was a fantastic ski season. Mammoth mountain had snow until July. I was lucky enough to get away four times last year and skied in amazing conditions, with deep snowpacks.
This year I was able to escape to Mammoth only once. And that one time, though in stupendous conditions, was a stark reminder of how much can change in one year.
Last year the snows were deep and long lasting. This year, the snow pack is very light and it is warming up quickly. The lack of snow on the surrounding mountains is causing the heat to sink into the earth and thus warm the whole valley that much earlier.
Mammoth Mountain has this wonderful gondola you can take up the mountain, it allows for one to enjoy the scenic beauty of the valley, in comfort and you can enjoy a “big picture” view of the immensity of the region. I really enjoy this type of ride, because the gondola is large and roomy and usually you can move around and get to enjoy the sights.
Last year the gondola ride was exceptional, it was like being in the clouds. The hills were snow covered, and the valley was engulfed in a giant white blanket.
This year, the ride was very depressing, because the hills were so very barren. There was almost no snow on the opposing mountaintops, Instead of great white peaks that belonged on postcards there was a rocky patch of brown. The fields that would usually have a coating of ice and snow were laid bare. The lack of snow cover, combined with the absence of green trees, made the whole area looked much like a forgotten wasteland.
In many ways it was a foreshadowing of what the summer holds. The local climatologists and meteorologists are talking about how the southern California area is in “perfect drought” conditions. Lack of local rain, low Northern California rain, and low reserves is driving us into drought conditions.
But a drought is generally defined as a period of “extended” below normal rainfall but can also apply to conditions when there is not enough water to support agricultural, ranching and residential uses. While much has been made of this years surprisingly low rainfall, much of it attributed to Al Gore’s Global Warming™. The immediate truth is that we live in a near desert.
Deserts are defined as areas that receive an average annual precipitation of less than 10 inches. On average, we receive 15 inches of rainfall, but there is wide variation in year-to-year rainfall. Just two years ago, we had the wettest year in over 100 years, which came just two years after the driest year in all recorded history.
The odds are that next year will be normal and the year following it a soaker. Or not. This weather business is tricky. The meteorologists said we were due for an El Nino year, and we got the driest ever.
The Chicken Littles are saying the sky is falling, and the Ostriches (otherwise known as Republicans) are saying that there is no problem, it is just seasonal fluctuations. I’m inclined to believe that the truth is somewhere in the middle. While I don’t want to completely ignore the realities of the strains that increased population are putting on our infrastructure in California and the globe, I also don’t want to sell my skis and buy stock in sunblock companies.
If there is overreaction on the left and under-reaction on the right, perhaps that is how balance is achieved. But the problem with either of these positions is it leads to wholesale dismissal of the opposing side’s point of view and the valid points that are contained in their arguments.
Polarization of sides is the coward’s way out whenever there is a complex question. I learned in sixth grade that there are no simple answers to complex questions. What we need is a measured response that deals with the situation. Perhaps just starting the conversation is important. For example, we know that we have more people than we did last year, and we know that we had less rainfall, which means that we need to use less water.
History has shown that there are wide fluctuations in our climate, in short periods of time, but there is also a general upward trend globally. The trick is to know what is a global problem, and what is a local, seasonal variation. That’s why I’m keeping my skis but looking at installing fake grass in my new lawn.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 3, 2007. Read the original PDF.