How Do Ski Resorts Cope When Mother Nature Fails to Provide?

fifth March 2024 | James Cove, Morzine, France.

Final month was the warmest February on file within the Alps. It has had a major impression on the decrease resorts with many adapting to outlive. PlanetSKI experiences from Morzine. NEW

Is the glass half-full or half empty?

Does one bemoan the truth that solely two closing runs to the resort stay open in Morzine or marvel on the work of the resort to maintain the decrease slopes open in any respect?

By the way, the 2 resort runs open are Piste B and the Lièvre slope – 18 runs are open within the resort.

There is no such thing as a query that the decrease slopes in Morzine, altitude 1,000m, have taken a pasting in latest weeks.

It’s a very sorry sight.

Morzine, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

Morzine, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

But greater up it’s at present a barely totally different story.

Morzine, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

Morzine stays open and busy on this first week of March.

Each on the slopes and off.

Morzine, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

I spoke to a couple skiers randomly they usually had been surprisingly optimistic given the present lack of snow.

“Look, the snow is just not so good however I used to be right here final February and we had wonderful circumstances,” mentioned one British man I chatted to in a gondola.

“I’ve been coming right here for a few years and it does appear to be getting worse, however I like Morzine and there’s a lot extra to the resort than simply the snowboarding.”

At lunch I requested a British girl on the subsequent desk what she product of issues.

“To be trustworthy, immediately I’m extra involved in regards to the poor visibility than the state of the snow and I all the time take the raise down anyway,” she advised me.

“I’m staying in a beautiful resort and the eating places and outlets on the town are great. Morzine is a lot nicer than these purpose-built French resorts.”

However the beauty of Morzine is that it’s linked by raise and bus to a kind of purpose-built ski resorts – Avoriaz that sits at 2,000m and has high-altitude snowboarding.

You’ll be able to see it from Morzine within the distance.

Trying in the direction of Avoriaz from Morzine, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

And right here it’s shut up.

Avoriaz, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

Personally, I’m much more within the snowboarding than eating places, bars and buying.

After I headed over to the Avoriaz ski space there was no recent snow, however there was full protection on the piste and it felt like every other winter.

Avoriaz, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

I ticked off the Swiss Wall.

Avoriaz, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

(BTW, The Swiss Wall is likely one of the most overrated black runs within the Alps IMO, together with the Sarenne in Alpe d’Huez.)

And I hammered across the pistes.

Avoriaz, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

I’m concentrating on what’s on the precise of this photograph, not the left.

Avoriaz, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

It seems to be just about like winter to me.

It was definitely heat in Avoriaz, however there was loads of snowboarding, as I reported in a PlanetSKI snow report:

Morzine has gone to very large efforts to maintain the slopes open this winter.

It invested early in snow cannons on the finish of the Nineteen Eighties and was one of many first French resorts to take action.

It now has 400, they use solely pure water and are powered from the nationwide grid that makes use of inexperienced vitality, nuclear and hydro, the place doable.

Avoriaz, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

“For certain it has been a tough winter with not loads of pure snowfall,” mentioned one of many managers of the ski space, Jean Damien Baud, as we chatted in his workplace.

Morzine, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

“It has been tough below 1,400m, however over that altitude it has been OK as we have now wonderful snowmaking and a fleet of snow groomers, a few of that are outfitted with the most recent know-how.”

The resort has 9 piste bashers, 5 of which use the snowsat system that spreads solely the optimum quantity of snow, thus saving vitality.

“They’re very environment friendly and shortly the entire fleet may have the know-how.”

At present they’re parked on the mid-area of the resort and used day by day.

Morzine, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

There is no such thing as a query that the dearth of snow and the reporting of it has had a major impression on the resort, the place the British make up 40% of the guests.

“It’s so unhappy that we have now so many cancellations from British skiers,” mentioned the proprietor of the family-run resort, Le Soly, Axelle Passaquin.

Morzine, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

“The difficulty is folks see photos on social media of inexperienced fields and assume the resort has no snow, which is solely not true.

“Positive it’s completely not a superb yr, however we’re open for enterprise.”

She has needed to let two members of employees go as bookings, primarily from the British, have fallen away.

“In January 2023 we had been 78% full, however this yr in January we had an occupancy of 68%,” mentioned Axelle to me.

“In March 2023 we had been 79% full, however bookings for this month at present stand at simply 33%.

“It is rather tough to work below these circumstances and we are able to’t plan for the long run.

“Clearly folks will guide final minute if the snow comes, so we stay hopeful.”

Morzine, France. Picture © PlanetSKI

There was an absence of snow final winter within the first half of January, then it fell closely in mid-January as PlanetSKI arrived for a go to.

Snowing in Morzine. Picture © PlanetSKI

What occurs in Morzine – and the way the resort is coping with the results of local weather change – issues.

Different resorts are taking notice.

Morzine is at present grappling with what many different resorts might quickly face if winter temperatures proceed their seemingly inexorable rise.

Wishful considering is just not a lot use in Morzine – they’re coping with the truth of local weather change already.

“The client expertise is every thing and we merely have to ensure each holidaymaker has the most effective time they presumably can,” mentioned the Vacationer Workplace.

“We can not management the pure snowfall however we are able to take care of what we have now, add to it with know-how and guarantee folks have a vacation to recollect in our village and the encompassing mountains.”

The resort is on the forefront of providing different actions as we have now reported:

Additionally it is on the forefront of introducing environmental initiatives:

One such initiative is obtainable by Montagne Verte.

It’s a non-profit affiliation funded by the Morzine group, with a easy mission to develop options for the area of Morzine to scale back environmental impression.

It envisages a valley wherein mountains, folks and biodiversity thrive.It desires a united group, constructing a carbon impartial, sustainable future for all.It goals to tell, encourage, encourage and combine with the group to teach and help companies to turn into extra sustainable.It says that the mountain is our playground, our house and our motive for dwelling, we should act to respect and protect it.

For 3 years it has had a secondhand ski garments and kit store on the town.

Folks donate their undesirable package, and Montagne Verte sells it on.

The gear is re-used reasonably than going into landfill and individuals are not unnecessarily shopping for new garments and kit.

Plus the enterprise raises much-needed funds for Montagne Verte’s work.

Sara Burdon used to work for the Morzine Vacationer Workplace and championed environmental motion as she helped promote the resort.

She now works for Montagne Verte.

Sara Burdon, Morzine Tourist Office. Image © PlanetSKI

“It’s so vital that we do what we are able to to chop down our environmental impression as people and shopping for secondhand gear is one such measure,” mentioned Sara.

“Right here in Morzine we’re coping with the truth of rising temperatures within the Alps and it’s as much as all of us to do our bit for future technology of skiers and snowboarders.”

Regardless of some folks turning their backs on Morzine this winter, the resort has been buzzing this week with the city’s streets, outlets, eating places and bars full.

One picture appeared to sum it up for me.

A brand new constructing arising, symbolising hope and perception sooner or later – regardless of an absence of present snow on a few of the slopes.