Santa Claus will not have offered snow to the French for the holidays this year. While the season seemed to start well with cold temperatures and plenty of snowflakes, the mild weather and the rain eventually prevailed.

For ski resorts, this is the worst case scenario. Indeed, the lack of snow prevents them from opening their main activity, skiing. “Given the current weather conditions, the station can no longer accommodate you” announced the Semnoz station in Haute-Savoie, after having made the decision to close its slopes just before Christmas, as reported by Le Parisien.

Yet science offers other solutions to artificially produce snow, but that only solves part of the problem. In addition, in times of energy sobriety, its production is particularly energy-intensive.

“You need electricity, water and cold. Storage makes it possible to secure the beginnings and the end of the season, continues Jean-Luc Boch. But in France, unlike Italy or Austria, we will never ski only on artificial snow, it is not in our DNA”, estimates the president of the association of mayors of mountain resorts, with our colleagues.

Thus, faced with this increasingly recurrent situation each year, resorts must find other ways to entertain tourists. Thus, many activities, generally reserved for summer periods, open.

Discover in our slideshow all these activities that it is possible to do this winter in many ski resorts.