2024-10-11 13:15:00
The climate crisis may sometimes seem like an abstract concept, but for those who love skiing in France – and for the approximately 120,000 people directly employed by the French ski industry – it is anything but.
Rising temperatures mean snow can increasingly be relied upon in low-altitude locations in the French Alps and Pyrenees, and there is no indication that these trends will not continue.
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What then is the future of the French ski industry, which generates around €10 billion a year through accommodation, food and drink, ski passes and equipment rental or purchase for the around 10 million people who take to the slopes every year?
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The climate crisis is already having an impact and this week it was announced that two Alpine resorts – Alpe du Grand Serre in Isère and Grand Puy in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence – will close permanentlyand their ski lifts will be dismantled.
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These are not exceptions: since the 1970s, 180 French ski resorts have closed, almost all of them at lower altitudes where snow can no longer be guaranteed.
The 2023/24 ski season saw virtually no snow in low-altitude locations, while the snow cover was “irregular” in medium-altitude locations. Only high-altitude locations – 1,800 meters or more – could provide enough snow for skiing.
While it is too early for a detailed forecast, overall the picture appears to be similar for the 2024/25 season.
So what happens next?
It’s notoriously difficult to provide detailed year-over-year forecasts when it comes to climate. However, according to the French National Observatory on the Effects of Climate Change, French mountains lose on average 20 kg of snow per square meter every decade.
The decline was most pronounced in the Southern Alps, with a decline of 20% per decade, followed by the Northern Alps with a decline of 12% and in the Pyrenees with a decline of 7%.
Overall, experts estimate that France will lose between 10 and 40 percent of its snow cover by 2050.
Carlo Carmagnola, researcher at Météo France and coordinator of the Climsnow snow study project, he told Capital FR that the situation will worsen in the second half of the 21st century.
“The IPCC suggests that we could lose between 50 and 90 percent of our snow cover. This is all based on the assumption of the most catastrophic scenarios, which unfortunately are not impossible today.
“These pessimistic projections predict that alpine skiing across France will be completed by 2100.
“In any case, it will no longer be possible to ski in the Pyrenees, the Vosges, the Massif Central, the Jura and Corsica. This will probably also be the case in the Alps, with the exception of locations above 2,500 metres.
“No two resorts are the same. Some will benefit from better snow conditions because they are better located. But very few will still be economically viable due to the lack of continuity of the snow cover,” he summarized to the French magazine.
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What does this mean for ski holidays now?
It’s already true that low- and mid-altitude resorts can’t guarantee snow for the season, meaning skiers have to wait until the last minute to book once they know there’s snow, or book in advance and they risk not being able to ski.
It should be noted that travel insurance will not cover you if there isn’t enough snow to ski – some specialist ski policies will cover things like the cost of a ski pass or transport to another location where the slopes are open, but not they will cover the cancellation of the entire holiday.
For those willing to take the risk, discounts are available as increasingly desperate resorts offer price cuts or special offers to entice people to book.
High altitude locations may still be reasonably safe from snow for now, but these are already the most expensive and will likely become more expensive as demand increases.
Some resorts use snow cannons to try to ensure their slopes are skiable, but these are not a long-term solution: not only do they consume energy, but if the air temperature isn’t cold enough, the snow simply melts.
Many of the French ski industry operators have already accepted the inevitable and are turning their attention to converting resorts into year-round tourist destinations, promoting other activities such as hiking, cycling or extreme sports and holiday possibilities summer in the mountains.
As summers in France become increasingly hotter, mountain resorts are promoting themselves as places to go in August to escape the scorching heat of the Mediterranean or the suffocating cities.
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