Allos: residents vote the end of skiing in the Seignus

The first ski lift dates from the 1930s, then there were the splendid years of winter sports, before the snow is rare with climate change. On Saturday, the inhabitants of Allos, in the French Alps, voted for the stop of alpine skiing in their station.

Three choices were offered to members of the 5000 tax households (the 600 inhabitants per year and those in second homes) of this village in the south-eastern France: maintaining alpine skiing in the Val d’Allos-Le Seignus, at an altitude of 1500 meters and see local taxes increase by 30 to 35%; Hold only skiing on part of the Seignus and accept a tax increase from 10 to 15%; Or stop skiing in the face of the lack of snow and the chronic deficit resulting from it.

It is this last option which attracted the majority (50.1%) of the 1342 inhabitants having taken part in the vote, a participation of around 30%. They are 36.4% to have opted for the total maintenance of alpine skiing in the station and 12.6% to have spoken in favor of a maintenance of skiing on a part of the field.

The decision that the town hall will make “is not made today. Voters have spoken out on an option that gives us a roadmap, ”reacted to AFP the mayor of Allos, Michel Lantelme.

The Foux d’Allos station, also located in the town, but higher at altitude, is not concerned not a possible closure.

Owner of ski stores, Sylvain Barbotin, 63, recalls how the Valcibière track is “legendary”: “it is completely isolated”, it is bordered by “a magnificent off-piste domain”. In 1989, the station had welcomed the French championships, with the victory of legend Luc Alphand.

But the heyday of the last century, when tourists flocked throughout the south of France, is over. “We can no longer afford to waste time,” the mayor is alarmed. “The structural deficit is proven and today, it is 700,000 euros (655,000 francs)” for the year, including summer 2024 and winter 2024-2025, describes the elected official.

The differences in snow height vary a lot “between high altitude, which sees the snow height drop only very weakly, and the low altitude,” explains Nicolas Roux, head of the weather center for southern Alps. With the rise in temperatures, the rain replaces snow, and the snowfall melts faster, explains the scientist.

In a “France at +4 ° C” at the end of the century, the sectors of the Southern Alps located at 1800 meters above sea level will only have 52 days with a snow-capping skiing, against 132 days over the period 1976-2005.

As in other low altitude stations, all tracks are explored to diversify the tourist offer: mountain biking in summer, hiking or snowshoes.

“You have to anticipate a transition over the next ten years. This is what we can agree on, “suggests Sylvain Barbotin, elected to the municipal council, who regrets the organization of this consultation:” Even if she has the merit of being transparent (…) This amounts to saying ” We are going straight in the wall, we do not get out of it financially, so we stop the Seignus ”.