Green travel ideas from two environmentally conscious travelers

It’s almost ski season! If you’re a skier, you might have heard about the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition, a  group that creates an annual report on the environmental friendliness of ten different Western ski resorts in the U.S. Regardless, you’re hopefully interested to find out about the country’s most and least environmentally conscious ski resorts, right? Here’s a list, courtesy of the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition:

THE BEST:

#      Name                                                                          Grade

1     (A) Squaw Valley USA - California                           89.7%
2     (A) Aspen Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado             86.1%
3     (A) Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado     85.7%
4     (A) Sugar Bowl Ski Resort - California                    82.3%
5     (A) Sundance Resort - Utah                                     82.2%
6     (A) Alpine Meadows Ski Area - California              82.0%
7     (A) Park City Mountain Resort - Utah                    81.7%
8     (A) Bogus Basin Mountain Resort - Idaho              81.3%
9     (A) Aspen Highlands Ski Resort - Colorado            80.3%
10     (A) Powderhorn Resort - Colorado                        79.4%

THE WORST: 

#      Name                                                                           Grade
1     (D) Breckenridge Ski Resort - Colorado                   41.5%
2     (D) Copper Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado           45.0%
3     (D) White Pass Ski Area - Washington                    47.0%
4     (D) Sun Valley Resort - Idaho                                   47.4%
5     (D) Arizona Snowbowl - Arizona                               47.4%
6     (D) Brundage Mountain Resort - Idaho                   49.3%
7     (D) Crystal Mountain Ski Area - Washington          51.6%
8     (D) Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard - Nevada               53.9%
9     (D) Brian Head Resort - Utah                                    54.0%
10     (D) Silver Mountain Ski Resort - Idaho                 54.8%

These ratings weren’t just random - they were based on 16 different factors (they added a handful more factors this year). Check out this article for more detailed information, as well as this page from the SACC website.  Just something to keep in mind as you anticipate your ski season this year - there are ways to make hitting the white slopes are more green experience.

Photo: Joao Maximo