Environmental quandary

Much of the Alps are such a beautiful environment, but they are hardly pristine. The modern ski industry brings wealth and employment to the region, provides everyone with tremendous enjoyment, easy access and enables us all to appreciate the area, whether walking, climbing or skiing. But there is a cost in terms of the damage the infrastructure needs and the energy use to run the transport, lifts, snow cannons and piste grooming. 

Hochrindl is a small 'family' resort that has struggled to survive against pressures both financial and environmental. The variable climate and winter snows necessitate all the alpine resorts to equip with snow cannons to ensure the runs are open every season. But snow cannons use tremendous amounts of energy and water. Hochrindl has bought the canons which they can push into position and plug them in, but the water is more of a problem, hence the latest new 'teich' (reservoir) plumbed in near the top of the main hill this summer. 

So environmentally, very dubious, but economically vital...fighting the tide of climate change by burning more fossil fuels. The move to renewables is simply not happening fast enough.