Green Peak

PATS PEAK is proud to support

National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) is created a Sustainable Slopes Environmental Charter for Ski Areas. The Environmental Charter, commonly known as Sustainable Slopes, was adopted in June 2000 and revised in 2006 as a collection of environmental best practices for ski area owners and operators. To see the Charter and its Principles in their entirety, visit the NSAA web site at www.nsaa.org.

Below are Pats Peak's environmental practices over the past few years:

2008
Pats Peak continues to make significant investments where appropriate in areas where the best return on investment is received. The resort is working with New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services to better highlight areas where the resort can achieve results in its environmental stewardship. This is an ongoing effort whereby all capital expenditures of the resort's facility get cranked through a "green check" program to determine if the policies/expenditures are consistent with the resort's long-term plans.

Specific Initiatives:

• Anti-idling procedures implemented.
• Complete analysis of "paper goods" usage at our food service facility.
• Recycle frialator oil and confirm agreements with suppliers that oil is recycled to Biodiesel.
• Purchased snowmaking equipment that uses 90% less energy.
• Improved pumping performance to achieve better snow output at colder temperatures.

2007
Pats Peak continues to be proactive on the environmental front. The role of being a good environmental steward is heavily weighed in all purchasing decisions when practical. However, the resort's efforts to go green have not really been in sync with the marketplace. Marketplace forces, lack of practical substitutes, or local restrictions have been impediments to improving the resort's ability to go green. At this point in time, green efforts continue to be subsidized by the resort; however, it is the goal that in the future this process will take on a life of its own and yield better results. Right now the primary focus is on energy conservation. While Pats Peak has achieved much success, it is examining existing equipment and replacing appliances with higher efficiency models. A particular targeted area right now is the food service department. Because the resort has achieved considerable savings in mountain operations areas (lifts, snowmaking, night lighting, and grooming), the next logical step is food service.

Specific Initiatives:

• Placed 10,000 square feet of building space under managed lighting systems were lights shut off after 30 minutes of non usage.
• Purchased snowmaking equipment that uses 90% less energy.
• Improved pumping performance to achieve better snow output at colder temperatures.

2006
Resort facilities - both base area and mountain - have undergone a major upgrade over the years. As with any business plan, it is a matter of prioritizing the punch list and getting the most bangs for the buck. With that in mind and having addressed most major savings areas, Pats Peak has turned its attention to the lower return items. With all new construction, green options are considered based not on conventional paybacks but on whether they are the right thing to do. This has been the resort attitude going forward. While willing to subsidize the marketplace for green materials in the short term, the goal is to create real competitive, technology-driven markets in the future. Pats Peak now has entered into phase two of a base area expansion. The focus continues to be on water use and heating as the resort continues to upgrade base area facilities. The main objective is concentrating on building shell efficiency. Insulation updates fight the risings costs of heat, and water conservation equipment continues to minimize water use. As Pats Peak modernizes and updates its shell, the resort incurs little to no additional energy costs.

Specific Initiatives:

• Placed 10,000 square feet of building space under managed lighting systems were lights shut off after 30 minutes of non usage.
• Purchased 100% automatic snowmaking equipment that uses 90% less energy then before and constantly adjusts through computer controlled process the snowmaking production curve.
• Improved pumping performance to achieve better snow output at colder temperatures.

2005
Pats Peak, built some 45 years ago, continues to employ the Best Management Practices going forward. The resort initially tackled the big energy users by modernizing its lift, snowmaking, and lighting systems as funds allowed. Pats Peak reconfigured lifts with DC motors and scrutinized operational use more closely. In addition, snowmaking at the resort received an infusion of capital to purchase and install energy efficient HKD snow guns and variable frequency drives (VFDs) for pumps. The resort also converted lighting from quartz halogen to metal halide. Focus has turned to the base facilities, where the resort has paid particular attention to water use and heating as it modernizes its infrastructure. Even though the facilities are larger because of expansion, by modernizing electrical and heating systems, updating insulation, and installing water conservation equipment, Pat’s Peak incurred no additional energy use.

Specific Initiatives:

• Retired two AC wound motors and installed DC drives. Cut electrical usage by 80%.
• Purchased 15 State of the art HKD Snow towers.
• Added additional pumping capacity.

2004
Pats Peak has been steadily investing in technology that is both earths friendly and dollar-friendly. The resort signed an agreement with Snow Economics for an additional 100 HKD low-energy snow guns (bringing the total to over 275 towers). The resort’s greatest saving potential is on the energy front, and these snow guns have enabled Pats Peak to grow and increase coverage of its mountain without increasing energy costs. This year, the resort is looking at making the HKDs more efficient by installing a baffle valve to further reduce air consumption. Establishing Summit Reservoir for snowmaking will further reduce energy consumption, as the resort will be using gravity instead of horsepower to increase pressures in the pipelines. The resort will replenish the reservoir during off-peak seasons. And finally, Pats Peak has retired two old diesel air compressors and has switched to electric air.

KEEP WINTER COOL AND GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming, caused by heat-trapping pollution, has the potential to affect ski resorts in many ways over the long term, including fewer ski days and less snow. Because of these potential impacts, ski resorts and NSAA have taken proactive steps to address climate change and global warming.

In 2003, together with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), NSAA introduced a global warming campaign entitled Keep Winter Cool.

This campaign highlights the effects of global warming on winter recreation, as well as the opportunities both resort operators and their guests have to start solving the problem. More information on the campaign is available at www.keepwintercool.org, including details about the global warming impacts on resorts, climate facts, how ski resorts are addressing global warming issues, and what resort guests can do about global warming.