In Austria, in the Zell am See-Kaprun region, at a time of global warming, the Kitzsteinhorn station wants to show that a more sustainable model is possible.
At the Kitzsteinhorn resort in the Zell am See-Kaprun region of Austria, the ski lifts are powered by green electricity and some of the snow groomers by fuel produced from vegetable oil, which is believed to reduce CO2 emissions . Austria is the second largest ski destination in the world behind the United States.
At a time of global warming and melting snow, the Kitzsteinhorn resort wants to turn to a more sustainable model. “Our technologies for snowmaking and slope preparation are now essentially digitized, explains Kitzsteinhorn station manager Norbert Karlsböck. This allows us to observe very precisely where it has snowed and how much, in order to produce only what is strictly necessary. We also try to snow only when the temperatures are ideal.”
Skiers support this policy in favor of the environment
Another crucial point: transport. From the station, buses take you to the foot of the slopes, it’s even free if you have a ski pass. Many of the skiers we met seemed unaware of this, some nonetheless appreciate the resort’s efforts to promote a more sustainable model. “You can take the bus from just about anywhere, it’s very easy, ensures a skier. I think moving away from the car in favor of trains and buses is the future, especially in this kind of place.”
“I hope it will also happen in France and other countries.”
A tourist at Kitzsteinhornat franceinfo
Another skier also appreciates these small gestures in favor of the environment: “I am very sensitive to the protection of the environment, so I am careful where I go. I think the protection of glaciers is extremely important, so we need to find a more ecological model for skiing.”
The resort’s efforts are hailed by experts like Oliver Fritz, of the Wifo Institute, but he also believes it is necessary to think in the longer term because there will, in any case, be less snow in the future. in Austria because of global warming. “We have to ask ourselves what tourism will look like in a world marked by climate change, think about it in depth, and think about possible alternatives to the tourist activities we are used to like alpine skiing. So there is still a lot to do.”
“A region like this lives in part from its glacier. However, it is bound to disappear sooner or later, the ski resort will then no longer be the same at all.”
Oliver Fritz, Wifo Instituteat franceinfo
The challenge is also economic for Austria, a country where tourism represents 7.5% of GDP and 330,000 full-time jobs.