The resort of Deux-Alpes (Isère) was accused of producing artificial snow in the midst of drought and despite the heat, in order to slow down the melting of its glacier. A very energy-intensive process. In any case, this is what the environmental association Mountain Wilderness said on Facebook on August 5, causing a stir in the mountain environment.
Any Internet user could be convinced of this thanks to the webcam offering a direct view of the glacier, at an altitude of 3,200 m. Images from July 13 to August 5 show a pipe at the bottom of the slopes, which closed early on July 10: after each night when the temperature drops, it spits out a small pile of snow 3 m high, spread by snow groomers. On the spot, walkers were worried about this ballet in the midst of a drought and warned Mountain Wilderness, based in Grenoble.
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“These accusations are false”, disputes Jean-Charles Thomas, director of the ski resort. “A tiny fraction of the meltwater has actually been pumped for twenty years for the fire reserve and the toilets of the glacier restaurant. We also now use it for a snow gun to protect the front of the glacier, where it melts the fastest. But it was shut down because the temperatures are too high. Our service provider just came in July to test the installation for the winter. »
“Of which deed. Frédi Meignan, vice-president of Mountain Wilderness, does not insist. “This snowmaker is insignificant on the scale of the glacier, he acknowledges, but it symbolizes the resorts’ headlong rush, when they should rethink their model in the face of global warming. Since the association’s publication, the glacier’s webcam has also stopped working.