Ecological Transition in the Mountains

We, the Snowleader and the Petzl foundations, have decided to unite our forces to encourage and help associations and collectivities that act for the ecological transition in the mountains. Launched for the first time in May 2022, this common call for projects has the following themes: reducing carbon emissions, biodiversity conservation, and raising awareness regarding climate change in the mountains, in mountain areas, or in connection with outdoor activities. 

In June this year, the Petzl and Snowleader foundations launched the 3rd edition of their joint call for projects to support the ecological transition in mountainous regions. This time around, the call was widened to include the mountains of Europe and Switzerland. On 15 October 2024, a jury comprising employees from both companies awarded nine prizes with a total value of €60,000. These projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve biodiversity and raise awareness of the impact of climate change at high altitudes provide a blueprint for the ecological transition we want to see in mountainous areas. Our ambition is to showcase positive initiatives that encourage a shift in people’s habits and a new approach to life in tomorrow’s world.

THE WINNING PROJECTS IN 2025

Climb to fly with the black vulture

Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna

The association

This Bulgarian NGO focuses on the conservation of nature and endangered species. It is currently working to reintroduce vultures to the mountains of Bulgaria, where they had been extinct since the 1960s. There are now almost 700 individuals in the region.

The project

This project will involve the construction of artificial platforms in trees with the assistance of tree climbers and arborists, the purpose being to help the recently reintroduced vultures to nest and breed. The work will take place in the Rila and Pirin mountains during the course of 2025, with 20 to 30 platforms set to be built.

LOCATION
Bulgaria

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€9,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Go Wild ! Stop heliskiing

Mountain Wilderness Suisse

The association

Mountain Wilderness Switzerland is dedicated to preserving the wilderness areas of the Alps and encouraging sports enthusiasts to adopt a respectful approach to their activities in the mountains.

The project

The association is taking legal action to put an end to heliskiing, which is still allowed in Switzerland. It also strives to make mountain guides who still partake in this anachronistic pastime more aware of their responsibilities, at a time when climate issues are taking centre stage in the public debate. The goal is to eliminate the carbon emissions generated by recreational helicopter flights, protect wildlife that is sensitive to this form of disturbance and advocate for quiet, unspoilt mountains.

LOCATION
Switzerland

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€8,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

The Voice of the Glaciers

Protect Our Winters - POW France

The association

This association echoes and amplifies the voices of members of the outdoor community who are committed to the climate, the natural world and social justice.

The project

The project’s goal is to ensure that the 3rd edition of La Voix des Glaciers gains exposure across the Alpine Arc – with film screenings in France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy – so as to raise public awareness of the devastating effects of climate change on Alpine glaciers. 2025 will be the International Year of Glacier Preservation. The aim will be to awaken the public consciousness and stimulate dialogue on the measures that need to be taken. The association is also petitioning for European legislation to protect the continent’s glaciers. The tour will run from January to April 2025.

LOCATION
Alpine Arc

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€7,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Alpine river conservation programme

Haute-Savoie association for the protection of natural areas

The association

The Conservatoire d’Espaces Naturels de Haute-Savoie is committed to improving the protection of wild rivers in the Alps through restoration and education.

The project

The project revolves around the certification of Alpine rivers that are considered to be under threat and whose protection is deemed a priority. This will involve the measurement of innovative biological indicators at “sentinel stations”. The certification of rivers allows a wide array of stakeholders to be mobilised for their conservation, while making it easier to secure public funding to support their protection. The association is intent on demonstrating, through precise data, that restoring and protecting wild rivers can ensure and improve CO2 capture by these ecosystems.

LOCATION
French Alps

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€8,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Creation of a biodiversity sanctuary

Alpes Maritimes Scouts and Guides Association

The project

Scouts et Guides de France Alpes Maritimes is planning to create a “Refuge LPO”-certified biodiversity sanctuary on 3 hectares of land at its Malamaire base, an hour and a half from Nice. A biodiversity assessment will be conducted and recommendations for the sanctuary’s management will be put forward to allow plant and wildlife to flourish in the area. Waste reduction will also be on the agenda, with the installation of a general composter for kitchen biowaste and dry toilet waste.

