Throughout the greater part of the nineties there were [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Ski resorts in Austria that used to be one of the prime locations for summer skiing are starting to slowly decay, with one of the largest resorts in Austria, the Zolden, announcing that this will be the last summer that it is open for summer glacier skiing.

Throughout the greater part of the nineties there were around 40 ski stations in Zolden, all of which served tourists in the summer.  However, today there are less than half of these ski stations still open for summer skiing due to the decrease in viable glacial runs for alpine skiing during the summer, due to global warming.

French ski resorts are facing the same problem as the country, which was once predominantly known for offering alpine skiing year round, is announcing that many summer ski resorts will close their doors.

Among the top resorts that will no longer offer summer skiers refuge are La-Plagne, Val Thorens, and Alp d’Juez.  Those planning to travel to another resort in France for summer skiing should be aware that many have changed their summer schedules.

Thus, the Tignes resort which normally stayed open from spring into summer will not only offer summer skiing in 2010 from the middle part of June through late August.  Skiing will also be open for half the month during the months of May and September in Tignes.

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According to research from the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, the Alps are now warming at a rate that is more [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Those who enjoy skiing may want to take note of a new environmental threat, melting snowcaps in the Alps, which may drastically reduce the amount of snow days that occur each year

According to research from the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, the Alps are now warming at a rate that is more than three times the global average which has caused snow days to fall to their lowest yearly average in the last two decades.  The Institute predicts that if the melting keeps up in fifty years any ski resort that is below 1,200m will not have enough snow to stay open.

In response, many ski resorts are going green by utilizing environmentally safe equipment such as the Val Thorens resort in France which uses hydroelectric energy to power its lifts.  The resort has also planted around 200,000 trees over the last two decades.

Les Arcs which is also located in France, has also taken some steps to preserve nature such as banning cars from the resort area and burying all of its power cables.  Additionally, the topsoil on the slopes is replaced with Alpine grass that reduces the amount of fake snow that needs to be produced.

The French resort is also trying to entice visitors for reasons outside of skiing such as paragliding, biking, hiking, and rock climbing in an effort to increase the versatility of the resort location.

Developers are also now looking at resorts by proposing new initiatives that will help sustain the environment so that the projects have a better long term outlook.

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For those who are thinking about a trip down to France this year, it may [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Most Brits love a ski holiday and of course the best nearby location is France.  For this reason every year around 200,000 Britons travel down to the French Alps via air, car, or rail to experience the light-hearted fun of sun.

For those who are thinking about a trip down to France this year, it may be helpful to know the top ten resorts as of 2010.  They are in no specific order: Chamonix, Val d’Isere, Tignes, Courchevel, Val Thorens, Les Deux Alpes, La Plagne, Alpe d’Heuz, Meribel, and Les Arcs.

Outside of these top ten, there are plenty of ski resorts scattered across France for snowboarders and skiers of all ages and levels.  In fact, most ski resort areas are able to accommodate all levels of skiing quite comfortably.  Those, the choice may simply become the habitat that you would like your resort to embody from village to traditional to ski-in ski-out resorts.

Of course, in order to get the most out of your ski holiday, while booking your accommodations you may also want to concentrate on the total ski area that you choose, given the fact that there are many interlinked ski domains throughout the country.

Thus, you could head to areas such as Three Valleys that offers easy access to three different resorts in one holiday.   Another great choice is the Paradiski Area which links Les Arcs, La Plagne, and Espace San Bernard together offered triple as many trails within one location.

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