Just ten days ago, it was the snow indicator and the very mild temperatures at altitude that Marlène Giacometti, director of the Tourist office and reservation center in Les Menuires (Savoie), was watching for.
The risk was very relative, both the Haute Tarentaise resort (1850 m - 2850 m), 60 years old this year, and its connected 3-Vallées area, serve as a safe haven for die-hard skiers.
“We still had a few days with unpleasant snow on the first sections but the flakes and more seasonal cold arrived, I am calm on that level
,” she assures.
Rather, it is another indicator that she now monitors: skier satisfaction.
Because there will be many winter vacationers on the slopes.
And even more so in the so-called “altitude
” stations,
perched at more than 1800 m.
Regulars booked early this year, scalded by the climatic yo-yo of last winter.
Since then, professionals have sensed that a
“very skiing”
segment of the clientele of medium altitude resorts, worried about the lack of snow, has also headed towards the floor above.
Not to mention the inhabitants of the surrounding departments, who favor short stays or day skiing, especially on weekends.
And foreigners, of course, who are almost all back, with a few notable exceptions (Russians, Chinese, Israelis...).
Report from mid-mountain customers
Result: the station occupancy rate for this February rush, which began this weekend with zone C (Paris, Toulouse, etc.)
“is up overall by 3 points, to 82% on average, but this reaches 90% in well-snowed resorts”
in the Alps, calculates Patrick Provost, president of the National Observatory of Mountain Stations (ONSM)
.
And this, while all winter sports expenditure items are increasing, from accommodation to packages, which are now close to the threshold of €400 per week.
“We are recording a third consecutive record year, with a occupancy rate of 90.6% for commercial accommodation and rentals between individuals,”
illustrates Marlène Giacometti.
The gauges are identical at neighboring Val-Thorens, or in Val d'Isère and Tignes, still in Savoie.
“Our occupancy rate is still increasing by 4% even though it has been 10 years since we have built new commercial beds
,” confirms Sébastien Mérignargues, director of Avoriaz 1800 (Haute-Savoie).
The great spots of Isère like L'Alpe d'Huez or Les 2-Alpes are suitable.
The same goes for Serre-Chevalier, the only resort in the Southern Alps managed by the Compagnie des Alpes and the only large area not to have increased the price of its 6-day passes this winter.
“
Our clientele is becoming more premium very quickly
,” explains Marlène Giacometti.
But from the customers' point of view, do we have the services that correspond to the amounts they have spent?
For Sébastien Mérignargues,
“the risk is the saturation and degradation of the skier experience”.
With an acceptability that declines as prices rise.
More skiers, more accidents
Professionals have this subject in mind this winter.
At the slope level
,
and while the surface area of the areas has frozen, the first risk is the accident, with the high number of skiers passing through which also degrades the slope during the day.
“The hard snow at the beginning of February did not help
,” decodes Michäel Tessard, director of the Saisies ski area (Savoie).
There are certainly more accidents, but also more use of chairlifts.
We remain on a classic ratio of one accident per 10,000 passes on the ski lifts.”
According to Patrick Provost,
“skiers slow down on their own when there are people on the slopes.
But 80% of skiing accidents happen without collision, we hurt ourselves!”
The professional organization Domaines Skiables de France (DSF) and the resorts are still emphasizing prevention messages this winter.
“We can also count on the return of more favorable weather conditions and the excellent work of the groomers
,” reassures Laurent Deléglise, general manager of the Sybelles area (Savoie).
Also read: 3 tips to prepare your body for skiing (and avoid injuries)
The majority of skiers concentrate on 20% of the area
To relieve congestion on the slopes, professionals try to direct the sliders towards the less frequented areas of the connected areas.
On paper, it is possible, with the majority of holidaymakers opting for an “estate” package rather than a “resort” package.
“70% of the packages we sell are 3-Vallées
,” illustrates Vincent Lalanne, general director of Val-Thorens Tourisme.
Problem:
“80% of skiers concentrate on 20% of the area,”
diagnoses Marlène Giacometti (Les Menuires).
And there are slopes in the 3-Vallées where you can be almost alone.”
The vast area (400 km of slopes) launched the “3V Explorer” application this winter.
The goal ?
Allow skiers to discover the entire area according to their profile.
And give some common sense tips, such as skiing between midday and two, favoring the backcountry slopes…
This winter will perhaps serve as a “crash test” in the eyes of certain elected officials and professionals.
The mayor of Alpe d'Huez ultimately raised an issue that is still rarely discussed publicly: regulating the number of skiers, for example on weekends.
“But that is not our objective
,” he assures in the local press.
For Sébastien Mérignargues (Avoriaz), the subject is already being addressed indirectly.
“We had the road blocked six times by the municipal police during the Christmas holidays, the station car parks were saturated,”
he says.
Last year, we also limited the sale of passes in the resort twice by closing the cash registers at 10:30 a.m.
But the Portes du Soleil are 12 French and Swiss resorts.
We can set a limit, that of parking lots.
In the connected domain, it’s complicated.”
Avoriaz wants to keep its vocation as a pedestrian resort.
But
“is this still the case when people park up to 3 km lower than the station?
We have created a free bus line with six stops.
We adapt."
Restaurant prices are annoying
For the moment, the “KPIs” (key indicators) of professionals have not been highlighted on the ski area item.
“
Regular customers perceive the increase in prices, new arrivals are much more satisfied, we must be vigilant
,” warns Marlène Giacometti (Les Menuires) all the same.
Several irritating factors clearly stand out, however.
Activities, for example, are taken by storm.
For ski lessons, you should ideally do so in November.
To book a session at the spa, it is best to do so a month in advance.
For the now popular “first track” (taking advantage of the slopes with instructors before the lifts open), there is no need to bet on the last minute...
As for the most popular restaurants, anticipation becomes the rule.
“You sometimes have to book two weeks in advance
,” notes Christophe Lavaut, general director of Val d’Isère Tourisme.
More than the delays in booking restaurant tables, the surge in prices irritates vacationers, say tourism professionals.
“We must nuance and distinguish the categories of restaurants
,” advocates Vincent Lalanne (Val Thorens).
In the local products segment, there is a real demand and on the other hand an offer which has moved upmarket and offers high quality with
sourcing
of local products.
Marlène Giacometti puts it mildly:
“More generally, I don’t think that the success of this winter is down to our excellence alone.
We must maintain quality, invest in four-seasons and summer.
It would be guilty to have a short-term vision.”
In video -
What are the most technical slopes in the Northern Alps?