Blog | MountVacation.com

With an average snowfall of five meters, vertical skiing range of 1900 meters and 300 kilometers of pistes, Val d’Isere is considered to be one of the best ski resorts in the Savoie area in France. Visitors enjoy skiing in Val d’Isere because a lift ticket can also give them the chance to explore its neighboring areas Paradiski and Les Trois Vallées. Since Val d’Isere is a favorite destination for tourists during winter and also in summer, there are allot of tourist residences and hotels in Val d’Isere to accommodate guests.

One of the many hotels in Val d’Isere is Chalet Hotel Le Fjord. This hotel is located in the community’s main street and is a few steps away from many après-ski attractions. The hotel is housed in a nice building with very well furnished rooms. Another hotel in Val d’Isere is Chalet Hotel Le Val d’Isere located in the centre of Val d’Isere. The hotel is a few meters away from the Bellevarde and Solaise lifts. If a guest wants to relax after a long day of skiing, there is a therapy complex beside the hotel called the Therapeos spa.

UCPA Val d’Isere is one of the hotels in Val d’Isere that is located three minutes from the towns centre. The hotel has its own dining room, bar, ski and board hire shop and even a night club. Breakfast is served buffet style, lunch is a do-it-yourself picnic and after a long day of skiing, guests can enjoy a four course dinner at the hotel.

Another hotel in Val d’Isere is Chalet Hotel Cygnaski. This hotel has a beautiful lounge area with a huge log fire and stone chimney where guests can relax and socialize.

Simply visit our page of Val d’Isere hotels for more accommodation options and info.

Those of you who have already skied on a glacier will know what I’m talking about. Skiing is just better than anywhere else, whether it’s on powder or on regular ski slopes. The ice under the snow works like a refrigerator, which explains why snow crystals on glaciers are different from those on other terrains. Look into your freezer to see how the ice crystal structure looks like on the outside.

The role of glaciers in alpine skiing is very important. First of all, major ski resorts have formed around them; also, they allow us to ski during summer as well. Unfortunately, due to global warming, they are reducing in size year after year. People who depend on them, as a source of income or otherwise, try to save as much as can be saved, and state-of-the-art snow canons make snow whenever temperatures drop below zero.

Soelden is a good example of that situation. Back in 1993, when it hosted the season’s opening races, there were no snow canons in sight because there was no need for them. The glacier was in all its glory and there was already plenty of snow at the end of October. Fifteen years later, the snow is artificial and the glacier is more than ten meters thinner. Snow canons are everywhere. Every year, when I come to Soelden, I realize just how serious the effects of global warming are. When you see a once majestic glacier disappear a bit more every year, right before your eyes, it becomes obvious why environmentalists are sounding the alarm. Earth needs our help!

In the last weeks before the season opening, high-level skiers always prepare on European glaciers, such as Pitztal, Zermatt, Saas Fee and Moelltal. Each year, there are more injuries caused by stones on the slopes, that sometimes lead to open wounds. Skis are often damaged too, which is also a problem. The question is: how will skiers prepare for the season when glaciers will be history and summer training will no longer be an option?

The snow coverage is shrinking dramatically from year to year. Consequently, the Earth doesn’t reflect as much sunlight, the heat is absorbed and this produces climate change. From a skier’s point of view, this is not good news. We can expect to ski less in the next few years, and might not ski at all in a couple of decades. At least not in a conventional way. Perhaps large conditioned halls will open, or maybe we will ski on other surfaces…

If you remember on thing of this post, it must be that snow is important for all of us. Let’s join up and work together for Earth’s better-being. Lets recycle, drive eco-friendly vehicles, turn off unnecessary lights and appliances and, in general, rationalize our consumption of goods. We can bring these little changes in our lives, but big steps need to be taken by governments all over the world… It might already be too late.

For summer 2009, Méribel offered Segway circuits to its visitor for the first time. Different activities using these ”standing scooters“ were proposed from initiation courses (5€ for about10minutes) to discovery guided tours (40€/person for 2 hours in groups of 5). These vehicles’ speed is limited to 5-6 km/h, which is the average human walk speed.

