Ski Ya Later

The ski industry in America stands to lose a lot in the face of rising temperatures, so it came as little surprise when the National Ski Areas Association launched an environmental charter in 2000 recognizing the threat of global warming.

According to the Ski Area Citizens' Council, however, the industry has not, by and large, lived up to its lofty goals. The independent group has released its annual report card for 77 ski areas around the country and a good many of those resorts receive failing grades. Among other things, areas are dinged for excessive snowmaking and reckless expansion into surrounding wildlife habitat. They are also held accountable for things they aren't doing, like giving skiers incentives to carpool or installing solar and wind power at their facilities.

Click here for a list of 10 best and worst ski areas from the report card. Skiers are encouraged to send resort owners a message letting them know they actually care about this stuff.

To learn more about the ski industry's effect on communities and the environment, check out Hal Clifford's Downhill Slide, from Sierra Club Books.