NATURAL RESOURCES

Winter sports resorts have built their economic model on natural mountain resources. A fragile resource that must be both safeguarded and used virtuously.

In the mountains, climate change is not a concept. This is a reality that people in the mountains experience, feel, and see. They have a front row seat. The phenomenon is not perceived as tangible elsewhere than in the oceans, coasts, and mountains. “Like any other economic player, ski areas have a responsibility to limit their environmental and social impact and to preserve natural resources and biodiversity. They have an even more important role to play as they will be where people will come to learn in the future,” says Camille

Rey-Gorrez, director of the Mountain Riders association, which created the Flocon Vert label. They also have a vested interest in looking after what is ultimately their work tool.

Everyone needs to do their part by taking virtuous steps.

Ski areas, and more broadly the communities around them, have been working for some time to reduce their carbon footprint, often through innovation. “Technologies have made it possible to optimize costs and save resources. There has been a very positive evolution, but we are not asking ourselves enough about how to reduce consumption, which requires a review of practices,” says Ms Rey-Gorrez. Like

Ademe, Mountain Riders advocates energy sobriety before thinking about renewable energy production. The cleanest energy is the one we don’t use... For the energy that you still have to use, it is better to use 100% renewable energy, which is certainly more expensive. This is an initiative adopted by 48 French ski lift companies.

One ski area was built on sobriety. Arêches-Beaufort was the first French resort to sign the national charter in favor of sustainable development in mountain resorts, in 2007. This Savoyard village resort has truly taken advantage of its environment to grow. Its geographical location, in the foothills of Mont Blanc, guarantees exceptional snowfall which, thanks to its north-facing slopes and high altitude, is easy to maintain. Indeed, snow guns only cover 15% of the area, on the lower parts. This artificial snow is produced solely from the Roselend dam, the network being supplied by gravity pressure, which requires less energy. Sobriety also means making choices, such as closing the ski lifts in off-peak periods, and areas free from grooming. “These actions allow us to change the scale in terms of impact,” says Camille Rey-Gorez. For Laurent Reynaud, general delegate of Domaines skiables de France (DSF), “innovation is essential, as is behavior, both by professionals and our customers. Technology is not the sole answer in keeping our planet clean. Serre Chevalier has made extensive use of technology and is now embarking on another project based on a more rational operation. Clients also need to understand and embrace changes for them to be sustainable. The ski area has chosen to raise awareness and survey the public by launching a

La forêt est un trésor, son bois une ressource locale.

Bipod panels, designed by Sunwind Energy, cover the roof of the Prorel station in Serre Chevalier

dedicated website, Tous engagés Serre Chevalier. Fallow slopes to give nature time to regenerate, skiing at the top of the area and going back down to the valley by ropeway in the absence of snow, closing access to certain areas to protect the fauna and flora, limiting the grooming of certain slopes to consume less diesel... These are some of the avenues for reflection. It’s Time to Adapt, Not Fight.

The Hautes-Alpes resort is particularly renowned for its unique initiative which capitalizes on its natural resources: 2,500 hours of sunshine a year, a dense network of watersheds and high passes well exposed to the wind. In addition to reducing its energy consumption, Serre Chevalier has been working since 2018 to produce 30% of its consumption by 2023 with three sources of renewable energy: Wind, photovoltaic, and hydroelectric. About wind turbines, this technology has proven to be inconclusive and the ski area has turned to two traditional wind turbines that can withstand very strong winds and produce 40,000 kWh per year. “Production is good but the installation is expensive and the visual impact is undeniable,” acknowledges Patrick Arnaud, general manager of Serre Chevalier Valley Ski Area (SCV), who will, even if he doesn’t regret it, will not pursue it further. The photovoltaic system has more than lived up to its promise, to the extent that the operator has equipped surfaces that were not in the original plan. Dry air, altitude, exposure, low temperatures, and the albedo effect—or the diffuse reflection of sun rays on the snow—are particularly favorable to this technology and will account for 10% of total renewable energy production. SCV has retrofitted railway stations, used building roofs with either traditional or innovative panels, such as semi-rigid and bipod equipment from Sunwind Energy. Finally, hydroelectricity will eventually constitute the largest source of renewable energy production in the area (85%), through pumped-energy storage for snowmaking networks. SCV asked the Haute-Savoie engineering company Hydrostadium, a subsidiary of EDF, help in implementing this project, which is a first in France. The first 180 kWh installation was commissioned in Saint-Chaffey this winter and the second (950 kWh) will be commissioned in La Salleles-Alpes in winter 2023. Hydroelectricity is not new. What is new is using the snowmaking network to produce clean, renewable energy. In Italy, the La Thuile Ski Area is the first in the world to do it, back in 2016. How does it work? The system uses the naturally flowing water through its snowmaking network to drive the two turbines that produce electricity, which is then fed into the Italian electricity network, CVA-Aoste Valley water company. The French company MND, through its subsidiary Sufag, was tasked with upgrading the software used to manage the snowmaking network. The program has paid for itself in just three years and produces on average 20% more energy than it consumes. Photovoltaics and mountains go very well together. Romande Energie—the Swiss energy production, distribution, and marketing company—has made the same

