It is so easy to romanticize that winters were piled higher with snow when I was a kid, and that winter then was more, well, winter. Sadly, though, the data does back up these perceptions. The world is getting warmer—and, one of my favorite winter activities, skiing, seems to be becoming an endangered activity. For example, my two go-to ski areas—Meissner and Tea Cup Nordic Centers—have been closed for the bulk of the winter.
Of course, I have long recognized the irony of my obsession with skiing: Although an outdoor activity, it is hardly eco-friendly. On average, patrons drive 60 miles for a day of skiing, and perpetuate a cycle of global warming.
With that mental framework, when I set out last week to research this week’s feature, I was expecting to find out even more bad news about the state of the ski industry. Instead, I was amazed at the far-reaching efforts that ski resorts at taking to become more sustainable and to drastically reduce carbon emissions and, hopefully, slow global warming. In particular, Mt. Bachelor is part of a vanguard of ski resorts that have taken pledges and real measures to reduce their carbon footprint.
It is encouraging to discover a group of people who aren’t happy with the status quo—and who are doing something about it. In that spirit, I also spent an evening last week previewing The Pillowman, a play hosted this weekend only by Cascades Theatrical Company and, more broadly, is part of an experiment they are hosting with a series of more edgy plays. Check out that review.
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This article appears in Feb 11-18, 2015.
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