- The Céüze ski resort is definitely drawing the curtain after 85 years of existence.
- The small area of medium mountains does not have the means to equip itself with snow cannons.
It is the end of a long story, for the inhabitants of the valley, and even beyond. How many Provençaux made their first slides on the slopes of Céüze, officially Céüze 2000, in the Hautes-Alpes, not far from Gap? One of the ski lifts in this little mid-mountain resort is also called the Marseillais ski lift.
But the Marseillais will not come back soon to tickle the ski lift in their name. After no less than 85 years of operation, the ski lifts at the Céüze ski resort are stopped. While the Minister of Ecological and Solidarity Transition Elisabeth Borne brings together this Thursday the heads of the ski resorts after controversies over the methods used to counter the lack of snow, in Céüze, the Buëch-Dévoluy community council, which until now managed this small area of medium mountains, took the radical decision to permanently close the ski resort. With, again, the lack of snow involved.
No snow cannons
“The situation was getting difficult due to the changing climate, says its president, Jean-Marie Bernard. And the station did not benefit from the investments necessary to produce artificial snow. A private company had for a time shown itself interested in making part of this investment ... before withdrawing, depriving the station of snow cannons which had become necessary to ensure profitability and pay the employees. “And, snow or not, the operation of this ski resort generated a deficit of 100,000 euros. A community of commune if it can continue or not to lose this money. We still have to balance our budget. "
"Beyond the uncertainty in terms of snow cover, there were economic choices difficult to make, and above all difficulties in getting along within institutions which are not of the same political persuasion", nuance Cecilia Claeys. This environmental sociologist heads the Master Sustainable Management of Mountain Territories. Since the start of the school year, she and her handful of students have been working on the thorny issue of the Céüze ski resort, and its possible retraining.
A station still alive
After a few months of work, the analysis of 871 questionnaires distributed to the population and several interviews with local officials, the result is final, according to her: although devoid of buttocks, the ski resort can continue to live, good year bad year. "Even with the ski lifts closed, the resort is still very busy, for example for cross-country skiers or families who toboggan," she notes. Some even go up on snowshoes and go down on skis! It emerges from our study that there is clearly an emotional link with Céüze. People want it to remain a place to live ”
And to suggest: "Why not open a single ski lift that goes up to the Marseillais plateau, and develop a cross-country ski trail there?" The future is in the mountain tradition, namely multi-activity. We must find common sense. That means not neglecting local products: cheese production, animal husbandry, etc. Develop recreational activities, yes, but don't bet on all snow. For example, we could install infrastructure so that families can take advantage of the view, or tell ourselves that today, for skiing, we are going to climb a slope on a grassy field, on foot, and descend the other slope snowy in skiing! »A radically different way of conceiving winter sports in France ...
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