A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North America, it is more common for ski areas to exist well away from towns, so ski resorts usually are destination resorts, often purpose-built and self-contained, where skiing is the main activity.
Ski resort
Ski resorts are located in both hemispheres, on all continents except
Antarctica. They typically are located on
, as they require a large slope. They also need to receive sufficient
snow (at least in combination with artificial
snowmaking, unless the resort uses dry ski slopes).
High concentrations of ski resorts are located in the Alps, Scandinavia, western and eastern North America, and Japan. There are also ski resorts in the Andes, scattered across central Asia, and in Australia and New Zealand.
Extreme locations of non-indoor (at least one ski lift outside) ski resorts include:
Types
The ski industry has identified advancing generations of ski resorts:
- First generation
- Developed around a well-established summer resort or village (e.g. Davos, St. Moritz, Kitzbühel, Chamonix, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Megève, italic=no).
- Second generation
- Created from a non-tourist village or pasture (e.g. St Anton am Arlberg, Lech, italic=no, italic=no, Aspen/Snowmass, Breckenridge Ski Resort).
- Third generation or integrated
- Designed from scratch on virgin territory to be a purpose-built ski resort, all the amenities and services nearby (e.g. Sestriere, Flaine, La Plagne, Isola 2000).
- Fourth generation or village resorts
- Created from a virgin territory or around an existing village, but more concerned with traditional uses (e.g. Valmeinier, italic=no, Shahdag Mountain Resort).
The term ski station is also used, particularly in Europe, for a skiing facility which is not located in or near a town or village. A ski resort which is also open for summer activities is often referred to as a mountain resort.
Facilities and amenities
Ski areas have marked paths for skiing known as runs, trails or
. Ski areas typically have one or more
for moving skiers rapidly to the top of hills, and to interconnect the various trails.
can also be used on short slopes (usually beginner hills or bunny slopes). Larger ski areas may use
or
for transportation across longer distances within the ski area. Resorts post their
trail map illustrating the location of lifts, trails, services and the ski area boundary, and during the
ski season issue a daily snow conditions report listing open trails, operating lifts and weather status.
Ski areas usually have at least a basic first aid facility, and some kind of ski patrol service to ensure that injured skiers are rescued. The ski patrol is usually responsible for rule enforcement, marking , closing individual runs or areas as conditions require, and removing (dismissing) dangerous participants from the area.
The typical ski area base includes a ticket office, ski lodge, ski school, equipment rental/repair shop, restaurant/bar, shopping, shuttle bus stop and parking.
Some ski resorts offer lodging options on the slopes themselves, with ski-in and ski-out access allowing guests to ski right up to the door. Ski resorts often have other activities, such as Snowmobile, sledding, Sled, Dog sled, ice skating, indoor or outdoor Swimming pool and , game rooms, and local forms of entertainment, such as clubs, cinema, theaters and cabarets.
Après-ski (French for after skiing) is a term for entertainment, nightlife or social events that occur specifically at ski resorts.
Environmental effects
As rising temperatures, receding glaciers and declining snowfall affect the environment, resort development and operations also have an environmental impact on land, lakes, streams, and wildlife.
Amenities and infrastructure such as concrete buildings, ski lifts, access roads, parking lots, and
railways have contributed to the
urbanization of mountainous zones.
Primary (direct) impact of resort development
In recent years, the use of
snow cannons by many ski resorts has increased to compensate for reduced levels of snowfall.
[Gerretsen, Isabelle (2023) How climate change threatens to close ski resorts BBC] In order to sustain good quality snow coverage, snowmaking requires large amounts of water and sometimes the creation of
. Snow cannons also introduce a noise element.
Secondary (indirect) impact of resort development
The required infrastructure can affect
erosion through the increased area of impervious surfaces, redirecting the flow of
Surface runoff.
Mitigation efforts
Many resorts are taking steps to reduce their energy and water consumption and waste production, increase recycling, and restore habitats. Initiatives aimed at addressing environmental concerns include:
-
Alpine Convention
-
Snowsports Industries America (SIA) ClimateUnited
-
NSAA Sustainable Slopes Initiative
-
National Forest Foundation Ski Conservation Fund
-
Ceres Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) Network
-
FESI Winter Sports Sustainability Network (WSN)
-
Protect Our Winters (POW)
Gallery
File:Pista nera.jpg|Roccaraso, Italy
File:Levi gondoli.png|Levi, Finland
File:Vista de Valle Nevado.jpg|italic=no, Chile
File:Male Ciche.jpg|Małe Ciche, Poland
File:Furano ski.jpg|Furano Ski Resort, Japan
File:Hermonsite1.jpg|Mount Hermon Ski Resort, Israel
File:Rusutsu WestMt(200703).jpg|Rusutsu Resort, Japan
File:Mount Blue Cow July 2011.jpg|Perisher Ski Resort, Australia
File:Sierra Nevada Borreguiles 6.jpg|Sierra Nevada Ski Station, Spain
File:Shahdag01.jpg|Shahdag Mountain Resort, Azerbaijan
File:Telluride Ski Resort, Col. (8645173834).jpg|Telluride Ski Resort, United States
File:Corbet's Couloir jackson hole.jpg|Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, United States
See also
-
List of ski areas and resorts
-
Private ski area (North America)
