We need to limit the number of people on the slopes. Mountains mean silence and communication with nature. The quest to modernize does not always translate into crowds and pollution, however. A growing demand for clean mountain air and unspoiled landscapes has encouraged the construction of beltways or tunnels that bypass town centers, such as in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, or of lifts that provide direct access to slopes from highway parking lots, such as in Flachau, Austria. Most Swiss resorts, including Saas Fee, Zermatt and Wengen, already are car-free.
Electric buses ferry people around town.
High-tech themes also run through millennium celebrations. Kick off the New Year in Verbier, Switzerland, but stay in tune with festivities in Rome, London or Paris via a mega-screen showing live Internet coverage of events in European capitals. In Vienna, take a snowboard crash course at a snow ramp set up by the Ferris wheel. Nearby, a main square is to become a giant ballroom to waltz the night away. If all you want is to get away from it all, spend the evening in a lodge atop Europe's highest peak, Mount Blanc, with alpine guides and Saint Bernards ready to take you for your first excursion of the millennium.