Carbon footprint and climate change is on my mind and others. Writer, Dave Robertson from Backcountry Magazine asked me in September 2020 about my Carbon Trace Metric, excel sheets, and how to figure out trip trade-offs? Here is a brief summary of the calculations and my response to his questions.
Mt. Talon at Talus Lodge and what is your carbon trace for backcountry skiing? (February 2020)
If you have a bit of time and want to record your backcountry activities environmental impact on climate change, then record the quantity of fuel burned to transport to trail head and use a GPS watch to record your track. Write this data, each day, in a log-book or geek out with excel at home. Tracking will give you an idea of your carbon footprint verse benefit of shredding pow. This process will help you identify opportunities to reduce your emissions while at the same time getting the thrill of backcountry skiing. It helps to determine what is your consumption per recreation? Then dig deeper to figure out trade-offs. Dig even deeper and create a carbon budget!
Creating a carbon emissions budget for a season can be done by estimating travel distances with trip planning tools like Gaia GPS, Google Earth or a traditional topographic map and ruler. Next, from the distance (km) and vertical (m) you measured then you can calculate the amount of fuel burned in transport based on the fuel economy of your vehicle (car, truck, sled, plane, and/or helicopter). You can then convert this quantity of fuel in Litres (L) to carbon emissions equivalent in kg (CO2e kg) and finally if you divide this value by your vertical metres (m) objective then you get a metric called “carbon trace” (SI units are CO2e kg / m). This metric can be used to compare trip options and make trade-offs that reduce your carbon trace or carbon footprint.
The carbon trace (e.g. carbon footprint) is a metric to measure your consumption per recreation, similar to a cost versus benefit analysis which is a popular method of identifying trade-offs. I firmly believe that if something is measurable and tracked then it is likely to happen. Like SMART goals or how economists have key indicators for a healthy community.
There are many calculators online that can calculate the carbon emissions (carbon) for travel by truck, car, plane, helicopter, sled, etc. In addition, there are many exercise apps (Strava) or GPS tracking devices that record your vertical movement (trace).
If you are keen and want to do the math yourself, then record your trace (vertical skied) as mentioned above and record of quantity of litres used for transport. There are many references that can provide you with an emission factor to calculate your carbon emitted and roughly if you multiply litres used by 2.3-2.5 kg/L[1] then you get your carbon emissions equivalent (CO2e) in kg; also known as carbon footprint.
For example, a touring zone is 50 km from your home to the trail head (100 km return trip), you drove a Toyota Tacoma, and used 12 litres (L) of gasoline. The approximate carbon emissions equivalent is 12 L x 2.4 kg/L = 29 kg of CO2e.
If you charged and ski toured 2000 m then your carbon trace value is 29 CO2e kg divided by 2000 m, which equals 0.015 CO2e kg/m. This value is your carbon trace[2] and it is a metric that allows you to compare trips based on a cost versus benefit. My challenge for you is to try to get this value close to zero; thus leave as little trace as possible, only freshly carved tracks, feel less guilt for skiing and slow the melting of our glaciers.
Finally, if you don’t want to do the math and just want some basic guidelines to reduce your carbon trace, or carbon footprint, here is some advice:
Carpool and tour in groups that can travel in one car. More friends mean less carbon emissions per person. Safer too!
Ski tour closer to home. Less litres burned in transport means less carbon emissions.
Hut trips or camping are more efficient than multiple day trips to the same zone.
Consider a more fuel-efficient transport or electric vehicle like Greg Hill inspires our community.
Create a carbon emissions budget and figure out trade-offs to maximize recreation.
Or you can look at these simple trade-off options, they are a bit mind blowing, and calculations based on my Backcountry Carbon Footprint Calculator Excel Sheet:
Example 1: Hiked out and used a SUV to exit a backcountry hut in New Zealand versus flying out in a helicopter. Savings of 93% in CO2e or 65 kg of CO2e per person for helicopter verse 4.4 kg of CO2e per person for SUV.
Example 2: Simplified calculations for Heli-Skiing in Canada for 7 days at approx. 30,000 m of vertical in an A-Star verse fly to Japan to ski tour for 10 days at approx. 15,000 m of vertical while only accounting for commercial aircraft emissions. From my experience, the heli-skiing cost me approx. 900 kg of CO2e per person and commercial flight from Vancouver to Tokyo cost approx. 2,400 kg[3] of C02e per person. Thus, staying home in Canada and going heli-skiing is 1,500 kg less CO2e emissions emitted. Carbon trace values are 0.03 for Heli-skiing verse 0.16 for Japan Ski tour trip.
Example 3: Ski tour for 7 days at a lodge-based hut versus 7 days of road-side trailhead missions in the same zone with ability to do 8,000 m of vertical in 7 days. Calculated carbon emissions for lodge is based on 250 km return transport, in a Tacoma truck with 5 buddies, to staging area and helicopter flights in a 5 person in A-star. Thus, 30 L of gasoline used or 16 kg of C02e per person plus 0.4 hr of flight time producing approx. 39 kg of CO2e per person equals a total of 55 kg of CO2e per person for the 8,000 m skied (0.007 carbon trace units). Calculated carbon emissions for highway access trail head mission is approx. 250 km per trip and in a Toyota Tacoma for a total of 1,750 km, 210 L of Gasoline used, and 111 kg of CO2e per person based on five people in the car (0.014 carbon trace units).
Golden Alpine Holidays Hut Based Skiing for 6 days in January 2020, total vertical skied 7100 m, 370 kg of CO2e for Tacoma (~1000 km) and Heli, and calculation of 0.05 carbon trace units (CO2e kg / m), Lesson from this trip/number back calulation is to carpool and buy a Mini Cooper!