If you’ve ever ridden a chairlift, you know it’s easy to drop things and perhaps never recover them. The folks who help clean up ski mountains once the snow melts do, too.
On Tuesday, more than 200 Breckenridge Ski Resort employees traversed the mountain’s most popular peaks to clean up the remnants of winter before opening for summer recreation on Friday. A video posted to social media shows crews collected a mix of items you might expect – single gloves, ski poles and the like – alongside some more unusual finds.
For example, a whole pineapple, a gallon of Cattlemen’s barbecue sauce, and someone’s Invisalign teeth-straightening mold. There were also vape pens, Mardi Gras beads, a California driver’s license, expensive earbuds and a rental snowboard.
In all, employees collected 800 pounds of trash plus additional recycling from beneath the chairlifts and elsewhere on the mountain.
Breck’s annual mountain cleanup is one event that supports parent company Vail Resorts’ commitment to reach a net zero operating footprint by 2030, said spokesperson Sara Lococo.
“It is also a great reminder for us and for all our guests recreating in the mountains and forests to be mindful of our impact and leave no trace principles, to pack out what you bring in, and to leave places better than you found them so future generations can enjoy the same recreational opportunities and environments that we are fortunate to enjoy now,” she said.
Originally Published: June 14, 2024 at 7:01 a.m.
