Alpine winter tourism territories demonstrating an integrated framework for a low-carbon, high-impact and resilient future (SMART ALTITUDE)

SMART ALTITUDE aims at enabling and accelerating the implementation of low-carbon policies in winter tourism regions. Technical solutions for the reduction of energy consumption and GHG emissions in mountain areas relying on winter tourism today exist, with up to 40% reduction potential.. However, key trade-offs are at the heart of their slow uptake: they require stronger and innovative involvement to overpass strategic (goals, priorities, risks), economic (costs, financing) and organizational (partnership, stakeholder involvement) challenges. SMART ALTITUDE will demonstrate the efficiency of a decision support tool integrating all challenges into a step-by-step approach to energy transition. The project clearly innovates by deploying a comprehensive approach of low-carbon policy implementation based on impact maximization accounting for technical, economic and governance factors. It is based on common performance indicators, monitoring systems (snow processes, municipal infrastructure, renewables, buildings etc.) and Energy Management Systems (EMS) in mountain territories, so as to build a shared situational awareness and take impactful decisions. The approach is implemented in 3 real-field demonstrations and prepares for replication in 20 other Alpine Space territories. The project targets policymakers, infrastructure operators, investors, tourism and entrepreneurship organisations. Its outputs are a Territorial diagnosis method, an online Smart Altitude Toolkit, Living Labs, a Planning model for adaptation strategy implementation, a Replication roadmap and a Network of low-carbon winter tourism regions. The partnership and activities ensure the approach suitability across the Alpine Space, promote new innovations and skills, and enable policymakers to plan and prioritize measures increasing the resilience of mountain areas.