Solar Shaming on the Slopes

Mt Morrisey at Sun Peaks - Photo by Barry MacDonald

Solar power in ski resorts used to mean getting a tinfoil tan at the posing patio on peak or piste. But now, many North American ski resorts are getting green with envy about 100 percent renewable solar power which is shining a light on environmentally-friendly ski hills.

Aspen Skiing Company 

The world’s first solar-powered ski lift launched in 2012 in the tiny Swiss ski village of Tenna. Ahead of the game this side of the pond was Berkshire East Mountain Resort, Massachusetts, the first resort in North America to espouse wholescale onsite renewable energy with a wind turbine and 1800 solar panels. Next, Mt Abram went all the way with a $940,000 803-panel solar system, partly funded by an agro dept grant. The future-friendly New England resort had previously installed low-energy snowmaking and received a National Ski Area Association award in 2012 for switching from fossil fuel heating to a wood pellet system –  a carbon neutral and locally-produced fuel source.

Unlike all those resorts that just boast about having “300 days per year of sunshine”, Wolf Creek is actually using that sunshine for something more useful than glam promo pics. As well as claiming the sunny 300 - plus a whopping 480 inches snowfall – the Southwest Colorado resort went 100 percent solar in 2018. Owner, Davey Pitcher worked closely with his local utility co-op to build the Penitente Solar Project, a 25-acre solar farm around 50 miles from the ski area. With an operational lifetime of over 25 years, the solar panels can follow the path of the sun for optimal solar gain. 

Liberty Utilities Solar Farm

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows collaborated with neighboring Liberty Utilities to go solar, planning to wipe out the entire footprint of 2016’s World Cup over 16 years. From Dec 2018, the Tahoe resort adopted 100 percent renewable electricity, reducing its total annual carbon footprint, including fuels and other sources unrelated to the power grid, by 49 percent. By becoming Liberty’s largest Green Tariff customer, Squaw Valley Ski Corp could contribute approximately $325,000 in additional dollars on its first solar electric bill to help accelerate the transition to affordable renewable energy sources for the region.

Telluride Ski & Golf is part of a broader community and regional effort committed to a 20 percent reduction in carbon footprint by 2025. “By investing in energy reduction technology, Telluride Ski & Golf has reduced its carbon footprint by nearly 13 percent since 2011 and anticipates continued carbon footprint reductions in the coming seven years to achieve the community goal of a 20 percent carbon footprint reduction,” says CEO Bill Jensen. In addition, regional energy providers are currently making significant investments in solar infrastructure to deliver solar-generated energy directly into the local and regional power grid.

Solar snowmaking at Arapahoe Basin - photo by Ashley Ojala

“We have the power to save the powder,” says Arapahoe Basin, where snowmaking is being generated entirely by renewable solar energy since last season. It’s “a call to action for our staff and guests, inviting everyone to join A-Basin in our commitment to limiting our environmental impacts and raising awareness around climate change,” says Sustainability Manager, Mike Nathan. “While everything we do at the ski area does have a cost saving and environmental impacts goal in mind, we also hope that all of our initiatives and projects will key people into changing behaviors in their everyday lives.”

Commitment to Zero by 2030 at Vail Resorts

Bigging it up is Vail Resorts, which has made a “Commitment to Zero” emissions by 2030 across its 17 North American resorts. A significant step is their ‘virtual power’ initiative, funding a wind-energy project in Minnesota and buying 310,000 megawatt hours of wind energy to offset 100 percent of its electricity emissions. The “Zero” initiative also strives to eliminate single-use plastic cutlery and tableware at all 17 resorts. Vail Resorts has partnered with Boulder, Colorado-based Eco-Products to source compostable and recyclable dining products. The effort is expected to divert nearly 300 tons of waste from landfills over the next two winters. The resort of Vail was officially certified by Sustainable Travel International as the world’s first Sustainable Mountain Resort, boasting two on-site solar photovoltaic installations and working with local electrical utility, Holy Cross Energy to lower the CO2 footprint.

