Aspen looks to save skiing from climate change

Aspen Skiing Co.'s sustainability report asks a provocative question on its cover: "What if we sued ExxonMobil for destroying the ski industry?"

Why it matters: The idea is not far-fetched — Boulder and San Miguel counties are already doing it — and it speaks to Aspen's radical approach to save skiing in Colorado from climate change.

State of play: The opening lines of the report, issued by parent company Aspen One, set the tone for its novel and aggressive approach: "We reject conventional sustainable business practices — carbon footprinting, operational tweaks instead of systemic solutions, fixating on net zero — as complicity."

• Instead, Aspen outlines "changemaking" strategies that include "freaking out the fossil fuel industry," taking lead roles in crafting legislation and supporting like-minded candidates, calling "peer businesses to account" and mobilizing customers to take action.
• The company tracks carbon dioxide emissions. A copy of the report is in every one of its hotel rooms. And its new properties are designed to be all-electric and energy efficient.
• The report ends with an "assignment" asking people to consider where they have leverage in the conversation on climate change and urging them to take action.

What they're saying: "There's all these different reasons to do it," Auden Schendler, senior vice president of sustainability at Aspen One, told us in an interview. "But the overriding one is: Who could really help people understand climate change? A ski resort."

The intrigue: Aspen Skiing — which opened for the season Saturday — is thinking about climate change on the mountain, too.

Last year, it debuted 153 acres of new terrain on Ajax Mountain above 10,000 feet. The new area, known as Hero's, is designed to be climate-proof and offers chutes, expert runs and gladed zones.

• "It's largely north and northeast-facing," Tessa Dawson, a veteran ski patroller, told Ski magazine. "So, as we get warmer and the base area may see more rain events, this will help us with climate change and keep us skiing longer."

The other side: Schendler, a former Aspen town council member, acknowledges that the campaign is challenging. He knows hotel guests will probably ignore the sustainability report. And he's adamant that you can't turn climate skeptics.

• The company also missed its 25% emissions reduction target for 2020 though it's on track to exceed it in the near future as its utility converts to more renewable energy.
• "Is it enough? No. We are going to fail," he says. "We failed on climate as a society."

The bottom line: "Skiing won't be saved. It's toast," he adds matter-of-factly.

• But that won't stop him nor Aspen One from trying to mitigate the damage — and keep skiing alive in Colorado as long as possible.