Kaprun is home to the Kitzsteinhorn ski area, with Zell am See just a few minutes down the road, and together they have a great environmental policy. The area was even the first in Austria to receive an ISO certification.

The Kitzsteinhorn lifts are designed so that excess heat coming from the motors is used to heat other buildings nearby, with many of the restaurants also using solar panels to heat their water (they’re much more cost effective than they used to be!).

Austria, as a country, adhere to strict environmental laws in order to preserve their natural environment. Austria has no purpose built ski resorts, and any new lifts or ski areas are subject to rigorous review to make sure they change the surrounding environment as little as possible. Austria also has tightly legislated cable-car rules – every cable-car company, by law, has to  use the most ecological methods possible to build and install new lifts and cable-cars.

Check it out in more detail here.