Snow clearing on the solar panels at Aspen Highlands - credit Harrison Buck

‘Give a Flake’ is Aspen Skiing Company’s way of harnessing the power of people politics for climate activism. Using Twitter, it is encouraging voting for climate-compatible legislation. As well as solar energy from nearby Carbondale, Aspen has rooftop solar panels at various venues across its four areas with a future focus on larger scale solutions.

Aspen's Give a Flake campaign

Last January saw an Outdoor Business Climate Partnership formed between the Outdoor Industry Association, SnowSports Industries America and National Ski Areas Association. Mandate: to provide leadership on climate change. State ski area trade associations - including Colorado Ski Country USA, Ski Utah, Ski California, Ski Vermont, Ski Areas of New York, Ski New Mexico and the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association – have joined this climate conserving campaign.

‘Play Forever’ is POWDR’s progressive project and, as part of this passionate commitment to 'Protecting the Environment' and also 'Enabling Participation', its resorts have all adopted solar to some extent. Portfolio-wide, solar energy at POWDR properties offsets more than 4 million kWh of electricity annually, and as of the 2018-19 season, all properties eliminated straws and many additional single-use plastics as part of their broader waste reduction efforts. Boreal derives 65 percent of its base area and 15 percent of its total energy from solar. And Pico Mountain and Killington generate over 10 percent of annual power from four local solar farms, eight onsite solar installations, and 14 AllEarth GPS-linked Solar Trackers. Other solar-savvy POWDR resorts include Mt Bachelor, Lee Canyon, and Copper Mountain.

Play Forever promise at POWDR resorts

In Utah, Alta has its own Environmental Center, spearheading renewable solar energy to various buildings, green groomers and recycling/repurposing/rebuilding projects. In Colorado, solar is radiating its rays at Winter Park. 

In Canada, Whistler Blackcomb - a longtime champion of sustainability and environmental stewardship - became a driving force behind some of the environmental components of Epic Promise after its takeover by Vail Resorts. As well as a micro hydro renewable energy plant which returns to the grid the equivalent of its annual demand, Whistler focuses on energy-saving vegetarianism, green staff initiatives, and the four Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle, and repurpose. 

Sun Peaks Resort - photo by Sam Egan

Also in British Columbia, Sun Peaks has started investing in solar with panels powering the valley trail lampposts and water level monitors and has a comprehensive list of initiatives for fire, earth, air, water and other elements on its resort website. Sun Peaks was an early adopter of the ISO 14001 global environmental management system. It uses 100 percent hydro-electric power and mostly gravity-fed snowmaking systems.

Research from Oregon State University last year found that covering one percent of the world's farmland with solar panels would be sufficient to meet the electricity needs of the entire world. Collaborating with Tesla, the study produced a global energy solution (known as agrivoltaics or agriphotovoltaics), which was published in the journal Scientific Reports. For more info visit inverse.com.

You can find out more about green ski resorts worldwide at Save Our Snow as well as Protect Our Winters. 

Why Walk When You Can Ski?

Sun Peaks Elementary - where schoolkids love to ski

"Why walk when you can ski?" This is the mountain motto for a signature school set on the slopes of a British Columbia resort. Perched parallel to the top of the platter poma lift and the magic carpet, Sun Peaks Elementary is ski in/ski out for around five months of the year.

Luckily the windows are narrow and not too prolific in the various modules that make up the K to Grade 7 school. Otherwise the seductive sight of skiers and boarders zooming past would challenge the attention span of the most motivated schoolkid. These kids are probably the luckiest in the world, growing up in Sun Peaks village and four-season resort and going to school on the mountain. No drop-off lines snaking around a hectic carpark; the Sun Peaks kids ski or ride to school.