LOCATION
Alpes Maritimes

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€7,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Co-operative for the loaning of mountain equipment

Alpes-Là

The association

This Grenoble-based association leads initiatives to address challenges specific to Alpine regions, as well as seeking solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of mountain enthusiasts.

The project

Initially set up for the city’s student population, the association is now keen to expand the co-operative’s remit by loaning mountain equipment to as wide a population as possible and at a low cost, the aim being to encourage more people to enjoy the mountains and to reduce the carbon footprint of outdoor activities. Equipment for those who want to try mountaineering for the first time will soon be added to the available stock. The association is planning to launch publicity campaigns and improve access to the service so as to prompt a shift in people’s mindsets, with an emphasis on equipment use rather than consumption.

For more information about the co-operative → https://pret-materiel.alpes-la.org/

LOCATION
Grenoble 

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€6,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Mountains & Science Festival

Montagnes et Sciences

The association

This association’s role is to provide a better understanding of the mountains, their natural areas and their cultures, in a spirit of public education and scientific democratisation.

The project

Its showpiece event is the Rencontres Montagnes & Sciences, a travelling films festival held every year from the Alps to the Massif Central. 2025 will see the 12th edition of this science outreach event, which was founded to raise awareness among people of all ages about the importance of preserving natural environments. The intention is to provide free screenings for schoolchildren (primary and secondary) and students, so as to reach 7,500 young people a year.

LOCATION
French Alps 

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€5,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Mountain-based careers in the ecological transition

Centre for Mountain and Environmental Career Support - CIMME Isère

The association

CIMME Isère supports and trains young people who have dropped out of school or who are seeking to begin a career linked to the ecological transition in the mountains.

The project

The association is developing a programme to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the mountains and to introduce young people to various sectors, including the wood industry, energy and agriculture. The programme lasts 7 weeks and provides 8-10 young people (between the ages of 18 and 30) with qualitative support. The intention is to help these youngsters find employment and to raise environmental awareness.
CIMME Isère is receiving a second round of support this year, having already been among the winners in 2023.

LOCATION
Isère 

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€5,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

A cycle bus on the plateau

Plateau des Petites Roches

Local Authority

Situated in the Isère département at an altitude of 1,000m, the commune of Plateau des Petites Roches is keen to embark on its ecological transition, foster a community spirit among its residents, develop citizen participation and make the most of local resources.

The project

Having already won funding in 2022 for the creation of a community orchard, the municipality has been rewarded once again for its plan to develop alternative modes of transport for the area. Its flagship project is the launch of a cycle bus to provide a shared, low-carbon, socially-responsible and intergenerational mobility solution. This 6-8 seater electrically-assisted cycle bus will be used to transport schoolchildren and seniors, so as to reduce the carbon footprint of short journeys between the various villages in the municipality.

LOCATION
Isère 

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€5,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

THE WINNING PROJECTS IN 2024

(c) Camille Combes - LPO

LOCATION
Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€8,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Restore and create ponds in alpine areas

LPO Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

The association

Always invested more and more in wild nature conservation, the LPO Auvergne Rhône-Alpes performs studies and regular follow-ups on fauna and biodiversity, educational projects, raising awareness among children and the wider public, as well as management and restoration projects in natural areas.

The project

Humid areas in altitude are a part of the richest ecosystems in the world: they limit the intensity of floods, filter water, slow run-offs, and, more importantly, provide valuable carbon sources.
The Alpi’Mares project extends on 3 years (until 2025), and focuses on mountain zones between 800m and 2,200m altitude, in Rhône-Alpes. It is an operational project that consists of creating and restoring mountain ponds (the objective is 100 ponds in three years) to protect endangered amphibian and dragonfly populations.

Alpine Express, go to the mountains by train!

Montagne Verte

The association

‘Montagne Verte’s mission is the development of sustainable solutions for the Morzine region with the aim of reducing the environmental impact. They work towards a valley where inhabitants live in harmony with their mountain territory and its biodiversity. The objective is to inform, inspire, and encourage inhabitants to reduce their environmental impact, but also to reach neighbouring companies and communes.

