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The Purity of Snow
Can winter sports be sustainable?
For long winters, outdoor activities seemed to be the perfect thing to do for active and health conscious individuals. Skiing has long been a favourite past time for people living and growing up in Alpine regions. The purity of snow, fresh mountain air, nature, and even the physical activity are, however, criticised more and more. Winter sport resorts or ski slopes are hardly sustainable and climate change does not make stop once reaching the mountains. These topics are raised by an increasing number of people, giving winter sport resorts no other option than to rethink their practices. Skiing has come under especial attack.
Deforestation, snow cats and snow cannons represent the other side of mass tourism in tourism, often kindly ignored by the advertisers and postcard images of unspoilt nature and seasonal purity. The picture of snowy and white mountain tops appears innocent, but milder winters and the need to climb up higher and higher to be able to ski makes some people consider alternatives to the anything but sustainable, resource-intensive winter sports like skiing or snowboarding.
These two relatively traditional snow sports have a high impact on the Alpine flora and fauna. The environmental damage of hard-pressed areas - necessary for the creation of ski slopes - cannot be underestimated. It is not until the snow melts, however, that signs of a natural disaster show. Artificial snow has devastating effects for the Alps, consuming lots of water and the salt added to make the slopes faster is poisonous for the natural habitat.
As snow does not fall in the quantities it did just some years ago, ski resorts have to climb higher when winters get milder. The wildlife is getting disturbed and becoming more out of balance. The environmental consciousness suggests thing have to change not only because of the need to behave in an earth friendly way, even on holiday, but also because of the lack of snow in certain areas, post peak oil times, and the condemnation of ski slopes.
Sustainability is a catchphrase of contemporary times. Carbon footprints have to be reduced and therefore less damaging lifestyles have to be adopted. Everybody is encouraged to do their bit. When it comes to free time and what to do with it, however, people tend to be less conscious or concerned about the sustainability of their behaviour. Free time is to be enjoyed. A trip to the mountains seems to be the perfect destination to escape the daily grind and in general people do not want to be nudged and prescribed how to behave all the time. It thus seems to be up to the businesses to make slopes, resorts, and winter activities a sustainable experience.
Increasingly more ski resorts think of alternatives and encourage soft mobility, environmentally friendly winter sports, and responsible travel. Cross-country skiing, snow hiking, sledging, dog and horse sledging, ice-skating, and snow-golfing are some of the emerging or re-emerging alternatives and answers to the threat caused by the traditional ski tourism from the industry.
Guests are more and more encouraged to use the train rather than a car and to try cross country slopes on foot or with snowshoes rather than using ski lifts. Both alternatives are hardly damaging to the environment as unlike slopes that require the cutting down of trees, cross-country ski runs are lined into nature. To protect the flora and fauna, the routes are fitted in as kindly as possible. Following them is like an ecological correct way of enjoying snow and at the same time training muscles - good for the heart and circulation and thanks to endorphins, even the mood.
Many ski resorts also formulated environmental charters, which give guidelines for both tourists and businesses on how to enjoy winter sports and the snow in a less damaging way. More information about such initiatives can be found on Klimawandel und Wintersport for Austria or through the Sustainable Slope Environmental Charter in the USA and Canada, for example.
Werfenweng in Austria is an example of how things could be done in order to make skiing and winter sports a guilt free pleasure. The small town in the Austrian Alps encourages people to leave their cars at home and to practice other sports. For preparation of slopes methods that are more environmentally friendly are employed, local foods and production are also a vital part of the whole process. Thinking small and local in order to preserve the fragile environment for future generations is the device for this and other Alpine regions employing similar strategies.
Though there has been evidence that change is on the way towards more nature friendly and greener winter sports, there is still a long way to go to persuade consumers and producers that smaller resorts and less people on the slopes are necessary, as well as that other winter outdoor activities are as much fun as the traditional trends of winter tourism.
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