Tread Lightly to the Alps

We all know Alpine fun requires snow. And plenty of it. And to make sure the French Alps stay full of the stuff it’s time to choose responsible travel options.

There are serious implications to not taking climate change seriously; such as the melting of the glaciers and the loss of habitat for endangered species of plants and animals, as well as the significant increase in temperatures and the change in weather patterns. One way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (a known cause of climate change) released into the atmosphere is to travel on the Eurostar ski train.

Running from 22 December 2007 to 13 April 2008, it’s the most environmentally astute choice (plus it means you get to the slopes in style, speed and comfort, with a great view to boot).

A return journey with Eurostar to the French Alps releases 24kg of CO₂ per traveller; in contrast, a Heathrow to Geneva flight releases 191kg of CO₂ per person. It doesn’t take a maths whizz to work out which is the greener option. And from 14 November 2007, Eurostar journeys will be carbon neutral at no extra cost to travellers, so you will be carbon clean by the time you alight into the fresh mountain air.

Moving to St Pancras International and launching on High Speed 1 means the ski train will travel at 186mph in the UK and save precious minutes getting to the snow. In fact, it will be at least 20 minutes faster in both directions.

The other up side is that the ski train takes travellers straight to the heart of the Alps, so it’s only a short bus ride up the mountain (keeping your carbon footprint low and your altitude high).