French Ski Resorts Are Taking Stock Of Their Previous Environmental Roadmap
Three years after drawing up a roadmap with 16 environmental commitments to protect the mountains, with concrete actions regarding climate and greenhouse gas emissions, water management, biodiversity protection and landscape conservation, Domaines Skiables de France prepares, in complete transparency, the annual report on the measures adopted by the French Measures implemented in ski areas. The teams of the lift companies in the French ski resorts work daily to achieve the goals they have set themselves and thus achieve climate neutrality with zero CO2 emissions by 2037.
Zero carbon target by 2037 in ski resorts
- Many operators buy green electricity, but the largest item in the direct carbon footprint of ski areas is the preparation of the slopes. In this context, a progress report on the electrification of snow groomers will be prepared as part of the DSF 2023 round tables.
- Around fifteen ski resorts, which account for almost half of the nation's visitor numbers, immediately took the lead by running their diesel engines on HVO, a non-fossil fuel based on recycled cooking oils with a significantly lower carbon footprint.
Creation of a CO₂ footprint in all ski areas
- 30% of ski areas have already implemented their carbon footprint, 15% are working on the upcoming implementation and 42% have not yet planned it.
Driver training for environmentally friendly driving
- 68% of snow groomer drivers are trained in the ecological operation of snow groomers. Environmentally friendly driving of snow groomers reduces diesel consumption and CO5 emissions by 10 to 20%.
82% of cable car operating employees are trained in ecological driving. The environmentally friendly operation of the cable cars reduces electricity consumption by 10 to 20%.
Limited use of ski lifts
- Of the ski areas with non-essential lifts (ie 64% of operators), 96% are implementing the recommendation to close non-essential lifts.
Altitude memory
- Of the ski resorts that use at least 100,000 m3 of water (i.e. 43% of ski resorts), 84% have altitude storage to balance their water withdrawal from the natural environment over time.
Optimization of snowmaking
- Of the ski areas with at least 6 snow groomers, 76% optimize snowmaking by accurately measuring the snow depths at various points in the ski area.
Providing water for pasture farming
- Of the ski areas with high mountain reservoirs, 63% have water available for the herds in the event of a drought.
Ecological inventory
- 61% of ski areas keep an up-to-date ecological inventory (fauna, flora, wetlands, wintering areas, breeding areas, etc.)
Regreening
- Among the ski areas that carried out earthworks in 2022: 100% of the works resulted in the revegetation of the intervention areas to grass areas and 63% of the ski areas used exclusively endemic seeds.
birdlife
- The ski areas want to further protect the large birds and in particular the black grouse (Alps) and the capercaillie (Pyrenees).
Garbage
- 80% of ski resorts organize at least one waste collection every year, which corresponds to more than 2700 hectares of areas checked in 2021. 61% of ski resorts regularly carry out awareness campaigns aimed at skiers and hikers to reduce waste.
Dismantling of outdated systems
- After 7 dismantling operations already carried out, this system set up by the Domaines Skiables de France will be reinforced every year with the aim of maintaining the rate of three dismantled installations per year achieved in 2023, so that disused installations no longer pose a danger to people or animals and are not sources of visual pollution. In 2023, 3 ski lifts were dismantled in agreement with the affected communities and voluntarily removed by DSF members:
- On June 2, the two ski lifts (Chavonne and Baby) in the town of Granier-sur-Aime in Savoy were dismantled and removed thanks to the technical teams of the Société d'Aménagement de la Plagne (SAP).
- On June 22, 2023, the "La Graou" ski lift in the commune of Saint-Auban, in the Alpes-Maritimes department, was dismantled and removed, thanks to the technical teams of nine ski resorts:
- Syndicat Mixte Aménagement PRALOUP, SERRE CHEVALIER VALLEE, SERM VALBERG, régie d'ANCELLE, GRAND PUY, ISOLA, MONTCLAR, régie RM REALLON, Syndicat Mixte Stations de GREOLIÈRES et de l'AUDIBERGUE. The Department of Alpes Maritimes has also provided a Force 06 team (Operational Force Risks, Disasters and Environment of the Department of Alpes Maritimes).
The Domaines Skiables de France and its members have set themselves the goal of dismantling all 47 sites they have identified where former ski lifts or parts of ski lifts still need to be dismantled. In 2023, DSF teams and sections identified 71 obsolete ski lift facilities (67 ski lifts and 4 chairlifts), spread over 47 locations in 5 of the 6 French mountain ranges: Alps, Pyrenees, Jura, Massif Central, Vosges. Corsica is the only massif where no disused ski lifts have been identified.
Breakdown of the closed ski lifts that are to be dismantled from September 30, 2023, by massif:
- Alps (from north to south): 44 ski lifts (or parts of ski lifts) and 4 chair lifts
- Pyrenees: 4 ski lifts
- Jura: 8 ski lifts
- Massif Central: 4 ski lifts
- Vosges: 7 ski lifts
Domaines Skiables de France (DSF) is the professional association of ski resort operators. Today it has 412 members, divided into 238 active members (operators of ski lifts or ski areas) and around 175 corresponding members (suppliers, builders, training centers, project managers, etc.).