The project

More than 50% of the carbon footprint of mountain resorts is due to tourist transportation. In Haute-Savoie, half of foreign visitors are English, Belgian, and Dutch, who travel here mainly by plane and by car. This is why the association is aiming at convincing foreign visitors and tour operators to prioritise the train when heading to the North Alps with the help of a link guide and practical tips for organising their trip using public transport. Today, there is no initiative to guide tourists from one train to the another, and to buses for the last kilometres, with instructions in their language.

LOCATION
Haute-Savoie

FINANCIAL SUPORT
€7,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Training young people in the green transition

CIMME - The Integration Centre for Mountain and Environmental Professions

The association

Centre d’Insertion par les Métiers de la Montagne et de l’Environnement (CIMME – The Integration Centre for Mountain and Environmental Professions) is an association that accompanies and trains school drop-outs (16-30 years old) in professions linked to ecological transition in mountainous regions. It bears the Ecological Transition Schools label.

The project

In the context of global warming, another relation with mountains needs to be thought of, with proximity to nature and development of a sustainable and biodiversity-friendly ‘4-season’ tourism. These changes involve a real reflection exercise on mountain-related professions that are developing and adapting to these goals of preserving the natural heritage. CIMME started a discovery journey on future mountain-related professions, for groups of 8-10 young people. The aim is to bring about understanding and to accompany young people towards a professional project in this sector.

LOCATION
Isère

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€7,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

LOCATION
Loire

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€7,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Recycling local resources

Association L’envers du Grenier

The association

‘L’envers du Grenier’ aims at encouraging inhabitants and professionals from the territory of Monts du Pilat (Loire) to reduce their impact on the environment. This initiative goes through circular and local economy, reuse of objects / materials, raising awareness on the environment. (Energy sobriety)

The project

The first ambition is to create a recycling centre and a resource-café with access and recovery of local products, access to territory-related information, valorisation of local inhabitants’ skills, and offer a convivial place, where people can connect. The association will also raise awareness towards solidarity, transfer and ecological transition through events and participative projects.

How to go to the mountains without a car

Mountain Wilderness France

The association

Mountain Wilderness is an association that acts to protect and value the specificity, beauty, and richness of mountain areas. It aims at triggering a change in behaviour when it comes to mountains by means of actions on site, publications, and liaising with political, associative, and economic stakeholders. The rationale is the cohabitation between the wild part and the inhabitable part of mountains.

The project

‘Change Your Approach’ is a campaign that takes a new direction, aiming at mountain clubs, private climbing gyms and mountain leaders, to trigger a change of behaviour, by means of a kit designed for raising awareness. This kit is an invitation to accessing mountains in an eco-friendly way. For this, the association will instruct volunteers to organise raising awareness events in the evening, within the clubs and climbing gyms. The raising awareness kit will be available online, free of charge, on the Mountain Wilderness website.

LOCATION
France

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€6,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

LOCATION
Massif Alpin

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€6,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Mountain Fresco

Educ’alpes

The association

Educ’alpes’s aim is to develop and to promote education throughout the French mountains, with their diversity, the end-goal being sustainable development. Educ’alpes’ missions are: connecting alpine-related stakeholders, facilitating information flow, access to resources, exchange, and meet-ups.

The project

‘Mountain Fresco’ is a project organised and coordinated today by Educ’alpes, Mountain Wilderness, and a volunteering facilitator of Climate Fresk. The objective of this workshop for the adult public is to provide comprehension as to why and how climate change impacts the natural environment and human activities in the mountains. Then, participants imagine what they could do if they were the territorial actors, to project themselves towards optimal future scenarios, imagining adaptation solutions. The project started in 2021, and in 2023 it managed to create a complete prototype of the workshop, ready for testing. This educational game for raising awareness will officially be out in 2024, and a group of facilitators will be organised to promote it.

