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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?

…been there, done that, and loved it!

To get our share of fresh air, my companion and I spent four days in Innsbruck this summer.

On Monday, we arrive late and under pouring rain. After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we go to the tourist office to buy the 3-day Innsbruck card (€35/person) and 3 hours of wireless internet access (only €5,90: way cheaper than the one provided by our hotel). The Innsbruck card gives to its holder access to all public transport of the region, including the trams linking to neighboring villages, to all lifts (one ascent and one descent per lift) and all museums. This card is actually the way to go if you plan on using lifts because otherwise, it takes only two rides to spend more than €35…  We then find an appropriate restaurant and dine… In terms of dining out, Innsbruck has a dozens of restaurant to choose from, from Thai cuisine to traditional Austrian cuisine. Even though I’m not a big fan of Austrian cuisine, we always find something pleasant. Note that sadly, like in most of Austria, the city becomes very very quiet after 8 or 9pm.

Since clouds are low and rain is to be expected, we decide to dedicate Tuesday to the visit Innsbruck and some of its museums. Touristy and very well maintained, the older part of Innsbruck is interesting and small enough to easily be visited on foot. In my opinion, the museum of the Golden Roof is the only one really worth seeing, and a climb up the stairs of Stadtturm (the town tower) is definitely worth the sweat. If you cannot or do not want to go up all those stairs (140+), you can head to the 360° Bar. The view is not quite as nice as from the tower, but at least the climb to the 7th floor is done by elevator.

Wednesday, the clouds finally lift and we can admire Innsbruck under the sun, surrounded by majestic mountains. We take the tram from the city center to the village of Mutters, where we ride the Muttereralm lift up to 1,600m and then walk the Innsbruck Almenweg. I say walk instead of hike because it’s almost on flat land, cows and sheep are met along the way and many parts are accessible to strollers and wheelchairs. It was pleasant but not very demanding, and the poorly done marking of the trails made us at all time wonder it we were on the right path.

Thursday, we decide to discover the Nordpark so we take the cable railway from the Innsbruck Congress Center up to 860m (section Hungerburg), and then a cable car to 1,905m (section Seegrube) and a second one to 2,256m (section Hafelekar). The panorama offered at that height is breathtaking. We then ride the lift back down to 1,905m, where we have lunch in a mountain hut and hike down to 860m. There is some nice hiking to be done but to our greatest surprise and disappointment, here too the trail marking is confusing. From 860m, we go back on the cable railway and make a stop-over at the Alpenzoo. Mostly for kids, the Alpenzoo presents alpine animals (bears, wild cats, wolves, different species of birds, etc.). It is a clean zoo and animals can enjoy reasonable living space. One last short ride on the cable railway and we are back in the city.

Will we return to Innsbruck? I’m not sure we would go back in summer (after all, been there done that) but probably in winter to ski, admire a completely different scenery and meet a different crowd.

Get more information about sights and hikes in and around Innsbruck here.
Get information and book your accommodation in Innsbruck here.

Not sure what you want to do during the gap year you were sooo looking forward to six months ago? More and more young people put their gap year to profit to take courses and become a qualified ski instructor. Oh and obviously, you don’t have to get the qualification close to home!

Once again, The Skiing Department Blog offers great insight and info on the topic, with links to a few establishment offering ski instructor courses. See the post here.
Note that only one of the schools listed offers training in the Alps (in Verbier and Saas-Fee): the Warren Smith Academy.

1 area, 2 countries, 12 resorts-villages, countless activities included.

In my opinion, the Multi Pass Portes du Soleil is THE tool to fully take advantage of mountain holidays in the Portes du Soleil area, whether you intend to visit the French side, the Swiss side, or both. Valid until September 21st, visitors can by it at local lift and tourist offices. A day pass costs 6€ and a season pass, 50€, but if you stay at one of the numerous participating accommodations, it will cost you as little as 1€ per day of your stay to access all included activities.

