Ski station near Nice closes for season due to lack of snow

A ski station close to Nice has been forced to close early for the year due to a lack of snowfall.

Audibergue station in the Alpes-Maritimes, closed all 23 of its pistes on Tuesday (February 24) due to recent weather conditions making any attempt at skiing impossible.

It comes during France’s winter school holidays – some pupils are off school until Sunday, March 8 – one of the busiest periods for Alpine ski stations. 

Located around 1,640m above sea level and less than 90 minutes drive from Nice, recent warm temperatures in the south-east are behind the closure.

“The weather conditions of the past few days, with excessively high temperatures and a critical lack of overnight freezing, have unfortunately taken their toll on the snowpack of our beautiful resort,” said staff on the ski resort’s Facebook page. 

“The forecast until Sunday unfortunately leaves us with no hope and forces us to make this decision.”

Will station return for future seasons?

“We would like to warmly thank you for your loyalty, your enthusiasm, and all the wonderful moments shared on our slopes this season. We hope to see many of you again for new snowy adventures next winter!” ends the resort’s post.

However, the station faces a serious risk to its future if winter conditions from early 2026 are repeated in the coming years.

National temperatures have been above average for more than 40 days in France, and earlier this week highs of 28C were recorded in the south-west. 

Despite good snowfall in higher sections of the Alps and Pyrénées this winter, there were fears at the start of the season that snow would not fall in significant quantities for stations to open around Christmas time. 

Several stations in the southern Alps are at risk of permanent closure, because of a combination of changing weather conditions, rising costs, and an inability to readapt to the new norms, such as being unable to offer alternative experiences.