Due to the lack of snow, Alpine ski resorts are under threat of closure, Report informs referring to The Wall Street Journal.
The ski resort’s operators at the Alpe du Grand Serre resort in the commune of La Morte in France did something they never had before: They opened summer biking trails in the middle of winter.
The event drew hundreds of mountain bikers over the course of a weekend. But it did little to assuage fears that the ski resort’s days are numbered.
“It’s not enough to keep the station going,” said Éric Nowak, director of the Alpe du Grand Serre ski resort. “We can’t continue like this.”
Like many low- or medium-altitude ski stations across Europe, Alpe du Grand Serre has been struggling financially for years. Breaking even in a year largely depends on whether there’s enough snow. In recent years, there often hasn’t been.
Higher recent temperatures are fanning fears in Europe that the golden age of skiing is drawing to a close. The snow season has gotten shorter, rendering the economic model that enabled ski resorts to flourish decades ago less viable.
More resorts depend on costly snow machines to keep many of their runs open. But even those require sufficiently cold temperatures.
When snow began falling again in mid-January, Alpe du Grand Serre gradually reopened most of its 34 miles of downhill runs. Even in good years, revenue of around 1.3 million euros just about covers salaries, electricity and other costs.
The resort is planning a revamp to survive. The goal is to attract overnight tourists all year round, such as by developing more biking and trekking trails.
It aims to move the ski station’s base from 4,500 feet to a higher altitude, and envisions building an artificial lake to supply water for snow making.
