International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: SMALL MID-MOUNTAIN SKI RESORTS FACING CLIMATE CHANGE: THE TESTIMONY OF SAINT-HILAIRE-DU-TOUVET, CHARTREUSE, FRANCE

• • Title: SMALL MID-MOUNTAIN SKI RESORTS FACING CLIMATE CHANGE: THE TESTIMONY OF SAINT-HILAIRE-DU-TOUVET, CHARTREUSE, FRANCE

    Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2024, Tromsø, Norway

    Authors:

    • Guillaume Broust  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Sandra Buisson  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Marion Couble  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Elodie Eymard  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Jocelyne Grosso  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Fabrice Konarski  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Pascal Lacroix  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Isabelle Lecomte  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Olivier Prache  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Pierre Roigt  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Loïc Vicier  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Joe Vicier  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]
    • Anne Dufour  [ AG'HIL association (AGir pour la station de ski de Saint’HIL), Plateau-des-Petites-Roches, France ]  [ CEN, Météo-France, CNRS, Grenoble, France ]

    Date: 2024-09-23

    Abstract: Saint-Hilaire-du-Touvet is known worldwide by paragliders thanks to its breathtaking panorama embracing, among others the Mont-Blanc. It has been in the spotlight of the Coupe Icare for more than 50 years. Less known, a small mid-mountain ski resort benefits from the same exceptional site. It is currently under threat. Indeed, the ski resort had to close following a natural disaster in December 2021. Its economic model was called into question: it was based on the coupling between the loss-making winter operation of the resort and the surplus summer operation of a funicular between the village and the valley. This funicular was also closed following a debris flow during the same event. A collective of residents of the Plateau-des-Petites-Roches (sentimentally attached to the village ski resort) has therefore decided to take matters in hand and to operate the resort from winter 2023/2024, based on an associative, agile and inexpensive structure. The idea, already at work in about 5 small resorts in the French Pre-Alps, is to bring together a collective of volunteers to carry out a few fairly simple functions (like drag lift keeper or cashier), to train volunteers for the most technical parts (ski groomer operators, mechanicians, etc.) and ultimately to employ certain key positions (ski patrollers, operations manager). The 2023/2024 season is over and we would like to highlight for this first season : * a great intergenerational human experiment full of collective energy, * the intact desire to make all the children of the village ski on their territory, * a torch-lit ski descent to celebrate the technical approval in January 2024, * the 25°C of the seasonal dismantling day (6 April 2024) after only thirty minutes of possible opening due to lack of sufficient snow during this winter. This is intended to be a testimony to the impact of climate change in mid-mountains on a small structure and to the question that this same climate change raises about the “Ski pour tous” moto (“skiing for all”) that is partly in the hands of such small resort.

    Object ID: ISSW2024_O5.5.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s): Anne Dufour

    Keywords: Small ski resort, climate change, ski for all, adaptation, agility

    Page Number(s): 629 - 634

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