The Multi Pass Portes du Soleil is valid in:
France: Abondance, Avoriaz, Châtel, La Chapelle d’Abondance, Les Gets, Montriond, Morzine, Saint Jean d’Aulps.
Switzerland: Champéry, Morgins, Torgon, Val-d’Illiez - Les Crosets -  Champoussin.

It grants its beholder unlimited access to the following installations in each of the above-mentioned resorts: tennis courts, swimming pools, mountain-lifts, bus shuttles, cultural sites and tourist road trains.

I actually fail to see why anyone would visit the Portes du Soleil area this summer and NOT get a Multipass, at least for a few days!

Don’t let your carefully planned mountain vacations be jeopardized by one or a few days of rain. If many activities cannot be conducted when it’s raining or on soaking-wet ground because it’s dangerous or simply unpleasant (mountaineering, mountain biking, etc.), most resorts are packed with interesting rainy day options.
Here is what I consider doing when weather isn’t cooperating:

1- Make the most of what you pay for
Whether you chose to rent a self-catered apartment in France or a suite in a 4-stars hotel in Switzerland, accommodations usually offer many facilities and equipments to occupy their customers’ rainy days. Get informed about the indoor pool, the sauna, the table tennis room, and also about the possibility to borrow books and board games. Catch up on your emails or plan the rest of you vacation on the internet in your accommodation’s WiFi zone. Hey, most of if is already included in your accommodation price anyway!

2- Take care of yourself
Head for one of the spas of the resort and choose a full- or half-day treatment with your other half.
For example the Aqua Dome in Sölden, Austria, offers many services, ranging from thermal spa treatments to hairstyling.

3- See the latest blockbuster
If like me you never have time to go to the movies at home, take advantage of a alpine vacation rainy day to hit the cinema and watch the latest blockbusters.
Cinemas in the mountains are plenty. There is a cinema in four of the five resorts forming Les Arcs, in France, and the very distinguished Crans Montana, in Switzerland, event has its own.

4- Learn more
Visit the museums in your resort, on your own or with a guide. It will allow you to learn more about the region you are in and the people who live there.
For example, here is a descriptive listing of the museums found in Valmeinier region, in France.

5- Be lazy
If you have no kids, stay in bed, read, watch TV (maybe in a foreign language), take a long bath, try the room service.

6- Be active
To keep your mountain holidays active, you can head for the sport center of your resort. Sport centers offer varied activities, from climbing walls to swimming pools, from badminton and tennis courts to football fields.
To take a look at the offer diversity, you can consult the list of indoor sport centers in Val Gardena, in Italy.

In my family, raining certainly rimes more with exciting than with boring! Any suggestions to keep busy during rainy days?

… and how to rent it right!

Whether you plan on going abroad to enjoy new mountain bike trails, or taking part in a bike tour through the Alps, organised or not, you will need a bike!

If you already own a bike, you had it specially upgraded to suit your personal preferences, you looooove it and do not want to ride anything else then, if the type of bike you own suits the type of cycling you intend to do, just bring it! Verify the requirement of the carrier you are using (airplane, bus or train), as you might be required to put your bicycle in a bag or box. If you intend to use a bike only for occasional strolls, check with your accommodation provider, as many offer a free bike loan service or ask their guests for a very small contribution.

In any other case, bike rental might just be the perfect solution for you, whether you intend to go mountain biking or cycling through the alpine passes.

Here are the 5 steps to follow when making a bike reservation:

