No such thing as a free lunch? Well, in this case it’s true, you’ll have to sweat a little to earn it!
The U.S. Forest Service and Vail Mountain have scheduled their annual mountain cleanup for Thursday, June 11. Community volunteers who help clean up trash and recyclables will receive a single-day lift ticket voucher for the 2015-2016 winter ski and snowboard season and will be treated to a barbeque lunch, compliments of Vail Resorts.
“We are grateful to Vail Resorts and the local community for volunteering to clean up their national forest and making this event such a success each year,” said Dave Neely, district ranger on the Eagle/Holy Cross District of the White River National Forest. Brian Rodine, environmental manager for Vail Mountain, adds that “last summer more than 600 community volunteers and Vail employees collected over 1.5 tons of trash and recyclables at mountain cleanup. It’s amazing to see the difference that we can all make in just one day, and to remember the importance of conserving our national forests now for future generations to enjoy.”
On cleanup day, all volunteers should meet at the base of the Gondola One in Vail Village by 9 a.m. with their own work gloves, water, sun block, hat, snacks, sturdy hiking shoes and clothing for inclement weather. Volunteers will be transported up the mountain at 9 a.m. via Gondola One, provided with trash bags and transported to cleanup sites. The Wildwood Express Lift (#3) will also be running to help transport volunteers. In the event of severe weather, a decision will be made the morning of the clean up to either move forward or postpone until the following day.
Beginning at 12 p.m., the Vail Mountain dining staff will host a complimentary barbecue at Sarge’s Grill at Mid-Vail for all volunteers, at which time a single-day complimentary lift ticket voucher for the 2015-2016 winter season will be distributed to volunteers age 5 and older. After lunch, volunteers will meet again to continue cleaning and hike down to the base area on assigned trails. Those who choose not to walk down the mountain may download the gondola. All volunteers will need to complete and sign a liability release form, available online at www.vail.com/mountaincleanup.