Mountain sport fanatics can now beat the queues, save money on a lift pass and reduce their environmental impact by using a parachute to tow them to the top of slopes – a pursuit known as ‘UpSkiing’.
Carving down a mountainside, it’s hard not to feel at one with nature, but the ski industry has a significant impact on the environment – not least because chair lifts and cable cars consume copious amounts of electricity. But now an American team of backcountry skiers has developed a quiet, less visually disruptive and zero-carbon alternative to ski lifts.
An UpSki is a parachute sail that harnesses the wind to tow skiers and snowboarders up mountains. The experience is described as as ‘powerful enough for exhilarating speed, yet precise and controllable for manoeuvring and stopping‘. The canopy is designed to keep the user on the ground at all times and can be deflated instantly for safety. Weighing only 4.5 kg, it can easily be carried in a rucksack and launched or packed down in minutes.
Travelling to a resort is usually the most environmentally detrimental aspect of skiing. The (largely) nuclear-powered Eurostar makes getting to the Alps from Britain a low-carbon way of getting to the slopes, and even a car carrying four passengers is a relatively efficient way to get to European mountain ranges when compared to flying. If you must fly, consider offsetting the carbon from the flights through a Gold Standard scheme.
What if the mountains were on your doorstep? What if you used your skis to get about – even when there was no snow?
All.I.Can is a thought-provoking film that compares the challenges of big mountain skiing to the challenges of global climate change. The world’s best skiers deliver inspirational performances while ground-breaking cinematography expands our vision of the natural world.
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