French Alpine village tears down its ski lift due to lack of snow

After some effort, the old, squeaky wheel was finally removed from the faded pole that had once proudly stood on the mountainside.

Around a hundred residents and onlookers gathered in the village of Saint-Firmin to watch as the ski lift was taken apart last month, marking the end of an era.

The reason for the dismantling? The lift has been dormant for years, as the snow that once covered the slopes has vanished.

“Global warming is what changed our perspective on this site,” explained Didier Beauzon, a lifelong resident of Saint-Firmin and a local elected official, to Dinogo.

“We had no choice but to let nature reclaim it,” he remarked.

The ski lift was first constructed in 1964 to provide local children with a place to learn skiing before attempting more advanced slopes across the Alps.

Though the area once benefited from regular winter snowfall, the situation has worsened in recent years. This trend is now being seen in other French and European ski resorts, where the climate crisis is blamed for shorter ski seasons and a decline in snow and glacier coverage.

“The last time the lift operated was about 15 years ago, and even then, it only ran for a single weekend. Since then, it has remained idle,” Beauzon explained about the ski lift in his village.

Fun and happiness

However, things weren't always this way. Beauzon recalls his childhood when the village would organize winter activities for the local children at the ski site.

The local sports club used to organize competitions on weekends and open fun events every Wednesday, followed by award ceremonies in the village square.

“Anyone could win a prize, as long as you made it to the bottom, no matter how,” Beauzon recalled.

The prizes were often simple – a pair of socks, a chocolate bar – but they were a source of joy, he said. At the end of each season, the village’s top skiers would be awarded trophies.

“I’ve never won a trophy myself,” Beauzon admitted. “But it was always a fun time for everyone, with a great atmosphere.”

Sadly, those traditions faded along with the snow. With the lift slowly rusting away as a silent symbol of the past, the village chose to dismantle it – a task that turned out to be more complicated than any ski descent.

“We discovered that the pylon was much more fortified than we had anticipated,” explained Olivier Bustillo, head of Mountain Wilderness, the environmental group in charge of taking down the lift.

“We ended up spending perhaps an extra half hour, maybe even an hour longer, on each pylon,” Bustillo added.

Record-breaking heatwave

A team of around 20 workers completed the task of dismantling the entire ski lift in just two days. According to Bustillo, the team has already taken down approximately 10 similar ski lifts across France.

This may not be the last ski lift to be dismantled. France and much of Western Europe experienced a record heatwave this year, with temperatures soaring to 40° C (104° F) or higher for an extended period during the summer. The heatwave also fueled devastating wildfires in southern and western France.

As of now, 62% of France's population faces significant or very significant climate risks, according to the French Environment Ministry.

France may face even greater challenges in the future, with temperatures projected to rise by 3.8°C by 2100, and up to 6.7°C in the worst-case scenario, according to a study published by Météo France in October.

“When comparing our results with those from earlier climate models, we find that our projections are significantly higher than those previously reported,” the study concluded.

Gone forever

Earlier this month, Val Thorens, Europe’s highest-altitude ski resort, announced it would delay its ski season opening until November 26 due to unusually warm autumn weather.

In Saint-Firmin, the community has decided to repurpose the site of the former ski lifts, creating a space to remind future generations of this part of their history. While many are relieved to see the site being put to use again, there’s still a lingering sense of loss.

“I think people are beginning to realize the changes in our climate. It’s really all about that. When we talk about the ski lift, we’re talking about the climate,” Beauzon explained.

“I felt a wave of nostalgia. We were saying goodbye to an entire era that’s gone for good,”

Image credit: OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty Images