The US Clif® bar, an organic-certified energy bar, is introducing the first iPhone application to combine ski resort snow conditions with environmental steps the resorts are taking to combat global warming.
The unique, portable and playful Clif Bar Save Our Snow (SOS) iPhone App can be downloaded free from iPhone or iTouch App Store (search “Save Our Snow”) or from www.clifbar.com/sosiphone.
Scientists predict that global warming will lead to more drought and shorter ski seasons due to unseasonably warm weather. Colorado College has said in its annual State of the Rockies Report Card that as conditions worsen, snow sport participation in the Rocky Mountain West may become entirely unviable by the year 2050.
“Global warming threatens skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports more than any outdoor activity,” said Ricardo Balazs, sports marketing experience manager at Clif Bar, “As skiers and riders ourselves, we want to help others who share our passion get a glimpse of what individual resorts are doing to help Save Our Snow.”
The Clif Bar SOS iPhone App enables you to find snow conditions at any of the more than 500 ski resorts in North America. You can learn current powder, temperature and wind conditions, the percentage of lifts open, a three-day weather forecast and the resort’s phone number. For extra fun, you can blow into your iPhone microphone and cause your screen to “ice over.” You can use your fingers to brush away the ice or just watch it melt away. If it’s snowing at the resort you choose to view, “snowflakes” fall across your iPhone screen.
Icons on each resort’s screen page also allow you to see what ski resorts are doing to combat climate change in the areas of renewable energy, transportation, waste reduction, and education and outreach. In addition, you’ll learn if a resort has received a Clif Bar Golden Eagle Award, which annually honours North American ski resorts for their overall environmental achievements.
“We hope the new Clif Bar SOS app helps winter last longer for skiers and the planet,” said Balazs. “It’s the only app that gives you environmental info when you choose a place to go play in the snow. It’ll be available on iTunes indefinitely, so you can use it now to extend the current ski season, this summer to dream about snow and again next winter when you head back out to the slopes.”
Clif Bar has, for the past three years, helped raise the awareness of winter athletes and enthusiasts about global warming’s impact on the ski industry. From mounting veggie-fueled mobile tours with top skiers like Alison Gannett and riders like Jeremy Jones to providing carbon offsets for chairlift energy use, the Clif Bar SOS campaign has informed thousands of winter resort-goers about the need to quickly address global warming if they want to continue to enjoy outdoor winter activities.