As we speak is World Glacier Day, and this week Les Arcs has been host to Agir pour les Glaciers competition, specializing in the preservation of glacial and post-glacial ecosystems. On a visit there earlier this season, Katy Dartford discovered extra in regards to the resort’s ongoing dedication to sustainability and the way it’s shaping the way forward for sustainable tourism.
The solar barely crested the ridgeline as I clicked into my skis on the high of the Aiguille Rouge. At 3,226 metres, it’s the very best level in Les Arcs, and on a transparent day, the view stretches past Mont Blanc and deep into Italy.
However I wasn’t simply right here for the panorama. I used to be about to comply with Brice Lamon, a Les Arcs native, ski information and Freeride World Tour choose, down a route he’d traced with a pink line on the map earlier that morning – a descent that may take us by deep gullies, previous pure rock corridors, and into one of many resort’s most protected areas.
Brice and I had reached the highest of the Aiguille Rouge carry, the place we stopped to look at the route forward. “You see this ridge? That’s Rocher de Genepi,” he mentioned. “It appears to be like intimidating, however when you’re over the lip, it’s truly fairly easy snowboarding.” My nerves weren’t solely satisfied, however as I adopted him, I quickly found that, as promised, the gradient eased after the preliminary drop.
We began by traversing on skis for a number of kilometres, earlier than reaching the Rocher de Genepi ridge, the place we needed to boot pack over rock and snow for a couple of minutes earlier than clicking again into our skis. “From right here, we drop 2,000m all the way down to Villaroger,” he informed me. The descent was thrilling – lengthy, wild, with nonetheless good situations, regardless of a scarcity of current snowfall. Nevertheless it wasn’t simply the snowboarding that made an impression.
Snowboarding By means of Conservation Zones
Les Arcs isn’t nearly large vertical drops and sweeping pistes; it’s additionally dwelling to rigorously preserved pure areas the place human influence is strictly managed. Brice defined as we set off that sure zones above 2,200 metres are off-limits to guard wildlife – particularly the endangered black grouse. “For those who ski in these areas with out authorisation, you might be fined 135 euros,” he informed me. The gardes forestiers, a sort of environmental patrol, hold an in depth eye on the terrain to make sure these agreements with nature are revered.
Additional down, we handed what was as soon as the Olympic piste, a relic of a bygone period when snowboarding took precedence over reforestation. “You used to have the ability to ski all the best way to Bourg-Saint-Maurice from right here,” Brice mentioned, gesturing on the timber now reclaiming the previous run. “However they’re not allowed to chop the forest anymore, so it’s overgrown.” As a substitute, we took a pinball black run, a quick, winding descent by a pure gully with playful drops and tight turns to achieve Villaroger.
Eco-Pleasant Improvements on the Mountain
Snowboarding at Les Arcs means immersing your self in a resort that’s actively working in direction of carbon neutrality. With a B Corp certification – making it the primary mountain vacation spot in Europe to attain this standing – Les Arcs has decreased its carbon footprint from 10,000 tonnes to three,000 tonnes over the previous 5 years. The ski lifts are powered by hydroelectric power, whereas snow groomers run on HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) gasoline, considerably slicing emissions. The resort’s new hydroelectric mission even repurposes summer time snowmaking infrastructure to generate clear power.
I later met with Laura Cumin ADS’ (Les Arcs Domaine Skiable) in regards to the resort’s sustainability technique, who defined how Les Arcs promotes prepare journey over flying. “1 / 4 of our guests arrive by prepare, in comparison with a nationwide common of simply 10%,” she informed me. “We provide free funicular tickets for anybody arriving by rail, so there’s actually no want for a automobile.”
This dedication to sustainability extends past transportation. At my lodge, La Cachette, the administration has taken important steps to cut back waste and power consumption. Common supervisor, Yann Margetyal defined over Apres ski drinks that they eliminated minibars from rooms to chop pointless power use, changing them with a shared fridge within the foyer. “It saves energy and lets company retailer their meals with out waste,” he mentioned.
The Architectural Imaginative and prescient of Les Arcs
Les Arcs isn’t simply progressive in its environmental technique – it’s additionally probably the most architecturally important ski resorts on the planet.
The resort was designed within the Sixties by a collective of visionary architects, together with Charlotte Perriand, a trailblazing modernist who reshaped ski resort design. She launched prefabricated buildings, designed residences to maximise daylight, and even included open-plan kitchens lengthy earlier than they grew to become mainstream.
“She tilted the buildings at 30 levels to make sure each balcony acquired solar,” defined our structure information, Jean-Marie Chevronnt. “That sort of considering was revolutionary on the time.”
Snowboarding previous these constructions, I observed how seamlessly they blended into the mountains. In contrast to the faux-Alpine chalets of many fashionable resorts, Les Arcs’ buildings had been designed to work with the panorama, not in opposition to it. The unique architects even planted timber at larger altitudes to reforest pastures, a observe that continues right this moment as a part of the resort’s sustainability efforts.
A New Mannequin for Alpine Snowboarding
Over the previous decade, Les Arcs has been evolving from a standard ski resort right into a year-round mountain vacation spot. Local weather change is forcing many ski areas to rethink their reliance on winter tourism, and Les Arcs is forward of the curve. The resort’s summer time income has grown from €300,000 to €1.7 million in ten years, because of actions like mountaineering, biking, and academic nature trails.
One initiative going down this March is the “Agir pour les Glaciers” competition, which raises consciousness in regards to the Varet Glacier, anticipated to vanish inside a decade. The occasion ties in with 2025 being declared the Worldwide Yr of the Glacier, with the 21 March turning into World Glacier Day.
A brand new mineral gallery and a lightweight present on the Varet gondola showcase the Aiguille Rouge’s geology, whereas academic trails and data panels spotlight the influence of local weather change on the mountain. In the meantime, conservationists are working to guard the delicate ecosystems rising because the ice retreats.
By my remaining day of snowboarding, as I carved down the final run, I’d realised that Les Arcs affords extra than simply nice snowboarding; it’s a resort that’s actively shaping the way forward for sustainable tourism. From pioneering eco-friendly expertise to preserving biodiversity, it’s proving that ski resorts can adapt to a altering world with out sacrificing the joys of the game.
For details about Les Arcs, go to lesarcs.com
TRAVEL FACTS
Inghams provide 7 nights half board at La Cachette, Les Arcs. Departing 4 April 2026 from London St Pancras from £1,689 per individual. Based mostly on 2 adults sharing. All trains and transfers included. inghams.co.uk / 01483 938047
Classes: France, Vacation Information & Particular Gives, Information, Resort Information & Experiences
