|
|
Skiing and Snowboarding
 So
where is the sustainability in skiing? You jet off to a foreign
resort, where artificial snow is being laid on mountains that
have been cleared to provide a good piste surface, and stay in
an apartment that is unaffordable to a local resident and only
occupied for a limited season.
Skiing is the one activity where
you can actually see the results of global warming, as the glaciated
ice caps retreat and ski seasons get shorter.
Nonetheless it is possible to
enjoy your skiing in a more responsible way, and here are a few
suggestions on things to think of:
- Organise your itinerary to travel
by train rather than fly to reduce carbon emissions. Rail Europe's
Snow Train travels from St Pancras to Les Trois Vallées,
Paradiski, Mont Blanc and Espace Killy, covering many of the
best known French resorts. The train includes sleeping accomodation
and even has a disco carriage.
- Book your accommodation direct
with local owners and use local restaurants to help support the
local economy.
- Ask your tour operator to show
you their Responsible Tourism Policy. Have they signed up for
any environmental charters such as the National
Ski Area Association Sustainable Slope environmental charter
in the USA. Ski resorts in the USA and Canada are also graded
for environmental performance by the Ski
Area Citizens' Coalition.
- Don't restrict your skiing to
graded slopes -why not ski cross-country to minimise the environmental
impact on hard pressed areas.
- Try to avoid damaging the sensitive
habitat of mountain plants and animals, especially the delicate
shoots of new growth when it appears....and of course it goes
without saying that you should bring all your rubbish back down
from the mountain with you.
Do enjoy your skiing and hopefully
with a bit of care the resorts will be available for many years
to come.
Useful Resources:
- Arctic Discovery
-suppliers of Activity Holidays in Lapland & Northern Sweden.
- Crystal
Ski Holidays -one of
the top ski tour operaters, offering holidays and chalets in
Andorra, Austria, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Italy, Japan,
Lebanon, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.
- Erna
Low -personalised ski
holidays in the French Alps.
- Inghams
Travel. Tour operator
offering ski holidays in Europe and N America, lakes & mountains
holidays, city breaks and French Villas.
- Neilson -experts in year round active holidays.
- Pierre et Vacances
-winter sports accomodation in France and Italy.
- Ski
Pass -started in 1997,
skipass.com is the leading french speaking website dedicated
to snow sports, and covering the freeride and freestyle scene,
ski and snowboard, from France to the X-Games in Colorado. Largely
in French, but some great images.
- Ski
the edge -ski and snowboarding
holidays at French youth hostels.
- Ski
Solutions -specialist
ski travel agency.
- UPCA -packages for 18-39 years in Chamonix,
Val d'Isere, Flaine, La Plagne, Les Arcs, Tignes and Val thorens.
Ski Equipment:
- Field and Trek -one of the UK's leading technical retailers of
outdoor clothing and equipment, supplying everything for walking
trips, camping holidays, backpacking & trekking expeditions,
mountaineering & climbing, adventure racing and travel.
Dry slopes:
Resorts:
- Banff
- Lake Louise, Canada
-Ski Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine is the joint venture company
of three world-class ski resorts in Banff National Park; Ski
Banff in the heart of the Rockies - Norquay, Lake Louise, &
Sunshine Village.
- Cervinia, Italy
-this resort on the Italian side of the Matterhorn at 2050m altitude
is notable for being snow sure.
- Flaine,
France -resort in the
Northern French Alps - between Geneva and Chamonix with 265km
of prepared ski runs.
- Killington,
Vermont USA -describes
irself as New England's premier ski destination with the hottest
nightlife.
- Levi
-Finland -snow is guaranteed
throughout the winter in this resort located north of the Arctic
Circle in Finland.
- Obertauern,
Austria -purpose built
resort in the Tuaern peaks.
- Saas
Fee, Sitzerland -picturesque
village set against a glacial backdrop reached by cable car,
describes itself as the pearl of the alps.
- Ski
Scotland -the official
site for Scotlands five ski resorts -Cairngorm,
Glencoe, Glenshee,
the Lecht and Nevis
Range.
- Soelden,
Austria -high altitude
resort with glacier skiing and dramatic views.
- Val
d'Isere, France -
- Val
Thorens, France -located
in the vast Trois Vallées, Val Thorens is the highest
ski resort in western Europe with 600km of prepared piste
- Villars-Gryon,
Switzerland -families
are very welcome in these resorts located in the Swiss Alps at
the eastern end of Lake Geneva.
- Winter
Park, Colorado -US ski
resort, just over an hour from Denver.
General information:
Search this site with Google:
|
|