Ski resorts threatened by climate change: should we make ski lift passes even more expensive ?

Les stations de sport d’hiver appelées à se réinventer. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Peu d’entre elles peuvent espérer poursuivre cette activité au-delà de 2050, alerte la Cour des comptes.

À quelques jours des vacances d’hiver, la Cour des comptes alerte sur le modèle économique du ski français "out of breath" and whose adaptation policies to climate change "remain below issues".

In total, 42 stations, spread across the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central and the Jura, were monitored. The stakes are considerable: France ranks second in the world for winter tourism destinations behind the United States. And mountain tourism represents 22.4% of tourist nights in France.

"A phenomenon accentuated by climate change"

"From the 2000s, the decline in ski activity and the growing unsuitability of the resorts' real estate assets began to weaken the financial balance of ski lifts and the economy which partly results from it", analyzes the report of the Court of Auditors published on Tuesday.

"A phenomenon accentuated by climate change", according to the court.& nbsp;"All ski resorts will be more or less affected by 2050" and only "a few resorts could hope to continue operating beyond this deadline& ;quot;, she warns.

The snow cannons are pointed out

However, deplores the Court of Auditors, "the adaptation policies carried out by mountain stakeholders are essentially based on the production of snow"  which has "a short-term effect", because "its cost is significant and its effectiveness tends to reduce with rising temperatures.

Not forgetting "the impact of snow production on water resources"  which appears "underestimated in many territories", underlines the report which considers "necessary that authorizations to withdraw water intended for snow production take greater account of climate prospects.

Diversify activities

"The downward trend in skiing activity is insufficiently taken into account by communities" in their investments, writes the court, citing the example, in particular, of Font-Romeu, in the P-O, which adopted a development plan now until 2047 a number of skiers "stable".

As for actions to diversify activities, they "are rarely backed by a real project", overall , judges the Court of Auditors.

Multiple reviews

"Made along the water, they often tend to reproduce the ski model, based on significant investments and high attendance without a planning plan ;rsquo;business enabling their economic relevance to be established" and "the initiatives of local authorities are poorly coordinated with each other& ;quot;.

The report also highlights "the ecological planning of the State, not very operational for the mountain tourism sector", which "does not allow ;rsquo;promote a real dynamic of change" and believes that the same is true for the regions.

Increase packages ?

"A fundamental reorientation of public spending according to the climatic and economic reality of each territory must be considered" , she estimates.

"We must very clearly change our vision, put in place new governance, broaden the focus, find resources – because it requires some 92 million per year of investment which are not all investments in snow production – to arrive at a more diversified model, which is a four-season model and for all types of resorts", explained to the press the president of the Court of Auditors, Pierre Moscovici.

The risk of reserving skiing for an elite

Among the possibilities of "additional resources", he mentions the prices of ski lifts which "are expensive but cheaper than in other major ski countries" and taxes which &quot ;are quite low".

With the risk of increasingly reserving skiing for an elite. "It's not about condemning, it's about to know the situation in order to react more quickly", added Pierre Moscovici.

"A crude, even noisy formulation of the analysis"

In their response, the Domaines skiables de France (DSF) accuse the court of "generalist formulations"&nbsp ;which "refer to a crude, even noisy formulation of the analysis".

If the DSF recognizes that climate change "darkens" the’future of radio stations mountain, they also judge that "there are many others whose markets, financial health, snow prospects and strategies give confidence in the ;future".