Last ski station in Loire faces closure over financial difficulties

The last remaining ski resort in the Loire department will remain closed for the upcoming winter season amid financial and safety concerns.. 

It is the first time that the Chalmazel resort, west of Lyon, has been closed for a winter season outside of Covid-19 lockdowns. 

Unpredictable weather conditions and unsure financial returns provoked the decision, the Loire department said.

The station sits in the monts du Forez range of the Massif Central, at an altitude of around 1,120m with some parts of the resort as high as 1,600m.

Changing climate conditions threaten a lack of snow across the winter season – an issue affecting several other resorts across France.

When at full capacity, the resort has 12 pistes across a range of difficulties, as well as a snowpark, and sees up to 200,000 visitors per year.

The department said that the closure was ‘temporary’ and is set to open for future seasons.

‘Excessive costs and technical risks’

The closure has been made for two reasons, said the department in a press release: to “guarantee the safety of users and staff in the face of equipment requiring careful monitoring, and preserve public finances in a constrained budgetary context.”

“Opening the resort this winter would have resulted in excessive costs and technical risks that would be difficult to control for users and staff, in a context where snow conditions are uncertain and budgets are limited,” it added. 

Despite a €1 million departmental subsidy for the resort, representing around 40% of its total budget, Chalmazel’s deficit could reach up to €450,000 by the end of the year.

You can read the full press release here.

“This is a painful but responsible decision. The department can no longer ignore the combined impact of finances and the climate. Preserving safety, protecting public finances, and preparing for the future are our primary duties,” said president of the Loire department Georges Ziegler. 

Locals fear permanent closure

Locals and members of the ski club attached to the resort are concerned about the future of Chalmazel, despite the department’s commitment to reopening. 

“The brutality of the announcement is terrible,” said club member Ange Vercherand to local media Le Progrès, adding “the announcement comes without us being prepared.”

“We know how it's going. They are going to close this winter and the risk of not reopening afterward is high. The ski club without the resort is nothing.”

Mayor of the Chalmazel commune Valéry Gouttefarde shares this view. 

He criticised the “sudden and unprepared closure, which does not take into account the consequences this will have on the Monts du Forez region.” (quoted in France Bleu). 

The department had been attempting to promote a ‘four-season’ strategy for the resort, including in winter, he added.