How Patagonia wants to help preserve a glacier in La Grave

While the town hall of La Grave and the concessionary company are considering replacing a ski lift on the glacier, a group of citizens is campaigning for the project to be abandoned. Supported by Patagonia, this alternative solution favours returning the area to nature.

After the launch of its BackCountry Touring campaign (see below), Patagonia will unveil the film "Vanishing Lines" in December, in which we discover the issues surrounding the fight led by snow brand ambassadors Mitch Tolderer and Lena Stoffel against the expansion of the ski area on the Pitztal glacier in Austria (see the film trailer below). 

This local problem also resonates in France and more particularly in La Grave where the glacier is also at the center of attention concerning its use for alpine skiing. Niels Martin, a member of the " La Grave Autrement ", explains the stakes in this Hautes-Alpes resort.

The specific context at La Grave

"La Grave is not a classic resort. We have a cable car that was originally built for summer use in the 1970s, but gradually began to open in winter. But there has never been a specific piste under the cable car. So those who ski here have always done so off-piste. Today, we have a clientele that comes to La Grave specifically for off-piste skiing. In summer, we have a clientele made up more of people who come here to observe the panorama, as well as a small clientele of mountaineers."

"The ropeway is in two sections, leading from an altitude of 1,500 metres to 3,200 metres at the Col des Ruillans, at the foot of the Girose glacier. A small, rudimentary ski lift was built on this glacier in 1986, enabling ski runs to be made from 3,600 metres upwards. So in summer, this section obviously doesn't operate. Today, this small lift is completely obsolete, the glacier is melting and this lift is no longer adapted to the height of the glacier."

Two opposing visions

"Today, there are two ways of looking at the future of this ski lift. One is to replace it and build a third section of the ropeway to continue to go up to 3600 meters. The aim of this project is economic, as it will bring in additional customers, particularly in summer. Also, in terms of traffic management, adding a third section to the aerial tramway will avoid traffic jams on the first two sections. This project would cost 14 million euros, including 4 million euros of public money."

With the "La Grave Autrement" collective, we are defending another vision, namely to dismantle the ski lift and put nothing in its place, leaving this area untouched. We believe that winter visitors are mainly interested in off-piste skiing, and are not necessarily looking for groomed slopes. In 2021, planing a glacier to make a ski run on a glacier is a bit old-fashioned. We're campaigning to improve the current arrival point at 3200 meters, where we're already on an exceptional site, 30 meters from the glacier with an incredible view. It's also a starting point for easy mountaineering courses, ideal for initiation and training, which is obviously more interesting for mountaineers without a cable car overhead."

"At present, City Hall has refused to listen to our arguments. We're now trying to demonstrate that our idea is relevant. That's why we've launched a crowdfunding campaign which enabled us to finance a study by an independent firm, is currently carrying out a diagnosis of the area, and will then evaluate our proposal as well as that put forward by the town council and the concessionaire. The firm is perfectly capable of proving us wrong, but we're confident. The study is currently underway, with the first results expected in spring 2022. If the study goes our way, we'd like both projects to be proposed to the local population, who were not involved in the decision taken by the Town Hall."

How Patagonia is involved in this issue:

"Patagonia is helping us to publicize this issue at La Grave. The brand has also been useful in enabling us to complete our crowdfunding campaign. We still need a small part of the funding for the second part of the study. So we applied for a grant via 1% for the Planet. A program to which Patagonia has long been committed."

Patagonia's BackCountry Touring campaign:

Through its ski touring clothing range, Patagonia aims to involve skiers and snowboarders in their choice of more sustainable ski touring clothing, thus allowing them to use their equipment for longer. Preserving our playground is part of our responsibility as winter sports enthusiasts and consumers.

1% for the Planet:

“1% for the Planet"was created by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard in 1985. This now global corporate-driven movement consists of dedicating 1% of its sales to environmental protection and restoration. "To date, we have donated more than $89 million in cash and in-kind donations to U.S. and international environmental organizations that are active in the field," says Patagonia.