2023-11-18 14:53:39
It’s the opening before the opening. Several ski resorts “pre-opened” their areas this Saturday. Partly located at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, Tignes and Val Thorens kicked off the alpine ski season. On the Nordic ski side, Bessans opened on November 4, and Les Saisies did the same this Saturday on a small section using snow stored since the previous winter, “snowfarming”.
“It’s time to enjoy!” », enthuses Vincent Lecluyse as he descends the slopes of Val Thorens. He came specially from Var with two friends because “there are not many people and the chalets are at lower prices” in high season. “Everyone is waiting for this,” says Heidi Gallay, originally from La Clusaz (Hautes-Alpes) where the slopes will not open until December.
The threat of bad weather
Other areas will have to wait: the bad weather which hit at the start of the week in particular Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Isère, against a backdrop of very mild temperatures, melted a large part of the snow cover and caused strong floods in the valleys.
In this context, it was “important to reassure our customers and tell them that, with us, there is snow and that they can come”, underlines the director of the Val Thorens ski lifts (SETAM) Jérôme Grellet.
The season opener “looks good”
Most resorts plan to open as usual during December or for the Christmas holidays, which look set to be busy, with the holiday dates coinciding this year in many European countries. “The opening of the season looks very good,” says Vincenzo Coppola, director of the Montgenèvre tourist office (Hautes-Alpes).
According to the Association of Mountain Station Mayors (ANMSM), the forecast occupancy rate for the first part of the season stands at 52%, compared to 51% at the same stage last year. These trends are positive but “do not predict anything for the season as a whole”, underlines its president Jean-Luc Boch. “The sometimes changing weather conditions during the winter encourage resorts to adapt very quickly” to diversify their offers, he underlines.
Staff shortages and inflation
The shortage of seasonal workers also continues to be felt, in smaller proportions than in previous years. “We increased salaries to cope with inflation,” says Vincenzo Coppola in Montgenèvre. “But it’s true that rent prices and the housing shortage are a fairly significant obstacle to recruitment.”
Resorts also face the consequences of inflation on their customers’ wallets. According to the Ski Express stay comparator, this year they will have to count on an overall increase in stay prices of 9.5% compared to last year.
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