LOCATION
Isère

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€4,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

A green transition in the Vercors mountains

Vert&Co

The asociation

Vert&Co’s ambition is to accompany inhabitants and professionals of Vercors (Isère), through the ecological transition, raising awareness about taking action. Regardless of the level of information or engagement, this project will aim at informing, raising awareness for the understanding of the impact on mountains and the territory, encouraging change (home renovation, changing means of transport, creating vegetable gardens, etc.), accompanying, and providing support.

The project

The support of our foundations will be directed towards the organisation and the coordination of two series of three events (Transition Workshops), opened to everyone, for exchange on practices. Here are the planned workshops: ‘Gardening naturally in the mountains’ and “Visit to a low-consumption house, at 1,000m altitude’. In addition, the association equally proposes six events ‘I have a new project:…’ (Choosing my solar panels at 1,000m altitude, saving water at home, reducing my electricity consumption, building a low-tech solar oven by myself, etc.)

LOCATION
France

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€5,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations (2023)
€15,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations (2022)

Recycling climbing shoes and ropes

Clean Climber France

The association

Clean Climber France is an association that aims at an environmental transition for verticality sports. It accompanies climbers and market players in their initiative to reduce rock-climbing related waste.

The project - JURY'S FAVORITE PROJECT

The Recycle programme targets the creation of a national collection and recycling network for rock climbing shoes. It helps minimising the environmental impact of waste storage (150 tons yearly) of the 300,000 pairs of shoes coming out on the market every year. In a single year, the association has launched the challenge by opening the first eight collection points in Île de France during the summer of 2023, in climbing gyms. The latter ones are responsible of a third of the national waste storage. (Through their rental climbing shoes) In 2024, the association should reach more than 90 functional collection points. 
Once collected, climbing shoes are transformed:
– In cycling lanes with a high drainage capacity, that favour the transfer of rain water in the groundwater tables, and that provide a partial soil permeability in urban areas.
– In floors that support sports equipment. (High schools, gyms, training areas, etc.)
These two outlets have been measured by ACV (Analyse du Cycle de Vie – Life Cycle Analysis) to guarantee that the entire process (from collection to the new product) has a positive impact on the environment.
A research programme is on-going for the creation of rubber soles for climbing shoes. 
Winner of the first edition, the association benefits from a new sponsorship to continue its climbing shoe collection and recycling actions. 

THE WINNING PROJECTS IN 2023

An organic, participatory and supportive municipal orchard

Plateau-des-Petites-Roches

The municipality

Situated at 1,000m altitude, the Plateau des Petites Roches in Chartreuse, and its 2,400 inhabitants care about the quality of landscapes and of the environment. The town hall has established four objectives: lead its own ecological transition process, maintaining solidarity, encouraging citizens’ participation, and promote local activity. 

The project - JURY'S FAVORITE PROJECT

The ‘Agri’Culture for All’ project aims at establishing an organic communal and solidary orchard, close to the village centre, to revive ancient and local varieties of fruit trees and vegetables. In the future, the objective is to provide a part of the fruit and juice stock for the school canteen and the food bank of Plateau-des-Petites-Roches.
The goal is also to raise awareness to pupils, students, and inhabitants of the village regarding biodiversity preservation and solutions that allow everyone to practice an environment-friendly agriculture, saving water, and using local resources (know-how, green waste recycling, etc.), an agriculture adapted to current climate changes. School pupils will be in charge of planting these fruit trees themselves. Vegetables will be chosen according to the existing type of altitude soil.
Once trees have grown, the ultimate goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of the school canteen by consuming local fruits and vegetables.

LOCATION
Isère

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€15,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Collect bio-waste from the Chamonix Valley

Écotrivélo

The association

‘Écotrivélo’ is an association that collects organic waste from professionals in the Chamonix valley. (Restaurants, hotels, bars, canteens, etc.) The waste is then composted locally, in the valley. Given the proximity, collection rounds are done by bike, in an eco-friendly way.

