Environmental Issues at Western Ski Resorts
If you plan to head to the slopes this season and are concerned with mountain ecosystem integrity, you might want to check out The Ski Area Citizens' Coalition web site.
The SACC is composed of four groups, Colorado Wild, the Crystal Conservation Coalition (Washington State), Friends of the Inyo (California) and The Sierra Nevada Alliance (California). They produce a yearly report on the environmental friendliness of ski resorts in ten Western United States (California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Utah).
They rate ski resorts using 9 different criteria, with each criteria weighed proportionately to their importance in the coalition's overall vision of a green ski resort. The SACC notes that nine out of ten ski resorts in the west are on public land managed by the Forest Service. Approximately one-half of their criteria address public land management issues connected to ski area development. They also address issues more connected to the day to day operation of the ski area, such as water and waste management.
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All the resorts that made the top 10 rankings listed below received an A grade. The first two resorts listed, Aspen Mountain and Buttermilk, were really the cream of the environmental crop. Each received a 92.8 score. The next best resort, Alpine Meadows, received an 80.2 score.
- Aspen Mountain Ski Resort Colorado
- Buttermilk Ski Resort Colorado
- Alpine Meadows California
- Sundance Resort Utah
- Aspen Highlands Colorado
- Mount Bachelor Oregon
- Sierra-at-Tahoe California
- Wolf Creek Ski Area Colorado
- Bogus Basin Mountain Resort Idaho
- Alta Ski Area Utah
Eleven ski resorts made the bottom 10 list. They are listed below in order of performance, with Breckenridge Ski Resort's score of 35 representing the lowest score. The first seven resorts listed received an F grade. The last four received a D grade. Crystal Mountain Resort and A-Basin each received a score of 45, accounting for the eleven rankings.
- Breckenridge Ski Resort Colorado
- Copper Mountain Ski Resort Colorado
- Kirkwood Mountain Resort California
- White Pass Ski Area Washington
- Crested Butte Mountain Resort Colorado
- Winter Park Resort Colorado
- Silver Mountain Ski Resort Idaho
- Bridger Bowl Ski Area Montana
- Big Sky Resort Montana
- Crystal Mountain Resort Washington
- A-Basin Ski Area Colorado
The ski resort industry has also been promoting their own green agenda through a policy called Sustainable Slopes. The Sustainable Slopes program is more limited in scope than the SACC program. It generally focuses on practical issues associated with resort management such as best practices in the water and waste management areas. You can find additional information about the sustainable practices of the Western ski resorts of your choice at their web site.
© 2002-2006. Patricia A. Michaels. All rights reserved.