Les Arcs already has an excellent reputation for sustainability. Ski Flight Free founder Iain Martin visited in December 2019 to check out the new 100% electric funicular that takes skiers direct from Bourg St Maurice to Les Arcs 1600. The new zero-emission funicular (running on 100% renewable electricity) opened yesterday. It takes just 7 minutes to...
While at Ski Flight Free we do not advocate taking a flight to the States (a return flight to Denver generates over 1200 tonnes of CO2), we do recognise the good work on climate change undertaken by Aspen Snowmass. Give a Flake Their ‘Give a Flake’ campaign is an excellent example of how ski resorts...
Last weekend the new ‘Verbier Express’ train service started, linking Geneva to Verbier with direct trains, instead of changing at Martigny. The service is aimed at day-trippers from the Swiss city and will run at weekends and certain public holidays. 90% of visitors to Verbier arrive by car Verbier is hoping to encourage more skiers...
The new Geneva to Chamonix train service – the Léman Express – is due to open on 15 December 2019. The service will make it easier for skiers and snowboarders who want to travel by train to Chamonix, as well as the resorts of the Grand Massif (Flaine, Les Carroz, Samoens) and the Portes du...
I’ve heard several people say “Well, I would take the train, but it costs so much more than flying.” However, while this may be true in certain circumstances my blog post last month showed that it’s certainly not always the case. In that case, I looked at the equivalent cost of travelling to Les Arcs...
If you’re planning a train trip to the Alps this winter, you might find this new map from ‘2theAlps’ useful. ‘The Alps – Skiing by Train’ covers 200 resorts in seven countries across the Alps from France to Slovenia via Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Italy. Over 100 rail-served resorts included Over 100 rail-served resorts...
It’s been great to see some excellent support for the Ski Flight Free campaign in the specialist ski industry press, as well as the national papers. Maybe you read about Ski Flight Free in one of these articles: If you know of any other press mentions for...
Another alternative to flying to your ski holiday is travelling by coach. Many skiers and snowboarders might only have travelled by coach to a ski resort while at university, or perhaps in the 1980s with companies like Redwing or Ski West. However, coach travel to the Alps is a great way to reduce the carbon...
I was at the London Ski & Snowboard Festival last month. It has its critics, but I always enjoy catching up with other people in the industry, and also having the chance to meet the people that mean there is a ski business at all – the holiday-taking public. London is the only remaining consumer...
You can have the greatest impact on your carbon footprint by reducing the number of flights you take but changing your diet can help too. Recently I stopped drinking dairy milk and moved to oat milk. That’s when I came across Oatly. You may know the brand: their advertising stands out. These are two of my...
It was great to see this article by Ski Flight Free founder Iain Martin published by The Telegraph this week. Under the title ‘Climate change could kill the ski industry – so take the train to the Alps this winter’, Iain explains his motivations for setting up the Ski Flight Free campaign. It’s the well-educated...
A question often asked is whether it costs more to travel to the Alps by train? The answer might surprise you. Two reasons people often give for continuing to fly and not travelling by train is that it will 1) cost more 2) take longer But while it will typically take longer to take the...
