Next week-end, on the 29th & 30th of May, people all over Europe will be getting together for the Annual spring cleaning of the mountains. So that everybody can become aware of the impact rubbish has in the mountains, and people’s behaviour concerning their rubbish can be changed.

Although ski areas may seem clean when covered in snow, last year 30 tonnes of rubbish were picked up from the slopes of 55 ski resorts by that 3500 volunteers.

For the past 9 years the French environmental group for ski resorts, Mountain Riders, have been organising and coordinating the spring cleaning to raise awareness on the state of our outdoor playgrounds at the end of the ski season.

This year, Mountain Riders and their European partners: The ski club of Great-Britain, Respect the Mountains in the Netherlands and Summit Foundation in Switzerland are once again calling on everybody to join in with the European spring-cleaning.

In the UK the spring clean takes place at Cairngorm and Nevis Range in Scotland and will be three weeks later than in the Alps because of snow remaining on the slopes with Cairngorm still open for skiing and boarding.

From ski resorts to Mountain bike tracks, crags and other areas where you can go climbing, this year everybody has got involved in the mountain clean up. So why don’t you meet up with the locals at your local ski-resort or your favourite outdoor playground and help out. With over 140 events taking place in France, Scotland, Switzerland and Belgium, there’s no excuse not to be out there.

For a list of events and participating resorts, go to:

www.mountain-riders.org