Environmental Stewardship at Nakiska
At Nakiska, we are deeply committed to operating in a safe and sustainable manner. Our environmental practices are designed to reduce our footprint while maintaining an exceptional experience for visitors and guests.
Nakiska follows the sustainability guidelines set out by the National Ski Areas Association by conserving water, encouraging carpooling, improving equipment efficiency and implementing as much recycling as possible. We are also committed to following the guidelines set out by the Canada West Ski Area Association’s Commitment to Responsible Stewardship.
Further, Nakiska has implemented a number of unique programs and standards that support the wildlife and natural settings specific to its rocky mountain setting.
Here are a few ways we are making a difference:
Environmental Initiatives
Nakiska’s unique location means that sustainability has always been a part of many aspects of our operations. We are always striving to further reduce our footprint and we introduce new initiatives on a regular basis.
Nakiska recycles as much as possible, including plastics, cardboard, paper, aluminum and cooking oils. Nakiska is always looking at ways to reduce the use of single-use items and is working to move to fully recyclable or compostable products.
Within the resort, changes have been implemented to reduce electricity use, including energy use for HVAC, lighting and appliances across the resort. For all our resort vehicles and machines, our focus is on fuel reduction, life extension and maintaining excellent safety standards. Our commitment to recycling also extends to our vehicle fleet where, for some time, we have recycled oils, rubber and metals.
Water and Energy Conservation
Nakiska is dedicated to conserving water and energy in our operations. Our snowmaking system, critical to our operations, is designed to be highly efficient, particularly during the cooling process, to optimize energy consumption. We regularly introduce the current technology, ensure proper system maintenance and optimize the amounts of man-made snow to reduce overall water consumption.
Nakiska’s fleet of tier 4 and newly introduced tier 5 snow grooming equipment is some of the most environmentally friendly available. The tier 4 and 5 classification means they achieve the highest environmental standards by offering impressively low emissions and grooming the slopes more efficiently. On the mountain, we work to optimize on-hill grooming patterns to provide excellent terrain and skiing conditions with minimal grooming hours. We ensure that our fleet is well-maintained to keep it efficient and use products to further reduce emissions and machine exhaust.
Ecosystem and Wildlife Monitoring and Safety
Nakiska continues to implement trail improvement technologies that focus on minimizing erosion, soil degradation and vegetation disturbance. This includes systems such as on-site mulching with tree removal, and monitoring wildlife on our slopes. For example, we time any tree felling to ensure there is no disruption to nesting sites for migratory birds.
Our safety standards aim to prevent fuel or oil spills through regular maintenance checks and on-site spill kits to help manage a spill situation quickly and effectively.
Community Efforts
Resorts of the Canadian Rockies Inc, Nakiska’s operator, actively supports local conservation, collaboration and community projects in the areas in which it operates.
