Long train runnin’

Taking the train has been touted the greenest way to travel when compared with driving or flying, producing only 14kg of CO2, compared with 100kg per person flying and round 225kg per car. There’s no weight limit to baggage when taking the train, so pack as many outfits as you want you little fashionista. You can get an evening Eurostar and then there’s a bunch of overnight sleeper trains from Paris to loads of different resorts, so you’re able to wake up in the mountains and get on the slopes the same day. The Telegraph has a list of resorts easily reached by train, so consider going via rail on your next trip out.

Take a road trip

Grab your Shania Twain greatest hits CD, 4 cans of Red Bull and 2 bags of Haribo Tangfastics – you’re hot to trot. For real though, if you’re not lucky enough to live in a resort, you’re gonna have to travel there somehow and unless you’re doing one of those weird Forrest Gump things where you start running everywhere hopping in a car is probably your first thought. Driving over to the mainland from the UK is actually super easy and produces less CO2 than flying per person when the car is full. Plus, if you get the ferry over you can watch all the dead behind the eyes lorry drivers eat pork pies and play on the slot machines.

Disclaimer: Driving only becomes a viable green option when the car is full

(Don’t) drop it like it’s hot

This one seems too obvious to even bother mentioning, but apparently some people are still labouring under the impression that dropping their litter on the floor anywhere, let alone in a ski resort is a normal and socially acceptable thing to do. Take it with you, shove it in your pockets, stuff it in your mates hood, eat it if thats what gets you going, do what you have to do – just don’t leave it outside.

Litter Pick

Most resorts operate an end of season litter pick so if you’re living out in resort or have a late season trip planned you should be able to get details on how you can volunteer and help. Apparently at a normal post season litter pick the average haul for each volunteer is 5kg – that’s madness. Or if you know your local resort doesn’t operate one, organise one yourself. Each piece of trash we leave up the hill can take years to degrade, all the while leaking toxins into the earth.

Go green up the hill

There’s stuff that you can do once you’re upstairs that can lend a helping hand to the planet, for instance take a water bottle up with you and there’s no need to buy a single use plastic one. Eat local food if you’re buying lunch, then there’s less food that has to be brought into resort and less packaging if it’s homegrown. While you’re riding be mindful of the fact that there is a whole habitat around you, animals and plants that call it home, don’t be a dick and trample all over the greenery getting to that super gnarly pow pow stash.

Offset your emissions

We’re well aware that it would be near impossible to live without producing some sort of footprint, but there are ways in which you can balance out the carbon emissions that you can’t avoid. A Carbon offset is a way to compensate for your emissions by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere. You can calculate your footprint online and there are various projects which you can donate to.

These are only some of the ways that we’re able to live a slightly greener life, if you’ve got any ideas send ’em over to us, it’s a learning process for us all. POW UK has some great resources on their website, and gives ways for you to get involved. So, happy mothers day Mother Nature, you bad bitch.