NSAA Honors Best In Ski Industry At Annual Awards Ceremony

The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented awards in sustainability, safety, growth and marketing to members with the most innovative and successful programs in each category. The awards were presented at the association’s virtual awards ceremony on June 11.

NSAA annually calls for applications for awards in the following categories;

Conversion Cup (growth)
Golden Eagle Awards (sustainability)
Sustainable Slopes Grants
Marketing Awards
Safety Awards

“This is a special award year,” said Kelly Pawlak, NSAA president and CEO. “Not only did ski areas need to adapt to a COVID environment, but they continued to focus on some of the most important issues in our industry, like safety, sustainability and growth.”

“We continue to be inspired by the creativity of our ski area staff members, and their innovative approach to constantly improving,” she said.

2021 NSAA Award Winners and Finalists Winners indicated in bold

Golden Eagle Awards for Sustainability, Sponsored by TechnoAlpin

Golden Eagle Award for Environmental Excellence

Boyne Resorts, Michigan
Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico
Wild Mountain, Minnesota

Innovation in Sustainability

Copper Mountain Resort, Colorado
Eldora Mountain Resort, Colorado
Stratton Mountain Resort, Vermont

Climate Change Impact Award

Eldora Mountain Resort, Colorado [tie]
Sugarbush Resort, Vermont
Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico [tie]

Hero of Sustainability

Connor O'Sullivan, Stratton Mountain Resort, Vermont
Greg Keyes, Bogus Basin, Idaho
Laura Schaffer, POWDR, Utah

Sustainable Slopes Grants

In addition to the Golden Eagle Awards, the NSAA and partner HKD Snowmakers awarded Sustainable Slopes Grants to four ski areas. Launched in 2009, this grant program provides cash and in-kind funding to support sustainability projects. To date, $671,220 in cash and in-kind funding has been awarded to ski areas seeking to reduce their footprint and increase their environmental stewardship.

NSAA thanks dedicated sponsor HKD Snowmakers for providing equipment to ski areas to make their snowmaking programs more efficient and sustainable. HKD Snowmakers offered grants two ski areas with a combined value of $59,048

“I’d like to congratulate Wild and Boyne for their terrific efforts focused on environmental sustainability, particularly regarding the energy efficiency of their snowmaking operations,” said Charles Santry,

President of HKD Snowmakers. "We are pleased to award these two Grants of energy-efficient technology further reduce their environmental impact. As my father-in-law, Herman Dupre, would say: ‘It’s our obligation to leave the earth better than we found it.’ These resorts share this philosophy.