The warning signs have been there for years. Glaciers are receding, chairlifts destroy landscapes, and artificial snow alters the delicate water balance required by some plants. Even the wax used on skis and snowboards contains toxic chemicals that damage delicate mountain ecosystems. And that's not counting the energy used in getting to the mountains, and in heating and lighting the resorts.
"As skiers and snowboarders we have to consider the environment because our sport takes place in such a fragile one," says Betony Garner from the Ski Club of Great Britain (skiclub.co.uk) which launched its Respect the Mountain campaign in 2004. The Ski Club's Green Resort Guide lists the eco initiatives of resorts across the world, allowing skiers whose conscience is nagging to book the greenest ones. Lech, in Austria, heads the European contingent, while Grand Targhee in Wyoming is top across the pond.
Independent chalet companies are also responding to a shift in demand. Gaby Newman, who runs Huski Alpine Holidays (huski.com) with husband Tim, has recently renovated an 18th-century farm in Les Houches, France, using reclaimed wood and installing geothermal heating. "It was a big job," she says, "but now, while some people book because they like the look of the building, others are attracted to the environmental element. I'm happy that we're making our contribution."
Doing their bit was also important for Sam Thomas and Jon Dredge, who run More Mountain chalets (moremountain.com) in Morzine.
"We weren't in a position to go completely eco-friendly as we can't rebuild our chalets," says Jon, "but we were keen to reduce our impact. Skiers and snowboarders are becoming more conscious of the effect they have."
More Mountain is one of several firms working with muchbetteradventures.com, which aims to help small travel companies reduce their carbon footprint, and acts as a resource for consumers looking for green holidays.
"People aren't going to stop going skiing," says site owner Alex Narracott. "So you can either beat your head against a brick wall, or you can look at the situation in a more positive way, outlining what people can do."
The environment was the main consideration when Pascal Immediato and his English wife, Suzie, picked a plot of land in Bonnevaux, in the Portes du Soleil ski area, in 2003 and began work on Chalet Chatelet. The village is tiny, dwarfed by the dramatic landscape and 650km of pistes, and doesn't even – shock! horror! – have a bar.
Their chalet sits in its own snowfield with an uninterrupted view down the valley. "We wanted to bring that sense of nature and space into the building," says Suzie, pointing to the huge double-glazed windows.
The four-year project kicked off with a Swiss geologist being brought in to survey the land. It progressed to insulating the timber walls with lambswool and adding layers of cork, hemp and wood fibre to the roof. Toilets and the washing machine run on rainwater, and two types of solar panel heat the water and provide electricity. At the centre of the chalet is a huge Finnish Tulikivi woodburning stove and bread oven. The slate-grey beast sits at the heart of the building, gently emitting heat all day.
The rustic tranquillity continues when you walk from Chatelet up the Vallée d'Abondance to Abondance itself, a pretty, small ski resort of 10 pistes. Technical and nail-biting skiing it ain't but you can have the runs to yourself and room to develop your skills. It's a family-focused town famed for its cheese and for the Abondance cows – distinctive brown patch across one eye – on its 40 or so dairy farms.
Abondance dates from the 13th century – its abbey is gloriously preserved and still in use. Yet hordes of skiers charge past this peaceful place, heading to Chatel, 10 minutes up the road. Abondance is a gentle backwater, complete with weekly farmers' market and a resort manager who knows everybody personally. Although it's part of the Portes du Soleil area, you can't ski from Abondance to other resorts, as you can from, say, Morzine or Champery. But that's half the point.
"There is more to the mountains than shooting down them as fast as you can," says Suzie, pouring organic wine with a dinner served on crockery handmade in various Portes du Soleil villages. "We're happy for people to do that of course, but it's also good if guests get a sense of the environment, and living more in tune with it."
Those who want to ski in the future should think about taking this year's winter holiday somewhere like this.
• Doubles at Chalet Chatelet (+33 4 5073 6948, chalet-chatelet.com) cost €90 including breakfast. Eurostar (eurostar.com) tickets from London to Geneva cost from £149 return. Easyjet (easyjet.com), Swiss (swiss.com) and Jet2 (jet2.com) fly to Geneva from various UK airports
