Did you know that the Three Valleys in France, including the big names such as Méribel and Courchevel, uses renewable hydropower to run nearly 2000 snow guns and almost 200 lifts? And that biodegradable bio fuel is used in
all the piste vehicles?

You probably won’t know this – as this information is hard to come by –but I wonder why?

 Hunting through the websites you’ll find no information at all –  which is odd.   Do the ski  resorts believe skiers are not interested?   Do they think they should keep it  to themselves and just get on with doing the ‘right thing’ without publicising it  – so it is not seen as a gimmick?

In fact, Méribel, for example, has a whole raft of measures in  place to minimise the impacts of skiing and a number of ongoing  projects.

I question though, why the resorts don’t want to communicate with  their customers?   Outside of the ski world there are many companies who prioritise this – think of Marks & Spencer.

Quite possibly they think that their skiers are not interested in green, dull, worthy words – and I would agree! There are very few people who are!  

However, people are interested in the fabulous mountain scenery they seek out every year.   People are interested in places being kept clean and pristine for their holidays.   People are interested in unique food and culture.  

Most importantly, people are interested in (and give their loyalty and hard-earned cash to) companies who take responsibility and see the shared value in protecting what is precious.  Resorts need to take a stand and trust their customers.   Principles matter and people are increasingly attracted to companies that have a vision and take care of the people, environment and resources that are critical to its success. 

Resorts need to tell the story – and keep it engaging.   They need to tell skiers what they are doing and why it matters to them.  
 
No-one wants to hear the dull stuff – but they do want to have a great
holiday – now and in the future.
 
 
In Les Gets, the chair lift company, the tourist office, and the Les Gets golf course are all certified ISO 14001 (environmental certification).  Every three years, there is a new audit.  There are also ‘test audits’ once a year, that make sure that we are doing the right things in this environmental management program and that we are achieving our goals. 

“ISO 14001 certification is part of the village’s global goal in getting the whole village to be a part of this environmental movement.” said a statement from the tourist office, “An example of this, is the charter that the reservations centre put in place for all accommodation in Les Gets.”

Last winter, the reservations centre put in place a questionnaire about the tourists’ wishes in regards to eco-tourism.  The information collected helped in making this charter more interesting and attractive to future tourists in Les Gets.

Veronica adds “ISO14001 is increasingly the environmental certification scheme of choice in ski resorts.  It’s great to see more resorts using it however, as with any scheme, the ongoing management is key and continuing to strive towards new goals and not rest on ones laurels having achieved it”
 
 
A brand new residence de tourisme from MGM of 250 ski-in, ski-out apartments and an adjacent 28 bedroom hotel, is described as a state of the art example of sustainable development.

It forms part of the €150 million transformation of the old village of Tignes les Boisses into a modern ski centre re-named Tignes 1800. When it opens for business at the end of 2014, Tignes 1800 will, in effect, be a new gateway to all the established areas of the wider Tignes ski resort.

The new eco-village was planned in response to the need for new accommodation for 1,500 skiers in one of the most popular skiing areas in Europe while responding to the challenge of building a sustainable development.

Each apartment will have exceptionally high levels of insulation with low cost under floor heating being supplied by an innovative new plant, the first of its type in the French Alps, run on wood waste pellets fuelling a 4,000 kilowatt boiler supplying heat to all the buildings in Tignes 1800.  The development will be finished externally in traditional stone and timber.

The family orientated pedestrianised village of Tignes 1800 will include a tourist information centre, ten shops and a ski school. There will be a choice of bars and restaurants with frontages both on the village square and the piste. A conference centre will be located within the new hotel and full fitness and health and beauty facilities are being developed.

Veronica notes “Purpose built developments have come a long way in France since the low cost, inefficient, unattractive projects of the 1960’s.   That MGM, one of the largest developers in the French Alps, is now addressing the concerns of Responsible Skiing and is even creating Biomass heating for its developments shows how far the message has spread.   Whilst the direct economic benefit of purpose built ski centres to local community will always raise questions, together with their ability to offer a range of activities (both sporting and cultural), it is pleasing to see that at least their visual impact and resource impact will be much less.”
 
 
The Portes du Soleil has published some rare statistics that give skiers and the wider world a clue to what generates the most global warming causing carbon emissions on their ski holiday.

Working with the French Environment and energy Management agency, the country’s National Associsation of Mayors in Mountain Resorts and the environmental pressure group Mountain Riders, the region of a dozen resorts in France and Switzerland found that the largest part of a ski holidays emissions was typically caused by transport to and from the resort (57%) followed by accommodation in resort (27%) with the day on the slopes accounting for 2%.

Of that 2% just over half (53%) was generated by piste grooming, 25% by snow making and 17% by ski lift operation.

The ski region also produced figures on the average percentages of the holiday producing CO2 by a typical ski holiday maker.  As the research was centred on their domestic market they did not include arriving by air, but found that arrival by car meant nearly five times as much carbon emission as arriving by rail.  Accommodation was the next highest percentage and use of public facilities like shops and restaurants the third most.  An individual’s share of the operational CO2 emissions of ski lift, snow making and trail grooming equipment was minimal.

The Porte du Soleil is working to reduce its CO2 emissions and several of the individual lift companies are working towards obtaining the international ISO 14001 environmental management standard, already attained by Avoriaz and Les Gets.   Initiatives include using bio-diesel in the grooming tractors and ensuring their engines are not left running idle.
 
Veronica Tonge notes "As noted throughout ResponsibleSkiing.com, the biggest thing skiers can do regarding their carbon emissions is to modify their mode of transport to the ski resort and this is supported by this research.  However, what is important to note is that the environmental impacts of skiing are not all about CO2 - it's about water, visual impact, noise, forests and wildlife.   It's always important to be looking at the wider impacts - though often they are harder to measure and record.   We must be sure we are jusnot valuing the measurable
 
 
A new green hotel has opened above the La Plagne village of Montalbert complete with a private ski lift to the main Paradiski area.

