The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Electric Bike shrinks resort’s carbon footprint
Not every maintenance trip at Crested Butte Mountain Resort requires a full-size pickup truck, or a truck at all for that matter. But the distance from the shop to various properties and other locations around the ski area is a bit too far to walk. Why not ride a bike?
After receiving a $3,500 National Ski Areas Association Sustainable Slopes grant, the CBMR maintenance and operations crew has a shiny new OHM Cycles electric bike stashed in the garage.
According to CBMR director of planning John Sale, “CLIF Bar sponsored the Sustainable Slopes grant this year and selected an idea proposed by our property services crew and Eli Haine. Eli suggested that we purchase an electric bike for all those small errands that property services runs around the resort.
“Our lodging/properties department has more than eight full-time employees who currently utilize CBMR pickup trucks for the smallest task,” Sale continued. “They manage more than 200 properties within a two-mile radius and with a 500-foot elevation gain. While some tasks can be taken care of on foot, the majority are small errands that require the ability to respond quickly and efficiently.”
Haine said former properties maintenance manager Jim Cassaro inspired the idea for the electric bike. “Jim always thought that this department should have a moped for the maintenance operations, and I simply took that idea and turned it green with the addition of a rechargeable battery pack instead of a small motor.
“The main use of the bike is to perform simple maintenance duties that otherwise would require the use of one of our four V8 Chevy trucks,” Haine said. “These simple tasks range from changing a light bulb, replacing batteries, performing property inspections, consulting with sub-contractors and many other tasks that are part of our daily duties. This bike will not take the place of our work trucks; it is simply a tool to reduce our reliance on a truck use for every task that is asked of us.”
Unfortunately the OHM electric bike won’t get you to the top of 401. But watching CBMR chief executive officer Ken Stone rip around on it during the 4th of July Parade would make anyone want one.
