Green Ski Touring

Here are some handy hints to help you minimise the impact of your next ski touring holiday. It is not hard to make big difference.

• Go closer to home, and use our tools for muchbetter travel. Unless you live on a remote desert island you don't need to fly to get to some incredible skiing. Ski transfers and local buses are perfect for getting about too - no need to hire a car.
• If you will be based out of a resort, go to the greener ski resorts. Some are going more than others to minimise the impact of a very damaging industry. They deserve to  be rewarded.
  
• If you are doing it in style, stay in an eco-friendly lodge or chalet (like the ones you find here). It uses a lot of energy and water to run a typical mountain lodge, so staying with the guys who do things more cleanly and efficiently will make a big difference and encourages others to improve.
• Try to plan an itinerary from as close to your accommodation as possible. Try to start from low down as the sensation of climbing up through the trees is as great one. What's more it's cheating to start your tour on a lift... though we have all been there once.
• Buy local, fresh and minimally packaged. It is as important at home as on holiday that your money is going into the right hands.
• Don't ski too early or late in the season, you'll damage your skis as well as life sleeping or waking below the thin layer of snow
• Never leave your litter after a picnic.
• Avoid animal habitats. Animals must move slowly in the winter due to limited foraging options. They use an incredible amount of this limited winter energy running startled in the snow away from the sudden arrival of a skier.
• Use eco waxes on your skis - and remember, you should not wax your touring skis nearly as much as your alpine ones, otherwise your skins will not stick so well - it's a fine balance!
• Understand the animals and plants of the area you visit, and protect them.

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