Ski resorts go green

Winter sports do not have a reputation for being particularly environmentally friendly.

Between the ski lifts, the artificial snow, the passages of thousands of skiers and the high consumption of heating, the mountain can be put to the test.

However, some stations are determined to reverse the trend by adopting eco-responsible practices.

Enough to seduce a public increasingly aware of the preservation of the environment.

Act on all fronts

It is a global change which has been undertaken for several years at altitude. And that begins with the transport of tourists. To encourage soft mobility, the resorts rely on a dense network of public transport, as in Chamonix (Haute-Savoie) or La Pierre Saint-Martin (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), and even on free shuttles in Valberg (Alpes- Maritimes) and Les Gets (Haute-Savoie). Les Arcs (Savoie) is also easily accessible by train, thanks to a funicular that connects the station to the Bourg-Saint-Maurice TGV station.

On site, holidaymakers can prefer residences with high environmental quality (HQE), such as those in Avoriaz or Carroz (Haute-Savoie), eco-lodges such as those built in La Colmiane (Alpes-Maritimes), or even refuges equipped with photovoltaic panels, notably offered in Chamonix.

Leisure activities have also become fashionable.

The ice rink in La Bresse (Vosges) is HQE certified, the Palais de Megève (Haute-Savoie), which brings together various sports activities, is supplied by local hydro-electricity, while the Carroz chairlift is supplied by energy renewable.

Similarly, in Serre-Chevalier (Hautes-Alpes) and L'Alpe d'Huez (Isère), the snow groomers are hybrid to reduce CO2 emissions, while Chamrousse (Isère) organizes ski equipment recycling operations.

Labels to navigate

With some 350 ski resorts in France, it is not always easy to choose your destination.

If you wish to favor an eco-responsible stay, labels can then guide you.

Since 1993, the international Green Globe label has rewarded the efforts of tourism players, for example, based on 300 criteria relating to social, economic and environmental issues.

In France, the resorts of Grand Massif (Haute-Savoie), Tignes-Val d'Isère (Savoie) or even Serre-Chevalier have obtained it.

For its part, the environmental association Mountain Riders has been publishing an

since 2006

order to identify good initiatives at altitude.

This approach also gave rise to the creation of a label, the Flocon Vert, in 2011. Some twenty criteria make it possible to obtain this sesame which promotes destinations with a cutting-edge sustainable development policy.

Seven stations have won it: Megève, Valberg, Chamrousse, La Pierre Saint-Martin, les Rousses (Jura), Chamonix-Mont Blanc and Châtel (Haute-Savoie).

Finally, the National Association of Mountain Resort Mayors launched the Sustainable Peaks Trophies in 2016 to reward projects in favor of the environment.

In 2020, the three winners were Font-Romeu (Pyrenees), Saint-François-Longchamp (Savoie) and Valberg.

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Where to look?

You can find “green” ski resorts on Flocon-vert.org and Greenglobe.com/europe, as well as environmental initiatives in the mountains on Mountain-riders.org.

• Tourism

• Ski

• Mountain

• ecology

• Winter

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