Les Gets Bans Smoking on Ski Slopes

16th December 2022

Last modified on December 29th, 2022

The French resort is banning smoking on ski lifts and on the slopes except in 5 designated areas. It is the first resort in Europe to do so. NEW

It is primarily doing it for environmental reasons.

More than 3,000 cigarette ends were found in the resort at the end of last season in the ‘Clean Mountain’ day as volunteers collected rubbish once the snow had melted.

Across France around 20 to 25,000 tonnes of cigarette butts end up in nature every year.

“It’s starting to do a lot, don’t you think? So in Les Gets we are taking the lead for the well-being of our resort!” said the resort in a statement.

‘We want to showcase our number one asset which is the clean air of the mountain, which is why thousands of visitors visit us every year,” said Benjamin Mugnier, who is in charge of the project.

A tobacco-free ski area:

It will be forbidden to smoke on the ski slopes or on the ski lifts (the municipal decree takes effect from December 17, 2022)
5 smoking areas will be at your disposal for a cigarette break, they will be materialized by banners
“Survey” type ashtrays, made from recycled skis by the Skitec cooperative, will be available in smoking areas

Tobacco-free ski areas have already existed for several years in North America, Japan and New Zealand.

The move by Les Gets is a first in Europe.

In Canada the ski town of Banff is set to introduce further anti-smoking measures on February 1st 2023.

Smoking and vaping of tobacco and nicotine products will not be allowed in many public places.