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Creation of a new three
hour 'anytime' lift pass for the Courchevel 1650 or Vallée de
Courchevel ski areas - learn
more
What about fitness levels
needed for skiing? We have the info and training advice needed to get
you into the best shape for the piste, now with warm up routines on video - read
more
Are there consequences
for the alpine environment as a result of snowsport activity? Can we
yet see any effects of climate change upon the ecostructure? - read
more
Opening in safety overnight
here's how and why - read on
Three Valleys packed with
legendery slopes and hidden treats for you to discover. Here's a sample
to get you started -
read more
The environmental consideration of wintersports
Environment links
>> Snow cannons the myths by Societe 3V Lift Company
According to United Nations and European Environmental Agency studies, there are no other mountains on earth that are being affected by global warming as severely as Europe's Alps.
They say, "Climate change is a severe threat to snow related sports. Lower earnings in winter tourism will reinforce economic disparities between urban areas and the less developed alpine regions. Additionally, the ski tourism industry will 'climb' up the mountains to reach snow reliable areas at high altitude. This process will lead to a concentration of winter sport activities, and will put further pressure on the sensitive environment of the high mountains." From the UN Environment Program Conference on Sport and Environment, 2003:
Werner Schmultz of the World Radiation Centre in Switzerland, says of a resort close to the heart of the British Royal Family, "We don't expect to have snow in low lying resorts such as Klosters for more than the next 10 years,"
In July 2006 Swiss researchers from the University of Zurich concluded that the Alps will lose 80 percent of their glaciers by the end of the century. That's at a scenario of an average temperature rise of 3 C. The higher estimates of a 5 C rise could result in the disappearance of all Alpine glaciers.
More information about ski resorts, glaciers and global warming issues www.saveoursnow.com
The increasing popularity of skiing and development of the ski industry has created a demand for larger accommodation blocks to be built in the popular resorts. With limited space for new aparments and chalets on the valley floor, this forces more erosion of the surrounding hillsides in order to fulfil accomodation demands. In order to keep up with the tourist demand for the sport, resorts are under pressure to build more lifts with a faster and higher skier capacity. The improvement in resort facilities ultimately leads to an increase in the number of individuals visting the resort which in turn creates pressure to improve transport links to these resorts and so the cycle continues. The indirect cost of this increase in human wealth and enjoyment is that of the mountain and its environmental condition. The damage and environmental changes which are being brought upon them by humankind is hard to repair. Implications of these changes on the alpine environment can be seen by the changes in recent years.
Pistehors.com recently reported that, average seasonal temperatures across France have risen by 1C, with temperatures rising up to 3C during winter at an altitude of 1800 meters in the French Alps. Further, they say that the high temperatures experienced during the summer of 2002 caused some recession of some European glaciers by up to 10%, causing fears in climate specialists that the Swiss glaciers may melt away within as little as 50 years.
As pressure mounts on the ski companies to build higher into the mountains to reach snow reliable areas, sensitive high mountainous environment then become ultimately affected. The increases in global temperatures will have a serious implication for the many ski resorts located at lower altitudes.