#Dysbiosis to Pluriversebiosis Post 2

The article in the newspaper The Independent "The Winter Olympics and the true cost of fake snow dominating our slopes: ‘It’s more dangerous now’" relates quite a bit to our current classwork.  Furthermore, it is all about the rather unwell future of nordic skiing given the current and future snow forecasts.  Additionally, the article relates snow levels to ski dependent economies, another subject we have delved into in class.  I particularly thought the article's perspective on man made snow was interesting.  This is something relatable when skiing at Soldier Hollow in Utah, or even at early season Kincaid Park in Anchorage AK.  The article notes how nearly indestructable compared to normal snow the manmade substance is, but how it is much icier, and requires much more time, money, and energy to create.  Furthermore, the article notes how parts of the skiing industry are becoming almost solely reliant on manmade snow, and how it is not sustainable.  Skiing on a ribbon of snow is unnatural, and marks a last ditch attempt to save the industry in certain areas.  The future for skiing right now is a bit murky.  While it should be able to survive in higher elevations and colder latitudes, places like the Rockies Western slope might be out of luck.  The industry will be continually forced to rely on manmade snow, making the sport more expensive than it already is.  It will be interesting to see how the sport adapts to its unwelcoming future.

     -K.H.Taylor