1. Decide what kind of bicycle and accessories you need/want. A mountain bike, a road bike or a hybrid? With shock absorbers in the front, front and back or none? What about a basket, a helmet and saddlebags? Toe clips and clipless pedals have a very useful purpose, to allow you to exert pressure on both the up and down pedal strokes, but if you are not used to riding with them, they could make your first days cycling or riding a bit hazardous.
2. Choose your bike rental shop, of course the closer to your biking destination, the better. If a friend can recommend a shop, take his/her advice. That way, you are sure of the quality of the rental equipment. If not, go on the net, the regional tourist office can certainly provide you with a list of rental shops close by. As an example, take a look at the 2 Alpes presentation of its MTB shops.
3. Make sure to reserve ahead your bicycle and all other equipment you intend to rent, by telephone of email. Be as descriptive as you can while making your reservation and don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you think they might sound “stupid”. Ask for an email confirmation, print it out and bring it with you when reaching your destination.
4. Pick up your wheels. Make sure the bike you get is the one you reserved, and that all extra equipment you asked for, if any, has been installed. Verify the cleanliness of the chain and if it has been lubricated. It is strongly suggested that you ride the bike around the parking lot before leaving the shop, to try every gear, not forgetting the brakes. Listen for any squeaking, creaking or rubbing noises while testing the bike. If anything feels or sounds wrong, immediately ask a store employee to take a look.
5. Pay, strap your helmet on, and enjoy.

Or how to choose the right booking platform to avoid bad surprises and save time and money.

Hundreds Thousands of booking platforms are now found on the internet. What makes some better than others? Who should choose which kind of platform?

Some platforms boast a very wide general offer (ex: Booking.com), some are location-specific (ex: londonhotels.com), others are budget-specific (ex: eurocheapo.com or luxurytravel.com), and finally, some hotels and other types of accommodation also have their own booking platform (ex: ichotelsgroup.com).
+ Good if you already chose your exact destination, know what you are going to do there, how much you are ready to spend on accommodation, or exactly which accommodation you want to stay in (ex.: for a business trip or to visit family). Most platforms provide relevant enough information and customer reviews about accommodations.
- No sensible data about the destinations and the offered activities, usually no customer reviews of the destinations. On these, you cannot find turn-key holiday packages and the customer service is often poor or even non-existent.

Some booking platforms are presenting an offer specific to a certain type of holiday: ski holidays, seaside vacations, golf holidays, etc. (ex: onBeach.com and MountVacation.com)
+ The information about each destination is very complete, so you don’t to lose time searching on different websites about the installations and services offered at each. Packages are often available, which allows a very simple vacation planning as well as some savings on the individual cost of services. You can also buy à-la-carte all you need for your perfect holiday, on the same website and in one transaction. Here’s an example of how simple it gets:  if you want to go ski or mountain bike, you want to get extensive information about the different resorts in the region you intend to visit. You might also want to buy lift/ski passes or organize the equipment rental for your family and not search for hours on the net. And what about reading reviews of the resorts and accommodations, all relevant because all written by skiers or mountain bikers?
In short, a holiday type-specific booking platform is the best way to easily organize your vacation. Oh, and the customer service is usually better because reps understand your needs and interests.
- If you know what type of holiday you want to spend (ski, beach, hiking, etc.) there is actually no downside to choosing a holiday type-oriented booking platform. And if booking your holiday is not as simple as presented above, it’s probably that you are on a booking platform of poor quality,  choose another one. One last advice, don’t go to MountVacation.com to look for any holiday on flat land!

Any horror stories to share about dealing with online booking platforms?

You’ve been dreaming for years of a mountain biking vacation in the French Alps. This year, you finally have the time to go but are looking for ways to save money. Our suggestion: start planning now! Here is why:

1. The prices of flights tend to go up as the departure date gets closer. Since mountain biking requires some part of planning, waiting for the super last minute discounted stand-by tickets is not the best idea.
2. Most rent-a-cars offer reduced prices or free upgrades for those of us who plans our trips early.
3. Accommodation providers can offer up to 15% of reduction for early birds. More accommodation options at a generally lower price, does it sound good to anyone?
4. By browsing the web, you can discover events to which you want to attend or workshops you would like to sign up for. Places are often limited and prices can be lower if you purchase your tickets before.
5. Also get informed about your resort’s event calendar if you don’t want to participate to any, to make sure NOT to book during those periods. You will avoid surcharges and line ups. Read this short article about the summer events of Les 2 Alpes, in France. You will notice that in this premium summer destinations, where 4 major mountain bike and cycling events take place this year, you need to carefully choose your travel dates to make (save) the most of it.