Skiers will have to put out their Gauloises and snuff their pipes now that a smoking ban has come into force at a French resort.
As of December 17 the ski area and ski lifts of Les Gets in Haute Savoie became smoke free, in a bid to reduce litter on the mountain.
In 2022, more than 3,000 cigarette butts were collected on the ski area and in the village during the Montagne Propre mass litter pick day alone.
In France, approximately 20 to 25,000 tonnes of cigarette butts end up in the environment every year.
Ski enthusiasts keen to take a puff should look out for five smoking areas marked with banners where you can smoke away to your heart's content.
Ashtrays made from recycled skis by the Skitec cooperative will be available in these areas.
While smoke free ski areas have already existed for several years in North America, Japan and New Zealand, the Les Gets initiative is a first in Europe.
The resort is not the only holiday destination the world to have a smoking ban enacted in a bid to keep it clean.
Smoking was outlawed on all of Barcelona's beaches in spring this year, and those breaking the rules were warned they face fines.
Four beaches became non-smoking areas in 2021 as part of a well-received pilot scheme, with the smoking ban subsequently extended to all ten beaches along Barcelona's coastline.
The council said a trial attracted a score of 8.2 points out of 10 from citizens and led to a significant reduction in the number of cigarette butts left in the sand, which are highly pollutant.
The ten beaches affected by the new rule cover just over three miles of coastline, with fines for anyone breaching the ban being set at €30, which is about £25.
Eloi Badia, Councillor for Ecological Transition, said: “Last year no-one was fined.
“Everyone understood the situation perfectly and only the odd absent-minded smoker had to be asked to move on to the promenade."
At the time Barcelona council chiefs said they were extending the ban for health reasons and to appease the majority of beach users who do not smoke.
They also pointed to scientific evidence showing cigarette butts take around a decade to disappear.
