Savoie: the resort of Saint-Colomban-des-Villards had to close its slopes due to lack of snow in the middle of the holidays

Jean-Luc Boujon // Photo credit: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP 6:52 a.m., February 24, 2024

You will have noticed if you went skiing this year, the snow is not necessarily present this year.

Large mountain resorts have no problem, but for smaller ones, the situation is more complicated.

In Saint-Colomban-des-Villards, in Savoie, the small resort had to close its slopes at the start of the week due to lack of snow, a first for this resort in February. 

“People go skiing elsewhere”

All green slopes at an altitude of 1,100 meters and ski lifts stopped in the middle of February.

A difficult situation for the mayor, Pierre-Yves Bonnivard: "We were forced to close our seven ski lifts. There has been no major snowfall since the start of winter. Instead, we have had a lot of rain. We didn't have enough cold to make artificial snow at any given time." 

>> READ ALSO - 

Winter holidays: the return of snow delights skiers in Alpe d'Huez

Some days, temperatures rose up to 15 degrees in the shade, weather conditions which, even if they only last a few days, cause the snow to melt very quickly, explains the mayor.

This doesn't make Éliane, a hotelier in the village, happy either: "Of course it saddens me, I would prefer a lot of snow. As a result, we've had a few cancellations. People go skiing elsewhere," she notes. 

And for vacationers, like Shani who came from Paris, it's a little difficult to accept: "We were a little disappointed because obviously, there was no snow. As a result, the resort closed, we was not able to take advantage of the facilities here. We had to drive an hour to go skiing further away, La Toussuire or other resorts in the area. This is not what was planned."

Holidaymakers who were still able to discover the superb hiking trails in the region.

This is also what mountain holidays are all about in times of global warming.