SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., June 8, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company unveiled its new social responsibility platform, Forward Stance, which focuses on four core pillars: prioritizing people, protecting the planet, investing in community, and operating responsibly.

“Alterra Mountain Company has dedicated tremendous effort to identify and set up essential sustainability and DEI goals designed to ensure our industry’s long-term health and growth,” said Karen Sanford, the company’s chief legal and social responsibility officer. “With this framework of data- and science-based measurable objectives, we will be able to hold ourselves accountable and have a positive impact through the important environmental, social, community and ethical initiatives implemented across our company and beyond.”

Sustainability goals. As part of the initiative, by 2030 the company has pledged to reduce carbon emissions at its resorts by more than 50 percent, to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, and to be carbon neutral across all owned operations. The company said it will also engage supply chain partners to set their own carbon reduction goals.

For the past year, Alterra has conducted comprehensive company-wide environmental audits and set benchmarks for its 15 North American mountain resorts, according to a press release. The process included more than 4.3 million square feet of building audits, a review of more than 3.8 thousand acres of snowmaking, and benchmarking all of the company’s Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon emissions.  

The four main areas of the company’s sustainability strategy are efficiency, renewable energy, electrification of infrastructure, and collaboration. To help achieve its goals, the company is implementing an enterprise-wide carbon tracking software to measure improvements over time, as well as an Active Energy Management program and renewable energy procurement measures. Alterra also intends to transition to electric vehicles and other electrified infrastructure at all its locations.

DEI actions. In addition, the company is implementing Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) actions based on auditing, surveying, and outreach to more than 20,000 employees. Alterra said it will use a data-based approach to expand inclusive employee support and education with the goal to foster growth, inclusivity, equity, and diversity among its employees. 

In addition to elevated employee support, Alterra said it has enhanced its partnership with the Share Winter Foundation, the Ikon Pass Scholarship program, and a diverse range of various other local community partners that serve youth, communities of color, adaptive skiers, local Native American and First Nations communities, and other underrepresented groups.

Earlier this year, as part of its commitment to sustainability and community, the company appointed Darcie Renn as VP of sustainability and Annie Kao as VP of social responsibility. The Forward Stance team also expanded its philanthropic footprint through the creation of the Alterra Mountain Company Community Foundation in 2021. The foundation is a public charity that provides financial support to the members of the communities in which Alterra Mountain Company operates.

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