snowcarbon.co.uk wants to get Brits to the Alps without leaving the ground

A new UK-based website is attempting to be a one-stop shop for train trips to ski destinations in the Alps.

It’s called Snowcarbon, and it explains exactly how to book rail journeys, how to get the best fares, and which resorts are easiest to reach by train. Founded by two respected national travel journalists, the site purports to fill a vital gap. Before it, there was no single source of information about rail travel to ski resorts.

Snowcarbon features 30 resorts across Europe, from Andorra to Austria, plus France, Italy and Switzerland, all of which can be conveniently, quickly and cheaply reached by train. The site also features independent resort reviews written by leading ski journalists, as well as a sophisticated Resort Finder and unique email alerts that send users an email reminder on the day the lowest fares are available for their journey.

The site aims to encourage skiers and snowboarders to abandon increasingly stressful and expensive journeys by air in favour of the train. Environmental benefits are also there when the carbon footprint of a trip by plane to a ski resort is typically 10 times greater than the equivalent rail journey. According to the Agence De l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie, a French government agency, 73 per cent of a typical ski resort’s carbon footprint is made up by the journeys of tourists take to get there.

The rail journeys detailed are comfortable and stress-free. Couples, groups and families will love the space and freedom on board, and children under four travel for free on all UK and European trains. With vistas of lakes and mountains, the scenery is spectacular and by travelling overnight in a couchette, you can get two extra days on the slopes.

Many resorts have mainline railway stations – including St Moritz in Switzerland, St Anton in Austria and Chamonix in France – so the transfer from train to ski accommodation takes only a few minutes. Some resorts can be reached directly from London without a change of train, including Tignes, Meribel and Courchevel.

Surveys suggest that skiers and snowboarders are keen to take the train, but don’t have the necessary information or encouragement. A survey in 2005 by the Ski Club of Great Britain found that 68% of its members would prefer to travel to resorts by train.

A comparison of a door-to-door journey between London and Sauze d’Oulx, Italy, booked 5 weeks in advance, found the flight took 10 hours, rail travel 11 hours, 30 minutes. The flight costs £217 (including train to Gatwick, minibus transfer to resort, luggage charges), the train £178 (including private taxi transfer to resort, Metro fare in Paris). The carbon footprint for the flight was 96.8kg CO2, train 11.1kg CO2 (Car would be 227.1kg CO2 per car, by Eurotunnel).

Snowcarbon also offers practical advice on how to change trains in Paris. Precise Metro changes or private taxis that meet you on the platform can be pre-booked using a simple email form. There’s a guide to how to get the lowest fares from London to European ski resorts (from £99 return). The site also has a guide to UK tour operators that feature rail-inclusive packages and that offer non-flight discounts as well as information and links for booking accommodation independently.

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