January 18, 2007

Snowboarding in the Northwest

Snow Job

Snowboarding Hasn't Earned Its "Green" Reputation

by Erica C. Barnett

Snowboarding has a reputation as the ultimate green sport. Here's the logic: People who hang out in the snow have a vested interest in doing something about global warming—they know what they stand to lose. And they're outdoorsy, so they must be environmentally responsible, right?

Bullshit.

Stripping mountains for ski resorts destroys wildlife habitat. Building ski resorts disturbs sensitive ecosystems and contributes to erosion on ski runs. Destination resorts depend on climate-choking car trips. Building parking lots and roads to accommodate all those cars destroys habitat, too—and it replaces soil with impervious concrete, creating runoff of oil and other pollutants into streams. Finally, making snow with machines uses energy and wastes water from local streams.

Maybe you don't care. Maybe you're just fine with the fact that your "outdoorsy" sport is helping destroy the environment you claim to love. But are you okay with the fact that all your driving, parking, and ski-lift riding are helping to destroy the very snow your sport depends on? The hotter it gets, the less snow there will be; the higher the snow line, the more ski resorts will rely on snowmaking machines to fill the gap—a vicious cycle that's not going to end until the last resort turns off its last lift.

Warm winters and late snowfall are already impacting ski resorts' bottom lines; two years ago, there were 78 percent fewer visitors to ski resorts nationwide because there just wasn't enough snow. According to a 2003 UN study, global warming is on track to raise snow lines in California between 3,280 and 4,290 meters by the end of the century. Meanwhile, according to a UK report released this week, global warming is expected to cause 75 percent of the glaciers in the Alps to disappear within 45 years, closing all but the very highest ski resorts.

The skiing and snowboarding industry is trying to convince Americans that it's cleaning up its act. About 180 ski resorts participate in a voluntary program called the Sustainable Slopes Program, vowing to curb sprawl, reduce their use of fake snow, and do environmental audits. The problem is, because the program is voluntary, there's no incentive to participate. In 2004, just 35 percent of SSP participants completed the self-assessment surveys required by the program. According to two independent reports in 2004 and 2006, ski resorts that signed on to the SSP actually had worse environmental records than those that didn't.

So enjoy your "outdoorsy" sport. But have the decency to admit that you're part of the problem.