A hotel on the ski slopes close by St Moritz has won an award for producing more energy than it uses.

The Romantik Hotel Muottas Muragl up on the ski slopes of the Engadin has recently been awarded the Swiss Solar Award 2011 and the PlusEnergieBau® (PEB) Solar Award 2011. The latter is the only prize in the world for buildings that generate more energy than they need themselves.

The 104 year-old hotel was fully renovated in 2010 with a particular focus on environmental-friendliness with the aim of creating the first ‘plus-energy’ hotel in the Alps and proving that this can be done in old buildings as well as new.

Besides constructing the building according to the principles and requirements of the Swiss "Minergie" ecological label, this project went several steps further.

Although the surface area of the building was extended from 1,700 sq. metres to 2,700 sq. metres, despite the 50% increase in size, it was possible to reduce the energy consumption by 64%, from 436,000 kWh/a to 157,400 kWh/a. This was achieved by insulating the building in line with the latest standards and by generating renewable energy from five different sources.

Hot water is obtained by means of solar energy produced by the 60 sq. metres of pipe solar collectors installed in the glass window panes in the basement. Sixteen thermal loops with an average length of 200 metres, making 3,200 metres in total, supply the entire building with geothermal energy.

In addition, all the necessary electricity is generated by the most efficient photovoltaic system in Switzerland, extending 228 metres along the railway line. Any excess of solar energy is stored in the ground via the thermal loops, thus regenerating the geothermal mass.

The recovery of the waste heat from the cooling units, exhaust air and the machine room are further measures to transform the new building into a sustainable and environmentally-friendly enterprise that, taken over the entire year, even produces more energy than it actually needs.

The hotel’s requirements before renovations of approximately 40,000 litres of heating oil and 36,600 kWh/a of electricity are now entirely covered by solar energy.

Veronica adds “This just shows what can be done – even in old buildings through retrofitting – and in a difficult location up 2456 metres up the mountain!”

Responsible Skiing is about engaging with the mountain destination, enjoying a range of winter activities in beautiful surroundings, and having a fun and memorable stay, but not at the cost of the environment or the local population.  

Yellowstone in California – of course traditionally a warm weather destination – is realising it has a compelling mix of activities to make for a great winter holiday.

There are now “Yellowstone in Winter” programmes on offer with activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice skating, dog sledding and ranger talks.

“Devoid of crowds, winter in Yellowstone is an amazing time,” said Dan Austin, founding director of the programme.  “The cold temps make even more dramatic the thermal activity (geysers, bubbling mud pots, hot spring pools and steam vents).   The wildlife is concentrated in the warmer, snow-free geyser basins for easier viewing.  Whilst snowshoeing in the Upper Geyser Basin Trail guests will experience the largest concentration and nearly one-quarter of all the geysers in the world.”

There is no downhill skiing on offer in Yellowstone – but this development shows how destinations can rethink all the assets they have and create a whole new tourism season.    Maybe you know a place that is stunning in winter – but inexplicably chooses not to promote itself because it doesn’t have km of piste?

The most sustainable resorts reduce the seasonality of their offering to give rise to other benefits including longer term employment and more viable livelihoods and increased economic benefits to the destination.  

Demand for these other low impact activities continues to rise – does your destination have a range of activities to offer?   Remember – a range of activities helps keep your guests happy if the weather or snow lets you down!

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!

So it was World Responsible Tourism Day on Wednesday this week – a highlight of the year designed to share ideas and educate the tourism industry to make a difference to protect the destinations we love to visit.

The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards are presented in the morning to celebrate and inspire change in the tourism industry. The Awards rest on a simple principle – that all types of tourism, from niche to mainstream, can and should be organised in a way that preserves, respects and benefits destinations and local people.  A view that we at Responsible Skiing share.

The awards celebrate the shining stars of responsible tourism – the individuals, organisations and destinations working innovatively with local cultures, communities and biodiversity.

There is a range of categories but the one I’m always interested in is, of course, “Best in a Mountain Environment”.  Naturally, I’m hoping there will be some mountain resorts shortlisted.    

This year, the category was won by Himalayan Holidays (Pvt) in Pakistan – doing frankly an incredible job keeping tourism alive in the 6th most dangerous country the world.   Not only do they directly provide income to over 80 families, they raise awareness of endangered wildlife, educate tourists and support local tribes and cultures.   Worthy winners making a difference in really challenging circumstances. 

There were two runners up – Mountain Lodges of Peru and Whistler Blackcomb.  Once again, Whistler Blackcomb has been recognised for its comprehensive efforts to manage the environmental impacts of their operation.  

