I’ve learned that Adelboden’s lift company is working with an energy management company on various technical innovations to make the ski experience ‘greener’ on its slopes.

Top of their list is public education, and along the sides of the piste from Sillerenbühl to Oey, guests will find seven information panels on all things environmental.  If skiers and boarders study as they have fun they can then enter a daily competition, based on testing their newly acquired knowledge, with prizes awarded daily.

The lift company is also buying in green power – in this case hydropower - to runs its Aebi chairlift and every guest can make a contribution towards clean power too as at the Silleren base station, by using their key card to make a donation of SFR 5.- towards energy from renewable sources.

Adelboden’s lift company has also invested in a new piste maintenance vehicle. This is equipped with the latest engine emission technology (EUROMOT III - Regulation B) to ensure that even fewer particles and environmentally harmful substances are produced as it smooths the slopes.

It’s good see these innovations – the one that particularly appeals to me is the education – if it’s done well, it can be both fun and informative – and give people information to take home with them.  

I hope Adelboden will convert all of its lifts over to renewable energy – not just the one, and whilst it’s a clever ploy by the lift company – personally, I’m not sure why guests would want to contribute to paying the energy bill of the lift company!

Again the new piste maintenance vehicle with increased environmental credentials shows how important technology solutions are to reducing the impact of ski operations.

Frank Gardner – the BBC’s award-winning Security Correspondent has been elected as Ski Club of Great Britain President.  

Despite referring to himself as “a late developer in skiing”, Gardner trained for biathlon with the British Army, and spent some of his gap year Nordic skiing across the Arctic Circle. When he finally graduated to downhill skiing at the age of 23, he explored some fairly obscure ski destinations, visiting Iran, Lebanon and Transylvania.

Gardner has reported for the BBC from all over the Middle East on a wide range of international and domestic security issues. He was shot six times by terrorists while on assignment in Saudi Arabia in 2004, but returned to work in a wheelchair and was awarded the OBE by the Queen the following year.

After his gunshot injuries Gardner retrained to ski in a sit-ski and has since competed in the BBC Ski Sunday Slalom at Courmayeur, coming – according to him - spectacularly last!  He spoke of his determination at the Ski Club AGM: “After I was shot I knew there were two things I just couldn’t give up – I had to keep skiing and scuba diving.”

Frank Gardner responded to his nomination and election: “It is a great honour to join your community and club, a real privilege. I’m looking forward to being involved directly with the sport I love.”

It’s important to remember that Responsible Skiing is not just about the environment or local communities – it’s also about ensuring that skiing is accessible to all.   There are many people confined to wheelchairs who find skiing is one of the few things that can give them a real sense of freedom.   I hope that Frank Gardner’s presidency will give extra focus to this neglected area of ski tourism and give hope and inspiration to many.

I admit it – I’m a bit of a map freak.  Maybe that’s yet another reason why I love skiing – there are still maps involved!  At the end of the day – I love plotting where I’ve been on the piste map and planning the following days adventures.   At least piste maps have not been replaced by that wretched ‘Jane’ on the SatNav with whom I have ongoing battles!!

So I’m delighted to discover that there is a new ‘SkiRail Map of the Alps’.   Yes, a proper, paper, unfold it on a big table, map of the Alps opening up a world of relaxing and environmentally-friendly travel options for journeys to the Al to Europe’s number-one winter sports region.

The map shows, for the first time, the position of over 400 ski resorts across the six main Alpine countries in relation to the rail network, with detailed information on over 120 resorts which are directly accessible by train.

Bringing together a wealth of information, the map enables the adventurous, independent traveller discover little known corners of the Alps whilst minimising their impact on the environment.   With the inclusion of journey times to the Alps from cities in over 10 European countries, and comparisons of carbon emissions (rail typically generates just 10%-15% of the equivalent trip by plane) the map provides a powerful incentive to travel to the mountains by train.  And that’s not even taking into account the pleasurable rail experience, the views, ability to walk around, short check-ins, no luggage limits etc etc....

For each of the 120 rail-served resorts, information is provided on the extent and difficulty of the downhill skiing, the amount of cross-country skiing, the altitude range and vertical drop, and the time it takes to reach the resort by train from the nearest major city. The map features the classic Alpine resorts in Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland as well as many lesser known destinations in Germany and Slovenia.

A joint venture between Roger Lascelles Maps and cartographers Cosmographics, the map comes with a beautifully illustrated colour booklet with contributions from Rail Europe, Ski Club of Great Britain, and the tourist boards of the six major Alpine countries. Detailed information is provided on how to reach resorts by train including connections with airports, where to change trains, and how to reach the ski lifts from the resort train station.

SkiRail Map of the Alps researcher, and sustainable transport specialist, Neil Guthrie, comments: “there’s never been a better time to travel by train to, and through, the Alps. Vast swathes of continental Europe and the UK are now within just a few hours of the Alps thanks to an ever evolving, high-speed rail network. Increasing numbers of Europeans are voting with their (ski-boot clad) feet by choosing to take the train, making the journey one of the highlights of their holiday.”

He adds: “The geography of the Alps is something of a mystery to the non-native skier. The SkiRail Map shows how the pieces of the Alpine jigsaw puzzle fit together, and opens up countless opportunities for independent, winter-sports adventures using the fantastic rail services which criss-cross the mountains. The map can be used to reach the world-class, big-name resorts by train such as Chamonix, Zermatt and St Anton, but it also offers an enticing route to the smaller, little-known destinations where accommodation, lift passes and equipment hire are a fraction of the usual price, and lift queues rarely encountered.”

So often on a ski holiday, from the initial selection from a brochure, to the transfer and arrival in resort, it can be easy to not know where you really are in relation to places you’ve skied before or cities you’ve visited.   This map enables you to understand where resorts are – and plan exciting journeys to reach them.   I love it!