Update 4 May 2013:
Easter Monday's Le Dauphiné says there has been a 70% fall in the number of skiers present in resorts during the spring holidays - and they now represent just 2% of the total ski season.
Things were slightly better than last year, due to the timing of the Paris school holidays, apparently.
Some 50/300 resorts were open over Easter - with 1.6m on average at the top of the mountain.
For season 2014/15, things may not be quite as bad, given that Easter is earlier, but it's clearly THE time to go for cheap deals.
****
It may not have quite been a bumper season, but snow depths are holding up well for mid April.
Only problem is, France isn't on holiday yet.
Easter has never been a peak time for skiing, but recent changes to the school holiday calendar mean that the first tranche of holidays don't even start until this weekend.
And Zone A will have to wait until 26th April, the day Les Arcs closes.
The French ski resort association is really, really unhappy about this. It, together with representatives of the seasonal workers, has been campaigning for a reform ever since the calendar changed in 2010. Although they have been successful in achieving a small change to the Christmas holiday dates for 2016-17, the problem remains. "To wait until 2015 for a more profound reform, it's just too long."
 |
| For more on French school holidays click here |
According to their press release, skiers numbers during April are down 10-20%, and jobs are on the line. "This benefits neither the mountain nor the coastal resorts".
Meanwhile, the only hope for Zone A skiers seems to be Val d'Isere (open until 4 May), Tignes and Val Thorens (open until 11 May). A full guide to closure dates can be found here.
 |
| Too late: only 3 resorts will be open for the Zone A holidays |
No comments:
Post a Comment