The Balmy West

It’s been raining in Aspen. Bears haven’t been able to sleep in Nevada. And skiers are going mountain-biking and horseback-riding instead. It has been an unseasonably warm and dry winter across much of the West so far, worrying ski resorts and other businesses that depend on snow. In Aspen, Colo., it rained this week - only the second January rain in the 7,030-foot-high town since 1950. In Park City, Utah, ski runs are covered in wet heavy snow instead of the typical powder. The delayed winter has interrupted hibernation patterns for black bears in Nevada. The bears typically ease toward hibernation between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But with above-normal temperatures the bruins have continued roaming mountains and neighborhoods in search of food.