Climate change: A ski resort in the French Alps has been forced to close permanently

A small ski resort in the French Alps, which has been operating for about 60 years, was reluctantly forced to close its doors due to the lack of snow on its slopes due to climate change.

“Between the 1960s and today, the climate situation has changed a lot. [Il y a] Less snow in winter. This year, we were open for four weeks but that’s it. “The season is getting shorter and shorter, and it is clear that the situation is not going to get better,” said Jacques Dalix, mayor of Faverges, speaking to Europe 1 last week.

The weekend of September 9 and 10 saw the closure of the small ski resort of La Sambouie, located at an altitude of 1,200 meters in Haute-Savoie in eastern France, which had welcomed sports enthusiasts from the winter for 60 years.

However, the decision could have been made reluctantly while the resort was struggling with insufficient snow on its slopes, which would have only allowed it to open its doors for four short weeks last season.

“And again, there wasn’t a lot of snow,” [c’est-à-dire] Very quickly, stones and rocks appeared on the path, the city’s mayor lamented in an interview with CNN, according to what the Independent newspaper reported on Monday. [La station] It practically snowed from December 1 to March 30.

The problem is that the resort’s business plan is no longer viable as operating the ski lifts would cost the resort 80,000 euros per year. Among the most notable losses for Sambue was 500,000 euros last season, according to the Independent newspaper.

The closure is a heartache for many local residents for whom the small station has been the scene of unforgettable memories.

I have had the opportunity to ski here with my wife, and then to teach my children and grandchildren. Well, it won’t happen to my great-grandchildren, Claude, 95, told Europe 1. There are years when the station is not open, so it is difficult to manage a station that does not have customers due to the shortage of snow.