French ski slopes do not use snow machines: no more artificial snow in the Drôme | Science & Planet

This has been decided by the department board. Due to global warming, low-lying ski areas such as the Drôme often have little or no snow. According to the department, climate change is happening faster than snow cannons can keep up. “Making snow costs a lot of money and is bad for the environment, while we know that it is only a postponement of execution”, says director Cédric Fermond of the six slopes in the department.

As far as is known, the Drôme is the first French department where it has been officially decided not to use snow machines anymore. But the debate about the consequences of climate change is raging in all ski resorts. Because those changes are in full swing, say scientists.

In December, half of all French ski slopes closed due to a lack of snow. That same month, snow had to be delivered by truck for the Biathlon World Championships in Grand-Bornand, near Annecy. In January, a French journalist posted two now legendary photos of the Chartreuse Mountains: stark white in January 2022 and completely green in January 2023.

In February it was calculated that there had never been so little snow in the northern French Alps in the last 60 years as in the previous month of February. On Mont Blanc it thawed at 3,842 meters.

The ski slopes in the Drôme were also forced to close last month during part of the school holiday. The department wants to invest heavily in ‘four-season tourism’: there must always be something to do for visitors even without snow. For example, hiking and cycling tours have been set out, tourists can practice archery and there are areas for go-karting and golf.

“It is always possible to ski, but if there is no snow in winter, we can quickly switch to the summer range of activities,” says Cédric Fermond.

Snow cannons are necessary in more and more places to keep the slopes white. In France, more than one in three ski resorts deploy cannons. But the devices are also increasingly criticized.

Not far from Mont Blanc, the municipality of La Clusaz wanted to cut down trees last year and build a huge water basin to supply the snow cannons from there. The judge overruled the plan. According to the judge, it was not certain that the economic interests of the ski slopes outweigh the protection of nature.

Last winter, environmental activists also made themselves heard. Snow cannons were destroyed and disabled on several French slopes.