the dark side of skiers’ journey to the white slopes

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Some quip that skiing means spending an arm and a leg to break both of them. Others counter that the sport offers fresh air and thrills. But white snow hides a dirty truth: skiing has a hefty carbon footprint. Flights, of course, make up the lion’s share of the emissions, according to Lex’s calculations. Even so, tacking on the luxury of helicopter skiing would swell the carbon count significantly.

Let us not quibble about costs. Parents need a break and the kids might want something to brag about at school. Lex will send its London family of four, two adults and two teenagers, to ski in Klosters, Switzerland. If good enough for King Charles, then why not Lex’s sporty household?

How to get there is the first question. If the Lex family have no concern about their footprint, then they would fly from London Heathrow to Zurich. The round-trip flight, including travel to the airport by car, expends 1,274 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide. They would pay a taxi to haul them and their clobber to and from Klosters, adding 44kg of CO₂. Taking a train from the airport would cut those last emissions by almost 90 per cent.

Speaking of rail travel, a greener Lex family could instead go by train from London to Klosters. This option would radically reduce the travel emissions to 43kg. Given several train changes are required, they would probably rent all their ski equipment at the resort.

A compromise between the two options would be to drive from the UK. Yes, burning fossil fuel is hardly the most sustainable travel choice. Still, it means less hassle with luggage. Including a night’s accommodation, the family’s CO₂ emissions are half that of the flights alone.

In Klosters, the Lex family’s rooms and sustenance would tot up to another 185kg of CO₂ for six days, including power in the resort for lifts and buildings.

In total, emissions would range from just over 1,500kg, if going by plane and taxi, to 228kg by train. A car journey lands the family in the middle of this range.

But heli-skiing puts a serious black mark on this holiday. Just three days of this takes the family’s emissions above 8,700kg. That may sadden powder hounds seeking virgin snow. Yet without some restraint, the threat of the snowpack disappearing entirely will only worsen.