Industry News
Skiers, snowboarders, and winter enthusiasts are often the tip of the spear in promoting sustainability and protecting our planet. After all, if there is no snow, there will be no skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, backcountry skiing, or other winter activities, and no one wants that. The ski industry and ski resorts around the United States and the world have taken notice and are taking the necessary steps to ensure this does not happen. Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, has been one of the ski resorts that has taken the initiative and achieved something that no other ski resort has been awarded so far.
A-Basin is the first ski area to be awarded the Sustainable Tourism and Outdoors Kits for Evaluation (STOKE) Certified at the Sustainable Level, the second-highest level of STOKE certification. Those require the resort operations to go beyond the minimum requirements for compliance in a majority of the metrics, resulting in a cumulative STOKE score between 80 – 89%. The highest level STOKE Certification awarded is Best Practice. “We’re looking forward to continuing our work to eventually achieve the highest level of this certification,” A-Basin wrote in an Instagram post.
The STOKE sustainability certification body provides standards built specifically for surf and ski tourism operators, destinations, and affiliated events. It uses the Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria, a globally agreed-upon set of standards defined by decades of sustainable tourism research from professionals and scientists around the world, as a foundation.
According to its website, STOKE Snow demands the best from its members, but it is also flexible in its evaluation. Metrics deemed “Not Applicable” to a particular operator by the STOKE review board do not negatively or positively impact the operator’s compliance score. In addition, the STOKE Snow standard is refined every two years by the STOKE Board, STOKE Snow Members, and Independent Evaluators to ensure the criteria remain relevant and reflect the latest innovations in best practices.
Being recognized as the first ski area to achieve the Sustainable Level of the STOKE Certification process is a huge accomplishment for the resort. A-Basin has displayed its commitment to continually improving its sustainability practices, which will hopefully allow future generations of snow enthusiasts to enjoy the mountains. The resort is dedicated to conserving and limiting its resource use, protecting its spectacular Rocky Mountain natural surroundings, and working hard to educate its guests and staff.
There is no more downtime in the ski industry after winter ends, with most resorts offering spring, summer, and fall activities at the mountain. This doesn’t give them much time to switch gears, prepare for other operations, and conduct maintenance and repairs on the mountain. A-Basin has to do all of those things as well but still finds a way to give back to the planet. One summer, A-Basin put the planet first and had to put more time and resources into making it happen.
The A-Basin team finished a huge project rehabilitating the stream at Lower Wrangler and the bottom of North Fork. It had a culvert whose purpose was to redirect water, but it was rusted and needed replacing. After some planning and taking a closer look, A-Basin decided to ditch the culvert and return the stream to its original form for a more natural redirection of water on the mountain. The resort worked with the U.S. Forest Service, Xcel Energy, an ecologist, a hydrologist, a civil engineer, and a local excavation contractor to complete the job correctly. The stream is now back to its natural form, running down the rehabilitated channel.
It is crucial for any ski resort to have senior leadership that actively promotes sustainability and takes the necessary steps to protect our planet to make progress and change to happen. A-Basin has that leadership. Tony Cammarata is the Director of Planning and Development for Arapahoe Basin, where he leads community and government relations, sustainability, risk and safety, and guest services. A long-time Summit County resident, Cammarata has been at A-Basin for over twenty-five years, where he started as a lift operator, became a ski patroller, and then management. Cammarata has served as the Chair of the Summit County Medical Services Board for over a decade and is currently on the advisory board of the Colorado Mountain College Ski Area Operations program. Cammarata is passionate about the big mountain challenges and life-changing experiences that the Summit County community embodies.
Renewable energy is one resource that many people, businesses, and the ski industry have turned to for clean energy. Two years ago, A-Basin was already running on 100% renewable electricity. At that time in October 2023, this was a major achievement and milestone towards its goal of Carbon Neutrality by 2025. In 2023, the resort was already mitigating over two-thirds of its carbon emissions. The resort is also working on other future projects to keep our planet healthy: 75% landfill diversion, sustainable transportation, and water conservation.
The resort’s website stated that this major achievement was made possible by partnerships with Xcel Energy and many community partners, including Jack’s Solar Farm in Longmont, Colorado. By utilizing numerous onsite solar arrays, community solar farms, subscription-based utility programs, and Xcel Energy’s unwavering commitment to its own clean energy transition, A-Basin has achieved this monumental goal well ahead of schedule.
Electricity is the main source of energy A-Basin uses to run the ski area. Now, all of the electricity that the ski area uses for snowmaking, chairlifts, buildings, and electric vehicle chargers will run using 100% renewable. All of this has been achieved by partnerships with Xcel Energy’s Renewable Connect, Renewable Connect Flex, Certified Renewable Percentage, Jack’s Solar Farm, and A-Basin’s on-site solar panels.
In 2018, Arapahoe Basin pledged to be carbon neutral by 2025. The success of reaching 100% renewable electricity in 2023 personified the resort’s commitment to promoting sustainability throughout the whole company and instilling that mindset into the culture and business at A-Basin. The resort has accomplished its goals and objectives in sustainability and protecting the environment. A-Basin becoming the first ski area to be awarded the STOKE Certified at the Sustainable Level confirms that. Moving forward, A-Basin is working with Xcel Energy and has pledged to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2030 (from 2005 levels) and deliver 100% carbon-free energy by 2050.
With A-Basin’s impressive track record and long list of achievements, there’s no reason to think that this isn’t achievable. The resort has also received the 2024 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Overall Environmental and Hero of Sustainability Awards, the 2023 NSAA Golden Eagle Award, and the Colorado Environmental Leadership Program Gold Business recognition. It has been receiving awards and accolades like this since 2005 when it received the NSAA Silver Eagle Award for water conservation in snowmaking. In the end, everyone appreciates being recognized for their efforts and the awards and accolades they may be presented with. However, when it comes to sustainability and the environment, there are no losers. That is because when people, businesses, ski resorts, and the world come together to “compete” to see who is the best at keeping our planet healthy, everyone wins.
For more information, visit Arapahoe Basin’s website.