Since Méribel always keeps in mind the environment when developing activities for its visitors, Segway tours is a very suitable choice. These allow safe guided “walks“ that respect the calm and quietness of the nature, and are not disturbing for walkers and other users of the paths.

Méribel is studying the possibility to make its Segway fleet available for winter activities as well. Fiss, in Austria, started last year with this winter discipline, but Méribel would be the first French ski resort to offer it. To see what it would look like, here’s a video prepared by Fiss:

While it definitely would be interesting to try riding a Segway, I somehow feel it shouldn’t be considered as a “discipline“. I fail to see what’s the added value of using a Segway at 5-6 km/h to discover the natural beauties of a region, compared to a good old promenade on foot on the paths. More expensive, less physical, more attention put to going around and less on what’s going on around…

What do you think?

Since I try to be the greenest possible at home (I recycle, make compost, cycle around town, buy local, etc.), I wanted to also ski green this winter. I quickly realized that green travel demands lots of planning so if you are also interested on skiing or boarding green (or at least greener) here are a few interesting leads you should start to think about.

When planning, make green choices

• Choose a destination closer to your place of residence.
• Choose train over car or plane, if possible.
• Choose a pedestrian resort such as Avoriaz, in France, or Saalbach, in Austria.
• Choose an accommodation close enough to the slopes so you don’t have to ride the shuttle bus.

On your way to the resort, move green

Travelling in itself implies the use of a mean of transportation: plane, bus or car. Except if you want to reach the ski resort by bicycle, your only option is to “offset” your emission.

• Plant trees in an equivalent amount to the carbon footprint of your transport.
• Buy carbon offsets from a recognized organization.

Calculate the carbon footprint your chosen means of transportation here.

In the resort, live green

• Choose privately owned restaurants, not chains, and prefer establishments where locally grown food is served.
• Opt for public transport, the ski bus or train, instead of renting a car.
• To discover certain natural beauties off the slopes, opt for snowshoes instead of a snowmobile. It’s certainly slower, but it’s quieter and you have better chances to spot an animal or a bird on your way.
• Choose green excursions and activities, most local tourism offices can tell you information about which companies are offering them.

On the slopes, ski or snowboard green

• Don’t litter, keep candy packages, lunch bags and other wastes in your pocket until you can dispose of it in a trash bin.
• Stay on marked pistes and, if you like freeriding, avoid breaking anything (branches, posts, etc.)

At night, sleep green

• Choose a hotel part of the BIO-Hotel Association or other recognized associations.
• Choose a locally owned hotel or bed and breakfast that respect high water-saving and energy-saving standards, even if it doesn’t have any certification.

Find the right compromise, the shade of green that fits you

I will not lie to you and tell you that I will exchange my 7-day ski vacation in the French Alps for a snowshoeing expedition in the city park!

Well… I think there is no perfect solution but every green action counts so I’ll start small this year, I’ll go to a car-free resort and find a green hotel to stay in. And you, what do you plan to do to ski or snowboard green?

Some experts are saying the global warming is threatening the ski industry in the Alps, as you could read in the British newspaper The Independent on the 16th of June 2009. In very very short, this article says that the effects of global warming are already visible on the European ski slopes and it should not get any better any time soon. I suggest you take a look at the article, but also read the comments left by readers at the end of the article. Some of them are calling the article alarmist, some are supporting it but mostly, some readers are advancing interesting arguments to support their views, whether they agree with the article or not.

I think that, no matter how much we believe in the threat of global warming, it’s better to play it safe.  In response to the climate change warnings, and to make sure I would still get to go on ski vacations in the future, I have adopted in the past few years a few eco-friendly habits (mostly in the recycling and green transport areas) and I think I’m not the only one.

Any of you mountain sport lovers has adopted in your everyday life behaviours that are more respectful of the environment?