Colorado ski enthusiasts lost over 780 pounds of personal items under the snow at Breckenridge Ski Resort, including relics of the past like an iPod Nano, while a COVID-19 vaccination card in a bottle became the most unusual find during the massive post-season cleanup.
Key Takeaways
- Breckenridge Ski Resort’s annual cleanup recovered 780 pounds of trash and lost items buried under seasonal snow, revealing a fascinating time capsule of modern life.
- More than 150 resort employees participated in the cleanup effort, turning environmental stewardship into a team-building experience.
- Among the recovered items were ski poles, broken phones, AirPods, glasses, a spatula, and a uniquely preserved COVID-19 vaccination card found inside a bottle.
- The cleanup’s findings, shared on Facebook, sparked widespread engagement as users shared their own stories of items lost on ski slopes.
- Similar cleanup initiatives at other resorts like Stevens Pass have been growing in popularity, with participation reaching record numbers.
Buried Treasures Emerge as Snow Melts
As winter’s blanket retreated from Colorado’s Breckenridge Ski Resort, a fascinating archaeological dig of modern times unfolded. More than 150 employees participated in the Mountain Cleanup Day, scouring the terrain for items lost during countless powder days and ski adventures. Their efforts yielded an impressive 780 pounds of belongings that had disappeared beneath the snow, creating an unintentional time capsule of ski culture and technology from recent years. The collection included essential ski equipment like poles and boots, but also revealed how our digital lives follow us even to mountain peaks.
The cleanup crew discovered a technological graveyard of sorts – broken phones, glasses, and AirPods that had slipped from pockets or backpacks during winter adventures. More curious finds included a driver’s license, a Canadian two-dollar coin, and even a spatula, prompting questions about impromptu mountainside cookouts. The most unique discovery was a message in a bottle that turned out to contain a COVID-19 vaccination card, a peculiar memento of our recent pandemic history preserved in an unconventional way beneath the mountain’s snow.
Environmental Stewardship Meets Team Building
What began as an environmental necessity transformed into a meaningful bonding experience for the Breckenridge resort staff. The cleanup event aligned with the growing conservation focus among ski resorts nationwide, including Vail Resorts’ ambitious Commitment to Zero program that aims to eliminate emissions by 2030. By combining environmental responsibility with workplace camaraderie, the resort created a dual-purpose event that benefited both the mountain ecosystem and employee relationships.
“In addition to being the right thing to do for our mountain, it’s also a fun paid event to connect with our teammates and see what wacky items may have been lost in the season’s powder days,” said Maxwell Winter, Senior Communications Manager at the lodge, told the Post.
The initiative reflects a broader trend among ski resorts to take environmental stewardship seriously while creating a positive workplace culture. At Stevens Pass in Washington, a similar cleanup program that began in 2011 has seen participation grow from the usual 90 volunteers to nearly 150 this year. These efforts highlight how recreational businesses are increasingly taking responsibility for maintaining the natural landscapes that sustain their operations.
Lost and Found Stories Captivate Social Media
When Breckenridge Ski Resort shared their cleanup findings in a Facebook post, it quickly went viral, striking a chord with skiers and non-skiers alike. The post sparked a flurry of comments as users shared their own stories of items lost on ski slopes or speculated about the stories behind the discovered objects. Many expressed amusement at the eclectic collection, while others admitted to being among those who had lost possessions during ski trips over the years.
“They said their ‘most unique find’ was a note in a bottle, which the Breckenridge crew joked said everything from ‘Drink your Ovaltine’ to ‘Stuck in a bottle, send help,'” according to Winter.
The public fascination with these lost and found items speaks to our collective experience with misplacing belongings and the unexpected nostalgia that comes from rediscovering them. From the outdated iPod Nano to the COVID vaccination card in a bottle, each item tells a story about its owner and the moment in time when it was lost. These artifacts of modern life, preserved by snow and revealed during the thaw, create a unique archaeological record of our recreational pursuits and the personal items we value enough to bring to the mountaintop.
