2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 70

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
THAT, FWSA enthusiastically supports the
Snowsports Industries America (SIA) ClimateUnited
initiative for their membership of manufacturers
and retailers to work with their supply
chain partners to reduce emissions from product
manufacturing and transportation.
One of the Public Affairs Panels featured
earlier that weekend at the FWSA Convention
was " Weather Changes Affecting Mountain
Operations & Public Safety. " A very knowledgeable
group of panelists addressed climate
related challenges impacting ski resorts. Valuable
insight was provided into how leading ski
organizations were creating programs to address
these challenges. Panelists included:
Matt Zaffino, KGW -TV Chief Meteorologist;
Dave Tragethon, Vice President of Marketing,
Sales & Communications, Mt. Hood
Meadows; and Jordan Elliott, President of the
Northwest Ski Areas Association.
Nick Sargeant, President of SIA, in his
August 18, 2022 " Inside Tracks " E-Newsletter
carried a letter from him entitled " The
Winter Outdoor Industry Can Be The Catalyst
For Climate Change. " In it he stated,
" ...Earlier this week, I wrote about the news of
President Biden signing the Inflation Reduction
Act, the most significant climate, clean energy, and
environmental justice investment in U.S. history,
into law. The bill is the piece of climate legislation
we've been waiting decades to see, driving the clean
energy economy forward and helping build a
stronger, more resilient winter outdoor industry.
Over many months, SIA and our member
businesses rallied with industry leaders across
other sectors to meet lawmakers, sign letters, and
elevate our voices to help drive this legislation forward.
This accomplishment is a direct action of
using our collective business voice. I applaud the
efforts of those who took part in this monumental
legislation that makes our vision of a clean energy
economy more achievable. But we can't stop here.
We all need to continue this work to ensure that
the future of the winter industry is bright.
The impacts of climate change are already
apparent. The winter season that sustains our industry
is already shorter in many places, impacting
every business along our industry's supply chain.
And while I realize there are other competing
priorities, do they matter if we don't have snow?
Like you, I am in the business of winter. My
job is to help grow your business and create a
thriving industry well into the future. And while I
know it can be hard to wrestle with these critical
issues, this year, more than ever, it is imperative
that every business makes addressing climate part
of your business strategy with a climate action plan
aimed at protecting the future of the winter outdoor
industry. "
Certified B Corp
Taos Ski Resort is the first ski area in
North America to earn the B-Corp badge. BCorp
Certification is a designation that a business
is meeting high standards of verified
performance, accountability, and transparency
on factors from employee benefits and charitable
giving to supply chain practices and input
materials. This certification helps ensure that
Taos meets the highest standards of verified social
and environmental performance, sustainability,
public transparency, and legal accountability.
Becoming a B Corp also means that
their long-held values of inclusion, sustainability,
and respect for all are validated. By practicing
reverence for their local environment,
they hope to promote a more resilient and robust
community that celebrates the region's
rich, diverse culture.
As part of its B-Corp commitment, Taos
is on its way to meeting an ambitious goal to
reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent by
next year, through investments in more efficient
snowmaking and grooming, an electric
fleet, and the purchase of carbon offsets for its
Taos Air flights. (www.skitaos.com)
Do Your Part
Think about the following for a moment...
two of the remaining glaciers in the
Alps that have still been offering summer skiing
in recent years did not offer it in 2022. Val
d'Isère in France announced they won't be
opening the lifts on their Pisaillas Glacier for
summer skiing and were cancelling 2022
summer ski operations. Then, the Mölltaler
Glacier in Austria confirmed that it won't open
for snowsports for the summer, either.
The two glaciers are among an ever-diminishing
number of ski centers offering
summer glacier skiing. The numbers peaked in
the 1980s at around 50 resorts, dropped to
about 40 by the year 2000, and has now
dropped to fewer than 20, and most of those
that are still open in summer are open for
shorter and shorter periods.
(www.saveoursnow.com)
We all need to do our best, as individual
snowsport enthusiasts, to reduce our carbon
footprints. And, we need to support the local,
regional, national and international industry
organizations that are addressing climate
change impacting our sport. ss
7O Far West Skier's Guide 2O22 - 2O23
National Ski
Patrol -
Recruitment
Efforts
on the Rise
by Barbara Razo
National Ski Patrol
Big Bear Ski Patrol Chair Evacuation Training,
with Patroller Barbara Razo lowering Patroller
Tony Lambrose, next to Damon Kawa -
Chair Evacuation Trainer assisting, while Jake
Huxman, VP Mountain Operations of Big
Bear Mountain Resort, observes.
photos provided by Barbara Razo
This year marks the start of my 22nd
Season as a Member of the National Ski Patrol
and Volunteer Patroller at Big Bear Ski
Patrol in the Southern California San Bernardino
Mountains. The motivation to join is
personal to each snowsport/outdoor enthusiast
who is inspired to begin this journey.
The National Ski Patrol (NSP) in the USA
was founded in 1938 by the NSP's first chairman,
Charles Minot Dole. " Minnie " , as he was
known, decided that a " service and safety " organization
was in order after he hurt himself
skiing at Stowe, Vermont and had trouble
evacuating himself from the slope.
The NSP is a dynamic, membershipdriven
organization. Our goal is to create a
more diverse membership and increase our
membership participation, both by delivering
more knowledge and value to our members
and increasing the number of patrols and Patrollers.
Education is the cornerstone of
NSP's ability to service the public. We develop
our education curriculum with the goal
http://www.skitaos.com http://www.saveoursnow.com
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide

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