How Do Ski Resorts Cope When Mother Nature Fails to Provide?

5th March 2024 | James Cove, Morzine, France.

Last modified on March 9th, 2024

Last month was the warmest February on record in the Alps. It has had a significant impact on the lower resorts with many adapting to survive. PlanetSKI reports from Morzine.

Is the glass half-full or half empty?

Does one bemoan the fact that only two final runs to the resort remain open in Morzine or marvel at the work of the resort to keep the lower slopes open at all?

Incidentally, the two resort runs open are Piste B and the Lièvre slope – 18 runs are open in the resort.

There is no question that the lower slopes in Morzine, altitude 1,000m, have taken a pasting in recent weeks.

It is a very sorry sight.

Morzine, France. Image © PlanetSKI

Yet higher up it’s currently a slightly different story.

Morzine, France. Image © PlanetSKI

Morzine remains open and busy in this first week of March.

Both on the slopes and off.

Morzine, France. Image © PlanetSKI

I spoke to a few skiers randomly and they were surprisingly positive given the current lack of snow.

“Look, the snow is not so good but I was here last February and we had amazing conditions,” said one British man I chatted to in a gondola.

“I’ve been coming here for many years and it does seem to be getting worse, but I love Morzine and there is so much more to the resort than just the skiing.”

At lunch I asked a British woman at the next table what she made of things.

“To be honest, today I am more concerned about the poor visibility than the state of the snow and I always take the lift down anyway,” she told me.

“I am staying in a lovely hotel and the restaurants and shops in town are wonderful. Morzine is so much nicer than those purpose-built French resorts.”

But the great thing about Morzine is that it is linked by lift and bus to one of those purpose-built ski resorts – Avoriaz that sits at 2,000m and has high-altitude skiing.

You can see it from Morzine in the distance.

Looking towards Avoriaz from Morzine, France. Image © PlanetSKI

And here it is close up.

Avoriaz, France. Image © PlanetSKI

Personally, I am far more interested in the skiing than restaurants, bars and shopping.

When I headed over to the Avoriaz ski area there was no fresh snow, but there was full coverage on the piste and it felt like any other winter.

Avoriaz, France. Image © PlanetSKI

I ticked off the Swiss Wall.

Avoriaz, France. Image © PlanetSKI

(BTW, The Swiss Wall is one of the most overrated black runs in the Alps IMO, along with the Sarenne in Alpe d’Huez.)

And I hammered around the pistes.

Avoriaz, France. Image © PlanetSKI

I’m concentrating on what’s on the right of this photo, not the left.

Avoriaz, France. Image © PlanetSKI

It looks pretty much like winter to me.

It was certainly warm in Avoriaz, but there was plenty of skiing, as I reported in a PlanetSKI snow report:

Morzine has gone to huge efforts to keep the slopes open this winter.

It invested early in snow cannons at the end of the 1980s and was one of the first French resorts to do so.

It now has 400, they use only natural water and are powered from the national grid that uses green energy, nuclear and hydro, where possible.

Avoriaz, France. Image © PlanetSKI

“For sure it has been a difficult winter with not a lot of natural snowfall,” said one of the managers of the ski area, Jean Damien Baud, as we chatted in his office.

Morzine, France. Image © PlanetSKI

“It has been difficult under 1,400m, but over that altitude it has been OK as we have excellent snowmaking and a fleet of snow groomers, some of which are equipped with the latest technology.”

The resort has nine piste bashers, five of which use the snowsat system that spreads only the optimum amount of snow, thus saving energy.

“They are very efficient and soon the whole fleet will have the technology.”

Currently they are parked at the mid-area of the resort and used every day.

Morzine, France. Image © PlanetSKI

There is no question that the lack of snow and the reporting of it has had a significant impact on the resort, where the British make up 40% of the visitors.

“It is so sad that we have so many cancellations from British skiers,” said the owner of the family-run hotel, Le Soly, Axelle Passaquin.

Morzine, France. Image © PlanetSKI

“The trouble is people see pictures on social media of green fields and think the resort has no snow, which is simply not true.

“Sure it is absolutely not a good year, but we are open for business.”

She has had to let two members of staff go as bookings, mainly from the British, have fallen away.

“In January 2023 we were 78% full, but this year in January we had an occupancy of 68%,” said Axelle to me.

“In March 2023 we were 79% full, but bookings for this month currently stand at just 33%.

“It is very difficult to work under these conditions and we can’t plan for the future.

“Obviously people will book last minute if the snow comes, so we remain hopeful.”

Morzine, France. Image © PlanetSKI

There was a lack of snow last winter in the first half of January, then it fell heavily in mid-January as PlanetSKI arrived for a visit.

PlanetSKI is in Morzine as heavy snow finally falls

Snowing in Morzine. Image © PlanetSKI

What happens in Morzine – and how the resort is dealing with the consequences of climate change – matters.

Other resorts are taking note.

Morzine is currently grappling with what many other resorts may soon face if winter temperatures continue their seemingly inexorable rise.

Wishful thinking is not much use in Morzine – they are dealing with the reality of climate change already.

“The customer experience is everything and we simply have to make sure every holidaymaker has the best time they possibly can,” said the Tourist Office.

“We cannot control the natural snowfall but we can look after what we have, add to it with technology and ensure people have a holiday to remember in our village and the surrounding mountains.”

The resort is at the forefront of offering alternative activities as we have reported:

It is also at the forefront of introducing environmental initiatives:

One such initiative is offered by Montagne Verte.

It’s a non-profit association funded by the Morzine community, with a simple mission to develop solutions for the region of Morzine to reduce environmental impact.

It envisages a valley in which mountains, people and biodiversity thrive.
It wants a united community, building a carbon neutral, sustainable future for all.
It aims to inform, inspire, encourage and integrate with the community to educate and support businesses to become more sustainable.
It says that the mountain is our playground, our home and our reason for living, we must act to respect and preserve it.

For three years it has had a secondhand ski clothes and gear shop in town.

People donate their unwanted kit, and Montagne Verte sells it on.

The gear is re-used rather than going into landfill and people are not unnecessarily buying new clothes and gear.

Plus the venture raises much-needed funds for Montagne Verte’s work.

Sara Burdon used to work for the Morzine Tourist Office and championed environmental action as she helped promote the resort.

She now works for Montagne Verte.

Sara Burdon, Morzine Tourist Office. Image © PlanetSKI

“It is so important that we do what we can to cut down our environmental impact as individuals and buying secondhand gear is one such measure,” said Sara.

“Here in Morzine we are dealing with the reality of rising temperatures in the Alps and it is up to all of us to do our bit for future generation of skiers and snowboarders.”

Despite some people turning their backs on Morzine this winter, the resort has been buzzing this week with the town’s streets, shops, restaurants and bars full.

One image seemed to sum it up for me.

A new building springing up, symbolising hope and belief in the future – despite a lack of current snow on some of the slopes.