In recent days, the rise in temperatures accompanied by rain in the mountains has particularly slowed down the activity of alpine ski resorts, particularly in the low mountains. Half of the French slopes had to close for lack of snow. 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 following a wave of cold and snow, but from the end of last week, the mild weather and the rains led to the closure of half of the slopes”, notes Laurent Reynaud, general delegate of Domaines skiables de France (DSF).
“We are worried, the raw material is missing”
The Southern Alps, with three quarters of the slopes open, and the Northern Alps, in particular Savoie, are the least penalized, but in the other massifs such as the Pyrenees (a quarter of the slopes open), the Vosges or the Jura ( less than a quarter of the slopes open), the situation is more worrying.
Thus, many resorts 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 recent days. In the Pyrenees, around ten out of 30 resorts are closed, and in those that are open, the majority of the slopes are closed.
“We are worried, the raw material is missing. There is anxiety about maintaining reservations, time will tell how much the situation will have an impact on them, ”says Jean-Luc Boch, president of the National Association of Mayors of mountain resorts. (ANMSM).
“We are seeing more and more difficulties at the beginning of December, and the snow is falling more and more at altitude, on the north-facing slopes. This climatic upheaval has led us to adapt, with artificial snow (artificial, editor’s note) but also by developing other activities, ”continues the mayor of La Plagne Tarentaise, whose area, located higher up, is relatively spared. by the lack of snow.
However, short-term forecasts will not reassure mountain players: according to Météo-France, highs well above normal are still expected this weekend, both in the plains and at altitude.