Sustainable Skiing – So how did I do?

A few weeks ago I posted a blog with a few steps on how to make a school ski trip a little bit more sustainable on a personal level. I was lucky enough to go skiing for the first time in two years a couple of weeks ago and wanted to report back on how easy it was to live up to my own recommendations.

I’d love to know how well you think you could do or if you have any other ideas, particularly relevant for school ski trips.

1. Pack less, pack well

Having to say goodbye to travel minis has been hard for me as they are so redolent of the joy of holidays BUT it had to be done! My washbag is now a combination of old plastic mini bottles filled with my favourite products and some of my daily products in their normal bottles as space wasn’t such an issue. The only new product I bought was after-sun cream, which you do need after a day on the slopes, and I have to say I was a bit saddened by the packaging involved in this when I bought some from the French supermarket. 

2. Choice of travel 

As we have two children and go on a self-catering holiday, we have always driven so that we can take a lot of our own food and bedding. But before I felt too smug about it, I did run the carbon emissions involved through the ThrustCarbon™ calculator to see how it genuinely compares to train and plane. I discovered that four people going by car uses 0.442 tonnes of CO2, whereas if we had flown it would have cost 1.04 tonnes of CO2. BUT the train would have been 0.102 tonnes, just a quarter of the car journey and a tenth of the flight equivalent! I would love to board a sleeper train to the Alps soon!

3. Water bottles and keep cups

Plus trusty thermos flask - my new best friend! Not only brilliant for our long journey, meaning we could have hot drinks without stopping all the time but also for longer days on the slopes. I genuinely wouldn’t travel anywhere without these and the teenagers are getting used to them too! It wasn’t always easy to refill water bottles however as water fountains weren’t prevalent and I definitely wouldn’t want to drink from the taps in the loos. 

4. Rubbish doesn’t go on holiday

Recycling while away is harder than you might think and took some effort. In our self-catering flat, we just used a big old carrier bag to store our recyclables and took them out to the bins in the carpark regularly. On the slopes it was disappointingly difficult to recycle as there were so few facilities. I suppose I would recommend doing the best you can and asking for recycling bins wherever you don’t find them, in order to get the message across that you care and would like to see it done.

5. Think about your kit

Being what I like to call frugal is a big help here! An awful lot of our ski clothing consists of hand-me downs and I also make a point of passing things on when we’ve outgrown them. Between us we bought one new ski jacket (purchase for life now that the lucky teen has reached full size) and a new set of thermals which I also intend to keep for life. Everyone else wore things they have worn for 20 years or more! I also managed to find new liners for my 25 year old ski boots which I was delighted about. 

6. Picnics on the piste

Again, needing to save money is also good for the environment! We had picnics most days, took our rubbish home with us to recycle it and ate well for far less money. Just to reassure anyone thinking we’re too good to be true, we had our fair share of chips and hot chocolates on the way!

7. Drive less, walk more

Again, we were fortunate here to be in a car-free resort. The days are so busy that we could easily entertain ourselves either skiing directly from the door or taking part in local activities such as torch-lit descents and eating out in the village without needing to use the car at all.

Verdict: it is certainly possible to try! Some things were harder than expected (recycling on the piste, refilling water bottles) but it was also really easy to make the effort to do what you would do at home, such as separating rubbish and choosing products carefully.

School ski trips are back on!

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