Baker CO2 emissions

Since Baker is now my nearest ski area and runs on 100% fossil fuels--there is no electrical grid connection--I was interested in estimating the carbon footprint of a day of skiing. Maybe you'll find it interesting.

I found some really useful data from 2020 that comes from a clean air agency public notice. It looks like the area was required to update some of their engines to comply with NOx emissions limits. In their spreadsheet is a calculation of 2705 t (metric tonnes, 1000 kg per t) of CO2 emitted per year if they run their generators as much as possible while staying below the yearly limit on NOx.

I did my own little calculation using just the engines that power the lifts + the generator at White Salmon that powers the lodge & C7 based on the total kW of engine power and the given rate of 240 g diesel/kW-hr. For an 8 hr day of skiing, that totals about 4500 L of diesel or 12 t of CO2 per day. Over a 120 day season, that gives 1450 t CO2 per season. I think of these numbers as closer to a lower estimate to the upper estimate of 2705 t.

To put those numbers in context, 12 t CO2 per day is on the same order as the emissions of an average person in the US each year data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC?locations=US. To drive to the ski area and back from Bellingham, about 100 miles, amounts to about 41 kg CO2. So if >300 people are skiing at the area, I would emit less carbon driving than the per-person fuel used to power the lifts, whereas on a day with <300 visitors, my "share" of the ski area emissions would be larger.


Data:
nwcleanairwa.gov/?wpdmdl=6906
nwcleanairwa.gov/?wpdmdl=6907
nwcleanairwa.gov/?wpdmdl=6908
nwcleanairwa.gov/?wpdmdl=6909
nwcleanairwa.gov/?wpdmdl=6910

Very interesting, kam, thanks! Might be difficult to estimate, but seems like the fuel for plowing the road should be added?

For most of my life, I couldn't afford the drive to any ski area from Ashford, let alone the cost of a lift ticket. Makes me wonder what my carbon footprint is driving 50 miles RT to Paradise (~two gallons).

Hi Gary, yeah that would add to the footprint overall + the groomers + snowmobiles + plowing the parking lots, etc. But it seems likely that running the lifts & lodges (requiring > 2 MW) is on a different order of magnitude from that.

If you get similar gas mileage to me, driving 50 miles should be about 20 kg CO2.