Ski Resort Businesses Offers Discount Pass to Skiers who Choose Low Carbon Travel To Reach Them
A new initiative by the well-known French ski resort of Morzine will see skiers and snowboarders who arrive by train rewarded with discounts offered them by businesses in the village.
The new AlpinExpress Pass is an initiative with a single focus – to reduce the carbon emissions of ski holidays.
Among the discounts being offered are savings on accommodation, transfers, ski hire, ski and snowboard lessons, restaurant meals and other experiences across Morzine-Avoriaz and the neighbouring villages of Les Gets and the Vallée d’Aulps. The total savings mean that a train ticket now becomes not only a low carbon but also cheaper way to travel to the Alps.
The pass has been conceived and delivered by Montagne Verte, an environmental non-profit based in Morzine.
The new pass works via a green QR code. Tourists just have to show their train ticket proof of purchase to Montagne Verte and they will be provided with a free Alpine Express Pass which will gives access to a mountain load of discounts from dozens of local businesses.
Cyril Tardieu, manager of the Purexperience shop in Les Gets, committed to an eco-responsible approach and partner of the AlpinExpress Pass confirms: “As a retailer, we have a role to play. Our commitment is important if we want to preserve our environment, contribute to the fight against climate change while continuing to offer our customers the opportunity to come and enjoy the mountains in a sustainable way.”
“We must work collectively to reduce the environmental impact of our valley. Climate change is the challenge of our century, and ski resorts are particularly vulnerable. Rewarding and incentivising tourists to travel to us by train is just one way in which we can preserve our alpine environment. The businesses committing to this discount are sending a clear message to the world, ‘we want you to visit this beautiful landscape, and we want to support you to visit in the most sustainable way possible,” said Cécile Burton, president of Montagne Verte who adds, “With travel to and from a resort accounting for up to 90% emissions from a ski holiday, any emissions savings we achieve is helping our joint progress towards net-zero and the protection of not only our mountain environment, but of all environments around the world.”
There are two train stations near Morzine: Cluses (29km) and Thonon-les-Bains (32km). High-speed TGV trains from Paris stop here. It takes around 40 minutes by car and about 50 minutes by bus to reach both train stations from Morzine.
Morzine and Avoriaz have recently being awarded the ‘Flocon Vert’ label for their commitments to sustainability from the long-established French Mountain Riders environmental skiing body.
Partners already signed up to offer discounts to Alpin Express pass holders include: Alikats, Bec Jaune, Bill Ski, Coiffeur Steady Eddie, Cuisine 22, Daysaway Adventures, Emily Ruth Yoga, The Farmhouse, The Fresh Community, Great Height Pathways, Hotel le Dahu, Hotel Les Côtes, Hunter Chalets, Jack and Jill Holidays, Le Local, Little Wild Space, Magical Snow Treks, Mint Snowboard, Mobile Mountain Massage, Powder Cab, Purexperience, Skiology, Skiidy Gonzales, Ride and Breakfast, Ride Ability, Season Guiding, Spa Avril by Le Dahu, Spoony Cooks, Treeline Chalets, Vermont and The Woods