The project

In the Chamonix valley, about 750 tons of organic waste from professionals are transported in trucks and incinerated each year at the lower end of the valley. Écotrivélo wishes to improve the management of this waste by increasing its global collection and handling capacity. In 2020, the association collected 3 tons of organic waste, in 2021, 15 tons, and in 2022, 40 tons.
Our support helped with creating new composting sites, buying an electric bike, and a new collection trailer.
The association has an activity peak during sports events in Chamonix. In June 2023, we went to help them collect organic waste generated by food industry providers during the Marathon of Mont-Blanc.

LOCATION
Haute-Savoie

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€10,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Protect high altitude wetlands

France Nature Environment Haute-Savoie

The association

France Nature Environnement (FNE) is an association that works on the protection and preservation of nature and environment in the Haute-Savoie department. 

The project

Humid areas are part of the richest ecosystems in the world. They host an unbelievable biodiversity, and offer us valuable ecological services: water filtration, flood limitation, carbon reserves, etc. In altitude, due to climate change, humid areas dry out, and go through an alarming declining process. Therefore, species that live in these areas or that go there (dragonflies, amphibians, water plants, etc.) find themselves in danger due to their habitat disappearing.
Even with these dangers, humid areas in altitude remain ecosystems that receive very little interest from the scientific community, and unknown to the wide public. To protect them, we must learn to know them better!
For this, the association launched in 2021 the CIMaE project; it aims at studying the impact of climate change on humid area in altitude.
After two years of research, in the summer of 2023, FNE Haute-Savoie raised awareness among outdoor users (hikers, trail runners, mountaineers, etc.) in mountain huts situated close to humid areas. To help them in this initiative, we created a video to promote this subject at a larger scale. (See opposite)

LOCATION
Haute-Savoie

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€9,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Huts, beacons for the environment

French Alpine Club of Briançon

The association

On top of its traditional activities, French Alpine Club (CAF), the Briançon section, manages 11 huts via a delegation contract, signed with the French Alpine Club Federation.

The project

These huts are in isolated areas, in the middle of protected natural areas. They created relevant strategies to integrate in their environment, while protecting nature and saving energy. The Briançon CAF designed a game for raising awareness on sustainable management of huts, and for the discovery of the mountain area around the huts.
Events around the game tackle the following themes: electricity production, food supplies, water origin and circuit, waste management, and hot water production. But also: Watching birds of pray, salamanders, marmots, identifying edible plants in low altitude mountains, understanding glaciers receding, etc.
The global objective is to raise awareness regarding sustainable development through human interaction with hikers and hut wardens. 

LOCATION
Hautes Alpes

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€5,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Creating an edible and educational forest

L’École Buissonnière

The association

‘L’École Buissonnière’ is an association that wishes to provide children with access to the living environment, a playground, and raise awareness in their body and senses by means of an immersion in the forest. For this, it acquired a plot in the forest La Chambotte, in Savoie.

The project

The project is to create an edible and educational forest in the Entrelacs territory, in the Chambotte col. This will be the set-up for workshops ‘The school of the forest, the school of the outdoors’. Plants will be identified for their ecological combinations, and the majority are edible. Thus, a rich, diverse, and adaptive ecosystem is created, in which various species collaborate, auto-regulate, and feed themselves. A well-designed garden forest manages itself, and preserves the natural structure of the soil, allowing all small microbes and creatures of the ground do their work, recycling nutrients and maintaining fertility.
In this place, volunteers of the association will establish their base camp, from where they will raise awareness to the young and the grown-ups. In July 2023, three Snowleader collaborators helped building a kiosk covered in plants, that will shelter from now on workshop participants. 

LOCATION
Savoie

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€5,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations

Reducing household energy consumption in the mountains

Et Maintenant

The association

‘Et Maintenant’ is a network of locals from the Bauges, who work together to build and experience a resilient organisation towards sobriety, apprenticeship, mutual help, and conviviality. 

The project

In 2022, the association started a project called ‘Foyer négawatt – The Négawatt house’, following the model of the positive energy family challenges. The object is to reflect, measure, and understand the energy flow, to act towards energy sobriety in a house, with the aim of dividing the participant consumption by five. 

LOCATION
Isère

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
€5,000 – Snowleader & Petzl Foundations