Principal Mike Johnson after a lunchtime ski

Teacher’s pet takes on a whole new meaning when Principal Mike Johnson takes kids skiing at lunchtime. This doesn’t happen all the time: it is a privilege – which includes the wishlist perk of going up on the Sundance Chairlift – used as a reward for something special. The Unplug & Play initiative, which required students to cut down drastically on screen time, fit the bill. And those who stepped up to the challenge got the chance to ski with Johnson. “They are really excited about it as going up the chair is special,” he says as he was unbuckling his skis after a few runs with one group. “The normal lunch time ski is just on the Platter.”  

Sun Peaks Elementary School

Since opening in 2010, the student body has gradually grown, now exceeding 100, and set to reach 106 just after Spring Break. Five full-time teachers, one part-timer, and one Aboriginal Education Worker make up the staff. The school was given a headstart by generous locals who fundraised to get it off the ground ten years ago. It wasn’t until two years later that the Kamloops School District No. 73 came on board.

Emily Fell teaching at Sun Peaks Elementary School

The first School District teacher was Emily Fell who worked there for a year in 2012/13, taught in Kamloops for a few years, and then returned to the school on the hill in 2016. Already a Sun Peaks resident in 2012, Fell applied for the job through district 73 postings. “I love it, it is so outdoors based,” she says. “It’s ski-in and there are lots of hands-on outdoor activities, taking advantage of the mountain.” The four-day week is another plus for students, teachers and even parents. “We go later every day to put in all the minutes but four days is lovely,” Fell confirms. She has a five-year-old in kindergarten and a three-year-old at the handy daycare across from her home. With many parents working in the hospitality, tourism and service industries in Sun Peaks, weekends are often filled with work shifts. So the free Friday gives them a chance to ski with their kids. “Many kids do ski lessons on Fridays, too,” says Fell. “A lot of them are in the Sun Peaks Freestyle Club and others are in the Sun Peaks Racers. They live and breathe to ski.” Her five-year-old son expects to ski daily throughout the season and gets very miffed if forced to take a day off. Many of the kids who ski while at school turn to snowboarding at weekends.

Needless to say, parent volunteers are copious when it comes to ‘gym’ class. There’s an afternoon ski twice a week for everyone and, just before 2pm, parents on skis gather to mentor the kids in small groups. “We have to have one parent to three children,” says Fell. “But we have lots of volunteers so that is never a problem.” When the snow starts to melt, outdoor play turns to dam building during the run off, followed by rope jumping, basketball, tennis, golf, soccer and biking as conditions allow.

The day I visited Sun Peaks Elementary, I did a spontaneous mini presentation to the writing class. Teacher, Katelyn Kennedy, quick to adapt to circumstances, seized the opportunity to show the kids my blog and get them to ask questions about the process of writing. Imagine a class where the subject under discussion when you first walk in is the colour coding of ski runs! The question put to the students as I entered the classroom was “Do you think the blue runs in Sun Peaks are the same as the blues at Revelstoke?” Unfortunately, my arrival interrupted their answers!

Ski boot, snowsuit and helmet-strewn locker room at Sun Peaks Elementary

So what’s it like to be Principal of a school in the snow? “I tend not to ski as much as one would think but it’s a good way to celebrate special things with kids,” says Johnson. “The Unplug & Play initiative is a district-wide program for kids to take a week off screens. It’s been very successful here, although it is harder to get the older kids to do it.” Principal Johnson is in his third year at the school, commuting daily from Kamloops. “We’re part of school district 73 and I’ve worked with the district since 1999,” he says. “Nine years teaching, then the Healthy School Coordinator for the district, then Vice Principal for six years.” Health and fitness are integral components of the mountainside school and pillars of Johnson’s attitude to education and life. “Sun Peaks Elementary is a really good fit for me,” he says. “It fits my lifestyle. My kids ski race and we ski as a family all the time, spending a lot of time up here.”

Space is at a premium, especially as the Sun Peaks community grows and more families relocate there. “This is a school where we have so many unique things that are so positive that you just have to work around any constraints,” says Johnson. “As the school grows, we’re always looking for new ways to utilize the space we have and as we expand it’ll continue to be a challenge. But we have the outside. The kids come really dressed for winter, ready for the cold, so it is never a problem to get them outside, even on the coldest days.”

