Ski resorts run by communities

Case Studies - Ski resorts run by communities

Here are some examples of resorts around the world that are doing a whole range of activities in accordance with the principles of Responsible Skiing. All of these resorts are real communities who manage their own skiing. We'll be adding to this page as we learn about more ...

Do you know of any other case studies?
Tell us about them in the
discussion forum

Lech, Austria

Lech has to abide by the stringent national environmental laws which are well ahead of the UK.   For example, stringent five-way household recycling is the norm and the majority of energy is obtained from sustainable sources.   A Biomass plant provides hot water for the whole village successfully cutting their CO2 emissions by over 50% and reducing their oil consumption and SO2 emissions.   Electricity comes from renewable hydroelectricity.

A local development plan detailing development and protection zones and an upper limit on bed spaces ensures that supply and demand are in balance with occupancy levels high.   Development is carefully controlled with consultation periods for new buildings regarding style and impact.   However, this does not mean that Lech has no contemporary buildings, they are just built using the traditional materials in a style that blends harmoniously.   All businesses are locally owned therefore it is the local residents who benefit from the tourism.

A free public bus service runs year round benefiting both locals and guests reducing both traffic congestion and pollution.   Resort transfers from local airports and rail stations are frequent but even those guests arriving by car tend to park underground for the week and use the bus during their stay.   The hamlet of Oberlech is actually car free in winter and all supplies and waste are taken in and out via a tunnel keeping the village peaceful and pollution free.

Regarding the ski factors; the pistes are being created in Lech using a method called ‘soil push’ where effectively the ‘turf’ is lifted – any machine grading is done underneath - and the ‘turf’ re-laid with the biodiversity undisturbed.   Inevitably there are areas where re-seeding is necessary; this is done using seeds that are an exact copy of the natural vegetation mix.   It has taken much time and money to create such a seed mix, however in the long run, it is cost effective since the revegetation is successful as the plants are suited to the altitude and aspect.

The lift company is ISO14001 certified and all the lifts are run off hydroelectricity.   Old lifts are have been replaced with new ones which are both more energy efficient and quieter and their greater capacity means that in some cases two or three old lifts were replaced by a single new one. Visual impact is reduced by lower profile buildings with the machinery housed underground and by utilising ‘detachable’ chairlifts where the chairs are stored away in a building when the lift is not working. The heat produced by the machinery is re-used to heat the offices.

In Lech the artificial snow is run off hydroelectricity and is made from pure water and air - confirmed by certified organic pastures underneath.   Careful studies have been made to ascertain the amount of water that can be taken out of the watercourses without impact and reservoirs have been created up the mountain to store rain water.   These underwent a lengthy environmental impact analysis before construction and are harmonious to such a degree that summer walks are routed to them.   Lech is managing to find a balance between the needs of the community, tourists and the environment.

Saas Fee, Switzerland

Saas Fee chose to be car free over 50 years ago and today anyone arriving by car must leave it at the outskirts of the village and transfer to electric vehicles – the community and tourists benefit from peace, a pleasant and safe environment and good air quality.

Saas Fee committed itself to the “Alliance in the Alps" project to realise the goals of the Alpine Convention for sustainable development in the Alps and improve the ecological, social and economic situation in the community.   All new developments and decisions are based on this triple bottom line thinking.

Saas Fee has very strict rules on waste management; requiring stringent sorting and charging for disposal to reduce waste.

The village has implemented some of the most restrictive building and zoning regulations in Switzerland in order to preserve the Valais style of the village. For example, all buildings must have a gabled roof and at least one third of the façade of a building must be built of wood, and to prevent speculative building, the sale of apartments has been strictly limited.