Even the black slopes are green: my eco-friendly skiing break in Austria
Even the black slopes are green: my eco-friendly skiing break in Austria
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The carbon footprint of a skiing holiday can be as deep as a crevasse, but one Austrian resort with sustainability at its heart is mitigating its impact. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.
![[Travel ski austria]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27aeddafba915ee3b6b0ef6b24eea533d8f1c7d1/0_0_967_437/master/967.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The view takes me aback. Not the panorama of 80 snow-capped, jagged peaks that top 3,000 metres, nor the lone skier carving perfect turns down a forest-fringed piste. They are lovely, of course, but the important view, the one that few winter sports enthusiasts will ever get to see, is behind a nondescript door next to the bakery that’s tucked beside the ski lift station in the bottom of this valley. In here may lie the answer to the question that brought me to Austria’s SkiWelt region: is it possible to ski green?.
![[Mario Gruber, managing director for Bergbahnen Söll.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e97086aa92b98d3423c65802a6e2f8cfd46e7303/0_152_4032_2419/master/4032.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
I’ve always been a sceptic on that front. Skiing feels like the greatest possible waste of earthly resources for the benefit of a privileged few. From its consumer-porn stores filled with the latest in space-age clothing to its ugly clanking lifts, overheated hotels and casual use of helicopters, the entire industry is one giant middle finger to a burning planet, isn’t it?.
![[New solar powered ski chair lift in SkiWelt.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0f4bc364c571dcb04acc01190a3f2ea2be131b2c/0_0_2767_1661/master/2767.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Mario Gruber doesn’t think so. He’s managing director for Bergbahnen Söll, a significant part of SkiWelt, home to 171 miles (275km) of piste, 80 mountain huts and 81 ski lifts. Sitting in his office beside that bakery near the Söll ski lift, he is watching two large flat screens. “At any one time we can tell the snow depth of any location,” he says. He turns to the other screen, flicking between a complex diagram of a hydro-engineering mechanism, water flow charts and a weather map. “Here I can get weather forecasts for different altitudes, also the power we have available from our lakes and new hydro plant. Then I can work out if we need snow, how much of it, and the power required. If a snow cannon is needed, then it’s used minimally – and all the water and power is local and renewable. No additives. No extras.”.
![[Kevin Rushby during a ski lesson.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/85b621ff8195f104978c202bafee15a7c66a74ba/0_353_3578_2147/master/3578.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
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