Colorado’s Green Ski Areas
Saving the earth isn't just good for the conscience—here, it also helps ensure that Colorado continues to have the best ski and snowboarding resorts in the world. That's why the state's ski areas are adamant about protecting the environment. They’re smart about resources and are built around a healthy environmental plan. The ski areas listed below are just a few of the many with green practices.
Read About
Aspen/Snowmass
Steamboat Ski Resort
Silverton Mountain
Vail Resorts
Aspen/Snowmass
The Aspen Skiing Company runs four distinct resorts: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass. Each of these idyllic mountains embraces a commitment to protecting the environment.
When it comes to environmental forward thinking, this ski group is one of the leaders...creating ways that can make our ski areas as sustainable as they are enjoyable. Its ski areas fuel snowcats—the go-anywhere snow transports—using biodiesel, which is a cleaner-burning and renewable fuel source. The company also built one of the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings in the nation. Because of these and many other accomplishments, Aspen/Snowmass has been awarded more than 30 awards for its efforts to fight global warming and go green.
For more information on the company’s green initiatives, join their Save Snow campaign and help ensure that the ski and snowboarding runs of Colorado continue to be among the best in the world. Visit www.savesnow.com to find out more.
Top of page
Steamboat Ski Resort
In 2006 ski, Steamboat Ski Resort opened the world’s first combined solar/wind powered ski lift and aptly named it Sunshine Express. The Sunshine Express is a high-speed quad lift that takes boarders and skiers to the top of Sunshine Bowl, one of the more challenging terrains on the mountain.
When building new trails and runs, Steamboat utilizes computer models to determine the impacts on water and soil, as well as overall aesthetics, before moving one ounce of earth. In fact, the majority of the ski runs are constructed without using roads to access the work site, as roads have a very negative impact on forested areas. The resort goes to great lengths to minimize its footprint while building—even using horses to haul materials to work sites in lieu of putting in a road. Many of the trails are also built by hand, greatly decreasing the use of fossil-fueled engines.
Steamboat is also very active with the Keep Winter Cool initiative, a cause with a focus on fighting global warming. For more information about this project, visit www.keepwintercool.org.
Top of page
Silverton Mountain
Silverton Mountain is entirely recycled...literally. The mountain resort was built with products either donated or purchased as used from other areas around the country—including the lifts, mountain vehicles, ski patrol toboggans and furnishings...even handheld radios.
In addition to using recycled products to put together a challenging ski area, Silverton Mountain is also engaged in other earth-saving activities. Ski runs aren’t usually naturally occurring—often trees are cut to provide space for the runs. But Silverton Mountain is doing more than its part to lessen this impact on the environment. For every tree felled for a lift line, Silverton plants two more.
Top of page
Vail Resorts
The effort Vail Resorts puts into ensuring that Colorado’s environment stays beautiful is staggering. As one of Colorado’s largest lodging operations, this resort group has the ability to positively impact the environment in a substantial way. Among its many initiatives is the company’s dedication to offsetting 100 percent of its electrical usage through wind power. This includes their five resorts, numerous lodging properties, 145 retail outlets and corporate headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado.
Among its properties’ individual accomplishments are Keystone’s composting program, through which they compost 500 pounds of kitchen waste every week. This composted material is then used for landscaping fertilizer.
Vail Mountain, which holds the distinction of having the largest on-mountain recycling program of all North American ski resorts, recycles roughly 70 percent of its waste—averaging 100 tons a month during ski season. Just two month’s worth of waste is equivalent to the weight of a full-grown blue whale. Vail Resorts also recognizes that recycling is only half of the conservation equation—buying recycled is the other half. The company has made it a priority to buy recycled materials whenever possible, including napkins, paper and cups.
Top of page