Green Mountains Initiative | Silvretta Montafon

Responsibility for our homeland

Our home, the mountains, is important to us. Nature is a precious commodity, we want to use it responsibly and consciously.

As the largest ski and mountain sports area in the Montafon, we are aware of our responsibility and set ourselves new goals in dealing with our mountains and our homeland.

With the "Green Mountains" initiative we will:

Position mind and attitude through sustainable ways of thinking and acting.
Sensitize our own awareness and that of our fellow human beings.
Take on more responsibility for our homeland by taking small steps forward.
Anchor a sustainable approach to the environment in the company in the long term and to a greater extent.

THIS IS WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER FOR OUR HOME!

Flora & fauna

The Silvretta Montafon is home to countless animal and plant species: crawling ibexes, whistling marmots, wild herbs, young plants and alpine flowers as far as the eye can see. How beautiful it is to observe the lively nature quietly and secretly, showing consideration for its habitats. After all, who likes it to be disturbed in their home?

Landscaping on the mountain

Greening

Nature-friendly winter sports

Respect & protect

Handling with suckler cows

Behavior on the alp

Waste management

Of the thousands of skiing enthusiasts, some leave their traces not only in the snow, but also in nature. Cigarette butts and plastic bottles on the slopes and along the hiking trail - that doesn't have to be! That is why we try to avoid litter as much as possible. If it does occur, we separate it and dispose of it properly. Everyone who is out and about in the Silvretta Montafon can help - it's best not to create any rubbish and when it does occur, dispose of it in the bins provided.

Waste avoidance

Gastronomy

There is an individual waste concept for each of the eleven mountain restaurants, with the common goal of reducing the amount of waste. For some time now, we have predominantly dispensed with disposable tableware. At the outdoor bars, we only serve our guests their drinks in glasses. Wine and beer are ordered in bulk. Some of our restaurants have already replaced small, plastic-wrapped butter and jams with open portions.

Throw away food?

We are against this and therefore sometimes also process products that have passed the printed best-before date. Our chef checks them very carefully for quality and ensures that we do not waste any food as far as possible.

Nova Stoba

The Nova Stoba team works with its own recycling system. The on-site cardboard press saves space on the mountain. Wooden boxes, in which deliveries for the mountain restaurant arrive are burned in the wood-burning stove to produce hot water.

In this way, we are getting closer to our vision of a waste-free mountain world, step by step.

CleanUp Days

Already for the 2nd time the CleanUP Days in Montafon took place again in autumn 2022. Together we would like to make it our task to protect the diversity and beauty of the natural area "Montafon" and to preserve it for our future generations. At the same time, we see it as our task to contribute our part to sustainable development in the valley and to live up to our claim to set an example for more sustainability in tourism.

Together with CABINSKI and PATRON we have created the Montafon CleanUP Days. In this joint event with all mountain railroads in the Montafon, we set out to free the nature of the Montafon region from litter left behind and thus to preserve our natural environment. Step by step and hand in hand closer to the vision of #plasticfreepeaks.

As initiators, we would like to establish the CleanUP Days as a recurring and lively event in the Montafon, where tourists, locals and day visitors of all ages lend a hand. Above all, we want to encourage day visitors and tourists to do something for nature, which is otherwise often only "consumed" by them. We want to create a visionary event where locals and their guests together set a sign for a gentle and sustainable alpine tourism!

more informations

Mobility

Traveling to and from the resort by car puts a heavy strain on the environment and is the main cause of CO2 emissions during your winter or summer holiday! For a pleasant and environmentally friendly journey, we focus on expanding arrival and departure options and offers. Check out what's on offer below!

Largest e-charging garage in Vorarlberg

Electric cars welcome

Mobile without a car

Sustainable arrival tips

The cleanest way into skiing fun

The Green ticket

Connected to our homeland

We want to provide our guests with the best possible quality. For this reason, we use fresh, local products and try to support local producers and farmers. At the same time, this enables us to bring our guests closer to the culture and customs of the Montafon.

Regionality

Meat products

We maintain an intensive cooperation with the local farmers. For example, we buy cattle from Montafon farmers every year and have them – like many other meat products – delivered to us by the butcher Salzgeber from Tschagguns. Procuring meat locally saves hundreds of kilograms of CO2 compared to buying from a wholesaler.

Dairy products

Since the regional connection is very important to us, we buy cheese from the surrounding Alps Zamang, Kapell and Nova. We obtain more cheese and other dairy products (with the exception of UHT milk and coffee cream) from the Vorarlberg Milch cooperative in Feldkirch, which works exclusively with Vorarlberg farmers.

Thirst quencher from the region

Our beer is from the Fohrenburger brewery in Bludenz, the coffee from the Vorarlberg company Amann Kaffee and the most important thing: fresh spring water – directly from the Montafon mountains. Invigorating. Naturally. Real.

Team Silvretta Montafon

No one knows the Montafon mountains better than the Montafoners themselves. As one of the largest employers in the Montafon, we see it as our responsibility to offer locals a secure job. More than 200 people of our permanent employees live in the Montafon or grew up here. We can live our connection and love for our home at work and communicate it authentically and honestly to our guests. In addition, the journey to work for many of our employees is very short and can easily be done by train, bus or bicycle. This protects the Montafon environment and saves traffic jams and stress in the morning.

