Following the positive decision made at the recent ISMF Plenary Assembly, the ISMF has started developing a project looking at “the sustainability of ski mountaineering events”. An initial pilot project based on the I.S.M.F. World Championship taking place in Verbier-Val de Bagnes (Switzerland) from 5th to 12thFebruary 2015 will be coordinated by A.I.S.T.S. Master in Sport Administration, an association founded by the International Olympic Committee and the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne.

The project will study the three most important aspects of sustainability – society, environment and economics, during the main event of the 2015 sporting season, an event that will host ski mountaineering stakeholders from approximately  25 nations in the Verbier-Val de Bagnes Region.

The working team formed by the I.S.M.F. Sustainability Commission includes Giorgio Colombo from F.I.S.I., – “environmental architecture”; Mr. Manfred Scheuermann from DAV “Nature Conservation/environment protection department”; Mr. Benno Steiner from the Environment Department of the Swiss Alpine Club;  as well as Mr. Hendriks Geert, Miss Maria Ntanou and Mr. Ankush Arora all from A.I.S.T.S.; and Mr. Gaston Goltz delegate from the local the Verbier organisation. Team management will also include the I.S.M.F. President Armando Mariotta and the Secretary Officer Giulia Avagnina and will work from July 2014 until June 2015 on the following issues:

• Strategy and commitment

• Stakeholder dialogue

• Implementation

• Monitoring and reporting

• Evaluation

This will result in :

• A  report with pilot results and recommendations for future ISMF events

• Evolution of the ISMF Environment Protection Procedure that will be developed into a more complete document entitled: “ISMF Sustainability Procedure”

Taking on-board  sustainability concerns, and the role and interest of ISMF Stakeholders is a very important issue for the ISMF. The Swiss Olympic Ecosport website (www.eventprofil.swissolympic.ch/fr/Home/EventProfile/160) has already published a document about the forthcoming  ISMF World Championships indicating that the event  has already obtained a very high sustainability score.