Industry News
The Alpe du Grand Serre ski resort in the French Alps has permanently closed, citing financial difficulties and the impacts of climate change, France3 reports. On October 5, 2023, local authorities voted not to reopen the resort for the upcoming winter season, effectively ending its 85-year run as a popular winter sports destination.
This closure, the largest in the northern Alps, will result in the loss of approximately 200 direct and indirect jobs, including 25 ski instructors and their families. The decision will significantly impact the economy of the nearby village of La Morte, which has a population of just 150 residents. Other activities in the town of Morte, such as Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, ski joëring, sledding, and hiking, should continue.
Florent Battistel, director of the French Ski School (ESF) at the resort, expressed his concern about the sudden closure, stating, “It’s a tragedy for the whole valley.” He noted that the ski school works throughout the summer to prepare for winter, highlighting the resort’s year-round impact on local employment.
The local Matheysine community, which manages the resort, pointed to mounting annual deficits and insufficient funds to complete an ongoing project to transform Alpe du Grand Serre into a year-round destination. Despite investing nearly €3 million since 2021 in diversification efforts, such as developing hiking and biking trails, the community lacked the resources to sustain the project for its final two years.
Caroline Saurat, president of the community of communes, expressed frustration at the lack of government support, stating, “The state is not giving us any concrete support for the future of the resort or a transitional operation.”
The closure shocked many locals, who thought plans were progressing to keep the resort open. Local business owners expressed dismay at the sudden decision. Lauranne Vincent, who owns a sports shop in the area, told France3, “We are both devastated and shocked. It is a brutal decision, just two months before [the resort was set to open for the winter]. On the contrary, we were optimistic. We thought all the lights were green.” Six days ago, the resort was advertising job vacancies to recruit for the upcoming winter.
Frédérique Laurence runs a restaurant near the resort and added, “We have been left completely in the lurch, having only been here four years. Our lives will have been ruined. That is what will happen to us.”
The Guardian reports that the closure of Alpe du Grand Serre follows a pattern observed by geographer Pierre-Alexandre Metral of Grenoble University. He noted that an estimated 180 smaller French ski resorts have been forced to close since the 1970s due to various factors, including climate change, poor management, and competition from larger resorts.
Alpe du Grand Serre is a mid-sized ski resort in the French Alps, offering 55 miles (34 kilometers) of marked runs spread across 136 acres of skiable terrain. The resort has a vertical drop of 2,680 feet (817 meters), with its base at 4,485 feet (1,367 meters) and its peak at 7,165 feet (2,184 meters). It is serviced by 15 lifts, including three chairlifts, 11 surface lifts, and one magic carpet. The resort features 34 runs, with a mix of difficulty levels: 65% of the terrain is suitable for beginners and intermediates (36 miles of easy and intermediate runs), while only about 4% (2 miles) is classified as difficult, making it more oriented towards families and less experienced skiers.
Alpe du Grand Serre is smaller than major French resorts like Val d’Isère or Courchevel, but it’s comparable to other mid-sized resorts in the region. The closest major ski resorts are Alpe d’Huez, about 25 miles (40 km) to the east, and Les Deux Alpes, approximately 31 miles (50 km) to the southeast.
