Going up Saas Fee’s “green slopes”

swissinfo.ch

The ski resort of Saas Fee has taken sustainability to new heights as a leader among alpine villages in its efforts to preserve its natural and cultural heritage.

Unfortunately, it is the only major Swiss resort committed to implementing the Alpine Convention – dedicated to environmental protection and sustainable development.

Located at a lofty 1,800 metres above sea level, with ski slopes stretching up to 3,500 metres and summer skiing available on its glacier, skiers are drawn to Saas Fee like bees to honey.

Therefore, it is surprising that Saas Fee is not rushing to increase short-term gain by allowing unchecked development, as is the case with many big-name Swiss resorts like St Moritz and Crans Montana.

After Switzerland signed the framework agreement of the Alpine Convention in 1991, Saas Fee became the only major Swiss tourism resort dedicated to implementing the accord.

“The milestone was set in 1948 when the people of Saas Fee decided that if a road was built to the village, cars should never be allowed to enter the village itself,” says tourism director Simon Bumann.

Car-free

To this day, Saas Fee is “car-free” but Bumann admits that 85 per cent of tourists travelling to the resort do so by car, leaving their vehicle in a multi-storey car park on the edge of the village.

But he says an attempt over the past couple of years to convince more guests to come by public transport has failed.

The scheme enabled guests to send their luggage ahead by public transport at no extra charge. Bumann complains that the Swiss transport authorities did not do enough to promote the project or support it financially.

What really makes Saas Fee a pioneer in the Swiss Alps, though, are its restrictive building and zoning laws, its commitment to take environmental concerns into account when planning new skiing infrastructure and the implementation of a successful recycling programme.

Polluters pay

Whereas the authorities in ski resorts normally charge a rubbish tax based on the number of beds in each accommodation, Saas Fee applies a fee based on the “polluters pay” principle.

The system is commonplace across Switzerland but not in alpine resorts.

Bernd Kalbermatten, head of Saas Fee’s finance department, says forcing hotel and shop owners to pay for each rubbish bag produced has significantly reduced the amount of litter, encouraging hotel and shop owners to recycle.

A luxury hotel and apartment block in Saas Fee are also being held up by the authorities as models of energy efficiency.

The new apartment block and a new wing added on to the “Ferienart Walliserhof” hotel have been awarded the “Minergie” label, signifying that they have met the highest ecological building standards recognised by the Swiss government.

Beat Anthamatten, the director of the Walliserhof, is obsessed with sustainability; he even sentences polluters among his staff to community work if they do not heed the hotel’s strict creed of “reduce, recycle and reuse”.

Eco-watchdogs

A team of eco-watchdogs made up of hotel staff ensures that paper is used on both sides before being recycled, that goods are purchased with as little packaging as possible and that the kitchen uses only fresh and mostly organic ingredients bought from farms in the region.

Anthamatten is convinced his ecological methods do not compromise the luxury expected by his guests.

In fact, he says, by focusing on the food they are served, as well as regulating the flow of fresh air in their rooms and the absence of toxic cleaning-chemicals, their comfort and well-being is increased.

“I feel in my heart that we have to take responsibility not only for our business but for coming generations,” Anthamatten says.

“When I’m 70 or 80 years old, I’ll be able to look back and say I did it the right way,” he adds.

“This approach is the only way we can ensure sustainable tourism,” reflects Bumann.

“Nature is our only capital, and if we don’t act now we will destroy our main source of income – and ourselves.”

swissinfo, Dale Bechtel

Key facts

Saas Fee is located at 1,800 metres above level.
The resort is surrounded by 13 peaks over 4,000 metres.
It has 100 kilometres of groomed ski slopes.

In brief

Saas Fee is a member of the “Alliance in the Alps” – a group of alpine towns and villages committed to implementing the conservation and sustainability goals of the trans-alpine accord, the “Alpine Convention”.

Visitors wishing to use public transport can reach the resort by train to Brig or Visp in the Rhône Valley where they transfer to a bus for the final stretch.

Saas Fee has a year-round population of 1,600; even though development in the resort is limited, there are nearly 8,000 beds in hotels and holiday apartments or chalets.