Sustainable Skiing Tips
Skiing and Snowboarding are 2 of our favourite activities. We love nothing more than being on the slopes and enjoying a spot of Aprés Ski at the end of the day.
With this in mind, though, we are acutely aware that we can always do more when it comes to eco-friendly skiing.
The sustainable skiing tips in this article are designed to encourage you to become a more environmentally conscious skier. After all, our planet is the outdoor winter playground we love so much, so it pays to treat it well.
If you want to learn some handy tips and tricks for skiing sustainably, you’ve come to the right place.
So, let’s dive into: Sustainable Skiing Tips
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Riding the Gondola at Lake Louise Ski Resort - Canada
Sustainable Skiing Tips
As mentioned, skiing and snowboarding are 2 of our favourite activities. Nothing gives us greater pleasure than getting out into the snow on a cold wintery morning and keeping warm by carving up the slopes together.
We enjoyed working a ski season in Canada a few years ago, and ever since, we have longed to return to living in the mountains. Working a ski season together is an excellent gap year idea for couples, and thankfully, it is surprisingly easy to find ski season jobs as a couple.
As with any form of travel and/or outdoor pursuit, though, it is vitally important that we all work on ways to become more sustainable skiers. By keeping these skiing sustainability tips in mind, you are helping to do your bit for the planet and make skiing a more sustainable sport for future generations to enjoy.
Buy your Ski Gear from Sustainable Brands
When considering what you should buy before your first ski season, it is important to consider buying clothing from sustainable outdoor brands.
Sometimes, paying that little bit extra for your ski gear is worth it when you get the guarantee it’s made in an environmentally conscious manner.
As we all know, there are many different elements to the full ski gear for the season, so trying to reduce your impact through sourcing sustainable baselayers, outer layers, goggles, helmets, skis and bags is going to have a significant bearing on your goal to become a sustainable skier.
Some of our favourite sustainable brands for Ski Gear are: Patagonia, RAB and Osprey, all 3 are industry-leaders when it comes to sustainable outdoor brands. For skis, we recommend looking at Grown Skis - they pride themselves on producing regenerative, sustainable and quality downhill skis.
For example, when looking for a new ski bag, we recommend buying the Osprey Soelden 22L Ski Backpack because it’s lightweight, durable, and, crucially, made from sustainable and environmentally friendly materials.
Orla wearing her Winter Gear in -30°C in Lake Louise
Use Chemical-free Wax on your Skis/Snowboard
It’s easy to neglect to consider the chemicals used when getting your board or skis waxed and tuned.
The ever-popular MountainFLOW Eco-Wax is a great place to start when looking for paraffin-free, environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional ski and snowboard wax. The plant-based alternative was first introduced on the TV show Shark Tank (the US version of Dragon’s Den), and this appearance has helped the wax surge in popularity.
The biodegradable, 100% plant-based wax is the world’s best eco-friendly wax. Simply swapping your regular ski wax for this sustainable alternative can help you become a more environmentally conscious skier.
Travel by Train Instead of Flying
Our first tip for sustainable skiing actually begins before your boots even touch the snow. For your next ski trip, why not arrive by train instead of flying?
Despite recent advancements in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), flying is still a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
Unbelievably, frequent fliers make up a mere 1% of the population, and yet they are estimated to contribute a whopping 50% of the total carbon emissions from the aviation industry.
It is clear, then, that looking for alternatives to flying is step 1 to becoming a sustainable skier. Of course, skiing as local as possible is preferred in this sense, but for those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to live within driving distance of a ski resort, the train is the most sensible alternative.
For example, instead of flying from London to the Alps, perhaps you could get the Eurostar to Paris and catch another regional train from the Capital of France to the mountains.
The number 1 eco-friendly travel tip is always to avoid planes when you can, and to nobody’s surprise, the first tip to becoming an eco-friendly skier is to do the same. On your next skiing holiday, try and catch a train.
Bonus sustainability tip: we appreciate that for some skiers, flying is the only option. With this in mind, we recommend offsetting the carbon emissions of your flight. Many carbon-offset schemes can help you achieve this.
Opt for Ski Touring over using Traditional Ski Lifts
For those unfamiliar, ski touring is essentially any skiing in the backcountry or away from marked ski runs. Think off-piste skiing, but even further away from the resorts themselves.
The reason that ski touring is a more environmentally friendly option is that it doesn’t require you to ride a ski lift up the hill. Ski lifts usually run on electricity and require significant energy to keep running.
Opting for ski touring means taking a more sustainable approach to skiing. You simply hike up the mountain and ski freely back down again.
It can be exhausting, but at least you’re safe in the knowledge that you’re becoming a more sustainable skier.
Something to note: ski touring is only recommended for very experienced riders. Please take necessary safety precautions before ski touring for the first time.
Exploring the beautiful outdoors during our Ski Season in Lake Louise
Keep your Skiing Clothes for as long as possible - Maximise your Gear Life
You’re walking down the main street in the resort town, walking in and out of the latest outdoor shops, and all you want to do is buy brand-new gear. Sound familiar?
Well, this can actually have a surprisingly big impact on your carbon footprint when it comes to skiing. So, instead of buying new when something rips or slightly tears, perhaps you should consider trying to fix it?
Obviously, if you outgrow your skiing gear or really feel like you need a change, then buying new is possible, but in this scenario, you should definitely look into donating your old ski gear rather than simply throwing it away.
Top tip: did you know Patagonia has a Worn Wear range where you can purchase used Patagonia clothing and gear? Buying used clothes has less impact on the planet.
Bring a Reusable Water Bottle
We can’t claim that this sustainable skiing tip is revolutionary, but it’s still important nonetheless.
As with any form of sustainability, change begins with little steps and the simplest one is to bring a reusable water bottle with you to the ski slopes.
Ditch the single-use plastic and instead opt for a water bottle that can be used over and over again.
All Ski Resorts nowadays feature a water-filling station in a bid to become more sustainable. So not only will it help reduce your single-use plastic consumption, it will also help you to save money on drinks too.
Whether we are skiing in Bansko - a budget-friendly resort - or skiing in Zermatt - a premier European ski resort - we always bring a reusable water bottle to lessen our useage of single-use plastics.
Top tip: we recommend buying a reliable, collapsible water bottle like this. It is strong enough to withstand the impact of falls on the slopes and easily fits in your bag at the end of the day.
Buying a reusable water bottle is the first step to becoming a sustainable skier
Take Fewer but Longer Skiing Trips
As much as we’d all love to spend every weekend at a different Ski hill around the world, that obviously isn’t the most sustainable way to visit the slopes.
In the past, it has been common for frequent skiers to take multiple week-long Winter getaways each season. However, it is now time to consider taking fewer but longer skiing trips each Winter.
Why not spend 2 full weeks in one resort this Winter instead of flying to 3 different resorts throughout the season?
Slow travel is one of the most sustainable ways of travelling and this can be applied to skiing trips too. Take more time in one place, and visit fewer places. Ultimately, you still get the same amount of time on the slopes but your impact on the planet will be far less.
There we have it, folks, some of our handy tips for becoming more sustainable skiers. Skiing and snowboarding are 2 of our favourite winter activities and we don’t want this to change, but taking steps to reduce the impact on the environment is crucial for the sports’ longevity and sustainability.
