At one time the French mountains and hills were dotted with micro ski resorts but most have disappeared. We know of Notre-Dame de Vaulx (Our lady of the Valleys) and have even skied at nearby les Signaraux but we've never seen the lift running. It is located near the lacs Laffrey to the south-east of Grenoble. With the snowy start to the 2025/26 winter they fired up the ski lift last weekend to the delight of local kids and their parents looking for an activity on a snowy afternoon. The lift only covers 55 meters of vertical, for a single red piste. They sold 80 lift passes over the weekend and "cherry on the cake" they only cost 3 euros each. Something in these cash strapped times.
Originally set up in 1977 and run by the town hall, the Pays de Vaulx ski lift fell into disuse in the 1980s and remained dormant for decades. In 2016 locals restarted operations as part of the Ski Club en Pays de Vaulx (SCPV). They wanted to presere a bit of heritage for their children. The ski lift is small: a single 234-meter run, perfect for novices and children. The lift runs only when there is natural snow: on Wednesdays and weekends in the afternoon. 3 volunteers are needed to open the lift and ensure safety. The is no piste bashing, it is downhill skiing as it once was. People without ski gear can borrow it free of charge and they might even offer you a hot chocolate in the club hut.
The reopening in 2016 was not without administrative hurdles, the lift had to pass a 30-year inspection and safety inspections are conducted each year: once in November before opening, and again after the winter season. While other micro-resorts such at Notre-Dame-du-Pré near la Plagne have thrown in the towel the association model is being copied at Le Granier, St Hilaire du Touvet, le Planolet and St Pierre de Chartreuse all in the Chartreuse mountains and le Barioz in the Belledonne as well as Bourg‑d'Oueil in the Pyrénées to name the most significant. Maybe the concentration of association run ski areas around Grenoble reflects its historic independence and role in the start of the French revolution?
Given the uncertain nature of snow the important thing is to have low cost infrastructure and staffing. Notre-Dame de Vaulx doesn't even have a piste basher. Areas that invested in cable cars and chair lifts such as the col de l'Arzelier and le Sambuy have found these unaffordable without a guaranteed winter season. St Pierre de Chartreuse appears to have been able to restructure by selling its chair lifts to other resorts to concentrate on a few, high altitude, drags.