Now in its fourth year, the Big Spring Clean became even bigger with new resort Glenshee introduced to the mountain clean-up operation last weekend.

The annual initiative forms part of the Ski Club's Respect the Mountain campaign that has been running since 2004. Over 80 litter-picking volunteers showed up at the Scottish resorts of CairnGorm Mountain, Nevis Range and Glenshee and worked hard to clear the rubbish that lingered after an epic winter season.

44 sacks of rubbish were collected across all three resorts by skiers, walkers and dedicated litter pickers. All sorts of unusual items were found amongst the general litter and waste including: a pair of boxer shorts at Cairngorm, a mattress and a 'message in a balloon' at Nevis Range. The balloon was from Milngavie Primary School, over 100 miles away.

Kate Thorman from the Ski Club of Great Britain, who organised and co-ordinated the event said,

 "The Big Spring Clean has yet again proved to be a success. We had decent weather, a good turnout of people, and most importantly plenty of litter was collected across all three resorts. There was a real feeling from the local community that they were glad people had come along to do their bit and that they cared about the mountains we all love."

Caroline Stuart-Taylor, Chief Executive of the Ski Club, also commented,

 "We were thrilled to expand the Big Spring Clean to include Glenshee this year. The operation continues to raise awareness about the damaging effects of dropping litter in a mountain environment. We hope to make a clean sweep of all five Scottish ski areas in the future."
 
 
The Ski Club of Great Britain's annual resort clear up, the Big Spring Clean, returns to Scotland for a fourth year on Sunday 12 June. This year volunteers will not only be tackling the litter left on the slopes by mountains users at CairnGorm Mountain and the Nevis Range but also, new for 2011, at Glenshee.

"As part of our ongoing Respect the Mountain campaign we wanted to increase awareness of the environmental issues faced by resorts at the end of the season" explains the Ski Club's Emma Bebb. "Extending the Big Spring Clean to Glenshee is a positive step to spread that message even further and the clear up operation really does help the resorts tackle the problem of winter waste".

Last year 122 helpers turned out to gather up litter at CairnGorm and the Nevis Range with a total of 60 bags of rubbish collected.

One item that crops up far too frequently in these clean up is cigarette butts.  There is a simple way around this – for example the Ski Club has recently launched a new eco-friendly portable ashtray, made from recycled, recyclable and biodegradable materials.

Veronica adds “These clean ups occur in most resorts at the end of the season.  Despite all the bins and recycling centres that resorts install up in the mountains by the lift stations, people still litter.  There is still much education about Responsible Skiing to be done to get us to a situation where we no longer need these.”
 
 
 
 
Fifty bags of rubbish and many strange forms of waste were removed from Mayrhofen’s ski slopes through an Envirotrek Sports Event organized by the Dutch-based non-profit group Respect the Mountains last week. Sixty participants from six different European countries worked tirelessly despite the rainfall showing their dedication to the cause.

One participant commented, “This event is a great way to get involved and teach my children about the importance of nature, and in what ways to enjoy it. We've had a great day.”

 This grassroots initiative offers the public an opportunity to make a difference in the mountain areas they visit with the clean up in the morning, then in the afternoon participants enjoy some mountain sport including rock climbing, rafting or mountain biking.

This was the second of three events to take place this summer under the Envirotrek Series banner. The next will take place in Samoens, France on 13th of August. Many tonnes of rubbish have been removed as a result of this Envirotrek initiative.

Veronica Tonge comments “Once again, this is a great success for cleaning up our mountains, and a great reminder to everyone just how much litter is created in a winter season.  It’s so simple to “pack it in, pack it out” and take your litter home or dispose of it carefully.   We need all resorts to constantly remind their skiers to be tidy and help them dispose of their litter easily and all resorts should organise such a clean up at the end of the season.”
 
 
In its third year, the Big Spring Clean, a mountain clearing initiative from the Ski Club of Great Britain, has again proved a success with hundreds of volunteers heading to the Scottish mountains to clean up rubbish after an epic winter season.

At Nevis Range ski area near Fort William on the west coast there were 46 volunteers who picked up 17 bags of litter, including many unusual items ranging from a New York bus ticket found by eight-year-old Robert Thorne from Inverness, who found a near 20-year-old Marathon wrapper when cleaning up Cairngorm a year earlier, to a tin of sardines.

At CairnGorm Mountain ski area above Aviemore, south of Inverness, people who had spent part of the day on the ski slopes, as well as plenty of walkers and dedicated litter pickers came along to pick up over 50 bags of litter. Around 80 people joined in the event on a fine day in the mountain resort.

Katie Gotla from the Ski Club of Great Britain who co-ordinated the event at CairnGorm Mountain said, “Once again we have had a successful day of litter picking and have made a positive contribution towards the mountain and its habitats. As well as clearing the mountain from potentially damaging rubbish, organising the Big Spring Clean is also a fantastic way to raise awareness about the effects of dropping litter.”

Veronica Tonge notes that most resorts have to invest a lot of time at the end of the season to clean up – cigarette butts are one the main culprits and can pollute a lot of water where they fall.   Small tins are available for smokers to take their litter with them off the mountain to dispose them correctly.   “Not dropping litter is basic really – one of the most simple things skiers can do to keep the mountains pristine.   If no-one dropped litter, there would be no need for clean-ups such as this”. 
 
 
This week-end, on the 29th & 30th of May, people all over Europe will be getting together for the Annual spring cleaning of the mountains.   Although  ski areas may seem clean when covered in snow, last year 30 tonnes of rubbish were picked up from the slopes of 55 ski resorts by that 3500 volunteers.  

For the past 9 years the French environmental group for ski resorts, Mountain Riders, have been organising and coordinating the spring cleaning to raise awareness on the state of our outdoor playgrounds at the end of the ski season.   As well as being a really worthwhile task – it very visibly makes everybody aware of the impact rubbish has in the mountains and the organizers hope to influence people’s behaviour concerning their rubbish.

This year, Mountain Riders and their European partners: The ski club of Great-Britain, Respect the Mountains in the Netherlands and Summit Foundation in Switzerland are once again calling on everybody to join in with the European spring-cleaning.

In the UK the spring clean takes place at Cairngorm and Nevis Range in Scotland and will be three weeks later than in the Alps because of snow remaining on the slopes with Cairngorm still open for skiing and boarding.

Not littering – and that includes cigarette butts -  is just one of the easy actions skiers can take to become a Responsible Skier and help look after the mountains that we all love.   If no-one littered then these clean ups wouldn’t be necessary …