The French ski resort Les Gets is the first in Europe to ban smoking on its slopes and only permit smoking in designated areas, reports The Independent.

Visitors to the Les Gets ski resort that is located in the Haute-Savoie department of France will be able to smoke in designated areas of the village but no longer on the ski slopes or ski lifts. The ban is part of plans to make the resort tobacco-free and protect the area from pollution caused by discarded cigarette butts, reports The Independent.
A statement on the resort’s website, Les Gets reads: “In 2022, more than 3,000 cigarette butts were collected in the ski area and in the village during the “Clean Mountain” day.”
Smokers will be allowed to smoke in five designated areas however throwing cigarette butts on the ground will be forbidden with authorities saying that plenty of ashtrays and rubbish bins will be available.
The move is a first in Europe although similar bans have already been implemented in ski resorts in North America, Japan and New Zealand.