NSAA Names 2018 Sustainable Slopes Grant Winners

The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) selected four member ski areas to receive its annual Sustainable Slopes Grants: Blue HN sustainableslopes 5118Mountain Resort, Pa., Mountain High Resort, Calif., POWDR Resorts, and Snow Creek Ski Area, Mo. The Sustainable Slopes grant program provides cash and in-kind funding to support sustainability projects at NSAA member ski areas.

• Blue Mountain received a $5,000 cash grant from Clif Bar and Company to install LED and motion-controlled night lighting in its parking areas that border the Appalachian Trail, the famous hiking trail managed by the National Park Service. The new lighting project will improve safety for guests and employees, reduce the lighting impact on the Appalachian Trail through controlled and sharp lighting cut-offs and rapid dimming, reduce the resort's carbon emissions, and educate guests and employees through informative signage.
• Mountain High earned a grant of five high-efficiency snowmaking guns from HKD Snowmakers, a total value of $23,000. Mountain High will use this grant to reduce diesel fuel and electricity consumption. Mountain High estimates that the new equipment will save $4,000 per acre foot of snow.
• Snow Creek is the beneficiary of Ultra-Tech Lighting’s in-kind grant of 10 energy-efficient Snow-Bright light fixtures, which will cover a great deal of Snow Creek’s beginner area. The Snow-Bright lights, valued at $7,000, replace existing metal halide fixtures. Snow-Bright lighting saves up to 85 percent in electricity and expense compared to conventional lighting.
• POWDR will receive an in-kind Sustainability Staffing grant for consulting services valued at $5,000. Brendle Group, the sustainability engineering and planning firm that manages NSAA’s Climate Challenge, will work with POWDR to assess the important intersection of HR and sustainability. POWDR will use the services to build on the momentum created through its past 10 years of commitment to operational sustainability.

Since its inception in 2009, the Sustainable Slopes Grant Program has awarded $128,500 in cash grants and $394,500 in in-kind grants, for a total of $523,000 in support of resort sustainability projects.