A ski resort located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France has banned smoking on its slopes.
Les Gets, is the first European ski area to introduce the ban on smoking which took effect on December 17th.
This decision is primarily motivated by environmental factors. Over 3,000 cigarette butts were found discarded across Les Gets and collected by volunteers at their annual ‘Clean Mountain’ Day.
Les Gets will still provide five designated areas for smokers. The resort says there will be clear signage to pinpoint these areas. Additionally, the resort will provide ashtrays constructed from recycled skis as a means of additionally reducing the environmental impact on the resort.
Although Les Gets is the first European ski resort to ban smoking on the mountain, Canadian and American resorts such as Whistler, Colorado’s Beaver Creek and Snowmass, among others have prohibited smoking for several years now.
