A small ski resort in the French Alps that has been operating for about 60 years has reluctantly had to close its doors due to the lack of snow on its slopes due to climate change.
“Between the 1960s and today, the climate situation has changed a lot. (There is) less snow in winter. This year we opened for four weeks but that’s it. The season is getting shorter and clearly it is not going to get better,” lamented Jacques Dalex, mayor of Faverges, speaking to Europe 1 last week.
The weekend of September 9 and 10 marked the closure of the small ski resort of La Sambuy, located at 1,200 meters above sea level in Haute-Savoie, in eastern France, which welcomed winter sports fans. for 60 years.
However, the decision would have been made reluctantly, while the resort suffered from insufficient snow on its slopes, which would have allowed it to open for only four weeks last season.
“And again, it wasn’t snowing much, (that is to say) very quickly, stones and rocks appeared on the track,” the mayor lamented in an interview with CNN, as reported by The Independent. Monday. (The complex) had snow practically from December 1 to March 30.”
The problem is that the station’s business plan would no longer be viable, since the operation of the lifts would cost 80,000 euros per year. Sambuy suffered losses of 500,000 euros during the last season, according to “The Independent”.
The closure represents a pang in the hearts of many local residents for whom the small station will have been the scene of unforgettable memories.
“I had the opportunity to ski here with my wife and then teach my children and grandchildren. Well, that won’t happen to my great-grandchildren, Claude, 95, told Europe 1. There are years when the station does not open, so it is difficult to manage a station that does not “have no customers due to lack of customers.” . of snow.’
