Two French ski stations are closing permanently due to insufficient snow

The municipality of Seyne-les-Alpes had to invest more and more money in its ski resort Le Grand Puy, up to 350,000 euros every year. Due to too little snow and a declining number of visitors, Le Grand Puy became increasingly less profitable. Turnover fell by 60 percent in ten years. “The city council therefore decided to close the ski station,” says Stephanie Regazetti, city secretary of Seyne-les-Alpes. The decision was approved in a referendum last Sunday. 60 percent of residents voted, 71.3 percent voted for the closure.

“We have been advocating for some time to organize fun activities here without snow, but that ambition was never supported by the municipality,” responds Fred Bony, restaurant owner in Seyne-les-Alpes. Mayor Laurent Pascal now seems to be taking the same approach. “The municipality has plans to accommodate its visitors in the place (of winter sports, ed.) to offer environmentally friendly sports and nature activities,” he told BFMTV.

A group of residents does fear for employment. “The seasonal jobs are disappearing, causing fifty to sixty people – such as ski instructors – to lose their jobs,” says Bony.

No surprise

Seyne-les-Alpes is not alone. About a hundred kilometers further on, Alpe du Grand Serre also closes its doors, just before the start of the new season. “200 direct and indirect jobs will be lost in Alpe du Grand Serre. Just as many families are affected,” PS MP Battistel emphasized. The Alpe du Grand Serre ski resort has been financed with 2.7 million euros by the Communauté de communes de Matheysin (CCM, a partnership between French municipalities) since 2017, but the deficits have piled up every year. CCM decided by a majority vote to stop the subsidies, resulting in the closure of the area.

The ski areas in the low mountain range are closing one by one. “I’m not surprised,” says geographer and reconversion specialist Pierre-Alexandre Metral Le Figaro. “More than 180 ski resorts have closed in France since the 1970s, the vast majority of which were unprofitable family resorts in the low mountain range.”