Sugarbush Resort, in partnership with Protect Our Winters (POW), is hosting an open forum on climate change and related issues facing the snow sports industry. The forum, titled The Future of Snow, is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, in the Gate House Lodge at Lincoln Peak.
Sugarbush president Win Smith will moderate a panel discussion among a qualified and diverse mix of environmental experts. Panelists include David Perry, vice president of sustainability and special projects at Alterra Mountain Company; Heather Furman, state director of the Nature Conservancy in Vermont; Cameron Wake, a research professor at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space and the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of New Hampshire; and Aaron Rice, an environmental consultant and POW athlete who holds the world record for the most human-powered skiing in a calendar year (2.5 million vertical feet).
“Our passion for winter can help fight climate change,” said Smith, who also serves as president of the National Ski Areas Association. “There are meaningful actions that every person can take. It is not only about the economic impacts. It is about a disappearing way of life.”
This event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Children of parents interested in attending the event can have fun at Kids Pizza & Movie Night from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Schoolhouse at Lincoln Peak. Those interested in joining the fight against climate change can start by calculating their carbon footprint online at protectourwinters.org.
For more information on the event and full bios on the panelists, visit www.sugarbush.com/event/protect-our-winters-open-forum-2020-/. The event will also be livestreamed through Mad River Valley TV and Sugarbush’s Facebook and YouTube channels. Media interested in attending are asked to reach out to John Bleh ahead of time.
