Sustainable Skiing

As skiers and snowboarders, we love the outdoors and need to do our part to protect our playground. By implementing small actions, your daily activities can become more sustainable while remaining just as fun!  

Here are my favorite tips to enjoy nature and preserve the fun: 

1. Carpool on Your Way to the Slopes 

Get hyped before hitting the slopes by carpooling with friends and jamming to your favorite tunes. Carpooling is a simple and effective way to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted into the environment while simultaneously reducing traffic flow coming to resorts. In addition to the benefit of driving with friends, you also can split gas money.  Resorts frequently offer shuttles as well to transport you between base lodges, parking lots, and lodging properties which may be a walking distance from your destination.

2. Offset Your Trip 

We partner with Tradewater to offset emissions from our operations, and you can help too. Sunday River invites all of our guests to participate in our efforts with Tradewater to destroy harmful greenhouse gases. Using the calculator on our website, you can calculate the impact of your trip and offset your carbon footprint with Tradewater. The credits from this purchase will go directly toward supporting Tradewater and their sustainable projects around the globe. Learn more about Sunday Rivers’ sustainability efforts here.

3. Reduce Plastic Use 

While you’re on the mountain, be mindful of your purchases and pick-up after yourself! You can pre-plan certain things as well. Rather than saran-wrapping a sandwich, try using a reusable snack bag or container. Small substitutions in your day-to-day slope-side manners can add up! At Sunday River, all of our disposable utensils and straws are compostable and do not use plastic. 

4. Bring a Reusable Cup or Bottle

Consider bringing a reusable mug or water bottle for the resort to fill. You can save on coffee in the Food Courts with your reusable mug, and there are water filling stations in every base lodge. We also have PATH reusable water bottles for sale in the Food Courts if you forget to bring your own, or collapsible water bottles at Sunday River Sports. Grab a free sticker from guest services, Betty’s Treats and Treasures, or the Foggy Goggle to personalize your mug or water bottle.

6. Invest in Quality Gear

Rather than buying cheap gear that doesn’t keep you warm and will only last a season, invest in good-quality gear from the get-go. Check out how we recommend to layer up. By having your ski gear last longer, you ultimately limit the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills. Pass down ski gear to friends or family to give functional clothing another life, or donate to a local charity for those in need. Hand-me-downs are an affordable and durable way to save the environment… and expenses! 

7. Keep an Eye Out for Litter 

While you partake in living sustainably, or have at least made an effort by reading this, educate others! If you are on the mountain and see trash, such as cans or plastics, consider bringing them to a lodge or chairlift to throw away or recycle in a can. Make sure you stay safe while doing so and stray away from picking up sharp items such as glass. When you pick up litter, you are directly impacting the environment and combating littering at your resort, keeping it a Happy Place for all.  

Leave no trace by switching out harmful items and picking up after yourself (and sometimes others). In doing so, you create a perfect blend of slopes and sustainability.