{"id":411,"date":"2026-06-03T11:02:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=411"},"modified":"2026-06-03T11:02:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:02:31","slug":"after-a-grim-colorado-ski-season-drought-is-crippling-rafting-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=411","title":{"rendered":"After a grim Colorado ski season, drought is crippling rafting season"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

WINTER PARK \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>When rafting outfitter Ryan Snodgrass talks about the extremely low water levels in the rivers around Winter Park, he sees his financial security floating away.<\/p>\n

Read more How one place in Colorado achieved 100% clean energy this spring<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are literally going to scrape through \u2014 metaphorically, also \u2014 until next year,\u201d said Snodgrass, co-founder of Downstream Adventures Rafting.<\/p>\n

He stood next to the Fraser River, just one stop on a state-organized drought tour featuring lawmakers, state officials, water managers, experts and media. As the group bussed around north-central Colorado, they tracked the rippling impacts of drought, ranging from higher requests for financial assistance to wildfire concerns, after a record-low winter that ended a month early.<\/p>\n

In Winter Park, the Fraser River was one example. The river was running at 36 cubic feet per second when it should have been closer to 500 cfs or about to peak at over 800 cfs, Snodgrass said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFraser River, right here, this is a very popular recreational run,\u201d he said, referring to the river as it flows from Tabernash to Granby. \u201cNobody\u2019s going to boat that this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parts of Colorado were entirely drought-free before this winter, but that started to change as month after month ticked by with sparse snowfall. Then, the nearly notorious March heat wave stole what little snowpack had accumulated in Colorado\u2019s mountains, causing an early melt and runoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By late May, nearly all of Colorado, about 94%, was experiencing some level of drought, and about 10% was experiencing the worst drought level identified by the U.S. Drought Monitor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a big deal: What happens in Colorado\u2019s mountains each winter impacts millions of people within the state and in downstream communities across the nation.<\/p>\n

Already, Coloradans are tracking the impacts of this summer\u2019s hot and dry conditions on quality of life, community cultures and economies.<\/p>\n

The United States experienced about 26 drought events between 1980 and 2019 that caused at least $1 billion in damage each, and in some cases far more.\u00a0In total, those droughts cost the nation at least $249 billion, with an average cost of more than $9.6 billion during each event. Only hurricanes were more costly, according to a 2020 report from the National Integrated Drought Information System and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/p>\n

In Winter Park, the poor winter\u2019s economic impacts were quickly visible at Winter Park Resort, one of the community\u2019s main economic drivers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Skiing is really good when the snow depth at the resort is 50 inches or more, Doug Laraby, planning director for Winter Park Resort, told the gathering of officials on the drought tour early Tuesday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the first week of February, the snow depth totaled about 30 inches. Some trails \u2014 the ones where there were no artificial snow machines \u2014 had just 15 inches of snow, he said.<\/p>\n

Warm temperatures made it difficult to make their own snow as the winter progressed. Trails that they could normally keep open until April closed in late March. Dirt showed through melting, slushy, late-season snow. Overall, visits dropped by 29%.<\/p>\n

Most of that was because day skiers from the Front Range decided not to make the trip. People who chose Winter Park as their vacation destination kept their reservations, Laraby said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey still showed up, so we survived,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ski patrollers had four days of work each week instead of five. Lift operators, who would normally work 32 hours a week, only had about 20 hours of work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThose kids are looking for a paycheck,\u201d Laraby said. \u201cThe managers have to tell them there\u2019s no work today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The word is out<\/h2>\n

The employees who typically jump from working ski lifts to guiding rafting trips are moving from one tough situation into another, Snodgrass told the state drought tour as welcome shade from clouds slid over the shallow Fraser River.<\/p>\n

Potential employees know Colorado is in a drought, so guides have the option to choose to work elsewhere. Snodgrass isn\u2019t getting as much interest from qualified applicants, he said. With low flows in the rivers, it\u2019s also harder to train inexperienced guides in some of the navigational techniques, like catching eddies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more 10 farms, ranches and markets that help shape Colorado\u2019s agricultural character<\/a><\/p>\n

Snodgrass sees lower flows on all of their normal runs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Clear Creek was just over 200 cfs Tuesday morning and probably past its peak. It normally peaks in the third week of June at around 1,000 to 1,200 cfs, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Arkansas River, the most rafted river in the country, was likely past its peak. On Tuesday, it flowed at around 350 cfs at Nathrop. The lowest raftable flow is about 300 cfs, Snodgrass said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Colorado River, another reliable run, was also just slightly above its minimum flow for rafting, about 250 cfs, near Kremmling Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Customers have been calling with questions about the river conditions \u2014 and Snodgrass expects some will change their travel plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Downstream Adventures is leaning into inflatable kayak rentals and family trips, where mild flows are more desirable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople can still get outside. They can still enjoy the scenery, the wildlife,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s going to be limited from what it is most years, especially those people who want high-level challenge. They\u2019re not going to get that this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rivers are low well before the season\u2019s busy period between the last week of June and third week of August. That\u2019s also the biggest revenue period, Snodgrass said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo everybody is running at almost the minimum, and we\u2019ve barely started,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping that the Colorado River sustains for us, and we\u2019re able to stay open for business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rippling impacts across the community<\/h2>\n

Community groups in Winter Park are already tracking the impacts of the skimpy ski season, even as they look at forecasts for an active monsoon season and strong El Ni\u00f1o as a potential source of relief.<\/p>\n

The town, located northwest of Denver, depends on foot traffic from Front Range communities. Only about 13% of its dwelling units are occupied by full-time residents. But this year, they didn\u2019t come, Winter Park Mayor Nick Kutrumbos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Winter Park has seen 10% growth year over year for about the last decade, excluding the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, the town experienced a 37% decrease in sales tax collections, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In town, signs of strain were showing in food, mental health, school tuition and utility assistance programs. Hunger relief requests are up by nearly 14% this year, mirroring an increase in demand at food banks across the Western Slope. Housing assistance requests have risen by 24%. Other communities, like Granby, reported a significant increase in utility assistance requests in neighboring communities, Kutrumbos said, referencing early data collected by the local community foundation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They\u2019re still waiting for May numbers to get a better sense of the impacts, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, our greatest concern is the cumulative effect of continued drought and low snow pack conditions, Kutrumbos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can weather the storm for one season, but back-to-back seasons could disrupt our local economy,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s something that, like I said, we simply haven\u2019t seen before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local rafting outfitter Snodgrass said his company is doing the best it can, but they are facing problems that could be difficult to overcome. That\u2019s when he drew a lesson from the rivers themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s part of running rivers: You\u2019re always looking for the way through,\u201d he told the gathering of officials. \u201cRapids get harder, and you\u2019re looking harder for the way through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Jared Polis signs bill giving Colorado artists creative control with new business structure<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As drought strains household budgets and mountain town economies, Colorado rafting outfitters urge visitors to come raft the milder flows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-water"],"yoast_head":"\nAfter a grim Colorado ski season, drought is crippling rafting season - Colorado Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=411\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After a grim Colorado ski season, drought is crippling rafting season - 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