The natural beauty of the mountains should be enjoyed and preserved, so when looking for your perfect ski home, you may wish to consider which resorts are making efforts to be environmentally friendly.
Thankfully, there are many resorts in France that are making positive changes to reduce their environmental impact. We list our top 4.
Flaine
If you’re travelling from the UK, then Flaine is one of the easiest resorts to reach by car, making your ski holiday instantly more environmentally friendly. Once you’re there, this resort is completely traffic-free and is so compact that you’ll be able to reach everywhere on foot.
The surrounding ski area of Grand Massif was the first ever to receive a Global Green Award, as everything runs on renewable energy. In 2007, Flaine opened an environmental observatory with the aim to protect the biodiversity in the area. It also has a policy in place to prevent pollution and reduce its impact.
Avoriaz
A car-free zone, the resort of Avoriaz places the environment at the heart of everything. It has a reliable public transport system and it’s also easy to recycle your rubbish here. The resort itself recycles old snowboards and skis.
There is even a snow park built from deadwood collected in the local forests. No weedkillers or pesticides are used on the plant life and the resort obtains its energy from a local wind farm, as well as hydraulic, solar and bioenergy sources.
Chamonix
You may be surprised to know that the well-known and popular resort of Chamonix is also making strong eco-friendly developments. It has a free public transport system, charging points for electric cars and cycle paths are being built. Chamonix has also begun the process of requesting UNESCO recognition for Mont Blanc, which will help to preserve the area’s natural heritage.
In 2019 this resort received the Flocon Vert or ‘green snowflake’ award for plans to make eco-responsible actions.
Megève
Megève was also awarded the Flocon Vert in 2020. This resort has good public transport and even horse-drawn carriages which can take you around the village.
To maintain its green spaces, Megève opts for natural grazing, so if you’re visiting in the spring and summer, you’re likely to spot a few friendly sheep! For some time out from skiing, there is also an environmentally friendly golf course here, which is maintained in a way to encourage biodiversity. Vegetal waste is recycled to take care of the trees and other shrubs.
Start looking for your ski property today
To get the process of buying your ski property underway, why not take a look at our handy ski property buying guides? They lay out the buying journey step by step to make the process as smooth and hassle-free as possible.