Sister Cities Challenges:
Winter Sports and Climate Change - What’s the Plan?
In the spirit of fostering global connections and advancing the sister city model, Aspen and Queenstown are coming together to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing both communities. Please join us for the inaugural session of the Sister Cities Challenges series, a platform for open dialogue on shared challenges facing our communities with partners: Queenstown Lakes District Council, City of Aspen, Queenstown Chamber of Commerce, Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA), and Destination Queenstown.
As premier winter sports destinations, Aspen and Queenstown share a pressing concern: the impact of climate change. What does the future of winter sports look like in a warming world? How can we innovate and adapt to support sustainable tourism and community resilience?
Join this online panel discussion, featuring local and international leaders in the business of winter sports, mountain climate scientists, and sustainable tourism. Together, we’ll explore the challenges and opportunities climate change presents to winter sports and our mountain communities, with an opportunity for Q&A following the panel discussion.
Event Details:
Topic: Winter Sports & Climate Change: What’s the plan?
Format: Online Panel Discussion
Date: December 9th 1:30pm – 3:00pm (MST) - Aspen, CO.
December 10th 9:30am – 11:00am (NZST) - Queenstown
Moderator: Christine Maiden Sharp, CEO of Aspen Institute New Zealand
Panelists: Paul Anderson, CEO at NZSki Ltd and ED of its parent company, Trojan Holdings Ltd
Hannah Berman, Sustainability and Philanthropy Senior Manager for Aspen One
Dr Todd Redpath, Scientist, Interpine Innovation
With Special Guest:
Dr Jim Salinger, International Climate Scientist, 2024 New Zealander of the Year
This series of online forums aims to strengthen the Aspen-Queenstown relationship by fostering mutual learning, community engagement, and business innovation. We look forward to your participation. Have your questions ready!
Register below to receive event details and updates.
Bios:
Christine Maiden Sharp, former Executive Director of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Singapore and consultant with McKinsey & Company, Christine is the Founder and Chief Executive of the Institute in New Zealand. After living and working in Asia, Australia, and the USA for much of her professional life, Christine was inspired to launch the initiative when she returned to Queenstown, New Zealand.
Paul Anderson is Chief Executive Officer of Queenstown-based NZSki Limited and Executive Director of its parent company Trojan Holdings Limited. NZSki owns and operates Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt ski areas, catering for more than 700,000 guests each year and employing in excess of 1,400 staff at the height of the season. As well as executive roles, his governance experience includes private sector and council-controlled trading organisations including the Establishment Board of the Local Government Funding Agency. Paul has previously held senior roles in the private, public and local government sectors most recently as General Manager Corporate Services for Christchurch City Council. He started his career as a policy analyst at the New Zealand Treasury. Paul holds a Master of Commerce (First Class Honours) from the University of Canterbury, is Chartered Accountant (CA) and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors.
Hannah Berman is the Sustainability and Philanthropy Senior Manager for Aspen One (parent company of Aspen Skiing Company, Aspen Hospitality and Aspen Ventures). She supports sustainability initiatives that harness the influence of the outdoor industry to tackle climate change. She also directs the Environment Foundation, an employee-led nonprofit, which has granted $4.5 million to environmental nonprofits since inception. In 2024, she was elected to Basalt Town Council, where she advocates for state and local polices that advance clean energy and electrification.
Dr. Todd Redpath is a Scientist, Senior Resource Forester at Interpine Innovation and recently a lecturer at the University of Otago Schools of Geography and Surveying. His primary research interests are in the application of remote sensing and geospatial techniques to improving our understanding of processes in the cryosphere, particularly snow hydrology and the response of seasonal snow to climate change. He is a founding member of the Mountain Research Centre at the University of Otago, and a board member for Protect Our Winters Aotearoa. Hailing from Invercargill, Todd was fortunate to grow up snowboarding on the mountains of the Southern Lakes.
