Environmental Effects Of Snowboarding And Skiing

485 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Tourism impact on environment and ecology

Ski resorts

I just finished writing a paper on the environmental effects of resorts and it is pretty crazy for the worse. Snowboarding and skiing are great recreational sports, but just like everything in the world, they do have effects on the environment which I thought was important for everyone to know: # n fact, winter sports and recreational tourism have very significant negative environmental and cultural impacts. All these things disturb the natural environment. # Most downhill skiing takes place on prepared slopes. This involves removing trees and grading the land into suitable runs. In addition, pylons and structures for ski lifts must be installed. # Due to global warming, snow has become less reliable at lower altitudes and the use of artificial snowmaking …show more content…

Snowmaking is a water- and energy-intensive process. In some cases, chemicals are added to ensure the formation of snow crystals. # Similarly, global warming is forcing ski areas to use higher altitudes that are more ecologically sensitive, even glacier areas which are receding due to warming. # Litter carelessly tossed from lifts or dropped on ski runs does not readily degrade. It takes five years for a cigarette butt to disintegrate. # Wildlife is disturbed by the initial construction and nightly maintenance of ski trails, and by the daytime skier population. # Ski resort tourism does create a significant amount of seasonal employment. However, much of this employment is in the form of low-skilled low-paying jobs that exceed the size of the local workforce. As a result, there is an influx of outside workers with the attendant challenges to housing and social support. # The cultural landscape of mountain villages is changed by absentee ownership and part-time occupation of local properties and by a large number of tourists. I'm ain't no Hippie, but

Show More
Related

  • The Impact of Tourism on Betws-y-Coed

    1771 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Impact of Tourism on Betws-y-Coed Having compiled my knowledge and research into this piece of coursework, I hope to have addressed the following questions regarding Betws-y-Coed: How has tourism impacted on the economy? What visitor management is currently in place? What are the drawbacks to tourism? In my work, I hope to discover what exactly are the positive and negative aspects of tourism in the honeypot Betws-y-Coed by relating to Snowdonia National Park. It is important to contemplate the features the region has to offer, and why they are so appealing.

    Read More

  • Physics of Snowmachining

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whether zipping along a winding trail, flying through the open flats, or powering up a steep hill, snow machines and the rider need to use physics to stay in control of the machine and themselves. The main components are the track, engine, skis and riding. Snowmachine tracks are essential to making a snowmachine move. Ever since snow machines first originated in the late 50's, designers have been finding ways to improve traction in a variety of conditions. Some of these conditions are driving on groomed trails, not groomed trails, overflow, and deep snow.

    Read More

  • Hippies and Transcendentalism

    1547 Words  | 4 Pages

    Henry David Thoreau was a major contributor to the transcendentalist movement; his greatest works are explicitly influential to the ideology of hippies. His most revered work was inspired by his adventure to Walden Pond in which he attempts to awaken and enlighten his mind. In his book Walden he tells us to “spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito’s wing that’s falls on the rails” . Here Thoreau is explaining that life should be lived not at a frantic pace but at a pace that would suffice to link the mind and nature as one, from this the hippies gathered that they should lose themselves in the natural processes of nature. Hippies did not stop picking credos there, Thoreau’s “simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!” from Walden was good enough to create an entirely new lifestyle for this time-period. From this point large groups of counter-culturists began to congregate in San Francisco and share their ideas with one another. Slouching around was not on the American agenda as the Vietnam War was being fiercely contested at the time, nevertheless Thorea...

    Read More

  • Ski Area Impacts on the Environment

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the most visible and mutual environmental impacts of ski areas on the environment is deforestation and grading of slopes. In order to service a multitude of winter sport enthusiast, mountain slopes must be cleared of dense forest in order to make way for ski runs and lifts. With the ski industry in the US showing steady numbers (Satistica) resorts have to come up with new attractions to keep past patrons and attract new customers. One of the ways that they do this is by opening up new terrain, which increases the amount of deforestation damaging the local vegetation. Ski resorts essentially have two options in creating new terrain. First clearing runs by removing trees and other woody vegetation, leaving the topsoil and seed bank intact or by grading slopes by using bulldozers to remove any abnormalities. The second method is preferred as it is faster and more efficient and allows for the slope to be opened earlier with less snow pact.(USA) The impacts of grading slopes by bulldozing destroy the vegetation, reduce the topsoil and greatly contribute to erosion. The removal of woody vegetation can also lead to a drastic change in the local vegetation in order to keep the trails clear it requires constant trimming of the new growth of unwanted vegetation that can help anchor topsoil in place and provide better growing conditions for other plants. The destructive method of bulldozing runs not only leads to environmental degradation but also can be counter productive. According to a UC Davis study, while clearing slopes of vegetation and irregularities by bulldozer might result in opening earlier than other resorts the increase in maintenance, will likely offset any monetary gains (USA).

    Read More

  • Physics of Avalanches

    1507 Words  | 4 Pages

    Avalanches kill back country recreationalists every year, including skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, and snowmachiners. All back country users should have knowledge of the basic physics of avalanches to help them evaluate local and regional potential for slides. The foundation of this knowledge comes from understanding how the surrounding environmental conditions in previous weeks, previous days, and the day in question all contribute to snow stability or instability, and how specific factors affect snow on a micro-scale, which determines how snow slopes will behave on a macro-scale. There are two major types of avalanches (excluding debris avalanches from broken cornices and ice formations). These are point releases, or loose snow slides, and slab avalanches. While point releases can be dangerous and should be avoided, slab avalanches are much more catastrophic and account for most of the backcountry avalanche disasters involving humans. Basic physics of point releases are discussed here, followed by a discussion on the basic physics of slab avalanches, and how external factors contribute to the stability or instability of a snow covered slope.

