The mild weather accompanied by rain in recent days in the mountains has greatly disrupted the activity of alpine ski resorts, especially in the low mountains, causing the closure of half of the slopes in France.
“We are very disappointed! Ski lessons for my six-year-old son have been canceled and my mother had come especially from Israel to ski,” Ayan Mazzega, a 38-year-old Israeli, lamented on December 27, appalled by the steeper slope. slopes The green and immaculate Semnoz (Haute-Savoie), which had to close its 18 alpine ski slopes for lack of white gold.
“Today we are enjoying the sun, but it is sad. We like small resorts but they are all closed. So we leave our skis in the car and go for a walk,” continues the Genevan amid groups of idle tourists.
France experienced a particularly mild Christmas this year, well above seasonal norms and the second-warmest since the post-war period.
“We had started the holidays with a good situation after a wave of cold and snow, but since the end of last week, the mild weather and the rains have caused the closure of half the slopes,” says Laurent Reynaud, general manager of Domaines Skiables de France (DSF).
The Southern Alps, with three quarters of the pistes open, and the Northern Alps, particularly Savoy, are the least penalized, but in other massifs such as the Pyrenees (a quarter of the pistes open), the Vosges or the Jura (less than a quarter of the slopes open), the situation is more worrying.
Thus, numerous stations such as La Pierre-Saint-Martin (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Saint-Pierre de Chartreuse/Le Planolet (Isère), Le Tanet (Vosges), Les Rousses (Jura) or Croix de Bauzon (Massif Central) have had to resolve to block their domains in the last few days.
In the Pyrenees, about ten out of 30 stations are closed, and in those that are open, most tracks are closed.
“Our start to the season is complicated, but we must not be pessimistic. In February or March we will know if the season has been good or not,” said Gianni Ragona, director of three resorts in Haute-Garonne, Luchon-Superbagnères. Le Mourtis and Bourg d’Oueil.
a stubborn thaw
At the Schnepfenried Vosges station, only one track is open out of 17 in addition to the “kindergarten,” Nicolas Buhl, station manager whose tracks range from 1,000 to 1,260 meters above sea level, told AFP.
In Les Rousses, in the Jura, there is no opening but it is not an exceptional situation for this mid-mountain resort, underlines Claire Devillers, communication manager.
“We are worried, there is a lack of raw material. There is anxiety to maintain the reserves, time will tell how much the situation will affect them,” says Jean-Luc Boch, president of the National Mountain Resort Association. Mayors (ANMSM).
“The non-opening of two years ago due to the Covid epidemic has already left its mark, although last year the season was good. Conditions must once again be favorable for the approximately 400,000 people who experience mountain activity,” he urges.
“We’re seeing more and more difficulties in early December, with snow falling higher and higher, on the north-facing slopes. This climate change has led us to adapt, with artificial snow (artificial, editor’s note) but also developing other activities”, continues the mayor of La Plagne Tarentaise, whose area, located higher up, is relatively safe from the lack of snow.
“The quality of a stay in the mountains for the end-of-year celebrations is a global experience”, abounds Laurent Reynaud, who crosses his fingers for the coming months.
“January-February-March, that represents about 80% of the billing. You don’t have to worry before the hour”, stresses Gianni Ragona for his part in the Pyrenees.
But short-term forecasts will not reassure mountain lovers: according to Météo-France, highs well above normal are still expected this weekend, both on the plain and at altitude.
Source: BFM TV
