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The snow whisperers of Carezza – a ski resort becomes climate-neutral

Climate neutrality in 3 years. The Carezza ski resort has put this on its agenda by joining the climate neutrality alliance in 2025. But can Alpine Skiing be done sustainably at all, or is it just a question of money?

In November 2019 Carezza joined the climate neutrality alliance 2025 and wants to become completely climate-neutral within 3 years. “Nature and the environment is our most important resource. By joining the climate neutrality alliance, we want to promote sensitivity to the issue of sustainability and climate protection,“ explains Florian Eisath, managing director of Carezza Dolomites.

Climate neutrality has a price. And with this price, one’s own actions do not even necessarily have to be changed. To compensate for your own carbon footprint, you can also simply buy a good conscience and invest in certain projects.

“But that is not exactly our claim! We want more!”, Florian Eisath describes the Vision for”his ski area”.

Since Carezza became part of the project “alpine climate ski resorts” in 2011 together with the Partner area Arosa in Switzerland, up to 30 percent of fuel has already been saved during slope preparation and up to 25 percent of the electricity for snowmaking.

This was achieved by various measures. The snow guns were replaced and the right snow cannons and lances were placed in the right place.

Depending on the slope width, exposure of the slope, wind dispersion and the necessary amount of snow, this also has a direct effect on the necessary thrust work of the snow groomer. This, in turn, saves fuel. In addition, the pumps that transport the water to the snow cannons and the compressed air used were optimized. Another saving in terms of energy.
Certainly one of the most important points for the sustainable management of the ski area is snow production.

Snow comes from water and air. By means of fully automatic control, snow is produced in Carezza using state-of-the-art technology. And not “on the fly”. Georg Eisath, Florian’s father, is the founder of TechnoAlpin, one of the leading snow production companies. At the same time, 10 years ago he took over the almost abandoned ski resort of his home country and initiated the development process of Carezza Dolomites.

The “snow whisperer” knows that snow production at ideal temperatures is the basis of success. Of course, the right mixing ratio of air and water is part of it. An average of 60 centimeters of snow cover is spread over 100 hectares of slopes every year. 250 snow cannons and lances turn 240, 000m3 of water into 600, 000m3 of snow.

Florian Eisath wants to establish Carezza Dolomites as a pioneering mountain experience all year round. And all this under the three pillars of sustainability: ecological, economic and social. This means that employees, the population and suppliers are also involved in the process and should benefit from the Transformation.

“The UNESCO World Heritage Award is a gift. But it is also an obligation and wants to be maintained. So that we can pass it on to the next generation,“ says Florian Earth. It is important to him that the reduction efforts are extended to other sustainability issues. “This includes, for example, avoiding plastic on the ski huts” and the success shows that the partners in the region are also actively involved in this future project, which is also so important for them.

Tourist resorts such as those in Val d’ega need tourism to survive. If this basis is taken away, entire areas threaten to become desolate. No tourism, no source of income. No source of income, no jobs. No jobs, no future for the following generations. There is a threat of emigration and the decline of entire villages, as shown by a view into neighboring valleys in the direction of Venice. With the emigration, successors for peasant farms are often missing. Abandoned farms lead to the fact that cultural landscapes are no longer managed and become wild.

So when you talk about not investing in tourism, you accept this dynamic of change. Certainly, it is more than questionable to open up areas completely new in today’s time. However, investing in existing areas has great potential in terms of sustainability, as well as for the protection of nature. This shows the commitment to Carezza.

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