observation as Serre Chevalier Resort. It has just inaugurated the world’s first floating solar park in an alpine environment, located at an altitude of 1810 metres on Lake Toules in Bourg-Saint-Pierre (Valais). The 2240-m² installation occupies only 2% of the surface of the lake and produces 800,000 kWh per year, equivalent to the consumption of 220 homes. This process produces up to 50% more energy compared to a solar park on the plain—thanks to the cold, altitude, and albedo effect—increased tenfold by the presence of bifacial panels. In view of this success, Romande Energie wishes to replace this temporary installation with an even larger fixed structure on the same lake, which would cover the equivalent of the annual consumption of 6,100 homes.

“Innovations have spread and are being used more widely. I am struck by the speed with which grooming machines, representing half of the entire fleet, have been equipped with GPS to measure snow height and optimize snowmaking production,” says Laurent Reynaud. As a result, Courchevel has reduced its snowmaking output by 15%, its fuel consumption by 8%, and its grooming hours by 5%. In the same vein, Prosnow and more recently Tipsnow software packages allow resort operators to manage their snow production in real time. Some ski areas have chosen to share their water resources. In Morzine-Avoriaz, Manigod, and Les Karellis, water supply to the mountain pastures for farmers is provided by the snowmaking network. In case of an emergency in La Rosière, the town can use the water from the snowmaking factory after treatment. In Avoriaz, the drinking water reservoir uses part of the water from the ski area reservoir.

The forest is a treasure, and its wood a local resource that is increasingly being used by the construction industry. In Corbier, Ossabois has built the first hotel residence designed in 100% modular wood, L’Etoile des Sybelles. An eight-story building with 99 apartments and suites. The off-site manufacturing and use of renewable materials resulted in 30% savings in CO2 emissions compared to conventional construction. The modules built in the Ossabois factory in the AuvergneRhône-Alpes region resulted in a 30-40% reduction in waste. Give Back What Nature Gives Us. In Morzine-Avoriaz, each cut of wood made in the ski area is accounted for and compensated for in the Chablais region, in collaboration with the National Forestry Bureau. Tignes has a project in partnership with the NFB and with MND’s help, a new 4.5 hectare multifunctional high-altitude forest will be created next to its ski area. It is a multifunctional area that will serve to slow down snowslides, provide a refuge area for the black grouse, store carbon, and participate in the resort’s landscape. The soil is also a source of wealth. The Pyrégraine program was the first to use seeds collected from mountain flora in Pyrenean resorts to revegetate land after development operations. A similar initiative was launched in the Alps, called Sem’ les Alpes. At Morzine-Avoriaz, all reworked slopes are revegetated with grass seeds that are adapted to the environment. These seeds are even custom-developed in La Clusaz, where Reblochon is made and seeds for grass are planted specifically for grazing cows.

Serre Chevalier has installed two wind turbines at the top of its ski area

This awareness also extends to ski areas all over the world. Pyhä, a carbon-neutral resort in Finland, offsets the carbon emissions from their slope maintenance equipment by funding clean energy projects based on wind and hydro power. The NSAA awarded the American giant Vail Resorts a prize for its comprehensive sustainability commitment called “Epic Promise for a Zero Footprint” which commits to zero net emissions by 2030, zero waste to landfill by 2030, and zero net operating impact to forests and habitat. The group is not only making efforts but is urging its entire ecosystem to do the same. It raises awareness among its customers about reducing and offsetting their carbon footprint and works with its suppliers and vendors to reduce their environmental impact. This collective call for commitment is what Mountain Riders is looking for through the Flocon Vert approach. “I am taking action on sustainable development, I want to take it a step further, and I am taking all the players along with me,” summarises Camille Rey-Gorrez. The environment is everyone’s business.