It is in the shade of the rocky ridges dominated by the Grande Moucherolle, culminating at more than 2000 meters above sea level, that the economic heart of the Vercors throbs. Its pulsations coincide with the ebb and flow of tourists who rush to Villard-de-Lans and Corrençon-en-Vercors, the largest ski resort in the massif, located in a padded setting of cliffs and peaks whose landscapes to breathtaking are the delight of hikers in summer and skiers in winter.
But, as is often the case in the mountains, the cold season is the peak of activity in the region. During the February holidays, the ski area of the two municipalities attracts up to 15,000 customers a day – compared to 2,000 to 3,000 in the summer – who come to frolic on the 130 kilometers of alpine ski slopes served by around forty lifts mechanical. Dependence on tourism is strong – and that’s an understatement: “Our population numbers 4,200 people year-round, and climbs to more than 20,000, or even up to 40,000 in season, says the mayor various center of Villard -de-Lans, Arnaud Mathieu.
As in many resorts, alpine skiing is the queen activity, as dramatically illustrated by the pandemic and the closure of ski lifts in winter 2020-2021. “At the inter-municipal level, turnover went from 80 to 25 million euros, while all other outdoor activities were accessible, such as Nordic skiing”, recalls the city councilor. The natural fortress, besieged by climate change, questions the sustainability of the practice.
A real warming, but hardly perceptible
“Because of our altitude, between 1100 and 2100 meters, we have known the vagaries of snow cover for a long time, but this has always pushed us to be pioneers, assures Sébastien Giraud, general manager of the Villard-de equipment company. -Lans and Corrençon-en-Vercors (SEVLC) We were among the first to install snow guns [NDLR : canons à neige]many decades ago.
For thirty years, the readings taken by the SEVLC have not pointed to a drop in snowfall, but no one in the ski area denies the reality of climate change: “Due to global warming, the snow holds less well and leaves faster”, recognizes Sébastien Giraud, an observation also shared by Alexandre Gayet, ski instructor and deputy mayor of Corrençon, who recently took over the Hôtel des Clarines: “We are well aware that there is no there’s more than 2 meters of snow on the roadside, as our parents and grandparents used to say, but we don’t feel it too much on the slopes thanks to the snow cannons.” The regional climate-air-energy observatory of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region has confirmed the increase in average winter temperatures of 0.8 degrees in the region, at 1000 meters above sea level, between 1951 and 2020.
But, in fact, the resort’s 400 snow guns provide a comfortable cushion of natural snow so that it lasts longer. In addition, an effort has been made locally for the maintenance and grooming of the slopes, all grassed, which allow skiing on a weaker layer. “There is no immediate disaster, the conditions of the last twenty years will be generally the same for another twenty years. But there is an urgency to prepare for the aftermath”, summarizes the mayor of Villard-de-Lans.
The ski area, spearhead of the transformation
A message well received by the five investors, including the former glory of basketball Tony Parker, who took over the SEVLC in 2019. “We have launched a major diversification campaign to ensure activity ten months out of twelve”, assures Sébastien Giraud . On the menu: the operation of the ski lifts in summer, which allow hikers, cyclists or other paraglider enthusiasts to climb the peaks, the development of business tourism with a 900-bed complex including a seminars and indoor activities, or even the marking of investments in equipment located more than 1,500 meters away. Ski lifts below this ceiling will be transformed into simple lifts to bring skiers to the snow.
Beyond downhill skiing, which still accounts for 80% of SEVLC’s turnover, the resort of Villard-de-Lans and Corrençon-en-Vercors has organized itself to have another asset, a ski area of 120 kilometers reserved for Nordic skiing with a shooting range for biathlon. A roller-ski track has also been developed to allow biathlon amateurs and athletes to train even in summer.
Finally, to satisfy the growing ecological aspirations of mountain lovers, the domain will also invest to make the resort more virtuous, with the installation of photovoltaic panels and the turbines of the snow gun pipes to recover green electricity. Eventually, these will operate by gravity and will no longer need energy to lower the water from the hill reservoirs. An objective that is as ecological as it is economic.
A change of mentality
The investments made, although necessary, must also be coupled with a change of mentality which is taking a little too long, believe certain actors such as Tom Wallis, formerly of Salomon and owner of two altitude restaurants, including the eco-inn of Clariant: “At the moment, the less snow there is, the better the figures. ”
Fortunately, the culture of diversification is not new in the two municipalities, in particular thanks to a climatic particularity of the Vercors. Indeed, it can happen that a southerly wind rises and sweeps the snowpack overnight. This constraint has led communities and companies to invest, from the 1990s, in alternative infrastructures: casino in Villard, golf in Corrençon, swimming pools, ice rink, indoor tennis courts… Enough to keep visitors busy if the snow is scarce .
Some go even further: the equipment manufacturer Altiplano, present in Villard since 2007, has thus made the daring choice to offer equipment for most mountain sports all year round… except downhill skiing. A bet that pays off, since the store has recently expanded. “The lack of snow will eventually be inevitable, and we prefer to show our customers the adventure playground that is the Vercors, and all the other activities that can be practiced there: electric bikes, climbing…” says his director, Yoann Engeldinger. Others try to diversify the clientele, mostly family and from the neighboring towns of Grenoble, Lyon and Valence. Thus, three Nordic skiing world champions, Marie Dorin-Habert, Robin Duvillard and Loïs Habert, want to attract experienced athletes to their very recently opened Zecamp hotel, which has a gym and a spa.
But, beyond the search for a less monolithic and more sustainable model for tourism, other economic sectors should not be forgotten. Thus forestry and livestock farming, which shape these landscapes so much appreciated by visitors. “The forest occupies more than 60% of the territory, recalls Benoît Coulée, president of Vercors forest development. We work mainly on fir, spruce and beech, but we are on the razor’s edge. There are more in addition to tree dieback linked to water stress and heat stroke. In partnership with the ONF, foresters are experimenting with the planting of new species. The same is true for livestock farming and the Villard-de-Lans dairy cooperative, which supplies Vercors blue AOP and attracts 60,000 customers a year. “Because of the drought, we have lost 40% of the fodder this year”, explains its president, breeder Paul Faure. There too, we are interested in new, more resistant plants, alfalfa or sainfoin, in order to ward off the inevitable change that is coming.