Summit County ski retailers launch recycling push

SUMMIT COUNTY — It’s time to get rid of those 1975 Rossignol ST Comps collecting dust in the corner of the garage.

After a few years of planning, the retail sector of the ski industry wants to step into recycling in a big way, and local residents can be part of that effort.

Instead of sending your old boards to the landfill, you can recycle them for free at Mountain Sports Outlet in Silverthorne, between 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Old skis, boots and snowboards can be dropped off free of charge. Suitable equipment will be donated to charitable programs, but the rest is headed for an industrial shredding facility south of Denver, where it will be ground into powder and re-used for decking and flooring.

For decades, most old ski gear has ended up in the dump, taking up valuable landfill space and contributing to methane-gas emissions, one of the main global-warming culprits.

“Skiers and snowboarders are usually very concerned about the environment and want to do what they can to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Shawn Dolan, regional manager for Mountain Sports Outlet.

The retailer is teaming up with SnowSports Industries of America to launch the recycling program for old gear.

A similar recycling effort at some Front Range ski shops was a big success, said Mary Wiener, eco-manager with Mountain Sports Outlet. Now it’s time to see how mountain-town residents respond to the same challenge, she added.

All the gear is shredded at the same time, buckles and bindings included, Wiener said. The long-term goal is to try and use the material for the manufacture of new skis. But that will require some additional testing, she explained.

With about 20 tons of shredded material, researchers can sort through the powder in a process called conpounding to determine what it can be used for.

One logistical challenge of recycling it into new ski gear is that most production is in China. It’s not clear that transporting the material overseas makes sense from a financial and environmental standpoint, Wiener said.

There is a significant cost associated with transporting old skis regionally and re-processing them. Wiener said it costs about 10 cents per pound just for the shredding. When you add in the cost of collection and fuel, it totals about $2.75 to recycle a pair of skis and boots.

To help offset that cost, Mountain Sports Outlet will start adding a voluntary $2 recycling fee to the purchase price of new gear, similar to oil-change and tire-recycling fees.

Skiers and snowboarders can opt out of paying the extra charge, Wiener said, but she expects that many people will be willing to pay a couple of bucks to help green up the sport.

“People really need to realize that it’s a $2 investment in the environment,” she said.

The two-day program at Mountain Sports Outlet is part of a larger push by the retail and manufacturing sectors to help reduce the industry’s environmental footprint, according David Ingemie, president of the Snowsports Industries of America.

“We want to establish measurable goals,” Ingemie said in an interview last year.

SIA has been working with the National Ski Areas Association and the Natural Resources Defense Council to develop an environmental charter that will in some ways mirror the NSAA’s Sustainable Slopes program.

For more information, call Mountain Sports Outlet at (970) 262-2836.