Family walking holiday in the French Alps

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION
You are able to travel to us by train from the UK and across Europe. With trains to Geneva from Paris you can then take the bus to Morzine completely avoiding air travel and private transfers. Additionally once in resort there is a fantastic, and free, shuttle bus service to take you all around the local valley! To avoid in-transport all together it is possible to walk from our centrally located chalet to almost all of our self-guided walks. When we do provide in-transport to guests, we try to lower our carbon emissions by transporting guests together.

We buy food locally and seasonally and promote this ethos to our guests. We purchase local produce where possible and we corroborate this with our local suppliers, as well as making an effort to source meat products that have not been inhumanely treated. We adapt our menus during the year to favour produce that is in season and is grown locally. In order to reduce carbon emissions we incorporate vegetarian and vegan meals into our main menu, as well as offering fully vegetarian and vegan menus. By not using meat in all our dishes, this is one of the most effective ways of reducing water consumption and reducing carbon emissions. We feel it is important to share with our guests the environmental benefits of reducing meat consumption. Where possible we choose palm oil free products and when necessary we only purchase products using certified palm oil.


ENVIRONMENTAL AND WILDLIFE
We promote water saving activities such as taking shorter, cooler showers. However we believe reducing the use of meat in our menus and explaining the environmental benefits behind this to our guests saves more water.

We make conscious efforts to minimise waste when shopping by trying to choose products with less packaging. We make sure to recycle any appropriate waste from the Chalet. We collect all the recycling and then separate it into the communal bins when necessary, we encourage our guests to do the same. In our village it is possible to recycle a wide range of products including soft plastics. Additionally in the local supermarket there are points to recycle bulbs, batteries and printer cartridges. We do our best not to use single use plastics and avoid providing anything to our guests packaged with single use plastic.

Around the chalet wild flowers and grasses grow on the hillsides encouraging pollinators and local birds.

Our booking process is paperless and we avoid printing wherever possible. We are a small family run business so do not have a typical head office. Additionally we travel to work together and walk when possible.

The resort itself is working towards the Flocon Vert award, the Town hall and the Tourist Office are working with local businesses in short and long term projects to reduce the impact on the environment. Additionally the influx of tourists brings money to the area to maintain footpaths and to take action to prevent the local environment from being damaged with people walking in protected areas. We also suggest that guests use the mountain lifts, as these require a payment the money is then used in part to protect the local environment. Finally the destination has a Chablais Geopark label. It has a Natura 2000 zone and several wetlands with guidelines in place to protect the local flora and fauna.

As we are the destination supplier, we make sure that should our guest need a guide for their particular activity, a local guide is booked. Our guides are permanent residents of the local community who are very knowledgable on the local wildlife. They are passionate about teaching visitors about ways the environment is being protected and schemes that are in place to preserve the wild landscape. Our guides train through and receive their diplomas from ENSA (National Skiing and Alpinism School). The program, which lasts three years, teaches students every aspect and technique for safely climbing, navigating, and guiding in the mountains. Where possible we employ local staff and make use of local services.
We purchase local produce where possible and we corroborate this with our local suppliers, as well as making an effort to source meat products that have not been inhumanely treated. We adapt our menus during the year to favour produce that is in season and is grown locally. In order to reduce water we incorporate vegetarian and vegan meals into our menu. By not using meat in all our dishes, this is one of the most effective ways of reducing water consumption. We feel it is important to share with our guests the environmental benefits of reducing meat consumption. Additionally we promote water saving activities such as taking shorter, cooler showers. However we believe reducing the use of meat in our menus and explaining the environmental benefits behind this to our guests saves more water.

The resort itself is working towards the Flocon Vert award, the Town hall and the Tourist Office are working with local businesses in short and long term projects to reduce the impact on the environment. Additionally the influx of tourists brings money to the area to maintain footpaths and to take action to prevent the local environment from being damaged with people walking in protected areas. We also suggest that guests use the mountain lifts, as these require a payment the money is then used in part to protect the local environment. Finally the destination has a Chablais Geopark label. It has a Natura 2000 zone and several wetlands.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY
The Chalet is privately owned as an individual property. As local residents ourselves we have been welcomed into the community. It is this experience that we want to give to our guests and encourage them to speak to and engage with all locals they come into contact with. This includes our local partners who we work closely with to provide the most authentic experience for our guests.

The local community relies on visitors. By encouraging our guests to engage with the local community and activities they are supporting the host community. By increasing visitors to the valley this boosts the local economy, which supports the local community.

The chalet is located right in the heart of Morzine and we encourage our guests to visit the local markets and make use of local activity providers while on our holidays. A large proportion of the income derived from our holidays goes directly into the local community and we try to ensure that this benefits small, local businesses.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
The majority of our local partners are French and have been operating in the valley and surrounding areas for a large number of years. When we use mountain guides they are locals who have knowledge of the area and community. All of our partners and our own staff are paid in line with local regulations on minimum wage.

We regularly work with people from around the world, by advertising for staff on a variety of websites targeted at those wanting to work in the mountains we are able to offer positions to anyone with a great attitude and some experience in the field. We strongly believe that the mountains are for everyone and work hard to partner with local organisations who share this ethos.

This, and all our holidays are welcoming of anyone in the LGBTQUIA+ community. Additionally with regards to the local community, Avoiraz, a town in the Portes du Soleil area and linked directly to Morzine hosted European Gay Ski Week in 2015 and 2016.