By Sharon Gay
Environmentally aware skiers should know that historic Squaw Valley Ski Resort attained the highest marks in environmental friendliness in Western United States in a recent report. Two other Lake Tahoe area ski resorts, Alpine Meadows and Sugar Bowl, also ranked in the top ten.
Squaw Valley USA has been ranked tops in creating mountain ecosystem integrity by the Ski Area Citizens Coalition in their 2009-2010 annual report on the environmental friendliness of ski resorts in ten Western States (CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, WA, WY and UT). The Ski Area Citizens' Coalition works to ensure that ski area management decisions, either by the Forest Service, the ski companies, or local goverments, are responsive to the needs of real environmental protection, local communities, and the skiing public.
Resorts are rated on an A-F scale. All of the top ten ski resorts received an "A", Three of the top ten resorts on the list are in the Lake Tahoe - Sierra Nevada area.
THE TOP TEN BEST "GREEN" SKI RESORTS IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES
Squaw Valley USA - California
Aspen Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado
Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado
Sugar Bowl Ski Resort - California
Sundance Resort - Utah
Alpine Meadows Ski Area - California
Park City Mountain Resort - Utah
Bogus Basin Mountain Resort - Idaho
Aspen Highlands Ski Resort - Colorado
Powderhorn Resort - Colorado
Resorts are rated on a variable 12 point scale:
- Avoiding Expansion of Developed Skiing Acreage into Undisturbed Forest
- Avoiding Commercial or Residential Development on Undisturbed Lands
- Avoiding Real Estate Development in Conjunction with Terrain Expansion
- Avoiding Terrain Alteration in Environmentally Sensitive Areas
- New Snowmaking
- Avoiding Water Degradation from Ski Area Management Activities
- Environmental Policy Positions & Public Disclosure
- Wildlife Habitat and Forest Protection
- Containing Impacts Within the Ski Area Boundary
- Recycling, Water Conservation, Energy Conservation, Pollution Reduction
- Traffic and Emissions Reduction
- Bonus Criteria
Squaw Valley Ski Resort is hosting several events in celebration of Earth Day and is reporting wonderful conditions for Spring Skiing.
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