    Read More

  • The Hippie Movement of the 1960's

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement beginning in the United States around the early 1960s and consisted of a group of people who opposed political and social orthodoxy, choosing an ideology that favored peace, love, and personal freedom. The hippies rejected established institutions, criticized middle class values, opposed nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War, were usually eco-friendly and vegetarians, and promoted the use of psychedelic drugs. They created their own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs to explore alternative states of consciousness. They strived to liberate themselves from societal restrictions, choose their own way, and find new meaning in life.

    Read More

  • Counterculture During the Vietnam Era

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    More than any other countercultural group, hippies reflected a deep discontent with technocracy- society’s reliance on scientific experts who ruled coldly and dispassionately and who wielded enormous power. Hippies said good-bye to that and hello to the mystical spirit, oneness with the universe- life as passion, passion as life, harmony, and understanding. The...

    Read More

  • The Hippie Movement of 1960s America

    1419 Words  | 3 Pages

    There were two reactions to the hippie movement: the first, an angry uproar across the fifty states from the elder upper classes, and second, an inspiration for a few to try the hippie ways themselves. “A few” people soon turned into an abounding co...

    Read More

  • Hawaiian Environmental Concerns

    1596 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the key elements of tourism is the quality of the environment, both natural and man-made. Tourism however, can have a negative effect on the environment due to people not caring for the environment because it is not an area where they normally reside, so they do not consider what long-term effects that their temporary actions may have. Tourism that is not regulated or controlled can lead to negative environmental impacts on air, water, soil, vegetation, and wildlife quality and sustainability.

    Read More

  • The Hippie Generation Changed the World

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the Hippie’s foundations was the of the continuous use of illegal drugs and making love to each other. Over 10 years from 1960 when the Hippie’s first started to 1970 more than 8,000,000 people from the ages of 15 to 25 had tried marijuana. This was the main drug of the hippie generation, but was not the only drug used by them. One other main drug used was LSD, some of the Hippie’s thought that LSD “put you in touch ...

    Read More

  • The Hippie Counterculture

    2095 Words  | 5 Pages

    Unlike the society before this movement, the hippie did not try to change America through violence, the hippie tried to change things through peace and love. The Hippie Movement was a moment during the mid 1960s through the early 1070s where sex, drugs and Rock-n-Roll, was at the forefront of mainstream society. No one really knows the true definition of a Hippie, but a formal definition describes the hippie as one who does not conform to social standards, advocating a liberal attitude and lifestyle. Phoebe Thompson wrote, “Being a hippie is a choice of philosophy. Hippies are generally antithetical to structured hierarchies, such as church, government, and social castes. The ultimate goal of the hippie movement is peace, attainable only through love and toleration of the earth and each other. Finally, a hippie needs freedom, both physical freedom to experience life and mental freeness to remain open-minded” (Thompson12-13). Many questions are asked when trying to figure out how this movement reached so many of America’s youth, and what qualities defined a hippie as a hippie?

    Read More

  • Skiing and Snowboarding

    1225 Words  | 3 Pages

    Skiing, as a sport has existed since the early 1800’s, although depictions of skis have been discovered throughout Europe dating back thousands of years. Skiing as a recreational activity became popularized in the mid 1800’s however it did not arrive in the United States until around 1841. Once the concept of skiing reached the states, it took off. The United States continued to power advances in skiing for decades, with the introduction of rope tows, then actual ski lifts. By the 1950’s several ski areas had begun snowmaking and trail grooming, two American born inovatio9ns which ensured better skiing conditions and launched the US far ahead of Europe in ski technology (Fry 38). Skiing continued to evolve throughout the 1900’s, constantly changing and adapting to improve athlete performance and recreational experiences. Skis and equipment changed quickly and frequently, ski bindings, which...

    Read More

  • Skiing

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    Challenge plays an essential role in defining a sport; it provides the individual with the feeling of achievement in success. Skiing poses challenge even in its simplest foundations. Skiing on a poor quality hill, with icy snow and poor upkeep can sometimes create more challenge than a well-groomed slope. Skiing in the backcountry away from lifts and other people in freshly fallen snow provides an opportunity for the best of skiers to test t...

    Read More

  • Outdoor Recreation

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the time passes, the statistics of the engagement of the population participating in outdoor recreation activities has been at a high and low. These fluctuations could cause many problems in the future of outdoor recreation activities around the world. There are three main topics that will be focused on in this paper; what affects the future of outdoor recreation, demographics, and technology. Counties, states, territories, and provinces need to realize, and take into consideration what can affect the future, such as new developments (houses, businesses, and factories), a decrease in natural resources due to lumbering, mining and oil drilling. Technology also has made a major impact on how the world functions on a daily basis. It also plays a major role in outdoor recreation activities. Some forms of technology also hold people back from experiencing outdoor recreation activities, examples are internet, gaming, and television. While many can create a positive influence for example, newer ways to travel outdoors-dirt bikes, and other types of technology that make a negative impact like soil erosion. The final topic that this paper will touch upon is the demographic factor. Governments m...

    Read More

  • Essay On Impact Of Tourism On The Environment

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    The uncontrolled tourism increase is threatening many natural areas around the world.with the uncontrollable levels of tourism this can put great deal of pressure on an area, andthis could end up leading to negative environmental impacts on the air and the water quality, thevegetation,the soil.the wild life and the possible job opportunities.

    Read More

More about Environmental Effects Of Snowboarding And Skiing

Open Document