- Ski tourers (very green) in Saas Fee (even greener!)
Top ten eco ski resorts
Wondering how skiing can fit in to a more sustainable lifestyle? Luckily many resorts are wondering the same thing, and so they should be - who has more to lose from global warming than a ski resort?! Read on to see which resorts and holidays make it into the MadDogSki top ten eco spots. Written by Christine Ottery
If you want to minimise your skiing carbon footprint, choose a resort that does well in the Ski Club of Great Britain’s Green Resorts guide, pick your tour operators or accommodation carefully, consider off-setting, and re-think the way you travel. Train travel can slash your CO2 emissions, as our friends at Snow Carbon will tell you.
The top five picks have garnered top marks in the Green Resorts guide, and attained ISO 14001 certification. The rest are innovative eco-holidays.
1. Saas Fee
One of the top scorers of the Green Resorts guide - and no wonder. Saas-Fee is famously a car-free resort. Its slopes are high and glaciated, which reduces the need for snow cannons. It’s all in the detail: even the Saas Fee post office is carbon neutral because it off-sets by investing in renewables projects. London to Saas-Fee by train takes 7 hours and costs £200 return - see Rail Europe.
See MadDogSki's Saas Fee guide, or Saas Fee's own website
2. Avoriaz
Avoriaz was built in the 1970s to environmental principles, is a vehicle-free resort and it has a water filtration system that doesn’t use chlorine. One of the big draws to Avoriaz is its parks, including the Stash park, which seeks to educate freeriders about responsible mountain use. See Rail Europe for fares starting from £121.
See MadDogSki's Avoriaz guide or www.avoriaz.com
3. Kaprun
A high-altitude Tyrolean village, Kaprun partners Zell am See. The resort uses renewable energy such as solar to power its lifts, and sows grass and plants trees off-season. Stay at the stylish JUFA hostel, whose environmental policies include buying locally. Rooms start from 33 Euros a night. You can get a train to Zell an See and a bus from there from £215, check Rail Europe.
See www.kaprun.at
4. Aspen
If you must fly, or already live in the US, check out either Aspen or Jackson Hole. Always reaching for the stars, Aspen’s environmental commitment shows in their generation of solar and hydro power. Aspen also has a strong green buildings policy, including the build of certified energy efficient golf buildings, restaurants, and employee housing. Aspen’s fund-raising efforts have contributed $1.8 million, all pumped back into local environmental causes, like clean water and air.
5. Jackson Hole
The second US resort to attain the ISO 14001 approval, Jackson Hole has ambitious environmental targets. The resort plans to reduce electricity and fuel use, water consumption, waste production and CO2 emissions by 10 per cent by 2015 - and to increase recycling in that time too. Stay at the super-plush eco-pad Hotel Terra. The hotel generates its own electricity, gives a whole new meaning to eco-build and doubles start from £200 a night.
6. Whitepod hotel
Whitepod is the height of eco-extravagence near the remote Swiss village of Les Cerniers. The ‘pods’ are white-tented geodesic domes with sumptuous furnishings, and are only a stone’s throw away from the restaurant and spa at base camp. There are two private drag lifts servicing 10km of slopes, but you can also try dogsledding, snowshoeing, and paragliding. Prices from about £200 a night. You can reach Whitepod by getting the train to nearby Aigle, see Rail Europe.
See www.whitepod.com
7. Ski Touring in the Tarentaise
Bourg-St-Maurice is normally where you pass through on your way to a swanky resort in the Tarantaise area. Well, not any more. On a Ski Freshtracks ski tour exploring the Tarantaise valleys, you will be based at Bourg, where a train station is also conveniently located. Ski touring has less impact on the environment than conventional skiing because it does not rely on man-made pistes or ski lifts. The tour costs £945 for seven nights.
8. La Source chalets
La Source runs chalet holidays near Samoens in the Grand Massif area, with 164 miles of pistes - and it’s only £590 for a week’s dorm accommodation and organic, local nosh. These mountain hipsters also put on yoga and dance classes, evening talks and backcountry tours. There is a no-fly discount for car-poolers, hitchers, or train travellers. The nearest train station to Sameons is Le Cluses. See www.sncf.com for train travel.
See www.samoens.com
9. Snow shoeing
Tread lightly by snowshoeing. Try this in the Italian Dolomites, where the scenery is dramatic and the food is delectable. Responsible Travel do an eight-day package to a village near Cortina D’Ampezzo, from £849 without flights. To get there, a combination of rail and bus seems like the way to go.
10. Hotel Lagacio
Hotel Lagacio in San Cassiano, has award-winning eco credentials. San Cassiano is a culinary gem with two Michelin-starred restaurants on the doorstep of the enormous Dolomiti Superski area. The hotel has a minimalist decor, using natural products, food is locally-sourced, water comes from a nearby spring, and solar energy is used. Apartments cost from £170 per night. You can get the train towards Brunico from Innsbruck.
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