Whistler Blackcomb’s environmental vision is to have a zero operating footprint (zero waste, zero carbon, zero net emissions).   One of their key achievements since they were last nominated is the creation of the Fitzsimmons Renewable Energy Project

This produces the equivalent of Whistler Blackcomb's annual energy demand whilst constructing it – they took other clever steps – like starting construction when there was still snow on the ground – so all the machinery was able to brought up over the snow on piste bashers – ensuriong the ground underneath was not damaged in the making.

Don’t forget – the Responsible Tourism Awards are nominated by you – the public!   Next year – if you have visited a ski resort that you think is setting a great example of Responsible Skiing - minimising the negative impacts and maximising the positive benefits of tourism – don’t forget to vote!

The first Responsible Skiing Conference was held on the 19th October at Earls Court in London alongside the London Ski and Snowboard Show.  Over 90 attendees from 10 countries around the world packed the room to hear some answers to the question “What would Responsible Skiing look like?”

Veronica Tonge from Responsible Skiing kicked off the day with an Introduction to and Business Case for Responsible Skiing.  This really set the scene for the day and the presentations that followed illustrated many of the points raised in her introduction.

ABTA followed with their approach to sustainable tourism demonstrating responsibility in a finite world and how to have thriving destinations.  They highlighted the industry-wide Travelife scheme.

The Ski Club of Great Britain was up next with some fascinating statistics and trends in the UK ski market and an introduction to their Respect the Mountain campaign.

Neilson Active gave an overview why sustainable tourism is a priority for them and the various ways that they go about implementing it throughout their programme.

Eurostar and Snowcarbon combined to discuss the benefits of travelling by train to the mountains but also some of the difficulties for tour operators wanting to integrate train travel into their packages.

Alpe D’Huez presented a case study of implementing ISO 14001 in their lift operations and the benefit that it has brought.

Crystal Ski (TUI) presented clearly why sustainability is core to their business and how they manage their carbon and work with their supply chains to implement change.

The Austrian National Tourist Office explained the Austrian approach to Responsible Skiing and why sustainability is at the heart of Austrian people and destinations.

The conference heard from Whistler how they are putting environmental management into practice on the mountains at Whistler Blackcomb.

The Green Tourism Business Scheme explained their programme and how it has been implemented in ski resorts in Scotland and Sweden.

Exodus – the adventure travel operator – demonstrated how the market for winter holidays can be widened to incorporate a much broader range of people and activities.

The day was concluded by Harold Goodwin of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism – who had ably chaired the conference all day.

Feedback was unanimously positive for the day “very thought provoking”, “really interesting content”, “excellent speakers” and calls for it to be run again next year.

If you missed the conference or want to listen to or view the presentations again – click here.

We’ll be highlighting some of the key points from the speakers over the next few weeks and opening up the debate – join in!

The list of speakers is finalised and places are filling up fast to attend the first Responsible Skiing Conference on 19th October!  Register now to guarantee your place.

People are coming from all over Europe and North America to find out why responsible Skiing makes good business sense and is great for skiers.  Join us

A new 100% solar powered residence has opened in the South Tyrol in the old village of Fistì at Pedraces.  The Residence Rosarela (www.rosarela.com) was built by Christine Dalleaste and Ulrich Foppa and has been awarded a “casa clima AAA” classification (basically the more A’s there are, the lower the energy consumption). 

Constructed mostly from local wood but using the latest techniques to minimize internal heat loss, it is of tradition design outside but power is produced by a 95m² installation of photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the adjacent hay-loft which produces sufficient energy to cover the needs of the entire building.

Veronica adds “We often hear less about environmental developments in Italy so it is great to learn about this development which is a great combination of traditional architecture with cutting edge technology”

The speaker programme for the Responsible Skiing Conference has now been finalised.   There is a high profile and varied set of speakers including ABTA, Neilson, Alpe D’Huez, Eurostar, Crystal Ski, The Ski Club of Great Britain, the Austrian National Tourist Board, Exodus, the Green Tourism Business Scheme, Whistler Blackcomb and Veronica from Responsible Skiing will also be presenting.

Each speaker will address a different aspect of the topic such as implementing ISO14001, managing supply chains, maximising local economic benefits, ski resort innovation, engaging skiers in sustainability, developing food and farming partnerships and lowering the impact of resort operations.

The conference is being chaired by Professor Harold Goodwin of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism.

The conference is being held on 19th October 2011 in the Thames Room at Earls Court in London.

To attend the conference – click here to register.