Aspen resort to get power from the wind

ASPEN – Now even the slowest skiers on Aspen Mountain can rightfully boast that they fly like the wind.

By Scott Condon, Special To The Rocky Mountain News

The Silver Queen gondola will be run entirely by wind-generated electricity this season, thanks to a partnership of businesses, nonprofits and governments.

The Aspen Skiing Co. completed a deal this week to raise an estimated $25,000 to buy wind power necessary to run the gondola for the winter.

The company teamed with Holy Cross Energy, the nonprofit Community Office for Resource Efficiency, Aspen Municipal Electric Utility and ESPN. The renewable energy will be purchased from a wind farm in eastern Colorado.

This latest move means that 6 percent of the company’s total electricity usage is coming from the wind, said environmental affairs director Auden Schendler. That’s six times more than any other resort in North America, he said.

The company first went renewable in 1997 by purchasing wind-generated electricity to power the Cirque lift on the high terrain of Snowmass Ski Area.

Wind-power usage grew steadily through last ski season, when the company spent about $4,000 annually on the renewable resource.

During the off-season, the brass approved increasing its wind power threefold for this ski season, buying a total of $12,000 of the alternative energy.

Wind is now powering Lift 1A on Aspen Mountain, the Tiehack lift at Buttermilk and the Thunderbowl lift at Aspen Highlands, as well as the Cirque lift at Snowmass.

But getting the gondola into the wind-power program was especially significant because the gondola uses so much energy, said Schendler. The addition will keep 1.6 million pounds of greenhouse gases out of the air this winter, said Randy Udall, director of the Aspen-based Community Office for Resource Efficiency. "The 10 warmest years in recorded history have occurred since 1987," Udall said.

Schendler said the skiing company will tout the benefits of wind power while Aspen is on the international stage with the World Cup ski races this weekend and – later in the season – with the 24 Hours of Aspen endurance ski race and the X Games.

"This is the first time that X Games or World Cup has been run entirely on wind power," said John Rigney, Aspen Skiing Co. event marketing director.

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