No more snow?

 

Why winter sports lovers need to care about

The CNVIFTrONMENE 35 cers ciesoees:

 

: Beoatae up the mountain, every skier, snowboarder and snowshoer fantasizes about
blinding white slopes, deep, fresh powder and icy mountain air. Imagine, then, arriving at
the ski village and stepping into thick, brown mud; the surrounding slopes are not snow-
covered, but green and wet under a drizzling grey sky.

Global warming has been accepted as reality. This reality means shorter, milder winters
and less reliable snow. A 2003 United Nations study that focused on climate change in
Europe, the US and Canada states that as soon as 2030, retreating snow lines will cut off
base villages from their ski runs. Unless winter sports enthusiasts want to switch from snow
sports to mud sports, they need to make a personal effort to care for the environment, reduce
global warming and encourage the resorts they go to do the same.

Traditionally, the winter sport industry has not been environmentally friendly or
sustainable. New chalet, lodge and ski run developments tear up forests and blast away rock
on mountainsides, destabilizing soil and ruining animal habitat. Once established, these
resorts use resources at an alarming rate. Ski lifts gobble up electricity, machines used to
groom snow burn huge amounts of fossil fuels and hotels, restaurants and shops generate
mountains of waste and use oceans of water.

Here at home, development at BC’s top ski destinations continues to increase and
spread. In 2008, the Resort Municipality of Whistler council stated that 60 per cent of
Whistler’s energy consumption is caused by building and construction. This growth
continues, fuelled by the 2010 Olympics, while most winters the snow starts to fall later and
later. In Elisabeth Rosenthal’s New York Times article “How do you ski if there is no snow?”
Arthur DeJong, Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort’s mountain planning and environment
resource manager, said “We’ve been building lifts higher, in more snow-reliant zones to give
us more stability.” The article went on to say that “At the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort...
glaciers are receding and good snow is found higher up the mountain than 10 years ago.”

At Whistler, however, efforts are being made to reduce some of the negative
environmental effects associated with the winter sport industry. Energy consumption is being
lessened by using mountain snow runoff to produce some of the energy needed to run ski
lifts. Vehicles are discouraged in Whistler’s ski village, reducing air pollution, and there is
a comprehensive public transit system in place. Whistler has also implemented a company
car-pooling program. But in anticipation that snow and cold temperatures will become less
reliable, the mountain is increasingly promoting summer sports like mountain biking, hiking
and golf.

The biggest way snow lovers can make positive environmental change is connected to
the sports they choose to enjoy. Snowshoeing has by far the fewest negative environmental
effects; it is a winter sport that often requires burning no fossil fuels, since it can be done at
lower elevations and frequently within walking distance of your back yard. It also requires
consuming fewer products; aside from the shoes, no special gear is necessary. If you own the
shoes and live near a park or mountain, it can be done for free.

While strapping on glorified tennis racquets won’t replace the adrenaline rush from
telemarking down a near-vertical slope any time soon, it provides the opportunity for a
heart-pounding workout and the peace of traveling through pristine wilderness. Because
snowshoeing is basically hiking through snow, your experience can be as challenging or
as relaxed as you make it. You can take a stroll across a meadow or scale the side of a
mountain. And if your need for speed won’t go away, Atlas Snow Shoes designs its products
to allow for quick, sliding descents down hills, similar to skiing.

Skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers are in an excellent position to be advocates for
less wasteful, more environmentally conscious practices associated with the winter sport
industry. On an individual level, repairing existing ski gear instead of buying new items is
a good place to start, as is encouraging fellow skiers, boarders and snowshoers to carpool
up the mountain. Choosing a sport that has fewer negative environmental effects, if only
for a day, is also a starting point. If they want to increase their chances of seeing snow on
the mountains, it is important that winter sports enthusiasts make more environmentally-
conscious choices.

 

XM

Environmentally-conscious products for winter sports

1. New Zealand-based Kingswood Skis makes skis out of farmed
bamboo and the skis are carbon neutral. The company also offers

ski repairs to keep existing skis in use longer. To further reduce
environmental damage, Kingswood combines all of its imported
products into one annual shipment.

2. Teko EcoMerino Wool Ski Socks are winter sport socks made from
sustainable merino wool and recycled polyester.

3.Ethica Terra Nova Ski Wax is petroleum-free ski wax.

4. ReHeater Heat Packs are reusable, non-toxic heat packs made from
salt and H20.

5. The Solar Ski Jacket by Zegna Sport features solar panels on a
removable collar. The panels transform sunlight into energy for
recharging portable devices like iPods, cellular phones or any device
with a USB tap.

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re to make your winter sport greener

1. Reduce pollution by travelling to the mountain by bus, carpool or

train. Most mountains offer a shuttle between towns at the base of the
mountain and the ski area, so you can leave the car behind.

2. When staying at a hotel or resort on the mountain, re-use towels
and linens, turn off the lights and heat when not in your room and use
water conservatively.

3. When skiing, snowboarding or snowshoeing, stay on marked

trails and within boundaries to minimize damage and disturbance to
animals, vegetation and snow cover.

4. Repair your sports gear instead of buying new items.

5. If you ski or snowboard, consider cross-country skiing or
snowshoeing for a day. These activities don’t require graded slopes
and ski lifts, which use fossil fuel burning equipment and large
amounts of electricity.

 

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