This is an archive of the old PisteHors.com forum

News | Gear | Ski Areas | Hiking | Mountain Biking
Powered by Google™
   
 
Alps chokes on air pollution
Posted: 01 March 2013 12:28 PM  
Administrator
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  2234
Joined  2003-10-24

If you are a city dweller you may have thought that your week’s ski holiday was a good chance to come and breath some fresh air. Think again. The French Alps are currently experiencing one of their worst pollution events with the air pollution rated as 10/10. The current alert started on the 24th February and covers the Rhone Alpes region and the south-east of French in general with Lyon, Grenoble, Chambery and the Arve valley as well as the west of the Ain department at alert levels. Authorities are hoping for north winds to disperse the pollution this weekend. This is the fourth alert for the region this year.

http://www.air-rhonealpes.fr/site/accueil/monaccueil/all/

 
 
Posted: 01 March 2013 01:20 PM   [ # 1 ]  
Sr. Member
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  270
Joined  2008-01-31

Thanks for the warning.

Hopefully it will clear out some if the precipitation arrives which is predicted for next week. Along with some powder skiing.

Ken

 
 
Posted: 02 March 2013 04:01 PM   [ # 2 ]  
Sr. Member
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  110
Joined  2008-11-05

"Weekend Noir” according to the front page of the Dauphine as the old tourists leave and new ones arrive into the mountains.

You know what they should do for pollution?
Sort all them cheeky Frontaliers out.  I think I’ve only ever seen one car with more than one person in..

 
 
Posted: 02 March 2013 05:36 PM   [ # 3 ]  
Sr. Member
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  543
Joined  2006-01-24
OliC - 02 March 2013 04:01 PM

“Weekend Noir” according to the front page of the Dauphine as the old tourists leave and new ones arrive into the mountains.

You know what they should do for pollution?
Sort all them cheeky Frontaliers out.  I think I’ve only ever seen one car with more than one person in..

Don’t think I’ve seen one going slow enough to count the occupants grin

 Signature 

SwissMountainLeader.com & B&B L’Epicéa, Leysin, Switzerland

 
 
Posted: 02 March 2013 10:16 PM   [ # 4 ]  
Sr. Member
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  110
Joined  2008-11-05

LOL, the only time I have is at rush hour que time.

 
 
Posted: 06 March 2013 10:43 AM   [ # 5 ]  
Newbie
Rank
Total Posts:  10
Joined  2012-03-13

You get a funny reaction when you bring up the air pollution that’s currently blighting the Rhone-Alps: people really, really don’t want to know!

The very questionable ‘green’-ness of snow tourism is a big deal though and needs dragging into view.

 
 
Posted: 06 March 2013 05:52 PM   [ # 6 ]  
Sr. Member
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  270
Joined  2008-01-31

Actually “snow tourism” has little to do with causing the pollution. And most holiday skiers are little impacted by it, since the pollution is mostly in the valley, and the they’re at some ski station up on a mountain.

I’m not an expert about it, but my understanding it that it’s mostly caused by lack of circulation of the air. There was an article on NYTimes.com about how it happens in Salt Lake City (where if anything it is worse and more frequent than in the Alps).

I guess it’s especially bad this year because there’s snow down to such a low altitude, which keeps the valley air cool—so it does not rise and mix with the higher air to disperse the pollutants (especially particles). Then as particles accumulate low in the valley, they block sunlight from melting the snow. But the higher elevations get more sunlight so they stay warm. So the vertical circulation of air is blocked even more.

I think substantial precipation can help—by cleanses some of the particles out of the air.

What was amusing once in the last couple of years was when it was starting to get better into the last March—and then farmers started _burning_ their fields to clear debris for plowing. Particle emission on a grand scale.

Hope somebody else can explain it better.

Ken

 
 
Posted: 06 March 2013 06:18 PM   [ # 7 ]  
Newbie
Rank
Total Posts:  10
Joined  2012-03-13

You’re right of course, ski-resorts didn’t cause this pollution although resort traffic - which has been very heavy at times - must have contributed. The website listed traffic and burning heating oil (I think) as the main causes.

Ski-holidays aren’t ‘green’ holidays by any measure though and I was really commenting on the reaction I got when explaining to a couple of people this last week that the funny haze was man-made… you know when kids put their fingers in their ears and go “BLA BLA BLA BLA CAN"T HEAR YOU!!!”?