Serre Chevalier, in the southern French Alps, is one of our favourite ski resorts. Often under-rated and ignored in favour of the more famous French resorts, Serre Chevalier has a great snow record and a huge 250km ski area.
Commitment to sustainability
What is also less well known is that Serre Chevalier has significantly committed to sustainability in a way that leaves other ski resorts behind.
Patrick Arnaud is Managing Director of SCV Domaine Skiable, the company that operates the lifts in Serre Chevalier.
It’s his vision that persuaded the resort’s owners Compagnie des Alpes to invest almost €4 million, thanks also to the support of the region, Sud-Provence-Alpes -Côte d’Azur.
Focus on renewable energy
That investment has allowed Serre Chevalier to become not just a ski resort, but also a producer of renewable energy.
Since 2016, the resort has invested in hydroelectric power, solar photovoltaic power and wind power to the extent that SCV now produces 30% of its required electricity needs.
The resort is now moving on the second phase of its plan: a target of 50% self-sufficiency. A key component to achieve this is cutting down on current energy requirements.
Use of innovation
Innovations have included an electric CM Dupon snow groomer (‘piste basher’ to the British), as well as a drone equipped with a Lidar laser.
‘Lidar’ stands for ‘Light Detection and Ranging’ and means that the drone can carry out a topographic survey of the slopes on a daily basis to analyse the snow depths across the ski area.
This ensures that the snow groomers on the ground can be more efficient in terms of where they move snow to and from. As a consequence of these efficiency improvements, the resort’s fleet has decreased from 26 to just 18.
Water consumption reduced
The resort has also rethought its approach to snowmaking. Since 2019, they have reviewed their procedures to save water and electricity. Through this approach, they have reduced water consumption from 700,000m3 to 500,000m3.
“For us, there are no environmental constraints because the environment is our livelihood, it is thanks to this ecosystem that we can keep the valley alive. It is our duty to preserve this resource as much as we can.”
Frédéric Arnould, Technical Director, SCV
Book your accommodation in Serre Chevalier
We feature 5 properties in Serre Chevalier. If you would like advice on which would be the best for you and your group, please contact us on 01822 617761 and we will be delighted to help.