The hotel has also achieved Low Emissions Building status thanks to a wood fired boiler fed from a designated local forest, electricity provided by photovoltaic technology solar panels and enhanced insulation [wood] covering walls, floors and ceilings.

Veronica adds “Many of the purpose built ski resorts in France were built back in the 60’s and 70’s – what was important to France back then was opening up the sport of skiing to everyone – through the creation of cheap high-rise accommodation.   That social programme has left France with a number of resorts blighted by unattractive developments that seep energy.   However, step by step, France is looking to remove, replace or renovate these buildings with ones that have more sympathetic architecture, more natural materials and energy efficiency at their heart.   This new hotel in La Plagne shows how France is moving forward.”

 
 
Correncon en Vercors was highly commended in the ‘Best in a Mountain Environment’ category in the Responsible Tourism awards hosted at World Travel Market (WTM), ExCel, London.   The Awards were handed out by Justin Francis, Managing Director of responsibletravel.com, organisers and founders of the Awards, and Amanda Wills, Managing Director of Virgin Holidays, headline sponsor of the Awards. The awards are part of World Responsible Tourism Day.

Justin Francis, also on the Judging panel for the Awards, said:

"This year I have been heartened by the depth of commitment and connection our winners have shown to the local communities in their destinations. Their successes and pioneering spirits are remarkable and the very real and authentic experiences they have created, set responsible tourism apart. They also remind us that holidays can be both luxurious for visitor and enhancing for local people”

Correncen – who is featured a number of times in ResponsibleSkiing.com – was commended for protecting its alpine setting and its community.   The judges said “The village of Correncen has protected its alpine setting and community by coming together to make change and minimising the impacts of traditionally high-impact winter activities.   The 375 villagers have worked together to reduce car use in the village and introduced electric cars to protect the character of the place.   They have diversified winter sports options by facilitating low impact alternatives including winter wildlife discovery walks and showshoe nature walks, and emphasised local ownership over outside investment”

Veronica Tonge adds “Correncen gives you a very French atmosphere and a very natural experience.   It blends the history of the region, the food and culture with a variety of winter sports” – look in the case studies on ResponsibleSkiing.com to find out more about the variety of activities and food and farming partnerships.   Correncen well deserves recognition for taking a different path to many French ski resorts”.

 
 
Peak Retreats are the recipients of the prestigious Best Ski Company in the 2010 Guardian Travel Awards for the second year running.   Registering a satisfaction rating of 98.7% in the poll of 20,000 readers, Peak Retreats were singled out for looking beyond the big resorts to seek out smaller, more authentic French villages.

Veronica Tonge adds “It is great to see Peak Retreats winning this award.   They show that you can find a real French experience when skiing and avoid the soulless, purpose built ski ‘factories’ and, if you do, you will have a better ski trip – as evidence by their high satisfaction ratings.   Finding and experiencing real villages with year round populations is what Responsible Skiing is all about.” 
 
 
The S.A.T.A (ski lift company) which runs the lifts and maintains the pistes at Alpe d’Huez has earned three separate levels of certification for its service management.

The company is now certified in terms of quality (ISO 9001), as well as in environmental management (ISO 14001) and security (OHSAS 18001).

“This triple certification will enable a fully integrated management system to better satisfy its clientele whilst continually bringing about improvements. It will also reinforce and up-date safety/security for clientele and personnel and recognize sources of pollution with the aim of effectively dealing with it.” said a resort spokesperson.

Alpe d’Huez is now planning a complete review of its operations to highlight issues in different projects. Different types of works are taken into consideration in order to forecast security measures and environmental issues. For example waste treatment must be managed, in particular for chemical products, so procedures need to be set up to deal with any potential pollution issues (engine failure with oil leaks, chemical products).

Impact studies concerning each potential new project will be done systematically for each project and there will be reductions in the number of new ski lift pylons, better integrating them in to the surrounding landscape.

Staff will be trained to have improved eco-awareness/sensitivity and grooming machine drivers will be trained to, “drive ecologically.”

The resort will also create a team made up of staff on site to deal with internal environmental matters.

The resort is also initiating a ten year plan to look at reducing its carbon footprint via a resort energy plan which is due to set its targets by august this year. Their commitments include a Programme d’Amenagement de Developpement Durable (PADD) which will include analysis of likely fuel price rises over the next 10 years and factoring in increased green energy costs and efficiency savings.

Veronica Tonge comments "Accreditation sometimes has its critics who say that it is just a set of tickboxes.   I disagree and here is a great example of a resort using the accreditation schemes to set up a number of management systems to help guide them to improve their performance year on year.   They provide a great starting point and structure to move forward with".
 
 
In a further move to underline its commitment to the environment, La Plagne has announced it will no longer produce any printed brochures or promotional material for next season.

The ski area, one of the world’s largest recording over 2.6 million skier days each winter, had already stopped producing paper material for its corporate communications with other businesses but is now extending the policy for next winter.

All brochures will be produced in digital format for download from its websites, which in any case carry detailed information on the resort.

Veronica Tonge comments “This is just another way resorts can look to minimize impact – printed materials are still produced in vast quantities and are often wasted.   When people print at home - they often think much more carefully about whether they actually need a whole brochure.   Here is an example of a large resort willing to try and see whether they can do without printed brochures altogether.    Of course they will need to take care to ensure that their website is up to date and contains all the same detailed information as their brochures.   It will be interesting to see how they manage at the various trade shows and in their dealings with less web-savvy customers and whether they can hold to their commitment.   Good luck to La Plagne…”