Slate: Going for the Green, Can Vail’s ski resort cut its energy use 10 percent?
Posted on Feb 26, 2010 |
The balmy weather in Vancouver, which delayed some of the Olympic downhill events, highlights the danger warmer winters pose to ski resorts. The situation isn't as dire in the higher-elevation resorts of the Rockies, but these large businesses-think of the Trapp Family Lodge on steroids-still worry that a warming planet could melt their businesses.
Vail, Colo., the home base of gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, where I spent a chunk of a recent week desperately trying to maintain my balance, is the largest single ski area in the United States: 32 lifts, 198 trails, 63 miles of snowmaking pipe, and six on-mountain restaurants. Its parent company, Vail Resorts, which has a $1.3 billion market value, has a lot to lose from climate change and a lot to gain from cutting energy use. The company spent about $27 million on energy in 2009.
