ARENA Looks At Financial Benefits Of Sustainability
Sustainability – this word has been haunting all areas of life for many years, yet it's usually little more than a marketing gimmick. However, if you consider the term in the context of ski resorts, you'll realize that sustainability can bring very concrete economic benefits. Sustainability isn't limited exclusively to environmental protection, but rather to ensuring that measures last as long as possible while using resources sparingly. On the one hand, this can save important consumables like electricity and water, and on the other, it can significantly increase profitability in the long term. And, quite incidentally, sustainable strategies also benefit the surrounding natural environment, which is ultimately the greatest asset of any winter sports resort.
Reduced use of water and electricity
In its original sense, sustainability means not consuming more resources than they can regenerate themselves. In ski resorts, this is particularly evident in artificial snowmaking. Climate change, for example, necessitates the increased use of snow guns, which also means increased consumption of water and electricity. However, water, in particular, is not always available in sufficient quantity and quality, which necessitates careful management. To reduce the use of natural resources to an absolute minimum, snow guns should be used in a targeted manner and with maximum efficiency. Through digital analysis of previous snowmaking data, the optimal alignment and ideal snowmaking windows can be determined. In the long term, this leads to massive savings in water and electricity, which can reduce consumption on individual sections of the slope by up to 30%.
Avoid investments in expensive infrastructure
Sustainability in the economic sense also means carefully considering which new purchases are truly necessary. Often, the simplest solution seems to be to invest in the latest generation of snow guns or piste groomers in order to increase efficiency. However, there's a catch to this approach: new purchases are expensive, require a payback period, and don't automatically lead to greater snow reliability. It's often advisable to continue working with the existing infrastructure and instead optimize internal processes and working methods. This can be achieved, for example, by analyzing all the data collected in the ski area and calculating meaningful key performance indicators. This allows for the definition and optimal implementation of targeted strategies and concrete instructions for different weather conditions. This alone unlocks enormous, otherwise untapped, savings potential – and at manageable costs.
Season extension through targeted snowmaking
The same systems used to reduce resource consumption and optimize processes have another advantage that is literally worth its weight in gold. By incorporating current weather data from GeoSphere Austria, they can determine ideal snow windows at the beginning of the season, which are needed for an early opening of the ski area. At the same time, they can determine and maintain the ideal target snow cover throughout the entire season. This is particularly helpful in spring, as the slopes can remain open even under unfavorable conditions. Overall, this significantly extends the season. Most importantly, core business is secured during the Christmas holidays and around Easter.
Less fuel consumption
Another major cost factor in ski resorts is the fuel consumption of snow groomers. Modern, digital fleet management makes it possible to optimally plan routes in advance. Smart route guidance combined with snow depth measurement can minimize the number of passes per piste section and avoid unnecessary fuel consumption. In addition to the financial aspect, optimized fleet management also leads to less wear and tear on snow groomers, thus minimizing maintenance costs. It also results in fewer CO2 emissions, allowing every ski resort to actively contribute to combating climate change – which is not least beneficial to the image of a winter sports resort.
Customer loyalty & new target groups
The psychological effect of a sustainably operating ski resort cannot be ignored. On the one hand, guaranteed snow reliability and slope quality strengthen existing customers' loyalty to the resort. On the other hand, sustainability in the ski resort also contributes to the development of new target groups. Environmental protection is particularly important to Generation Z than to previous generations. Sustainable measures in the ski resort and honest external communication can not only improve the image of winter sports in general, but also sustainably strengthen customer loyalty for years to come.
Sustainability as an economic factor
Sustainability today no longer simply means a voluntary expression of goodwill. Rather, sustainable management brings very concrete financial benefits to ski resorts. Whether it's targeted streamlining of resource use, reduced fuel consumption, or avoiding expensive investments, these measures give ski resorts greater financial flexibility to continue to compete in the industry.
ARENA slope management
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