As we head off to Mammoth California for several days of family skiing I wonder - is there really such a thing as sustainable skiing?
I think at some level the answer has to be - no - not really. Right - bringing thousands upon thousands of people to remote - hard to access mountain slopes to race down...then get "lifted" back to the top....well who is fooling who?
But - as with many things in life - we like it and it is great family fun - soooo - the question is how to enjoy skiing - and the beautiful mountains - leaving the smallest human imprint possible. This I think is important because if we do so in the mountain - recreation - environment - then maybe we will take our good (sustainable) habits home with us and use them in our homes and communities.
So - we have found a web site - Ski Area Citizens' Coalition - that actually grades ski areas across the country (or at least the west). They use several criteria:
- Habitat Protection
- Protecting Watersheds
- Addressing Global Climate Change
- Environmental Practices and Policies
These seem right to us... The top ranked resort - Squaw Valley in California, second Aspen in Colorado....for the rest best and worst - go check out their site.
We have to do the best we can - and when we are serious about sustainability - we can actually do a pretty good job.
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