00:00 It's not the typical ski resort experience. Bikes on ziplines and outdoor rides.
00:07 Here in the French Pyrenees, a recurring absence of snow means uncertain times for businesses
00:14 that revolve around ski hills. And while tourists may still remark at the view, it's left resort
00:21 staff wondering about their livelihood.
00:25 In the future, will this become the only recipe for our resort in winter? I don't know. It's
00:30 a difficult question to answer.
00:33 Marie-Florentine Houlin is the marketing and communications manager of the Haute Accombe
00:37 ski resort in Beaux-Saintes, where they've opted not to use artificial snow machines.
00:44 We usually have heavy snowfalls in January, which allows us to open the four weeks of
00:48 February. This year, there is really no snow at all. We only opened our ski slopes for
00:53 two days. Maybe next year, we will have a meter of snow in January, which will allow
00:58 us to guarantee four weeks of the ski resort being open. But we are still going with trends,
01:04 which are still about the scarcity of snow in the end.
01:10 But while visitors are enjoying the alternative activities, warming weather systems and a
01:15 shorter season are testing the survival of a myriad of businesses. The local ski school
01:20 is closed, and ski rental shops are seeing fewer customers.
01:25 Josiane Sempe owns a rental shop in the area.
01:30 If we keep having seasons like this one, we will have to stop. We won't be able to go
01:35 on. We will need to think of something else.
01:38 France's public audit office warned this month that, in the face of climate change, most
01:43 resorts were likely to feel the economic impacts by 2050, with areas south of the Alps hit
01:48 hardest. At Haute D'Aquame's restaurant, visitors eat lunch outdoors, while server
01:54 Leo Villouan tries to keep a positive attitude.
01:58 We feel like we're not in control, that we're losing the snow little by little, and the
02:02 coming years will be difficult too. So we try to find other things.
02:07 Residents like Stéphane Rémy are taking a pragmatic approach.
02:11 The snow situation is likely to get worse. We know that. So we might as well adapt ourselves
02:18 to this, and find other activities in nature, such as cycling or hiking.
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