The preservation of the environment

The alpine walls frequented by climbers are home to a sensitive avifauna, sometimes rare and often protected (for example: the bearded vulture). Information and education for practitioners are essential for the preservation of these birds. Maintaining and monitoring this birdlife on practice sites in coexistence with climbing activities is crucial for their sustainability. Monitoring nesting in the walls and informing climbers are therefore central to maintaining practice sites and preserving the natural environment.

With the Nest&Climb project, ASTERS 74 proposed establishing a connection between practitioners and naturalists to inform about the presence of nests, their occupancy period, and routes to avoid during these periods. Thus, funding from the Snowleader corporate foundation was used for community engagement (digital communication, conferences, and awareness), on-site information (printing of signs, installation, maintenance), and monitoring of detected nests (monitoring of territorial species sites).

Created in 1983 by a group of mountain guides, the Alpine Garden is a portion of the Semnoz alpine pasture (Bauges massif) dedicated to showcasing around a hundred different species of flowers characteristic of the mid-mountain range, with a focus on preservation. This space is free and open to all from June to September. Every year, FNE Haute-Savoie takes care of maintaining the Alpine Garden to allow gentians, orchids, lilies, and centaureas to flourish.

By organizing summer events and activities, environmental educators raise awareness among hundreds of visitors about preserving mid-mountain biodiversity. While visitors of all ages enjoy visiting the Alpine Garden, this space is particularly suitable for young audiences, who are especially important to engage as future citizens.

As it is essential for us to preserve fauna and flora through our mission of protecting the mountain environment, the Snowleader Foundation supports the Alpine Garden. Public events and activities aimed at both the general public and extracurricular centers will thus be maintained.

Sensitized to this environmental issue, we were present at the site during the autumn of 2022, in the Hautes-Alpes, in the commune of Saint-Firmin, at the gates of the Valgaudemar valley, between Grenoble and Gap.

The objective was to dismantle a ski lift that had been unused for 17 years, located in the buffer zone of the Écrins National Park, between 1,350 m and 1,558 m above sea level. This ski lift, called the “Col des Vachers,” was built by the Pomagalski company in 1963 (with a vertical drop of 210 m and a length of 660 m). It operated for the last time during the winter of 2004-2005. The new municipal council of St Firmin contacted Mountain Wilderness to initiate the dismantling of this facility, which had been unused for 15 years. In addition to the departure and arrival stations, the engine, the tank, and the counterweights, this facility includes 6 intermediate pylons.
More information here.

Over the years, members of the association noticed that while there were tools available to explain climate change in a global context, there were none specifically tailored to the mountain environment. Thus, they embarked on a project to create a game called “The Mountain Fresco,” inspired by the concept of the Climate Fresco.

Since 2021, the goal has been to develop an educational game inspired by the Climate Fresco concept. The game consists of cards that need to be arranged in logical order to recreate a schematic view of the impacts of climate change on the mountains, their natural areas, and the human activities dependent on them. After raising awareness, the game also encourages players to envision desirable futures. In 2024, the final phase has commenced, involving the graphic design and printing of the game.