Where to Ski And Snowboard - French ski lifts remain shut

French ski lifts remain shut

21st January 2021, by Abi Butcher

Ski resorts in France are facing losses of €250 billion this season

Ski lifts in France are to remain closed during February and possibly beyond, said government ministers yesterday.

While French ski resorts were hoping they would get the go-ahead to open lifts from 1 February and capitalise on half-term trade, Tourism minister Jean Baptiste Lemoyne yesterday said it was “unlikely” ski lifts would open during even the middle or end of February and warned resorts to prepare for entire ski season to be a write-off.

Rising coronavirus infection rates have ruled out any opening in the near future. In the past 24 hours, 23,347 new cases have been reported in France, along with 656 deaths.

While ski resorts in France are open for non-Alpine skiing activities, including cross-country skiing and ski touring, Savoie Mont Blanc has warned that resorts are operating at around 35 per cent of their normal capacity and the resulting loss in revenue to the industry within its 112 resorts could be as much as €250 billion.

Meanwhile Le Ski, which operates chalet holidays in France, has announced today that early bookings for next season are higher than ever before in its 39-year history.

Earlier this month, Le Ski decided not to offer any holidays for this winter but now says bookings for 2021-22 ski holidays are up by a whopping 300 per cent as skiers’ attention is “now firmly fixed on next winter.”