Colorado volunteers uncover lost treasures and trash during Arapahoe Basin's Annual Mountain Cleanup

How do ski resorts in Colorado keep thousands of acres of National Forest land clean? At Arapahoe Basin, they ask for a little help from their friends.

Sunday morning, dozens of volunteers gathered at the base of A-Basin for the third-annual Mountain Clean-Up Day. Armed with trash bags, buckets and gloves, they rode chairlifts up to the summit and fanned out across the front side to help tidy up the ski area's summer slopes after a busy winter season.

For many, it was the perfect excuse to enjoy the high country.

"Any excuse to come out here and hike around in the summer," said Ben Woods, a volunteer who returned for a second year. "Might as well take the opportunity to clean up the place that a whole bunch of Coloradans love to enjoy in the wintertime."

Woods and his partner Emma Kirkpatrick were already finding items before even getting on the chairlift. "We found some pieces of PVC, probably some old snowmaking equipment, some bungee cords," Woods said. "Off to a good start."

Once on the slopes, the technique is simple. "Kind of just, using your eyes, going back and forth," Woods explained, spotting a small piece of plastic. "Got a little zip tie here, just kind of just looking for color that doesn't match."

You might be surprised by what you find half a year later, once the snow has melted and the sun has bleached what's left behind. The haul went far beyond the expected beer cans and wrappers. Throughout the day, volunteers turned in:

• Car keys and a cell phone
• A single AirPod and case (several yards apart)
• Wires (lots of wires)
• A driver's license and multiple Epic and A-Basin passes
• Countless vape pens, lighters and a face mask
• A full pack of cigarettes and a half-smoked blunt
• Cans, bottles and discarded ski pole baskets
• Fireball shooters, of course. 

All these items, either mistakenly dropped from a pocket or a chairlift or intentionally thrown down, will not biodegrade and can pose a risk to the environment and the local wildlife that call the mountain home.

"It's not only for us," Woods added. "It's for all the wildlife that's out here, that this is actually their home."

While the physical act of cleaning the mountain is the day's main event, Arapahoe Basin's sustainability team sees a much bigger picture. The goal isn't just to pick up litter, but to inspire a mindset that lasts long after the volunteers go home.

Helena Robinowitz, a Sustainability Specialist at A-Basin, said the event is about creating a movement. "It doesn't really matter, at the end of the day, at the global level, if we reduce our 750 metric tons of carbon," Robinowitz explained. "What matters is that we perpetuate a culture of caring and sustainability and equity throughout our community, throughout the industry, throughout our political and economic spheres."

For each piece of trash picked up, it's a reminder that anyone can make a difference. While the views from the top of A-Basin are spectacular, today's event proved you can make it just as beautiful wherever you are with just a bag, a bucket and a decision to leave Colorado better than you found it.