Solitude Mountain Resort’s history of stewarding of the high-alpine landscape it occupies in Big Cottonwood Canyon goes back to well before environmentalism’s current popularity. In the 1970s, for example, Solitude’s then-owner Gary DeSeelhorst spearheaded the construction of the canyon’s 17-mile sewer line, solving water quality issues that had plagued the area’s residents, wildlife and fragile ecosystems for decades. Big Cottonwood Canyon now provides one of Utah’s cleanest water sources for not only those who live and visit the canyon, but thousands of people living along the Wasatch Front as well.
Now, a few of the ways sustainability is a part of Solitude’s everyday operations include:
In 2021, Solitude doubled down on its commitment to sustainability both locally and on a more global level. The resort hired its first sustainability coordinator who since then has been working toward several projects aimed at efficiency and carbon reduction, including the installation of Big Cottonwood Canyon’s first electric vehicle charging station. That same year Solitude’s parent company, Alterra Mountain Company, joined forces with its resort conglomerate competitors—Vail Resorts, Boyne Resorts and POWDR—in the Climate Collaborative Charter, a shared commitment around sustainability and the ski industry’s first unified effort to combat climate change.
For more about Solitude’s sustainability-focused efforts and events, visit solitude.com/about-us/sustainability.
