Famously ritzy Colorado town plunges into the red because it has seen so little snow this year

One of Colorado‘s most famous ski towns is staring down millions in lost tourism dollars as historically low snowfall keeps visitors away.

Vail, home to less than 5,000 residents, typically welcomes about 2.8 million people during the winter months, including celebrity guests such as The Kardashians.

Olympic ski racer Lindsey Vonn and Metallica front man James Hetfield also both have houses in the ritzy area.

But the resort predominantly relies on the economic boost tourists provide by spending money to sustain it year round.

However unusually low snowfall so far this winter has left Vail Ski Resort’s normally bustling trails virtually barren.

Colorado is at 55 percent of its median historical snowpack, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, prompting many to rethink their trips. 

Other western states – including California and Utah – are also dealing with anemic snow accumulation.

‘I don’t think any of us have seen anything like this yet,’ Vail Town Manager Russell Forrest told KDVR-TV in an interview this week. ‘We are seeing cancellations as people are looking at the snow.’

Pictured: An overhead view of Vail on December 11, 2011, a year where there was exceptionally high snowfall

A trail on Vail Ski Resort is pictured on Thursday with grass poking out through the thin layer of snow on the ground

Forrest said that in December, Vail was down less than two percent in sales tax collections.

But the longer the unfavorable weather persists the worse the problem could become. The town is projecting revenue losses of ten percent from January to April. Over the entire year, officials say revenue could decline four percent.

City staff have now recommended a $4.5 million budget cut for essential services, including the police force, community engagement events and snow plowing.

Mia Vlaar, Vail’s tourism and economic development director, gave fresh projections on hotel bookings during Tuesday’s city council meeting.

‘What’s happened is after the holidays there were a lot of cancellations in that seven to 14 day range and now those are going a little further out because cancellation policies are less severe, less strict,’ Vlaar said.

‘People are waiting and seeing, but then when they have the opportunity they’re going ahead and pulling the trigger on canceling or at least having the conversation,’ she added.

Vlaar said hotel and condo occupancy rates will continue to go down through President’s Weekend but forecasted that there could be a small rebound by Easter.

Pictured: A trail camera shows what the Sun Up Bowl Overlook looked like on Friday morning. City officials estimate that losses could run into the millions unless tourism ticks up

This trail camera shows the Gore Range, where there is visibly less snow than in years past. Colorado is at 55 percent of its median historical snowpack, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service

Vail Resorts Senior Communications Manager Lee Nielsen told KDVR-TV that they have not had to cut any employees at its location in Vail. 

Vail Resorts, a publicly-traded company, owns and operates 42 ski resorts in the United States, Canada, Australia and Switzerland.

The company said that just 11 percent of its terrain in the Rocky Mountains was open in December. The company added that snowfall in November and December was 50 percent lower than what is typical.

‘We experienced one of the worst early-season snowfalls in the western US in over 30 years, which limited our ability to open terrain and negatively impacted visitation and ancillary spending for both local and destination guests,’ Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said in a statement on January 15.

As skiing out west has arguably one of its worst years on record – with two mountains in Oregon completely shutting down due to a lack of snow – the East Coast is having one of its best seasons in decades.

Multiple snowstorms throughout the last several weeks that have peppered mountains in the Northeast with unusually deep snowpacks. 

Pictured: The view of the surrounding mountains from Eagle’s Nest, a location at 10,300 feet.

The stubbornly cold temperatures that have persisted throughout December and January have also led to much more powdery snow than the typical East Coast skier is used to.

Vermont in particular has had an incredibly strong start. Resorts like Jay Peak, Killington and Stowe all boast snow bases of well over 150 inches.

The resort saw has seen considerably more snowpack so far than Alaska’s Alyeska Resort, a mountain that routinely has the highest precipitation levels in the nation.