As well as being a very happy educational environment, he says that the kids

score well, too. And the school values really sum it up – Johnson says “I’m doing the best I can to ensure that this is a Safe, Kind and Invested spot: S.K.I.!”

For more information about Sun Peaks Elementary:

Website: https://sunpeaks.sd73.bc.ca/en/index.aspx

Phone: 250-578-7227

Sun Peaks Resort: https://www.sunpeaksresort.com/

Other Schools on the Snow:

Big White - K to Grade 9 school - https://bwcs.sd51.bc.ca/

(I can’t find any more – if you know of any, please let me know and I’ll add them)

Schools in Ski Towns (there are lots of these, but here are a few examples):

Park City, Utah – all grades - http://experienceparkcity.com/park-city-school-guide-40

Steamboat, Colorado – all grades - http://www.sssd.k12.co.us/

Aspen, Colorado – all grades - https://www.aspenk12.net/

Vail, Colorado – all grades - https://www.eagleschools.net/

Mammoth Lakes, California – all grades - https://www.mammothusd.org/

Telluride, Colorado – all grades - http://www.tellurideschool.org/

South Lake Tahoe, California (Heavenly Ski Resort etc) – all grades - http://www.ltusd.org/

Banff and Canmore (SkiBig3 resorts) – all grades - https://www.crps.ca/

Revelstoke – all grades - https://www.sd19.bc.ca/

Fernie – all grades - https://www.sd5.bc.ca/Pages/default.aspx#/=

Kimberley – all grades - https://www.sd6.bc.ca/Pages/default.aspx#/=

Golden (Kicking Horse) – all grades - https://www.sd6.bc.ca/Pages/default.aspx#/=

Jasper (Marmot Basin) – all grades - https://www.jasper-alberta.com/2149/Schools

Livingstone Ski Academy - The best years of your life!

Does this look like a school day to you? For some lucky kids in Alberta, this is just what’s included in the winter timetable and they can even go for the Level 1 CSIA instructor certification before they graduate.

With around 73 Grade 4-12 students, Livingstone Ski Academy (LSA) is now in its fourth year of operations. “LSA staff and students are extremely fortunate to have access to what is arguably some of the best ski and snowboarding terrain in the world,” says LSA Program Coordinator, Jason Clifton. “Our innovative partnership with Castle Mountain has enabled LSA student athletes to receive professional coaching twice a week for grades four to six and three days a week for grades seven through twelve all season long.” And jammy Jason gets to ski along too! "I go to the hill with kids where I help orchestrate the logistics of our on-hill operations," says Jason. "I ride the bus with the kids, do homework checks to ensure they are all caught up and provide help where needed. While at the hill, I ski with different groups. We have 10 different ski/snowboard groups this past season and will add more groups now that our registration is up from last year." As a Level 1 ski instructor himself, Jason helps with ski goals, encouraging the kids to implement all the feedback from the coaches: "The majority of our coaches are much more certified than myself, so I play a supporting role for the coaches. I manage student behavior although this is very rarely necessary. For the most part I am just out there trying to keep up to the kids and enjoying myself."

Jason Clifton at 'work' at Castle Mountain

Jason's a mountain multi-tasker: a skier, snowboarder, and proficient on touring skis and a splitboard. Off-season, he mountain bikes. "In general, I love the outdoors and sports," he explains. "I grew up in Calgary and skied Norquay, Sunshine, and Lake Louise. My dad was a skier and I started skiing when I was just a tot. I started snowboarding in my early 20s and can't decide what is more fun - skiing, or snowboarding." Passing on this enthusiasm to the kids, he knows that the program improves student well-being and in turn improves many aspects of the students' school experience. "Getting the kids out of the school and into the mountains is good for the soul," he says. "Kids are meant to be active and adventurous by design - we all are. The hill allows students who might not be as adept at academics to shine in a different way." With two daughters in the program, he has seen firsthand that it improves student academic engagement and general enthusiasm for the concept of "school". It also promotes healthy active living and an appreciation for the outdoors. 

