Search for elusive snow

A snow-making machine blowing fresh snow in Zhangjiakou, China, months before Winter Olympics events were to be held, in this file photo from Dec 21, 2021. Future Winter Olympics will need to be held at higher altitudes and spread over multiple venues in order to adapt to a changing climate, new research suggests. — Keith Bradsher/The New York Times

AS an elite cross-country skier who grew up in Alaska, Gus Schumacher is used to training and racing in biting cold and ­driving snowstorms.

But in recent years, Schumacher, who is preparing to compete in several events at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy this month, has been skiing through wet, mushy snow surrounded by barren hillsides.