Snow lacking, French ski resort turns to new activities
The Hautacam Ski Resort in southwest France has had a mostly snowless winter. In January, the resort rebranded itself the "Hautacam Plage" on social media channels, showing deckchairs and barbecues instead of white slopes and hot chocolate. "Will this become the only recipe for our resort in winter? I don't know," said Marie-Florentine Hulin, the resort's communications and marketing manager. - REUTERS
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00:00 It's not the typical ski resort experience. Bikes on ziplines and outdoor rides.
00:07 Here in the French Pyrenees, a recurring absence of snow means uncertain times for businesses
00:14 that revolve around ski hills. And while tourists may still remark at the view, it's left resort
00:21 staff wondering about their livelihood.
00:25 In the future, will this become the only recipe for our resort in winter? I don't know. It's
00:30 a difficult question to answer.
00:33 Marie-Florentine Houlin is the marketing and communications manager of the Haute Accombe
00:37 ski resort in Beaux-Saintes, where they've opted not to use artificial snow machines.
00:44 We usually have heavy snowfalls in January, which allows us to open the four weeks of
00:48 February. This year, there is really no snow at all. We only opened our ski slopes for
00:53 two days. Maybe next year, we will have a meter of snow in January, which will allow
00:58 us to guarantee four weeks of the ski resort being open. But we are still going with trends,
01:04 which are still about the scarcity of snow in the end.
01:10 But while visitors are enjoying the alternative activities, warming weather systems and a
01:15 shorter season are testing the survival of a myriad of businesses. The local ski school
01:20 is closed, and ski rental shops are seeing fewer customers.
01:25 Josiane Sempe owns a rental shop in the area.
01:30 If we keep having seasons like this one, we will have to stop. We won't be able to go
01:35 on. We will need to think of something else.
01:38 France's public audit office warned this month that, in the face of climate change, most
01:43 resorts were likely to feel the economic impacts by 2050, with areas south of the Alps hit
01:48 hardest. At Haute D'Aquame's restaurant, visitors eat lunch outdoors, while server
01:54 Leo Villouan tries to keep a positive attitude.
01:58 We feel like we're not in control, that we're losing the snow little by little, and the
02:02 coming years will be difficult too. So we try to find other things.
02:07 Residents like Stéphane Rémy are taking a pragmatic approach.
02:11 The snow situation is likely to get worse. We know that. So we might as well adapt ourselves
02:18 to this, and find other activities in nature, such as cycling or hiking.
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