The Last Day Pass Ensures Skiing at Vorab Glacier

The phenomenon of melting glaciers has intensified in the last century, mainly because of carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases. The Vorab Glacier in the Alps is at risk too and predictions show that the last possible day to ski here is 3 April 2056, according to calculations of ETH Zurich, which concluded this based on their so-called glacier model and considering the world’s current CO2 emissions. To slow down this process, Serviceplan Campaign X partnered with LAAX Ski Resort and launched a 360-degree campaign, aiming to raise awareness about a global problem.

The “Last Day Pass” is an initiative that takes the shape of an actual pass “for the day that will hopefully never come.” Available online, the pass — which is crafted from wood — can be bought by accessing the webpage supporting the campaign or via the INSIDE LAXX app for CHF80 (€73.8) starting on December 15th, 2020.

By buying such a pass, you can actually contribute to postponing the melting of the glacier. With each ticket purchased, you have the power to extend the life expectancy of the glacier by another 10 minutes and, therefore, to slow down its melting. So far, 91 tickets have bought the glacier 15 hours and 10 minutes of life. All proceeds from the sales go to the Greenstyle Foundation — an NGO which dedicates its existence to the development and protection of the environment in the region around LAAX — to be used for regional climate protection projects.

Reto Fry-Bissegger, Environmental Officer of the Weissen Arena Group, explains: “With the ‘Last Day Pass’ we are creating an opportunity for guests and locals to make a contribution to global climate protection. The rapidly melting advance glacier shows locally and impressively how rapidly climate change is progressing. The ‘Last Day Pass’ not only enables a ton of CO2 reduction, but also supports a pilot project: On Crap Sogn Gion, larches, stone pines, birches, and rowan berries are being planted by the Greenstyle Foundation up to an altitude of approx. 2200 meters. The trees store additional CO2, promote biodiversity, and are a climate-friendly raw material for future generations.”

Markus Maczey, Creative Managing Partner at Serviceplan Campaign X, adds: “The ‘Last Day Pass’ is a great example of how you can give the community the opportunity to really make a difference. Without raised forefingers and fuddy-duddy appeals for donations.”

To draw people’s attention to the pass and what it stands for, the agency developed a series of prints that capture the image of the glacier portrayed in red shades. The melting status of it is also underlined in the typography, which tends to become less visible as one reads the message from top to bottom. The messages differ from a print to another, while the one that doubles as an invitation to save the glacier stays the same for all the illustrations.

The campaign will be visible in and around the ski resort, in regional trade magazines, on the website dedicated to the initiative, and on social media, amongst others. Besides the contribution of Serviceplan Campaign X, Plan.Net Innovation from the Munich House of Communication was also involved in the campaign.

The glacier in the LAAX ski resort is not the only one with such a fate. The phenomenon is a global problem and, with this campaign, both the client and the agency hope to draw people’s attention to this issue and act before it is too late.