Ever see a ski resort after the spring melt? Not a pretty picture. If you need an image, just visualize Yellowstone National Park...after a nuclear holocaust.
Without the deceiving white upholstery of groomed snow, wide swaths of bulldozed earth are laid bare, broken only by skinny islands of trees -- the last shreds of the forest that once covered the slopes. The immense lift towers snaking up the mountain resemble a massive Third World electrification project. And at the base of the runs lie acres of barren, oil-stained parking lots and paved roads ringing the mountain down to the resort "village," usually a tawdry collection of garish mini malls, crackerbox condos and Cloneburger franchises all hardwired to a sensitive alpine habitat. This is mighty nature tamed -- bound up tight with a bright red rubber ball in its mouth.
Let's face it: ski resorts don't exactly leave a light footprint on the planet.
In the last few decades, unprecedented world-wide growth in winter sports such as snowboarding and skiing have spurred rapid development of the planet's remaining mountain wildlands. As existing resorts expand and new ones are built, we humans, as usual, are fundamentally altering natural habitat.
Take the Alps, for example. The magnificent, rugged character of Europe's major mountain chain is today smothered under an avalanche of tourism. Clogged highways criss-cross the region; restaurants and ski resorts engulf every major peak. And each summer, legions of hikers tramp over its fragile alpine meadows. Alp experts estimate that tourists directly disturb more than half the range's entire surface area. Because of this, the once-mighty Alps are now considered the "most-threatened mountain system in the world."
Or in the words of Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, chairman of Geneva-based Alp Action, an environmental group working to preserve or restore Alpine habitat: "Tourists have merely transported the problems of the city up 6,500 feet."

Here are a few of the other problems and impacts associated with ski resorts:

• Erosion/siltation: The deforestation caused by ski-run construction usually leads to severe and ongoing erosion come spring runoff. Beyond topsoil loss, this can lead to siltation problems in neighboring lakes.
  
• Species disruption/loss of habitat. When development moves into wilderness, critical plant and animal habitat is invariably displaced or destroyed. Migration routes are also heavily impacted by high-traffic roads and human intrusion.
  
• Pollution runoff/watershed impact. The cumulative impact of a large human population developing a mountain environment is huge. Pollutants such as automotive fluids (oil, gas, additives, etc.), sewage and salt can contaminate ground water and lakes downstream (see corresponding article).
  
• Increased air pollution due to auto traffic. Most people drive their car to ski or ride. When they do they are pumping environmentally damaging hydrocarbons directly into the forests surrounding the resort. As airborne pollutants accumulate on the needles of upland conifers, the evergreens eventually weaken to a point where they succumb to insect and parasite attack. A recent United Nations study shows that acid rain and air pollution have damaged 60 percent of Swiss, Italian, German and Austrian alpine forests.

These problems -- combined with leapfrog development, degraded views, increased litter, garbage and sewage problem, water table shrinkage due to snowmaking and cultural disruption of tribal people -- have made environmentalists view large mountain resorts as ecological nightmares.

Perhaps the ultimate irony is that most of us go riding to get out of an urban environment and enjoy nature. Most snowboarders, if not nature lovers, would at least describe themselves as major nature likers (i.e. magnificent views are best appreciated behind a heated lodge window with a cold drink and hot pizza).
But in the big picture, the total number of skiers and snowboarders is a minuscule percentage of the world's population. This poses a fundamental question: should a small minority of recreational users irretrievably change large tracts of wilderness for their own pleasure?
Many say no. In the case of Canada's Sunshine Village in Banff National Park, a bitter feud broke out between environmentalists, politicians and ski-resort developers over Sunshine's right to expand their resort to include nearby Goat's Eye Mountain. According to Harvey Locke, president of Canada's Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), even though Sunshine had the legal right to develop the mountain, doing so violated Canada's Parks mandate to preserve Banff National Park for future generations. CPAWS sued and brought Sunshine's development to an extended halt.

"The time has come for a complete and permanent moratorium on development in Banff," says Locke. "Preserving and protecting the environment within national park boundaries remains the most important priority for all segments of the Canadian population with the exception of recreation boosters."
Resort operators and many other "boosters," however, hold a contrary view, saying that the environmental impact of resorts are insignificant or mitigatible with the known technology. Others, like Lake Louise ski resort owner Charlie Locke (no relation), feel that a small group of "environmental lunatics" are dictating their wishes to the Canadian skiing public. These "zealots," says Locke, "have restricted your right to use and enjoy much of the park. It is this group's goal to 're-wild' the parks by the year 2000, thereby severely limiting your right to live, work or play there."
Is there a middle ground? Possibly. There is a growing movement of preservationists, longtime snowpeople, and a few farsighted resort operators working to develop "low-impact" resorts. These areas will have building incorporating rammed-earth (in-ground) architecture that head and cool more efficiently, low-watt power grids with energy derived from methane drawn off composting biowaste, and gray-water recycling to water landscaping. Like Zermatt, Switzerland, they will be car free and utilize energy-efficient, low-emission public transit.
Some large mainstream resorts are also recognizing the need to preserve the environment they profit from. At Heavenly Valley in Lake Tahoe, the resort has spent more than $2 million on erosion control and is experimenting with a number of eco-friendly practices and projects -- including a wetland restoration, a watershed study, underground catchments for parking-lot runoff and an innovative enzyme-based road treatment to keep sediments from spilling into the lake.
Our goal is to help keep the water quality as pure as possible, says Stan Hanson, Heavenly's vice president of planning. "As stewards of the land, it's our responsibility to work with the environment. After all, we all live here because we love the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe."
So the question remains: can the PC snowboarder still enjoy a day of long carves and big airs knowing that he or she is contributing to a profiteering mountain-mowing machine?
Sure. Rationalization is great that way. But the first step is to become aware. Realize what a wonderland you have to plan in. Then take the time to learn how the year-round forest ecosystem works and your place in it. Visit the mountains in the summer to see how sterile white hills transform into a colorful and diverse habitat. You'd be amazed at all the plant and animal species that show up once you slow down long enough to see them. And remember, while humans have a need to have fun, plants and animals must have an undisturbed habitat to flourish. Then contribute some of your energy, time, money, creativity, whatever, to promoting appropriate development and preserving some parts as permanent wilderness refuges. Bottom line: the mountains are nature, not an amusement park.



For information on ski resort development and other wilderness issues, contact the following organizations:

Sierra Club
85 Second Street
San Francisco, CA 94105-3441
415-977-5500
http://www.sierraclub.org


Wilderness Society
900 Seventeenth Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20006-2596
202-833-2300