Future-proofed piste – sustainable skiing in the French Alps

Serre Chevalier near Briançon is defying the sceptics with its solar, wind and hydro-powered shift towards building the ski resort of the future

“Studies predict that with climate change, skiing will be able to take place here in its current form until 2050…” These profound words came not from an environmentalist, but from the lips of Patrick Arnaud, the manager of Serre Chevalier ski area in the French Alps. As I sat there, looking up at the snow-capped peaks behind him, with my 16-month-old son on my lap, all I could think was how close that date suddenly felt.

Ask people if taking a ski trip is good for the environment and they’ll likely come back with a resounding no. First there’s the way people often access it – via short-haul, carbon-emitting flights. Then there’s the type of work that has to be done on the mountain to make it suitable for skiers – from deforestation and grooming pistes (using diesel-powered vehicles), to running chairlifts to get people back up the slopes (yet more greenhouse gas emissions). And then there’s the catch-22 in the form of snow production – with temperatures rising, more snow needs to be made artificially to keep the traditional areas open, but this emits more carbon into the atmosphere, exacerbating the problem.