What are we doing to make skiing more sustainable?

Skiing is not necessarily perceived as a sustainable sport. Here we have to distinguish between the winter sport itself and the infrastructure required for it. But of course, it doesn't work without them. With the Green Mountains Initiative, we try to act as responsibly as it is possible for a ski area and to design the framework conditions as natural as possible. In order to protect our home and the environment, we always come up with new campaigns. We are still at the beginning and of course there is still a lot to do! But together with your support we will definitely manage to make the Silvretta Montafon more and more sustainable in small steps. If you have ideas or suggestions on how we can change, then write to us!

SNOW MANAGEMENT

Our slopes must not only be perfectly prepared for all skiers, but also efficiently. That's why we place a lot of emphasis on optimal snow management. Our snow groomers are equipped with the latest technology. With millimeter-precise snow depth measurements, we can find out where there is how much snow and how to distribute it efficiently. Together with the technical snow-making team, the snowcat drivers distribute the snow according to demand and can thus guarantee winter sports enthusiasts optimal slope conditions.

Evaluation of telemetry data

We take a close look at the telemetry data from our snow groomers after they have been used at night. In doing so, we check how much time and fuel was used on each individual slope. The aim is to optimise fuel consumption and the duration of use every day, thereby minimizing environmental impact. With our partner and snowcat manufacturer Kässbohrer Austria, we regularly exchange information about technical possibilities and needs, such as the E-PistenBully, which we have already had the opportunity to test. Nevertheless, we want to continue to improve further in this respect.

Snowmaking

In order to make snowmaking in our ski area as efficient and sustainable as possible, we use our snow guns in a targeted and demand-oriented manner. For this reason, the energy-efficient lances from Demaclenko are used at suitable points, which have an energy consumption of just 0.15 kWh/m³ of snow. Technical snowmaking is and remains a major challenge and a not insignificant energy consumer in the ski area. Here, too, we learn something new every winter season and can thus always improve.

Purity law for snow

Contrary to popular belief, technical snow is also a purely natural product. Only water and air are required for production. Chemical additives in snow water are clearly rejected by the member companies of the Austrian Cable Car Association.

ENERGY

We have recognized the urgency of the energy transition and want to do our part. We are taking the first steps towards climate-friendly power supply and energy generation. In new projects, we focus on the use of renewable energy sources.

Biomass heating

Biomass heating is used to generate sustainable heating energy for the new Valisera valley station. Renewable raw materials, in the form of wood pellets, are used to generate energy.

Solar systems/photovoltaic systems

As is well known, the sun (almost) always shines in the Montafon. We have to use that! Two photovoltaic systems are used on the new Valisera Bahn – a smaller one at the mountain station and a large one (almost the entire roof area) at the valley station. We can use over 80% of the electricity that we generate with the two PV systems directly for rail operations. The rest is fed into the grid as green electricity. This stored energy should become part of the energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions.

Green electricity

Since January 2020 we have been operating the cable cars in the Silbertal with green electricity from Vorarlberg. Enjoy the climate-friendly gondola ride up the Kristberg! You can find more information about “ZeroSilbertal” here!

Our heart: The Headquarter "Alpine Sport Zentrale"

A building...

Ecological and robust building materials - both inside and outside - guarantee a long service life and also contribute to sustainability.

with history..

Quarry stone, concrete and wood from the region do not ensure comfort. In addition to their sensual quality, there are also measurable criteria such as pollution-free room air and an excellent ecological balance. On the office floors, the natural wood floors with the room-high solid wood floors create a homely, room-like working atmosphere.

... built for the future.

High-quality building insulation and the consistently thermal bridge-free design enable low operating costs. An intelligent building technology system, combined with controlled ventilation, favors the ecological building climate concept.

Partners & Cooperation

POW - Protect Our Winters Austria

Protect our Winters Austria (POW) is committed to treate our mountains responsibly. We want to take on responsibility as part of our Green Mountains initiative. As a cooperation partner, we – the Silvretta Montafon and POW – therefore support each other. You can get involved too and become part of the POW community!

Visit POW!

Our goals

Silvretta Montafon

Responsible treatment of flora and fauna
Expansion of the use of sustainable energy sources
Cleanest ski area and waste minimization
- Increased focus on regionality
- Increase energy efficiency in the ski area
Anchoring sustainability in the long-term corporate strategy

Voices of sustainability

Siri Fleisch - Montafonerin

For me, mountains are my refuge from everyday life. "Enjoy - be satisfied - switch off." But this unique habitat is not only home and a source of energy for us, we share it with many thousands of plant species and animals. It is more important to protect it and to develop awareness of it.

Annika Hartmann - Head of Marketing

"For me personally, sustainability has a lot to do with a conscious lifestyle in all its facets and above all with what we leave behind when we leave this world. What kind of chances, possibilities, what starting position does the generation after us have? This thought has (or should) have an impact on our actions."

Peter Marko - Managing director of Silvretta Montafon

"It is perfectly clear that nature and the mountains in which we operate are our capital. That's why we have to deal with it responsibly. Sustainability is the main topic of the future. With Green Mountains we want to set an example that we want to act sustainably and are already trying to do so."