- For the first time, the Turini-Camp d'Argent station closed its slopes on February 13, during the school holidays
- Because of the lack of snow, "it is not possible to practice skiing safely," says an official.
- In stations not equipped with snow cannons, like this one, "you have to think of something else", of other activities, he suggests.
It now offers holidaymakers a chance to try their hand at summer tobogganing. Deprived of snowflakes for a month, the small ski resort of Turini-Camp d'Argent (Alpes-Maritimes), in the Mercantour massif, closed its slopes in the middle of school holidays.
“It is not equipped with snow guns and therefore subject to the vagaries of the weather. As the snow is not there and it is not possible to practice skiing safely, we decided to close the slopes on February 13, "explained Christophe Ollivier, manager of joint union development on Monday Vésubie-Valdeblore.
"February is usually the best time for us"
The holidaymakers who had reserved rooms at the hotel nevertheless came, but they must now fall back on the “tubing luge”, an activity which consists in hitting a slope equipped with a synthetic carpet, sitting on a big buoy, and which is usually only offered from June.
"I had a lot of reservations for ski lessons but I canceled everything, it's terrible", deplores Laure Nervi, the manager of the resort: "February is the best time for us, the one where we usually work the most. "
For the past five years, it has managed this station which has five pistes and three ski lifts, this is the first time that this mishap has occurred. "In previous years, we managed to hold out until mid-March, even late March." The seasonal staff, apart from two ski instructors detached from the neighboring resort of Auron and who have returned there, remain employed in the maintenance of the resort.
In non-equipped stations, "you have to think of something else"
"Are we worried about the future?" No, we will see, in any case, there is nothing we can do, "says Laure Nervi, who finds it" a pity "that her station, which peaks at 1,900 m above sea level, is not equipped with snow cannons:" If we had, we might have been able to continue, and again, with the temperatures we have, it's not even sure ”.
“Medium altitude resorts, as is the case for many of them in the Southern Alps, if they are not designed for the snow product, with hill reservoirs, this is not possible, it is necessary think about something else ”, points out Christophe Ollivier, who underlines that there is“ no question ”of installing large equipment at Turini-Camp d'Argent.
Colmiane, the other station managed by the mixed Vésubie-Valdeblore syndicate, located at a lower altitude, is open to 70%, points out the manager. But it is equipped with snow guns.
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