Sadly, summer skiing is no longer on offer in France for 2022.
After Val d’Isère’s decision not to open at all due to lack of snow on the Pisaillas glacier and Tignes’ decision to close early, Les 2 Alpes has been the next resort to close.
The southern Alps resort opened earlier than normal on 28 May, but an extremely warm start to summer led to rapid snow loss. Skiing was due to continue until the end of July.
“The foehn wind struck a fatal blow”
According to Éric Bouchet, the director of the tourist office, five consecutive nights on the glacier above 0°C meant that the snow could not refreeze overnight. With the snowpack remaining warm, the following days it was even susceptible to heat.
“In almost six days, everything deteriorated, then the foehn wind struck a fatal blow,” said Bouchet.
The safety committee met last week and decided to close the glacier from last Sunday (10 July).
“It hurts to see the glacier like this”
The situation has been caused by a particularly dry winter, followed by very high temperatures in the spring.
“The level of quality was no longer there, to open for the sake of it doesn’t interest us, we want to be able to offer a real service. It hurts to see the glacier like this,” said Bouchet.
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