Recognized by the City of Aspen for practicing exemplary environmental stewardship.

What if you could visit a resort where...

the snowcats...the staff...

the business...the energy you use...

even the buildings...

are helping to protect the planet and save snow?

A Leaning into the Light...At Aspen/Snowmass, we're trying our best to be green, but we're not delusional. Our business has huge environmental impacts.

We think the writer Barry Lopez put it best when he asked: "How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light.”

For seven years, we have used clean, renewable Biodiesel in our snowcats because archaic federal diesel standards meant nasty particulate emissions. Finally, diesel standards have caught up, and we'll begin to phase out use of the biofuel later in 2008.

Almost half of Aspen/Snowmass employees contribute a dollar a week to the Environment Foundation. Their contributions are matched by the Aspen Community Foundation and again by the Aspen Skiing Company Family Fund, and donations--$1.1 million to date--go to local environmental causes like clean air and water, trail maintenance and energy efficiency.

Aspen/Snowmass is third party ISO certified as a "green" company, the first of only two ski resorts in the country to achieve this recognition. ISO 14001 certification is the most widely known and respected environmental stamp of approval, which demonstrates responsible management of our environmental impacts.

ASC made the first wind power purchase in the U.S. ski industry from Holy Cross Energy, then became the first large ski resort to buy renewable wind power credits equivalent to its total electricity use. Now, more than 20 other resorts do the same.

Aspen/Snowmass has the only green building policy in the snowsports industry. It has resulted in projects like the Snowmass Golf Clubhouse, which is LEED Silver Level certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, is heated and cooled using the pond on the 18th hole, and is one of the most energy efficient commercial buildings in the state. Other green, highly energy efficient buildings include the Highlands Patrol Headquarters, the Sanctuary Condos, the Sundeck, and every new building in the pipeline...