Landscapes that are actively affected by snow and ice attract tourists....
You must have a case study of an alpine area: Focus on Chamonix - What is Chamonix like? Watch this short video to start!
Did you know orange peel takes up to two years to break down in the Alps and snotty tissues and plastic sweet wrappers will still be on the mountains long after the skiers have gone... You could read this BBC report on the impacts of tourism in the Alps.
Geographical Magazine article on the pressures Chamonix faces from tourism (and climate change)
Now make a factfile - include a map!
Our Key questions are:
a. What are the attractions for tourists? - summer (watch this advert too ) and winter - would you do this? https://www.chamonet.com/chamonix
Organise the information below into two columns or mind maps – show that you are clear that there are winter and summer attractions for tourists in Chamonix: (you can extend this using the links)
Skiing and Snowboarding - 6 ski areas– cable car and cog railway access to Mer de Glace – longest glacier in France
Montenvers railway to the Mer de Glace ice cave
Cross Country skiing – two local courses
Rafting, paragliding, pony trecking
350km of marked hiking trails
Snowshoe trails
40km of mountain biking tracks
Ice climbing, paragliding, free riding
Human attractions of the town of Chamonix e.g. Alpine museum, shops, historical buildings
b. What are the economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism? Complete this sorting exercise. What conflicts arise as a result of developing tourism?
d. How can the impacts be managed and how effective are the strategies used? - task here
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The increasing risk of avalanches - watch this and make your own!! What happened in Galtur 1999? What were the causes and effects? ITN news report on the day after.
The impact of climate change - What are the impacts on ski resorts as snowfall becomes unreliable?
(in the news - Nov 2014 - a bit of a long read - just have a brief look? :Why snow machines are cold comfort)
BBC news in the Swiss Alps, BBC report
Adapting to climate change - report
Adding artificial snow to the slopes has many environmental problems - Artificial snow is used on 30 per cent of slopes in the Alps,
In the past, it has required 95 million cubic metres of water to cover slopes in France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia for a season. A city of 1.5m inhabitants uses the same amount of water in a year.
Abondance in the French Alps - diversifying away from skiing - Faced with an uncertain future, mountain towns and villages are already trying to diversify into leisure activities that are independent of snow. (In Canada Jay Peak, a low-lying resort in Vermont invested a substantial amount in indoor water parks and alternative activities during the winter season and survived the 2011-2012 warm winter)
rock falls and climate change hikes
How glaciers have retreated globally.