With three school years under their belts, there has been much fun and achievement at Livingstone Ski Academy. "One funny story is that when we first started the program we had 23 kids and I was the bus driver. The kids would constantly make hilarious jokes about how slow I drove," Jason recalls. "Apparently they were able to watch my beard grow as I drove. I assured them many times that I was doing the speed limit, but they were relentless. I think they were just super excited to go skiing." 

Jason snowboarding at Castle

Like any ski school class, the kids adore it when the instructors make a faux pas. "One of our coaches, coach Phil, told the students at the top of a run that 'if you fall I will not wait for you'. Phil proceeded to fall and the kids laughed with elation as they skied past him to the lift where they waited for him with many comments regarding the irony of the situation," Jason recounts. There have been many other classic moments, including one coach getting his ski caught on a racing gate during the year-end competition and superman-ing down the race course. A Grade 11 student, Nathan Milford is famous for skiing the entire season with a hoodie on instead of a jacket. "I don't know how he survived February as it was beyond cold for almost three weeks," says Jason. Highlights have included Hawaiian fancy dress skiing and swapping skis for snowboards. "Every day we go to the hill is a great day and there are so many stories to tell on the bus ride home," Jason concludes. "My favorite part of the bus ride home is listening to kids tell me about how they landed their first 360, or how fast they ran the GS course, or how they dropped a cliff that they had been eyeing up with the coaches for the past two weeks. The kids always have videos of awesome things they accomplished for the first time to show me and I love seeing the excitement and the sense of accomplishment. These kids are living the dream and I don't even think they know it!"

"Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!" - Dr Seuss

Photo courtesy of Livingstone Ski Academy 

Over the past two school years LSA has been changing how students at Livingstone School - in Lundbreck, Alberta - experience their education while redefining what it means to be a ski academy. “The LSA prides itself on being inclusive; we do not screen our students for academic achievement, or athletic capability. The only prerequisite to join LSA is a passion for the outdoors and a love of snow sports,” Jason explains. As a public academy functioning from a public school, tuition costs are kept as low as possible and bolstered by fundraising, grant writing and sponsorship efforts. “The LSA is perhaps the most accessible ski academy in the country,” says Jason. Even the students muck in, helping at events such as landfill cleanups and an annual fiesta, generating funds to keep tuition costs down. “This method of ‘earning your keep’ fosters a sense of responsibility and appreciation among our student athletes,” Jason adds.

"These kids are living the dream and I don't even think they know it!"

Photo courtesy of Livingstone Ski Academy 

The winter sports training menu satisfies all tastes: “Developmental, freestyle, alpine and big mountain cohorts of LSA skiers and boarders can be seen sharpening their technique on piste, or floating through the powder with their friends from the far north to the legendary glades on Haig most days of the week,” says Jason.

           

"What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning" - Chuck Grassley

Photo courtesy of Livingstone Ski Academy 

And the fun doesn’t stop there. Besides snow sports, the LSA offers a variety of unique learning opportunities including high school-level fitness and weight training options, shoulder season mountain bike and kayaking trips, as well as volunteer service and community building opportunities. “All LSA students participate in a special program that offers a holistic approach to student development focusing on five specific domains including: academic, personal interests, career preparation, personal wellness and community service; we call this program the Continuum of Learning,” Jason explains. “Our blend of quality education and alpine athleticism promotes physical fitness and a healthy, active lifestyle while helping our student athletes make possible athletic, recreation and other alpine industry career connections.”

Livingstone Ski Academy 

Through specialized programing, the LSA provides an innovative, engaging, and memorable learning experience for Livingstone School students regardless of skiing ability, academic aptitude, or socio-economic status. Not to mention the best pics for the year book!

  

For more information about the Livingstone Ski Academy, check out:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingstoneskiacademy/

Website: http://www.livingstoneschool.ca/Ski%20Academy.php

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkiLivingstone

Email: s-livingstone@lrsd.ab.ca 

Castle Mountain: http://www.skicastle.ca/