Announcement of results from the introduction of POW tickets
Sustainable Resort Alliance (SRA) has been promoted by POW JAPAN since 2013. has been introduced in detail in
STEEP's " THINK SNOW SRA is a network of ski resorts aiming to become zero carbon and sustainable, and the organizations that support them in achieving this.
As part of this initiative, the "POW Ticket" was introduced last season at seven SRA-affiliated ski resorts. This lift ticket comes with a donation, with a portion of the purchase price going directly to support the ski resort's "zero carbon and sustainable initiatives." POW has now announced that a total of 1,196 skiers and snowboarders have donated approximately 808,000 yen through the purchase of these tickets. This is a significant achievement, even though it is only the first year of the system's introduction.
Using the collected donations, the affiliated resorts of the ski resorts that have adopted the system have reduced CO2 emissions by more than 140 tons per year, promoted the use of renewable energy in the ski resorts, and have steadily produced impactful initiatives such as forest maintenance and the decision to introduce a new food waste disposal machine that will reduce CO2 emissions
Details of achievements and results at each ski resort
| Ski resort name | CO₂ reduction amount/measures details | Number of purchasers and donation amount |
| Able Hakuba Goryu (Nagano) | Preparing to install food waste processor (prospect of CO₂ reduction) | 693 people / 310,100 yen |
| Hakuba Happoone (Nagano) | Promoting CO₂ absorption through forest management | 286 people / 282,000 yen |
| Muika Snow Resort (Niigata) | Pair lift power 100% renewable energy / 15.2 t reduction | 62 people/62,000 yen |
| Maiko Snow Resort (Niigata) | Lift electricity used 100% with renewable energy / 59.8 t reduction | 52 people / 51,300 yen |
| Ninox Snow Park (Niigata) | Night game lighting 100% renewable energy / 28.0 t reduction | 37 people / 36,300 yen |
| Cupid Valley (Niigata) | Snow room preservation and restoration efforts | 30 people/30,000 yen |
| Yuzawa Nakazato Snow Resort (Niigata) | 50% of the center's electricity was converted to renewable energy/reduction of 37.6 t | 29 people/29,000 yen |
The ski resorts that have introduced the POW tickets have given positive feedback, with comments such as, "The donations have boosted our environmental efforts," and "It has created a connection with skiers." Users have also made numerous comments, such as, "There was an option for the POW ticket for Happo-One, so I chose it without hesitation. I think it's a good choice for protecting nature. I hope that this type of initiative will spread to more ski resorts."
[POW Ticket]
The "POW Ticket" is a system that adds a donation to the price of a regular lift ticket, which supports the "zero carbon and sustainable initiatives" of each ski resort. By purchasing a POW Ticket, skiers and snowboarders can learn about the initiatives of ski resorts, understand the current state of the climate crisis and the need for climate change countermeasures that lie behind them, and support the ski resort's initiatives as if they were their own. At the same time, the ticket is issued with the aim of providing a system that solves the financial challenges ski resorts face in promoting decarbonization and sustainability
Future outlook
Through the Sustainable Resort Alliance (SRA), POW JAPAN will provide guidelines and expert advisors to support ski resorts in achieving their zero-carbon goals. The POW ticket will continue to be available for purchase beyond the 2025-26 season, and new member ski resorts will be invited to join
Such expressions of intent by skiers will lead to the future of snowy mountains and environmental measures at ski resorts. The POW Ticket can be said to be a tool that allows skiers and ski resorts to "envision the future together." STEEP will continue to introduce such initiatives under the "THINK SNOW - Thinking about the future of snow" framework
Information
POW JAPAN
◆Official website: https://protectourwinters.jp/
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