Sustainable development and ski area
In the context of energy sobriety and the preservation of resources, Val Cenis resort permanently adapts the electricity consumption of the ski lifts (control rooms, electric motor) according to the presence and the number of customers on the ski lifts.
Limited traffic = limited speed = limited consumption
The Val Cenis Le Haut gondola and the Arcelle and La Ramasse chairlifts are equipped with devices that detect whether the lifts are heavily used or not. In off-peak periods (e.g. January or midday in March), the lifts automatically run slower and therefore consume less energy. Conversely, when there are many skiers, the devices speed up the flow to avoid long waiting times for skiers.
Heat recovery
The non-sacred room at the top of the Vieux Moulin gondola is also heated by recovering the heat produced by the lift. This optimization was made possible by work carried out in 2020 on this latest generation 10-seater gondola lift, which also consumes less energy than the old lifts.
Within the framework of a partnership between the Val Cenis ski area and the Vanoise National Park, Val Cenis is committed to the management and protection of the fauna and flora in Haute Maurienne Vanoise.
Val Cenis is for example one of the 3 pilot areas of the European project POIA Birdski which aims at monitoring the black grouse, an emblematic bird of the Alps, and this in :
- Creating quiet zones for the black grouse.
- Equipping certain ski lift cables to avoid bird strikes.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of these actions for the protection of the environment.
At the end of the 3 years of the project, all the ski areas of the French Alps will benefit from the feedback of the actions carried out with the Val Cenis ski area.
The black grouse, a beautiful bird whose male displays red wattles and a lyre-shaped tail, is a vulnerable species. Present in Vanoise, and in the heart of the ski area of Val Cenis, its numbers tend to decrease. Listed in the European Birds Directive, the black grouse is the object of particular attention.
Protect the black grouse: respect the quiet zones
On the ski area, quiet zones have been created for the black grouse by the ski lift teams in collaboration with the Vanoise National Park. Even if the powder fields attract you, preserve these small sectors where the grouse spend the winter. Because if they are disturbed by skiers or snowshoers, the grouse fly away. Normal for a bird? Yes, but in winter, with the cold and limited resources, they need to stay on the ground, hidden in the snow, to conserve their energy. The quiet zones are perfectly indicated, respect them and enjoy the rest of the domain!
Val Cenis is the first French resort to be equipped with an electric groomer. This is a long-awaited step by all ski lift companies to reduce the use of fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions and fine particles in the mountains.
In 2019, Val Cenis was already the first resort in France to test HVO for its grooming machines, a very low-polluting fuel. Starting in the winter of 2022-2023, Val Cenis resort has gone one step further with a new 100% electric groomer.
The ski area's teams use the new "Husky E-motion" from Prinoth, a groomer adapted to the preparation of cross-country ski and sled runs, play areas, footpaths and the foot of the slopes. All in silence! Appreciable for use on the snow front, near tourist residences.
Val Cenis and the ski area are working with other mountain actors to prepare the future of ski resorts in France.
Domaines Skiables de France carbon footprint: development of an energy consumption measurement tool to implement new tools to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ski resorts.
European Smart Altitude project: an approach to help ski resort operators and policy makers plan, optimize and implement climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Sustainable Tourism Chair at Savoie Mont Blanc University: collectively creating new sustainable business models to meet the challenges of mountain tourism. This approach has a strong impact because it allows us to imagine a paradigm shift, to provide an in-depth diagnosis, to identify the contributions of stakeholders and to involve them in the process.
General Assembly of the Transition of Tourism in the Mountains: to gather all the actors of the mountain ecosystem around the issues of transition of tourism to work together to build solutions for the future of mountain territories
