Abstract: The snowsports industry, through its ski area and associated resort development, is a huge contributor to the ecology of alpine environments. There are approximately 473 ski areas operating in the US, and 122 of them are located on National Forests. Several ski areas have begun to offer four-season recreational activities. Recent efforts have been made to raise the awareness of environmental impact within this industry and to include corporate decision-makers in policy and practice discussions; for example, the Climate Collaborative Charter and the Sustainable Slopes platform of the National Ski Area Association (NSAA). An overlooked agent of change is the snowsports instructor. Snowsports instructors often share an environmental ethic centered on ecosystem conservation. They interact with a self-selected segment of the general public who also have an express interest in the sustainability and conservation of natural ecosystems and fragile alpine environments. The goal of this study was to assess the potential value of including an ecology component in ski and snowboard lessons through an informal ecology course directed at ski and snowboard instructors.
A brief survey to assess instructor knowledge and interest was distributed to three snowsports schools associated with the Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI) during Winter 2022-23. An overall response rate of 65% indicated that instructors have some prior knowledge of ecology and are somewhat aware of the impact of the snowsports industry on alpine ecosystems but do not incorporate an ecology component into their lessons. Respondents noted a high frequency of guest questions related to the alpine environment and the human dimension of alpine ecosystems; for example, questions about wildlife, impact of outdoor recreation, and economic opportunities. The majority of respondents (≈ 87%) expressed a willingness to take an ecology course through their professional organization and indicated a specific interest in the following topics: climate change, wildlife, natural communities, and ski area impacts. PSIA-AASI requires an informal ecology course for its Master Educator certification and may be amenable to incorporating current ecological science and policy into its curriculum. Content development is underway and will be available for limited distribution in Winter 2023-24 to assess relevance and ease of incorporation into two- and three-hour snowsports lessons. The intersection of ecology and snowsports instruction at the level of the guest experience offers a unique opportunity for both community-based learning and outreach related to biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystem management.
