Alpe du Grand Serre Ski Resort Sees Fresh Hope Amid Closure Fears
After months of uncertainty and emotional highs and lows, the Alpe du Grand Serre ski resort in Isère may yet again welcome skiers to its slopes this winter. The SATA Group, which already manages the nearby resorts of Alpe d’Huez, Les Deux Alpes, and La Grave, has offered to take on the financial risks of running the lifts for the 2025–2026 season.
The announcement has given locals a rare sense of relief. “It’s an emotional roller coaster” sighed Florent Battistel, director of the French Ski School (ESF) at the resort. “We thought it was over, but now we see a real chance to continue.”
A resort on the brink
Founded in 1938, Alpe du Grand Serre is one of the oldest ski resorts in the region and is a symbol of the tribulations of smaller alpine ski areas. In July, the intercommunal authority of La Matheysine voted to end ski operations, citing chronic deficits and an unwillingness to keep injecting public funds into what was seen as an lost cause.
The resort was briefly reprieved last winter, when Sata Group stepped in at the last minute. Favorable snow conditions and strong visitor numbers made the 2024–2025 season a success, but not enough to secure a long-term future.
Sata’s new offer
SATA Group CEO Fabrice Boutet has now proposed a one-year extension of operations, with a crucial difference: the company itself would absorb any financial losses. “If we face difficulties with revenue, we have offered to take on that risk directly,” said Boutet. He added that Alpe du Grand Serre is one of the few mid-mountain resorts in France where Sata sees potential for both ski-centered tourism and a gradual diversification toward new year-round activities. SATA has long been associated with the ski area, seeing small resorts as crucial for developing tomorrow's skiers.
Local council president Coraline Saurat has made it clear that the community will not shoulder any additional financial burden. In a letter to SATA, she stipulated that no public funds would be committed and that the intercommunal authority would bear no responsibility for operational risks.
A council vote on November 13 will determine whether the deal goes ahead.
Relief in the village
For many locals, the possibility of reopening is a lifeline. “It was a total nightmare trying to plan ahead,” said Battistel. “The ski instructors stayed here, but without the lifts, there would have been no work.”
Restaurant owner Yann Vincent echoed the sentiment: “We thought it was finished. People would have had to abandon their businesses or look for work at other resorts. The economic impact on the plateau would have been dramatic.”
A fragile future
Even if the lifts turn again this winter, the long-term challenges remain. Climate change is already reshaping the viability of mid-altitude ski resorts across the Alps. As winters shorten and snowfall becomes less reliable, l'Alpe du Grand Serre must balance tradition with innovation, carving out a future that extends beyond the ski season.
For now, however, residents and business owners are clinging to the hope that November’s vote will give them one more winter to keep the dream alive.