Some ski resorts, mostly located at high altitudes, “pre-opened” their areas on Saturday, a few days after bad weather in the Northern Alps threatened the first snowfalls long awaited by snow sports fans. Located partly at more than 2,000 meters above sea level, Tignes and Val Thorens began the alpine ski season. As for Nordic skiing, Bessans opened on November 4 and Les Saisies did the same on Saturday in a small section using snow stored from the previous winter, “snowfarming.” “It’s time to enjoy it!” says Vincent Lecluyse enthusiastically as he descends the slopes of Val Thorens. He especially came from Var with two friends because “there are not many people and the chalets have lower prices” in high season.
Other areas will have to wait: the bad weather that hit at the beginning of the week, in particular Savoy, Haute-Savoie and Isère, in a context of very mild temperatures, melted much of the snow cover and caused heavy flooding in the valleys. . In this context, it was “important to reassure our customers and tell them that there is snow with us and that they can come,” underlines the director of the Val Thorens ski lifts (SETAM), Jérôme Grellet. Due to the recent bad weather, “there is no longer snow below 1,500-1,700 meters altitude and the snow cover has decreased in the area of 1,500-2,500 m,” summarizes Gilles Brunot, head of Météo France in Chamonix. “At 2,500 m, there is still a lot of snow,” says the expert, although he points out that “it is becoming less and less exceptional for it to rain at this altitude in this season.”
A very slight increase in occupancy in the first part of the season
Most resorts plan to open as usual during December or the Christmas holidays, which appear to be busy, and the holiday dates coincide this year in many European countries. “The start of the season is looking very good,” says Vincenzo Coppola, director of the tourist office in Montgenèvre (Hautes Alpes), a border station that attracts an important Italian clientele.
According to the Association of Mayors of Mountain Resorts (ANMSM), the expected occupancy rate for the first part of the season is 52%, compared to 51% at the same time last year. These trends are positive but “they do not suggest anything for the season as a whole,” underlines its president Jean-Luc Boch.
In recent years, a lack of snow and temperatures too mild for snow have occasionally forced resorts to get creative in keeping vacationers busy.
Room prices rise almost 10% in a year
The shortage of seasonal workers also continues to be felt, although to a lesser extent than in previous years. “We increased salaries to face inflation,” says Vincenzo Coppola in Montgenèvre. “But it is true that rental prices and the housing shortage are a fairly significant obstacle to hiring.”
“Employers have made efforts in terms of salaries and working conditions. But there is another phenomenon that is growing: the contribution of foreign labor,” including Asian or African, denounces Antoine Fatiga, head of the ski lift service. and CGT tracks. The unionist also regrets that “we are forcing people to come by car” and with fewer chartered trains to take them to the stations. “On environmental issues we are going headlong,” he criticizes.
In addition to the issue of skiing’s carbon footprint, which has drawn frequent criticism from environmentalists, resorts also face the consequences of inflation in the pockets of their customers. According to the stay comparator Ski Express, this year we will have to expect a global increase in stay prices of 9.5% compared to last year.
Source: BFM TV
