Last weekend I travelled to Les Arcs on the inaugural Travelski Express train service, direct from London St Pancras to Bourg St Maurice.
You can find out more about the experience of travelling overnight on the train in my article for InTheSnow Magazine, this video or in the podcast I published about it for The Ski Podcast.
Free funicular from Bourg to Les Arcs
Another advantage of travelling by train to Les Arcs is that your journey on the funicular from Bourg St Maurice to Les Arcs is free.
This is a new policy that Les Arcs have introduced this year, as part of their commitment to take the resort further to a sustainable model, continuing the work that led to their accreditation as a ‘Flocon Vert’ resort.
They want to incentivize travellers to minimise their emissions and the simplest way to do this is to travel by train.
The 100% electric funicular from Bourg to Les Arcs
“Small streams become big rivers”
I’ve included a photo of my ticket below, including the message:
“Merci d’avoir contribué à notre ambition de neutralité carbone” (Thank you for contributing to our ambition of carbon neutrality)
The ticket also includes a quote from French writer Antoine Furetière:
“Les petites ruisseaux font les grandes rivières”
Literally this translates to “small streams make but big rivers”, but we might say the same in English with the expression “From small acorns, great oak trees grow”
Zero Plastic goal
Other policies that Les Arcs have employed this winter include their drive towards ‘zero plastic’. They are encouraging holidaymakers to use flasks and drink tap water as an alternative to buying single-use bottles.
Water fountains have been made available in the tourist office and around resort to make this easier.
They have also begun selling their own water bottle, branded ‘Eau des Arcs’.
“A model of sustainable tourism”
The above measures are all part of a continual programme to make the destination a model of sustainable tourism.
They have also introduced a moratorium on new construction and are integrating solutions for the production of renewable energy across Les Arcs’ existing buildings.
