Swiss Ski Resort Laax Aims for Carbon Neutrality by 2030
Skiing in Europe faces an uncertain future as rising temperatures turn formerly snowy landscapes into slushy, grass-streaked hills. While low-altitude resorts struggle to maintain traditional winter conditions, high-altitude destinations like the Swiss resort of Laax, situated mostly at 2,000 meters, remain relatively snow-secure for the present time. Yet, rather than ignoring the long-term threat, the resort is aggressively pursuing a transformation. I t’s the worst ski resort nightmare: hillsides of shaggy yellow grass streaked with slush under a leaden sky that’s coughing up sleet. Something meteorologists might describe as a British winter, parts of Europe – places previously accustomed to crisp snow fields and pristine blue skies – are now facing this calamity. Only lower altitudes are seeing such disasters. The halfpipe is busy with dudes in baggy trousers and headphones nonchalantly practising their double corks. On the traditional pistes there are four-year-olds who could probably ski before they could walk. White and black terms: are ski resorts in the same predicament as oil-dependent desert states, watching their one key source of wealth dwindle and disappear, to put it in stark. This community is now far ahead of most, stung by climate crisis criticism levelled at the ski industry. The German poets and the Wu-Tang Clan, as he describes how his visionary approach evolved into something he calls “greenstyle”, an optimistic and well-designed future, we cartwheel through Steve Jobs.
Laax has set a bold target to become carbon neutral by 2030. This strategy involves eliminating oil usage, transitioning entirely to sustainable energy production, and reducing food waste to zero. Reto Gurtner, the 71-year-old CEO of the Flims Laax resort, views this push as essential. His father originally developed the resort’s first ski lifts in 1962, transforming what was once a impoverished village into a tourism hub. Perhaps in our children’s lifetimes, is all this destined to disappear. Close to the Austrian border, is making a bold attempt to be carbon neutral by 2030, a goal that requires cutting out all oil use, making all energy generation sustainable, and reducing food wa, this unusual Swiss resort. According to his father built the first ski lifts back in 1962. “Although there had been summer visitors since the 19th century, Laax was a poor village back then,”, Gurtner. But more importantly perhaps, a snowboard and a mountain bike. “We went up on the glacier and built the first halfpipe with shovels.”, he came home with a degree in economics. According to local ski outfitters refused to stock snowboards, while in summer, farmers were outraged at the sight of cyclists pelting down mountain tracks. “We made every cyclist wear a bib,”, Gurtner with a chuckle. “Then the f. Conversation with Gurtner is a wild ride.
The resort’s ethos was reshaped in the 1970s when Gurtner returned from his studies at UCLA. Inspired by California’s burgeoning skate culture, he sought to foster a similar spirit of freedom and innovation in the Alps. He famously introduced the first snowboards and mountain bikes to the area, despite initial resistance from local traditionalists who eventually adapted to the new sports. Under the California sun, discovered skateboarding, gurtner went to study at UCLA and. Even now the memory makes his eyes light up. “They were inventing new sports and I loved the style: no nationalism or militarism. Skateboards, mountain bikes, snowboards – if you did a good run, everyone applauded.
This innovative mindset now drives what Gurtner calls his “greenstyle” vision. A primary example of this technology is the new gondola system in Flims. Unlike traditional lifts that run continuously regardless of occupancy, the resort uses a complex algorithm to dispatch gondolas based on real-time passenger demand across five mountain destinations, significantly increasing energy efficiency. The quiet efficiency of this on-demand system becomes immediately apparent, as we are lifted smoothly up over the fir trees.
High above the treeline at 2,100 meters, the Segnes region showcases both the resort’s natural beauty and its geological significance. In 1848, geologist Roderick Impey Murchison and local expert Arnold Escher von der Linth identified a mystery here: ancient rocks were sitting atop younger ones. Scientists later determined this was caused by the African tectonic plate pushing over the European one.
The local ecosystem is also shifting. Wildlife guide Doris Rellstab notes that the wolf and lynx have returned to the region. Since the first Alpine pack was recorded in 1993, the population has surged. By 2021, there were more than 250 packs, with an annual growth rate of roughly 25%. Switzerland, which was entirely wolf-free for a time, now hosts approximately 40 packs, highlighting a successful ecological resurgence despite occasional conflicts with farmers. And then – Switzerland has its wacky side – three young men in first-world-war greatcoats on antique wooden skis propel themselves with rough-hewn quarter-staves.
Resort leadership remains optimistic about diversifying beyond pure skiing. Gurtner emphasizes that Laax is not purely snow-dependent, noting that freestyle playgrounds and halfpipes require less snow than traditional slopes and can be powered by local hydro energy. Furthermore, the resort offers mountain biking and hiking as primary attractions. If so, Laax is not going down without a fight.
For necessary snow coverage, the resort employs cannons that do not use chemical or biological additives.
Because these cannons run on sustainable power and are paired with emerging electric piste-grooming machinery, the process is significantly less destructive than standard industry practices. The commitment to this green transition remains a core pillar of the resort’s survival strategy, even as aging infrastructure, like the clanking, older chair lifts in the neighboring village of Falera, continues to operate alongside the new, efficient systems. Higher up, normal service continues.
