Ultra-short skis: just the thing for climate change

There isn't enough snow. What snow there is is melting in what used to be the middle of the winter. France's Court of Accounts has completed a study of 42 French ski resorts and concluded many of the lower ones are doomed unless they diversify away from skiing. Does this mean the unbeatable delight of sliding over snow is on its way out as a source of mass winter fun? The short answer may be yes. As Charles Bremner notes in the Times, high resorts are more expensive than low ones and use their altitude above sea level as part of their branding. But check these out. For a one-off $200 investment you can now skate or (kind of) ski wherever you find snow on ultra-short skis that strap onto whatever boots you pull out of the cupboard and fit easily into your daypack if you have to walk, ride or take a train or hot air balloon to the snowline. Ultra-short skis have form. British princes have even tried them. There's a lot they can't do, including powder and most sorts of competition. But the time for what they can do may have come.