Ski holidays: responsible actions everyone can adopt at the resort
Are you looking for your ski trip to have the least environmental impact possible? That's already an important first step, but it remains to be seen how to proceed, and above all, how to combine ecological responsibility with holiday pleasure.
Fortunately, a sum of small gestures can have a real impact, without spoiling your stay. And you probably already apply some of them without even realizing it!
In summary
Reducing one's environmental impact during a ski holiday is possible with simple actions, without giving up the pleasure of the stay. Sport 2000 and Ekosport-Rent notably recommend respecting protected areas, limiting waste, saving water and heating, and prioritizing local products in resorts. The choice of transport also plays a major role: walking, shuttles, carpooling, train, or train-bus combinations help reduce emissions. Renting ski equipment rather than buying it also promotes its sharing and lifespan. Discover all our good practices for a more responsible stay.
The right behaviors to adopt on the slopes
When you are on winter holiday in the mountains, you spend a large part of your time on the slopes. To protect nature and reduce your environmental impact in this context, here are the actions to adopt:
respect marked areas, and above all never ski or take a break in a protected area;
prefer a water bottle (or a backpack with a water bladder) to a plastic bottle;
keep your waste on you (tissues, food packaging, etc.) until you can dispose of them upon returning to the resort;
be careful not to drop anything from the chairlift (use the strap for poles and gloves, do not take anything out of your pocket or backpack);
take a pocket ashtray and never throw a cigarette butt into nature.
Easy gestures in your holiday accommodation
As you would at home, there are several ecological gestures you can apply in your mountain accommodation. They are common sense, but we can tend to forget or trivialize them when on holiday:
do not overheat the accommodation (19°C is enough, even in winter in the mountains) and therefore bring warm clothes;
limit water consumption (shower VS bath, dishwasher VS hand washing, laundry optimization, etc.);
sort your waste (it can be practical to inquire upon arrival about the location of the different waste bins in the resort);
at the hotel, don't hesitate to ask to keep the same bed and bathroom linen for several days.
Good consumption practices at the station
When you are neither on the ski area nor in your holiday accommodation, you probably enjoy restaurants, bars and shops in the resort.
Here too, certain actions can make a difference to improve your ecological footprint while skiing, without preventing you from enjoying yourself:
in supermarkets, grocery stores or restaurants: prefer local and seasonal foods (regional cheeses, winter vegetables, etc.) ;
for souvenirs: avoid impulsive and unnecessary purchases, and prefer artisan and local production when possible ;
when shopping: avoid over-packaged products, in favor of bulk foods or raw foods like fruits.
Choosing transport modes for a more eco-friendly stay
If you drive your car every day while you’re at the resort, you’ll increase your carbon footprint. Of course, if your lodging is far from the ski lifts and has poor public transportation access, this might be your only viable option.
However, you can choose your resort and the location of your lodging so that you can:
do almost everything on foot;
take a shuttle (often free) to reach the ski lifts or other points of interest in the resort;
strap on your skis right outside your lodging and head straight to the slopes.
Other important actions before arriving at the station
Want to take it a step further to make your trip even more eco-friendly? It all starts before you even arrive at the resort—and it doesn’t require any insurmountable effort.
Rent Your Gear Instead of Buying It
Did you know that renting skis has a much lower environmental impact than buying a new pair? Since the gear is shared and used throughout the season, the energy cost per skier is much lower.
What’s more, the equipment is carefully maintained: this not only ensures safety and performance for the whole family but also extends its lifespan. Especially since, once skis are taken out of the rental fleet, they’re resold secondhand or recycled, rather than becoming additional waste.
Choose a more eco-friendly mode of transportation
During a mountain vacation, the activity that produces the most greenhouse gas emissions is transportation (between 50 and 60% of the carbon footprint of a day of skiing).
So it’s on your trip from home to your vacation destination that you can have the greatest positive impact. The best way to achieve this is to avoid flying and driving.
But not all vacationers have an alternative to driving to their ski destination. In that case, it makes sense to carpool—whether with the people you’re traveling with or with strangers using dedicated apps.
The most eco-friendly option, however, remains the train or a combination of train and bus. In fact, mountain train stations often offer regular shuttle services to the resorts, making your trip as convenient and quick as possible.
You can also take this type of shuttle if you’re coming by car and leave it in the station parking lot: that way, you’ll save a few kilometers by car and take advantage of public transportation instead!
