Melting glacier signals the end for year-round skiing at French resort
The glacier at Tignes is receding so quickly that year-round skiing at the popular resort looks set to be a thing of the past - just one of the ever-increasing catalogue of climate problems that French ski resorts are facing.
Recent ski seasons have been dominated by worries over the lack, with a later start to the season and several lower-altitude resorts unable to guarantee enough snow for skiers.
France's high-altitude resorts have generally been spared the winter snow worries, but that doesn't mean they are immune from the problems that the climate crisis presents.
Last year, the Grande-Motte glacier - the lowest point of which is some 2,600m above sea level - closed for two weeks in June, and the extended heatwave that troubled France led to the glacier splitting in two, Le Monde reported.
Today, dedicated skiers determined to take on the challenges of the glacier have to scramble across 40m of rocks to reach it - compared to previous seasons when they could ski all the way.
The glacier near Tignes makes the resort popular for year-round winter sports, and resort officials told the paper that they plan to continue making the most of the glacier “by adapting” in an effort to ensure skiing can continue in the region for the foreseeable future.
READ ALSO High altitude to family-friendly: 15 of the best French ski resorts
"The state of the glacier obliges us!" Olivier Duch, deputy mayor in charge of economic life and sustainable development in the resort, said, listing local environmental initiatives taken over the past two years: increasingly encouraging travellers to come by train, snow groomers switched to vegetable oil, electric buses, a plan to encourage thermal renovation of rental housing, and a tree-planting partnership with the Office National des Forêts.
Signs at Chamonix-Mont-Blanc show how the Mont Blanc glacier has receded in recent years. Photo by PHILIPPE DESMAZES / AFP
“We're obliged to take on these projects while trying to limit their scope, by reducing the number of beds, and we’re planning a local urban plan that will limit building heights and give priority to renovating existing buildings,” Duch said.
While ageing lifts will be replaced, no new ones are planned, with the intention of protecting autumn skiing and extending the spring ski season, officials said. “Skiing means year-round living and jobs. With global warming, we're going to see record crowds,” Sébastien Huck, director of the French Ski School (ESF), said.
Resort officials also plan to accelerate plans to further develop summer mountain sports activities, such as mountain biking and hiking, and boating on the lake - which will be developed for more tourism.
Unsurprisingly, not everyone is impressed. Environmental advocates have called for skiing on the glacier to end, while questioning the the priorities of elected officials. "For a resort with over 40,000 beds, are electric buses really the issue?” one asked.
Mountain guide Nicolas Vermon cited the premature closure of the Palet refuge for lack of water in mid-July 2022 as one of the signs that should have alerted all the resort's authorities: “Up there, there are no mechanical devices to remedy the drought. The refuges are at the forefront of the events that will soon affect the valley.”
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Recent ski seasons have been dominated by worries over the lack, with a later start to the season and several lower-altitude resorts unable to guarantee enough snow for skiers.
France's high-altitude resorts have generally been spared the winter snow worries, but that doesn't mean they are immune from the problems that the climate crisis presents.
Last year, the Grande-Motte glacier - the lowest point of which is some 2,600m above sea level - closed for two weeks in June, and the extended heatwave that troubled France led to the glacier splitting in two, Le Monde reported.
Today, dedicated skiers determined to take on the challenges of the glacier have to scramble across 40m of rocks to reach it - compared to previous seasons when they could ski all the way.
The glacier near Tignes makes the resort popular for year-round winter sports, and resort officials told the paper that they plan to continue making the most of the glacier “by adapting” in an effort to ensure skiing can continue in the region for the foreseeable future.
READ ALSO High altitude to family-friendly: 15 of the best French ski resorts
"The state of the glacier obliges us!" Olivier Duch, deputy mayor in charge of economic life and sustainable development in the resort, said, listing local environmental initiatives taken over the past two years: increasingly encouraging travellers to come by train, snow groomers switched to vegetable oil, electric buses, a plan to encourage thermal renovation of rental housing, and a tree-planting partnership with the Office National des Forêts.
“We're obliged to take on these projects while trying to limit their scope, by reducing the number of beds, and we’re planning a local urban plan that will limit building heights and give priority to renovating existing buildings,” Duch said.
While ageing lifts will be replaced, no new ones are planned, with the intention of protecting autumn skiing and extending the spring ski season, officials said. “Skiing means year-round living and jobs. With global warming, we're going to see record crowds,” Sébastien Huck, director of the French Ski School (ESF), said.
Resort officials also plan to accelerate plans to further develop summer mountain sports activities, such as mountain biking and hiking, and boating on the lake - which will be developed for more tourism.
Unsurprisingly, not everyone is impressed. Environmental advocates have called for skiing on the glacier to end, while questioning the the priorities of elected officials. "For a resort with over 40,000 beds, are electric buses really the issue?” one asked.
Mountain guide Nicolas Vermon cited the premature closure of the Palet refuge for lack of water in mid-July 2022 as one of the signs that should have alerted all the resort's authorities: “Up there, there are no mechanical devices to remedy the drought. The refuges are at the forefront of the events that will soon affect the valley.”
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