Barcelona Field Studies Centre

Impact of Skiing

Location Themes Details
Espot
Availability: April-November
Travel time: 3½ hours
Espot in winter
Espot in winter
Espot in summer
Espot in summer
Espot glacial scenery
Espot glacial scenery

Espot is located in the valley of the river Escrita, in the Catalan Pyrenees.

Espot village has only recently become easily accessible to tourism. The construction of a new road has coincided with the development of a popular winter sports resort, Espot Ski.

Espot is also a popular access point for the Aiguestortes and Sant Maurici National Park, an area of spectacular mountain and lake scenery, glacial in origin.

The environmental, social and economic impact of the skiing industry.

The study includes environmental impact assessments of the ski lifts and runs.

On-piste and off-piste transects are used to assess the environmental damage caused by skiing.

The visual impact of the resort infrastructure is assessed, together with the impact of the skiing industry on the local culture and economy.

This fieldwork study is supported with secondary data and takes a full day.