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snow of tomorrow

Snow of Tomorrow | Environmentally friendly ski resorts?

Ski resorts are seen as environmental sinners, but some are making efforts towards sustainability

by Lisa Amenda 03/09/2020
Skiing involves clothing, equipment, travel, but above all the ski resort. For all those who want to be as environmentally friendly as possible, but don't want to make the ascent under their own steam, we have gone in search of environmentally friendly ski resorts.

If you ask around what is not environmentally friendly about skiing, you often hear the phrase: "Ski resorts consume far too much energy". But is that true? Are ski resorts the real climate sinners? They are accused of:

  • Using up space

  • Compacting the soil

  • Increased water and energy requirements due to technical snowmaking

It is probably nothing new that the expansion of pistes, parking lots and hotels uses up space, and that the soil can be compacted by clearing forests and using snow groomers, thus increasing the risk of soil erosion. And one point that is probably still viewed most critically is technical snowmaking. One million liters of water are needed just for basic snowmaking on one hectare of slopes with a snow depth of around 30 cm. That's as much as fits in an average 25-meter swimming pool. And on the subject of energy: according to the German Cable Car Association (VDS), a skier consumes an average of 16 kilowatt hours of energy per day of skiing. In comparison: one kilowatt hour is enough to wash a washing machine at 60°C or make nine liters of tea. Seven hours of television is also possible.

Certified ski resorts

We have already reported here that there is another way and how, for example, giant ski resort Whistler Blackcomb is committed to the environment. But for today we want to stay in Europe. Because there are also ski resorts here that want to do things differently. Who don't want to be lumped together with environmental despisers. But how do you recognize them? As with equipment and clothing, the easiest way for us as winter sports enthusiasts is to pay attention to certifications and seals. One of the highest certifications here is EMAS. The EU environmental certification stands for Eco-Management and Audit Scheme and only companies that have been validated by state-certified environmental auditors are allowed to carry it. The certification has been around since 1993 and companies can only use it to certify sites. No products. In brief, EMAS-certified companies have, among other things,

  • carried out an environmental audit,

  • defined a mission statement in relation to their environmental management that defines a strategic direction towards environmental protection,

  • developed an environmental program with specific objectives,

  • prepared an environmental statement and

  • had the process validated by a state-certified environmental auditor.

So far, only the Schmittenhöhe ski resort has been certified in Austria. The Schnalstal Glacier also has certification.

In addition to EMAS certification, winter sports enthusiasts can also look out for ISO 14001 certification, according to a study by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna (BOKU Vienna for short). According to the BOKU, the Skilifte Lech, the Skigebiet Planai-Hochwurzen and the Gletscherbahnen Kaprun have been awarded this certificate. The ISO 14001 standard focuses on:

  • defining environmental objectives and corresponding measures,

  • implementing the defined measures,

  • reviewing the measures with regard to the environmental objectives and environmental guidelines and

  • adjusting the measures and environmental objectives of the company if necessary.

Skiresort.de and Alpine Pearls

Aside from state certifications, the portal skiresort.de has also carried out a test on environmentally friendly ski resorts. 438 areas were included in the ranking and examined according to criteria such as "gentle tourism", "closure of pistes or parts of pistes in poor snow conditions to protect the turf", "protected areas for animals", "environmentally-oriented education and promotion of awareness among winter sports enthusiasts", "energy-efficient operation", "ecological snowmaking", etc. Winners include areas such as Aletsch Arena, Wildkogel, Skiwelt Wilder Kaiser, Rauriser Hochalmbahnen, Vigiljoch and See.

The Wildkogel Arena is also a member of the Alpine Pearls. This includes 21 vacation resorts in five Alpine countries that are committed to environmentally friendly vacations and gentle tourism. The Alpine Pearls were founded in 2006 and are the result of an initiative by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. The focus was on the creation of innovative, sustainable and climate-friendly tourism offers. Today, the member resorts primarily stand for soft mobility and a vacation without a car. In addition to Neukirchen with the Wildkogel Arena, members include Ratschings, Bad Reichenhall, Disentis or Hinterstoder.

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Trend towards climate neutrality and energy self-sufficiency

The topic of climate neutrality was also a trend in the area of environmental friendliness for ski resorts. One of the best-known and largest ski resorts to become climate-neutral this winter is Ischgl. The lifts in Ischgl run on electricity that comes almost entirely from renewable energies, primarily hydropower from Paznaun. According to Ischgl itself, the solar and heat recovery systems save around 80,000 liters of heating oil - and thus 244 tons of CO2 per year. A mountain restaurant and the Gampenbahn valley station are heated with geothermal energy. Silvrettaseilbahn AG is also said to have reduced energy consumption for snowmaking and slope preparation: By measuring snow depth using GPS in all snow groomers, snow will only be produced where it is actually needed. This should save electricity and water in snow production and snow groomer hours - amounting to a further 150 tons of CO2 per year. Ischgl has also offset the CO2 produced: With ClimatePartner in a reforestation project in Peru and with the reforestation of 10,000 trees in Paznaun itself.

But energy self-sufficiency is also an issue for ski resorts: the Hochalmbahnen in Rauris, Salzburg, have a zero-energy balance, meaning that all lifts are operated with electricity generated in their own hydroelectric power plant. In Styria, the Riesneralm ski resort has also been relying on energy self-sufficient snowmaking since this winter. Two hydropower plants are set to generate around six million kilowatt hours of electricity. That is around three times as much as the seasonal snowmaking and operation of the entire ski resort require. The second hydropower plant is due to go online in 2020 and will have a pipe system that is connected to the existing snowmaking system and can therefore produce snow and electricity at the same time. The Snow Space Salzburg with Flachau, Wagrein and St. Johann also focuses on climate friendliness: all lift and snowmaking systems there are powered by renewable energy sources.

Where do I go skiing now?

Which resorts you go to and which ones you want to support is of course up to you. I myself attach particular importance to independent, state certifications such as EMAS or ISO. You can always find these directly on the website of the respective ski resort. For me, a good indicator is also how the ski resort operators stand on environmental issues. Are they planning controversial area expansions, for example? Then I might look around for another area. Another tip is not to believe and trust every press release about the environment and sustainability without reservation. We've already dealt with the issue of greenwashing, but at the moment it's simply a trend to adorn yourself with sustainable themes. And it's all well and good that Ischgl, for example, is adorning itself with climate neutrality, but you should also consider what else is happening in the area.

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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