Sustainable Slopes

Realizing that the mountain environment is a ski resort’s number one asset, Sunlight Mountain Resort is committed to a corporate environmental ethic. Initiatives taken over the last decade are softening the resort’s impact on more than thousand acres of National Forest Land included in the Sunlight Mountain Resort permit. In partnership with the White River National Forest, Sunlight Mountain Resort is moving toward a level of stewardship that will protect and enhance these valuable and sensitive public lands.
The programs described below give more information on specific environmental efforts. The variety of programs reaches nearly every aspect of the resorts operation.

Employee Transit
Begun over a decade ago, the Sunlight Employee Transit System provides over 100,000 employee passenger miles per season. With an average ride distance of 25 miles round trip, and a typical seasonal employee working 90 days, this equates to a reduction of over 2250 miles of wear on a personal vehicle, assuming employees would otherwise carpool with a partner for every trip. Sunlight supports its employees and cares about the environment.

Guest Park and Ride Program
Begun in the 2000-’01 season, Sunlight Mountain Resort again providing a scheduled park and ride service, based at the Sunlight Ski & Bike Shop in downtown Glenwood Springs. The program was designed to reduce single vehicle usage of Four Mile Road, reduce parking demand at the resort, and provide a transportation service that gives guests an option to driving snow-covered mountain roads.

Vegetation Management Program
One of the program’s primary goals is to maintain the maximum forest cover that is compatible with safe and varied skiing and snowboarding. To that end, operating plans and training documents emphasize the protection of tree groves from possible mechanical damage by snow grooming equipment and other operating machinery.

Where ground-disturbing re-contouring occurs on ski trails, Sunlight Mountain Resort summer crews immediately mulch and seed with Forest Service approved grass seed mixes to protect against short-term soil erosion. Over a period of years native plants will re-enter these sites. Transplanting of native plants is also done in specific areas of the mountain. The result of these efforts is an esthetically appealing and ecologically benign series of managed plant communities.

Sustainable Slopes the Environmental Charter for Ski Areas
The National Ski Areas Association, together with its member ski areas and partnering organizations, have created an environmental charter a set of voluntary environmental principles to aid in ski area planning, operations and outreach. The Charter reaffirms the commitment ski areas have in improving environmental performance in all aspects of operations and managing their specific resorts, making possible their continued enjoyment by future generations - true sustainability. Ski areas have provided recreation to millions of guests each year on a very small portion of public land, especially in the Northwest. This very efficient and closely managed utilization of resources limits total impact on mountain ecosystems.

Climate Change Policy
Sunlight Mountain Resort, along with many ski resorts nationally, is concerned about the potential threat of climate change to our environment and winter recreation. As a result, the National Ski Areas Association has adopted a policy to address the long-term challenges of climate change brought about by greenhouse gases. Through this policy, we hope to raise awareness of the potential impacts of climate change on weather-dependent winter sports, reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage others to take action as well. To this end, we will take the following actions:

• Educate our guests about the potential impacts of climate change; educate guests on how they can help reduce greenhouse gases.

• Raise policy maker awareness of the dependence of winter sports on natural ecosystems and the potential impacts of climate change on the winter sports experience.

• Advocate the national reduction of greenhouse gases through legislative, regulatory or voluntary measures.

• Support sound, science-based solutions to climate change, including the use of renewable energy technologies.

• Partner with organizations and agencies to help reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency; invest in more efficient products, practices and technologies.

Help Keep Winter Cool!
What you can do to affect climate change - keeping winter COOL.

• Share a ride. Carpool, drive an efficient car or take shuttles to help reduce greenhouse gases. SkiCarpool.com is a great way to find additional riders! Click below to learn more and sign up.

• Be an efficient consumer. By energy efficient household appliances and replace normal light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

• Turn off heats and light when not needed or when you leave a room.

• Buy clean energy for your home. Contact your local utility to see if “green electricity” is available for you to purchase - such as wind or solar power.

• Contact your elected representative and ask them to do more to reduce greenhouse emissions.

• Spread the word to your lift-mates, family, friends and co-workers.

For more information go to NSAA website and enter the green room.