France: ski resorts open after two winters "wasted" by the Covid-19
Hikers with snowshoes at Isola 2000, in the Alps, on January 18, 2021 (Image illustration).
© REUTERS / Eric Gaillard
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The stakes are high for professionals and resorts.
According to the operators, French and foreign skiers are eager to return to the slopes.
Especially since a beautiful layer of snow fell on the Southern Alps and the Pyrenees.
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The first skiers descended early, this Saturday, November 20, the French slopes of Val Thorens in Savoy, and Porté-Puymorens in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in the south-west of the country.
“
Excellent!
It's the first !
A little cold but it's going to be fine
, ”says a group of skiers who have come to enjoy, under the sun, the first opening day of the slopes in Val Thorens, the highest winter sports resort in Europe.
Despite the mandatory wearing of the mask in the queues and the cable cars, despite the specter of a resurgence of the pandemic, Laurent Reynaud, general delegate of ski areas in France, wants to be confident.
"
We have levels of reservations close to those we had two years ago," he
explains, at the microphone of
Anne Verdaguer
, of the RFI Economy department
.
We stepped over last winter, we will quickly forget it, since we had not all been able to satisfy our passion for skiing.
There is a real appetite, a real desire to ski, especially among French customers who are in the starting blocks.
It must be said that this winter, it will undoubtedly be difficult to go very far.
"
French customers expected at Christmas
The health pass will only become compulsory in the event of a deterioration of the situation. French customers are looking forward to Christmas a lot. This is less the case for foreign customers, as uncertainties remain. Despite everything, the latter remain present. “
In addition, we have guarantees that have been brought to us that this year the closure was not an option,
rejoices Laurent Reynaud
. The Prime Minister reminded us of this at the beginning of November. So, we are very happy to be able to open our ski areas wide this year and welcome all those who were deprived of skiing last winter.
"
The past season has been blank
since no station has been authorized to open. The shortfall has approached a billion euros for some of them. This year, the professionals are hopeful that they will be able to refuel. The season of a “
ski area operator plays his year over four months, from early December to mid-April
” and “
each season is a challenge
”, also explains Laurent Reynaud.
“
In winter mode, we have not operated the ski lifts in France since March 15, 2020, that is to say for eighteen months.
This will say that, even for our employees, there are habits to resume, training to give back, and then a desire, of course, to do those passionate jobs that are ski patroller-rescuer, ski lift driver, ski lift driver. grooming machines.
These are important life choices.
"
The desire for a more normal life
“
Last winter, it was extremely traumatic for customers as well as for employees, companies, and territories.
So we really want a little more normal life to start again.
This is what is happening and we are happy,
”finally considers Laurent Reynaud, the general manager of ski areas in France.
It must be said that the stakes are high for France, which is just behind the United States and Austria on the podium of the most popular ski destinations in the world.
In Val Thorens, staff have been busy all week making the final preparations: the slopes have been marked out, the protective foams have been checked and the final adjustments to the ski lifts have been made to welcome the first customers.
“
We are delighted to be able to get the ski lifts back on line,”
confides Emmanuel Laissus, ski patroller and first aid worker,
and then to redo our job 100%.
"
(
And with
AFP)
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