Solden has announced that summer glacier skiing is officially a thing of the past. Global warming has forced them to focus on winter months.

Solden ski resort in Austria has decided not to offer summer skiing anymore leaving only 17 ski resorts open for business in 7 countries around the world. That’s a 50 per cent drop since the peak of the mid 1990’s when there were more than 40 resorts in the northern hemisphere offering summer skiing.

Continue reading ‘Global warming claims Solden glacier business’

Bansko villagers look over water damage after floods

Dozens of hotels and houses flooded, streets and pavements destroyed, vehicles smashed and an avalanche of mud. This was the aftermath of a mighty river bursting its banks on the night last May 17^th, in Bansko, Bulgaria’s upmarket winter resort in the Pirin Mountains.
Continue reading ‘Flood in Bansko ski resort ravages dozens of newly built hotels’

La Plagne goes green

In an ever expanding trend to cut back on paper, La Plagne is pushing ahead with plans to produce printed brochures or promotional collateral effective next season.

Continue reading ‘La Plagne goes paperless for 2010-11′

A recent study points to a 1.5 C increase in temperature. Chamonix is embarking on a major assault to combat climate change.

Studies at Chamonix have determined that the average temperature in the famous French resort has risen by 1.5 degrees in the past century and the resort is actively seeking to do its bit to combat climate change. Continue reading ‘Chamonix launches active campaign to fight climate change’

Sata Lift Company in Alpe d'Huez earns triple certification

The S.A.T.A (ski lift company) which runs the lifts and maintains the pistes at Alpe d’Huez has earned three separate levels of certification for its service management.

The company is now certified in terms of quality (ISO 9001), as well as in environmental management (ISO 14001) and security (OHSAS 18001). Continue reading ‘Alpe d’Huez lift company gets triple eco certification’

More than 15,000 people supported a petition to ban heliskiing in Switzerland.

Even though the ski season has ended, intrepid skiers and thrill seekers can still access the high alpine and access pristine mountainside sides by helicopter. An estimated 15,000 trips are completed each year in Switzerland, taking snow thrill seekers to glaciers that are not otherwise accessible by cable or alpine car.

Continue reading ‘Pressure grows to ban Swiss heliskiing’

Vitosha mountain in summer.

More than 40,000 people have signed a petition protesting against the planned expansion of Vitosha ski area in Bulgaria.

Increasingly vocal environmental campaigners said that the proposed expansion of the ski runs and lifts, with resulting deforestation, was illegal, when it submitted the petition to the Bulgarian government this week.

The protests began in 2008 when lift operator Vitosha Ski reportedly cleared about two hectares of mountainside for new lifts and runs. It plans to expand the ski area by about 60 hectares, felling 33,000 trees in the process.

Continue reading ‘Petition surfaces fighting Bulgarian ski area expansion’