An end to snowmobiles and heliskiing

On 19 November 2024, the French Court of Cassation put an end to proceedings that had dragged on for several years, ruling that snowmobile tours in the Chamrousse ski resort are illegal. It is immaterial whether snowmobiles are being ridden inside or outside the ski resort: such tours are a danger to the habitats of wild animals and plants, as well as to other people in the area. A law has prohibited motorised traffic off roads and paths in natural areas of France since 1991. Between 2001 and 2021, therefore, the French courts several times ruled against an operator of snowmobile tours in the Chamrousse ski resort. Although the municipality had issued a licence for such tours, the courts declared it invalid and confiscated ten vehicles. France’s highest court has now upheld the decision; snowmobile tours could now also be banned in many other areas of the French Alps. Mountain Wilderness France, a member organisation of CIPRA, has fought for this ruling in court for years.

Calls for an end to heliskiing in Austria

From hibernating wild animals to climate protection and the ever-increasing trend towards more sustainable mountain experiences: these and many others are sound reasons for banning heliskiing. Until recently, Lech am Arlberg was the only Austrian resort to have a licence for this activity. The licence has now expired and should not be renewed, according to the “Haus am Katzenturm”, an umbrella organisation in the state of Vorarlberg that has appealed to the competent authorities. Eleven environmental and nature conservation organisations, including CIPRA Lab, have to date joined the umbrella organisation. Lisa Vesely, Managing Director of the Haus am Katzenturm, believes the time has come for a comprehensive change: “Visitors here are increasingly looking for environmentally friendly tourism offers. The consistent pursuit of natural and genuine mountain experiences is an easier market than the ever more elaborate staging of illusory worlds. Heliskiing is just the tip of the iceberg, but it’s the easiest thing we can put a stop to.”

Sources and further information:

www.mountainwilderness.fr/coup-darret-motoneiges-chamrousse (fr), www.nau.ch/news/schweiz/nach-wallis-crash-sollte-heliskiing-in-der-schweiz-verboten-werden-66739651 (de) www.infosperber.ch/gesellschaft/sport/heliskiing-ein-dekadenter-freizeitspass/ (de) https://mountainwilderness.ch/themen/stop-heliskiing-helibiking/ (de,fr), https://katzenturm.cargo.site/ (de) https://naturschutzbund.at/newsreader/items/das-ende-von-heliskiing-vorarlberger-umweltdachverband-zuversichtlich.html (de), www.krone.at/3620212 (de)