At its launch during the Interalpin conference in Innsbruck, the alliance announced a shared roadmap that goes far beyond energy efficiency—it targets systemic transformation across operations, infrastructure, and supply chains.
Rising temperatures, erratic snowfall, and shorter winter seasons have made the business of skiing more vulnerable than ever. For alpine economies that rely on winter tourism, the stakes are existential.
“We can no longer approach sustainability as a competitive edge—it must be a collective imperative,” said Dominique Thillaud, CEO of France’s Compagnie des Alpes. “We are aligning not only to cut emissions but to push innovation deeper into the way we operate and collaborate.”
This shift reflects a broader trend in tourism and recreation sectors where carbon-heavy footprints are facing new pressure from both regulators and consumers. The Alliance acknowledges the need to adhere to the Paris Agreement—and to go further, influencing partners and suppliers along the value chain.
What sets the Alliance apart is its integrated strategy. Members are not just focusing on resort-level efficiencies—they’re applying sustainability metrics to transportation, procurement, construction, and guest engagement.
“We’re already running our resorts on renewables and electrifying our infrastructure,” said Reto Gurtner, CEO of LAAX (Weisse Arena Group). “But real impact comes from redesigning systems that have long run on outdated models.”
From decarbonizing cable car systems to developing standard environmental performance indicators, the group aims to share data and deploy cross-border solutions that can scale. The inclusion of diverse resorts—from KitzSki in Austria to NZSki in New Zealand—underscores the global ambition of the effort.
One of the Alliance’s first priorities is harmonizing data collection to enable performance tracking across multiple metrics—from energy consumption to supply chain emissions.
Andreas Dorfmann, CEO of Kronplatz, said:
“standardization is critical to hold ourselves accountable and to create comparability that can drive broader adoption.”
In parallel, resorts are investing in R&D partnerships focused on low-impact snow production, AI-driven grid management, and sustainable construction practices.
Paul Anderson, CEO of NZSki, pointed to innovation as the cornerstone of future-proofing the sector:
“We’re not just responding to climate threats—we’re building the toolkit for how alpine tourism can adapt and thrive.”
The Alliance also puts strong emphasis on regional and social value. Its members recognize that mountain economies are tightly linked to local employment, housing, and mobility.
“Tourism doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It shapes communities,” said Henrik Volpert, CEO of Oberstdorf Kleinwalsertal Bergbahnen. “That’s why we’re sharing methods for measuring local economic impact and improving transparency around our commitments.”
Best practices are being shared around workforce training, local sourcing, and economic resilience to ensure the benefits of sustainable tourism flow directly into the valleys and towns that support it.
By pooling knowledge, the Global Sustainability Ski Alliance seeks to lead by example—and potentially set the stage for other high-emissions tourism sectors.
“This is not a branding exercise,” emphasized Stefan Sjöstrand, CEO of SkiStar. “It’s a business transformation model based on data, accountability, and a recognition that we can go further together than alone.”
As the ski industry faces mounting environmental and operational risks, this alliance offers a blueprint for how cross-border, competitive players can become allies in a decarbonized future.
