Le Figaro Nice
From one extreme to the other.
While in mid-February, the mayor of Roubion confided to Le
Figaro
his despair at the cruel lack of snow from which his small ski resort, located in the heart of the Tinée valley (Alpes-Maritimes), was suffering, Philip Bruno is now very upset by all this snow which paralyzes the town and causes the mass departure of the last tourists.
The weekend of February 24, heavy snowflakes received like providence, especially in the middle of school holidays (in zone B, that of Nice), caused the station to whiten.
A miracle that allowed Roubion to come back to life.
There is also the hope of ensuring the winter season by opening the twenty or so slopes in the area to skiers.
But that was without counting on the precipitation the following weekend, caused by the Mediterranean episode which swept the Côte d'Azur and the valleys of the hinterland.
This time, more than 80 centimeters of powder fell in Roubion, up to a meter in places.
Far too much for this modest Maralpine resort - one of the cheapest in France with a pass costing 20 euros per day - which is not prepared to handle such a quantity of snow.
The weight of the white coat led to the fall of several electrical lines in the overhead network, when they were not cut by falling trees.
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Three days in self-sufficiency
As a result, Roubion found itself in the grip of a general power cut on Sunday.
No more hot water, no more (electric) heating, no more internet and telephone network.
And above all, no more ski lifts.
“We found ourselves cut off from the world.
People were left to their own devices
,” comments the councilor.
In the middle of winter, the situation was taken very seriously from the start.
Emergency accommodation was set up by the municipality the same day.
“Very few people came, most residents and vacationers believing that the situation would be restored shortly
,” continues Philip Bruno.
A day passed, then two, and finally three.
72 hours without electricity, an ordeal.
“Fortunately, although there was a lot of material damage, there was no human damage
,” reassures the mayor.
On Wednesday morning, the electricity network manager Enedis temporarily reconnected the network, using generators.
“All homes are once again supplied with heating and hot water
,” said the mayor.
On the other hand, regarding the ski lifts, they will not be put back into service for three or four days, in other words at the very end of the school holidays.
“And again, it will depend on the weather.
We are still expecting snow for the weekend
,” warns Philip Bruno.
Most tourists won't wait that long.
Most have already packed up, the last ones are leaving.
“We are a little discouraged, but nature has every right.
It's just a little frustrating when we see the beautiful blue sky and the sun like today, where we say to ourselves that it would be a wonderful day of skiing
,” laments the councilor, resigned.