No you are not dreaming. High altitude ski resort Tignes plans to build a snow dome. At more than 2000 meters altitude. Mayor Jean-Christophe Vitale foresees a near future when the glacier de la Grande Motte can no longer offer summer skiing due to global warming.
The project is just in the planning stage but will be presented officially on the 25th November 2016. With a new administration in the region (the boss of the ESF Gilles Chabert is the “mountain president”) keen to promote the ski areas there is a lot of political pressure to expand the range of activities offered to tourists. The dome would allow Tignes to propose skiing 365 days per year, just like back in the day.
The Snow Dome would house a piste with artificial snow and a chair lift as well as an indoor “surf” center – allowing surfing on an artificial wave. The center has been called “Ski Line” and would be built on the Slalom Piste at Val Claret for a cost of 62M€, funded in part by private investments. If permissions is given work would start in the summer of 2018.
The project has shocked environmental groups. They are worried about competition by the resorts to build similar projects, transforming the mountain landscape into a giant theme park. Some would question the wisdom of building such infrastructure so far from major population centers such as Lyon or Paris.
Update
The Autorité environnementale régionale criticised the project saying it would have major impacts on the landscape and on water and energy consumption. The mayor has abandoned the project "for the moment".
