Skiing and Energy

Not easy skiing green: Is the eco-movement at ski areas legit?
ADAM WHITE
Posted: 01/01/2010 10:57:51 PM EST
From the Bennington Banner

For years, the only thing "green" about ski resorts was the small mountain of cash it took to visit one.

But 2009 saw significant strides made by Vermont ski areas to become more environmentally responsible, and their efforts seem to be paying off. Vermont was the only state with wins in all of the major categories for environmental excellence at this year’s National Ski Areas Association Convention (which was held, naturally, in Florida).

Stratton won for "Excellence in Energy Conservation & Clean Energy," thanks to its "broad, multi-pronged energy program" that reportedly reduced electricity use by 18 percent, propane consumption by 20 percent and fuel/diesel use by 19 percent during 2008; those reductions amount to the equivalent of 3,473 tons of carbon dioxide, according to the NSAA.

Okemo won for Environmental Education, while Stowe earned the Waste Reduction and Recycling award to complete Vermont’s sweep. The three resorts - along with Mount Snow, Bromley and four others in the state - also endorse the NSAA’s "Sustainable Slopes" program and Environmental Charter, which outlines principles of responsible planning and operation for ski areas.

This past November saw the Vermont ski industry’s first wind turbine spin to life, a modest Northwind 100 unit atop the Vista Peak at Bolton Valley. The turbine generates upward of 330,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year (approximately the same amount of power used by 40-45


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Vermont households), providing roughly one-eighth of the resort’s electric power.
Bolton has also contracted Efficiency Vermont of Burlington to help re-work its snowmaking system, while cutting its nightly grooming fleet down by nearly 75 percent and streamlining the operation of its lift system to better fit customer need.

"We can’t keep pumping all of this carbon into the air, or running lifts with nobody on them," says Bolton’s president, George Potter. He goes on to say that support among Bolton passholders for the wind turbine program has been overwhelming.

"So many people have called me up to say ‘thank you,’ and to say that they feel good to be a part of something that is positive for the environment like this," Potter says.

But skeptics insist that the ski industry is using its "green movement" as more of a marketing campaign than anything else, and that the real motivation for increasing efficiency is the healthier profit margin that comes along with it. Those passholders at Bolton may derive some satisfaction from their connection to the resort’s wind initiative, but are they really just being sold a bill of goods with a lot of ecological window dressing?

"Energy is a huge factor at a ski resort," points out Scott Printz, chairman of the Bennington County Regional Commission’s Energy Committee. "If they can reduce their energy consumption, they can save a lot of money. But I’ve got to think that if it didn’t make sense in terms of their bottom line - and give them a wonderful little marketing tool to put out there at the same time - they wouldn’t do it.

"If there was an initiative that would have real value from an environmental standpoint but would cost them money, would they even consider it?"

Printz’s assessment of the situation gains ammunition from one aspect of Bolton’s future plans regarding wind power. Potter and company aspire to erect at least two additional, larger turbines within the next two years; the first would provide all of the power needed to run the resort, while the second would generate excess energy that could be sold to generate additional profit.

"We’re not trying to create a wind farm here; that’s not where we’re going," insists Potter. "It’s about doing things that are green and sustainable."

But if the second turbine would make Bolton self-sufficient in terms of electricity, why build a third?

"We’re a business, after all," Potter admits. "The goal of any business is to make money."

"Green" a fool’s gold?

While the effects of harnessing wind energy are real and tangible, other "green" initiatives within the ski industry come off as downright laughable. Using 10-percent recycled paper and organic, plant-derived ink to print your trail map is not doing a whole lot to reverse the environmental impact easily revealed with a walking tour of any modern commercial ski area.

Begin in the parking lot, where rows of gas-guzzling SUVs displaying a rainbow of out-of-state license plates evidence fuel consumption and exhaust emissions on a significant scale. If there is even a modest distance between the lot and the base area, chances are good that there is also a shuttle running between them.

Note the heating and power requirements of the expansive lodge, attached hotel and other buildings - not to mention the clusters of condominiums carved into the landscape, luxurious lodging that stands empty for months at a time during the off-season.

Turn your gaze along the lines of high-speed, high-capacity chairlifts that hang suspended above the trails - which are essentially linear scars clear-cut through what would otherwise be a wooded mountainside.

A resort staffer buzzes past on a snowmobile, leaving behind a trail of acrid-smelling exhaust from its two-cycle engine and the echo of its high-pitched whine.

Later, after the lifts have ground to a halt, the fleet of tank-like groomers will fire up and make its tracked assault on the mountain. Overhead, a network of snow guns continue churning, often day and night, to make up for the inconsistent and unpredictable snowfall provided by Mother Nature.

Make no mistake, such an operation provides the best possible experience for skiers: Convenient accessibility, pristine surfaces, comfortable amenities for between runs and after long days on the slopes. Of course these customers are aware of the impact they are making on the natural world; in fact, a 1999 survey by Ski Magazine suggested that skiers have a higher level of concern for the environment than enthusiasts of any other recreational sport.

But they are apparently not concerned enough to eschew the modern conveniences of skiing in order to protect the land, air, wildlife and natural resources in these areas. People still use their cars to travel daily, often over short distances, fully aware of the effect that exhaust emissions have on the Earth. Cigarette smokers still light up despite the millions of documented deaths linked to the habit.

As someone who loves to ski and has for decades, I am just as guilty as anyone else of taking advantage of the modern resort model with little regard for its negative impact on nature. I drive alone in my SUV - which seats five and gets roughly 15 miles per gallon - to go skiing during the week. I ride by myself on six-pack chairlifts, and during breaks I drink lodge coffee out of disposable cups. I use the electric hand dryer in the men’s room to de-fog my goggles.

I daydream about strapping a pair of skis onto my pack and climbing on foot through the backcountry, in order to "earn my turns" as the hardcore locals say. And while I may someday realize that ambition, the truth is that I will never stop participating in lift-serve skiing.

As one fellow skier joked, "It’s not like we’re going to magically teleport back through time a thousand years, and start shuffling through the woods on wooden skis like Leif Ericson in order to save the planet."

Likewise, George Potter at Bolton and the rest of the ski industry in Vermont, across the nation and worldwide will continue to keep their groomers running and snow guns pumping in order to provide the best possible experience to those visiting their mountains. Regardless of whether they keep one eye on their profit margin or some government incentive program, they can’t be expected to ignore available technology or other advancements within the sport.

And if they can do so in a more efficient and eco-friendly manner, with help from the spinning blades of a wind turbine up on the ridgeline or a biodegradable plastic spoon in the lodge, isn’t the end result really a net win for the buisnesses, the skiers and the planet?

"You just have to eat your soup fast, or your spoon will melt," says Potter with a laugh.

Adam White is Sports Editor of the Banner. He can be reached at awhite@benningtonbanner.com.