Ski resort Sustainable development

Discover how we are committed to a global logic of sustainable development via numerous actions that we have implemented and continue to implement: environmental observatory, electric urban transport, green energy…

After being the largest linked ski area to obtain the Green Globe label in 2016, Val d’Isère is committed to a global logic of sustainable development common to all the resort’s players.

Tignes - Val d'Isère A green flake territory

Tignes and Val d’Isère were awarded the Flocon Vert label on November 25, 2022, as part of the International Festival of Mountain Professions held in Chambéry. This labeling of the territory by the Mountain Riders association is the result of a sharp audit, saluting the commitment of the two communes to their unique environment and their overall approach to sustainable development.

This label is inspired by best practices in environmental, social and economic transition. It is awarded based on compliance with 20 criteria related to sustainable development including, for example, support for local initiatives, soft mobility, recycling, energy management or even respect for biodiversity. Val d’Isère is committed to the themes of soft mobility and transport, energy and transition and sustainable initiatives with, in particular, its Vie Val d’Is association.

The Lost Village Immersion in the forest

Inaugurated in December 2021, “Le Village Perdu” is a free outdoor playground and relaxation area located at an altitude of 2000 m, in the heart of the larch trees of the Etroits forest. In winter as well as in summer, you can evolve in the middle of the trees on suspended footbridges, leading from hut to hut towards the eagle’s nest. The space has been designed in a sustainable way, in agreement and with the support of the Office National des Forêts and the Régie des Pistes, without clearing or terracing, with larch as the only material (from the Alps; this guarantees the durability of the installations).

The La Daille cable car

It optimizes the flow of skiers in this sector: thanks to a flow of 2,500 people per hour for the gondola alone, the chairlifts and ski lifts that served this part of the domain have been eliminated. The result is a reduction in the number of towers, 40 less, which gives the La Daille sector a more natural look.

Damage to the HVO

The 17 groomers of our Régie des Pistes and the 12 groomers of Val d’Isère Téléphériques have switched to HVO biofuel this winter in accordance with the commitments of Compagnie des Alpes. Made from 100% renewable sources, from waste grease and used vegetable oil, and without palm oil, this substitute for diesel reduces CO2 emissions by 90% and fine particles by 65%.

Our other actions

Involve skiers in the eco-responsible approach
The pylons of the Marmottes chairlift, in the Bellevarde sector, are used to raise awareness about eco-responsibility. 10 tarpaulins follow one another in the form of a knowledge test to make people think about their own impact on the environment. We learn that it takes 2 years for a cigarette butt to degrade in nature, 200 to 500 years for a can and some 4000 years for a glass bottle.
The snowmaking network
With one of the most efficient snow workshops in Europe, the investment is substantial on the Val d’Isère snow network. The OK slope will be completely replaced in autumn 2019 for a budget of 1.5 million euros. The objective is to reduce the air/water ratio to allow the new snow guns to produce more in less time. Today’s state-of-the-art snow guns use half as much water to produce twice as much snow as 20 years ago.
Green energy
Since 2012, Val d’Isère Téléphériques has had a green electricity contract via its energy supplier to power the ski lifts and snow guns.
208: that’s the number of photovoltaic panels installed on the facade (82, in 2021) and roof (126, in 2022) of the L’Olympique Cable Car arrival station. This represents an area of 156m2 on the facade and 246m2 on the roof.
Urban transport continues its transformation: electric & HVO
The arrival of 2 electric shuttles, IVECO manufactured in France, represents the first step in the renewal of the ValBus fleet, following a test in December 2021 in Val d’Isère. This change will make it possible to reduce the free shuttle service’s greenhouse gas emissions by 90%. This choice is in line with the approach of Compagnie des Alpes – of which Val d’Isère Téléphériques is a subsidiary – to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2030. A first step was taken in 2019 when the Valbus fleet switched to GTL (Gas-To-Liquids), reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. This winter, the rest of the shuttle fleet is switching to synthetic biofuel HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil produced from waste), which reduces CO2 emissions by 90% and fine particles by 65%. By 2025, there will be 15 electric buses that will travel through the village and its hamlets.

The Environment Observatory

Since 2014, Val d’Isère Téléphériques has had a fauna and flora observation program on the ski area, a sign of the company’s commitment to preserving sensitive environments, protected species and the environmental integration of projects and infrastructure. Ecologists patrol the area to identify all the species present and areas to be preserved. Since 2016 with the Vanoise National Park, the Régie des Pistes and the Val d’Isère Town Hall, Val d’Isère Téléphériques has been participating in the preservation of the black grouse by continuing to set up protected areas in off-piste sectors such as the Cairn forest, the Cognon wood or the Gardes bend.

Here are two examples of concrete actions carried out by the Val d’Isère Téléphériques Environmental Observatory:

Quantification of the recolonization of the Swedish Silene after the Solaise gondola work.

Result: a few years later, there are as many Silene as before.

Every year, a Karum landscaper comes to Val d’Isère to monitor and study the areas of the ski area that can be resodded (like Datcha in the summer of 2021).