+44 (0) 1635 37774RESORT LATEST
Unfamiliar with the Trois
Vallees? Here's a short video introduction about the resort of Courchevel
- view video
New
piste at Verdons. Improvements to Les Arolles piste. Plantrey Snow Park
moved to the Dunes & Canyons zone on Verdons.
For info on these and other resort developments - read
more
Get to know all the
stations and ski levels of the Trois Vallees with our detailed guide
- learn more
The resort
has assembled a variety of piste and station entertainment for all
resort levels - check it here
Inconsistent piste
colour grading debate, do you see red? - what's
it about
Find out more about our
resort and mountain location with Google satellite & terrain maps
- here
Contact numbers
in resort - here
Sustainable development and the 3 Vallees
>> Skiing & the environmental issues
Eco-gestures for a cleaner mountain
ENERGY & WATER
Use energy saving light bulbs. They use 5 times less energy and last much
longer.
Do not leave electrical appliances on standby. They consume almost as much
as when they are switched on.
Turn down the heating. 1 degree lower saves 7% energy
Install water economisers, have a shower instead of a bath
WASTE
Use the waste management facility for large objects and toxic waste.
Do not buy over packaged products
Recycle glass, plastics, cans and cardboard. All resorts are equipped with
a recycling bin system
TRANSPORT
Do not use the car for short journeys; use the free resort buses.
Combine different means of transport to come to resort; train + car + resort
buses, car sharing… Transport is still the largest CO2 producer, clocking
up a massive 70%
The ski industry has been increasingly criticized in recent years, as the world has become more environmentally aware. The impact of machines such as lift systems, piste bashers and snow cannons is constantly being analysed with regard to damage to the mountains in addition to issues over energy consumption and fuel emissions. As sustainable development is increasingly used as a marketing proposition, we are entitled to wonder who does what. Ski resorts are, for the most part, responding in a practical and forward-thinking manner.
It has been widely reported that many ski resorts are signing up to a charter, agreeing to meet certain targets and implement new eco-friendly measures. Many of these measures focus on improved public transport services and greater pedestrianisation of resort centres. The 3 Vallees are a good example since they didn’t wait for environmentalism to become fashionable before taking action. Starting from the essential position that nature is the basis of a ski resort’s economy, the 3 Vallees have, right from the outset, known how to preserve the environment and reduce their impact on it.
It is important to realise that these three valleys, St Bon, Belleville, and Les Allues, were not chosen by chance. From the very beginning the aim was to establish ski resorts at high altitude for the obvious reason that snow could be guaranteed, and at a time when global warming and glacial retreat was not yet a major concern for environmental organizations. From the start of the construction work, local and natural materials were chosen, as were local businessmen. By this the need to transport materials was reduced to a minimum.
The 3 Vallees however have not rested on their laurels. On the contrary, the largest linked skiing area in the world continues to lead the way with steps taken over the last few years, above all in energy conservation and waste management. Each village has its own waste management system with new a system introduced in Pan du Vah between Courchevel 1650 and 1850 and recycling been operating for a long time.
Other areas are not forgotten: each new ski lift means that several other dilapidated ones can be dismantled, allowing removal of series of pylons – fewer pylons, fewer eyesores. The new generation snow machines require much less water and energy. This energy is 100% renewable because a proportion of the electricity necessary to run the 3 valleys’s lifts is bought via the ‘Ecoalp+ GEG ‘ (Grenoble Gas & electricity) programme, a small local supplier that offers a green solution thanks to its network micro-hydroelectric power stations in the Alps.
Since their creation the 3 vallees have been unflagging in their implementation of a variety of measures designed to limit their environmental impact. Two of the three valleys, St Bon-Courchevel and Belleville, have undertaken carbon assessment, which will determine areas that need improvement in terms of their CO2 emmissions.
Enviromentalism is the concern of everyone, the tourist offices, the ski lift companies, businesses. .. and at the end of the line you and us. Through simple gestures you can make a difference. Use water and electricity more sparingly by turning down heating during the day, taking a shower rather than a bath, recycling your waste… and even just by using the often free public transports services laid on by the resorts.
Each gesture, even the smallest, helps the overall improvement. Think global, act local.