Please read my latest blog talking about the plight of big and small ski areas (thanks to Davidof for one bit), like Drouzin

http://grangedalice.blogspot.fr/

Andrew AIRD

Good blog, appreciated. I’ve been spouting about how the French love the little resorts too. The Brits I talk to can’t understand why anyone would consider a small resort. I also have 3 kids and pay half my turnover to the French state in taxes and can really see the point of the local resorts! Long may they survive! Though as I live 10 min from Drouzin le Mont and 30 minutes from Abondance I feel the chill wind. Though I feel reassured that within 30 minutes of my house there are another 5 similar spots I can ski, and that’s not including the “known” ski area of the Portes du Soleil.

Same here, we ski at St Hilaire du Touvet the most part. Somewhere like Chamrousse or les 7 Laux would be considered a “big day out” for us and their lift passes are only in the 20-30 euro range. Go to les Arcs and you are looking at 40 euros plus for a day pass. As you say, if you have kids you don’t need 600km of runs, in fact 600km of runs would do me for a few seasons.

During a normal winter, with fog, snow etc it is much more pleasant skiing in the 1000-1500m range below the treeline and on drag lifts.

As for global warming, things were much worse in the 90s. I remember Chamrousse not being open until the start of February one year and it is not just snowmaking that has changed things. We used to get intolerable summers with temperatures in the high 30s.

For myself. I rather go to a place that do not rip me off. A small no famous area very often if not always provide better off pist skiing than the well known areas. With the powderstress is everything in sight outskied before lunch.
A small no known area is safer, You have time to wait for safer conditions, no rush, frendlier, better value for money. Take Qeyras or Valle Maurienne as an good examples.
I think many people are getting tired of big industri skiing.

The small resorts can be wonderful, good value for money and seem to lack the crowds also. We live 5 mins from Bernex and about 20 mins from Abondance and have lots of wonderful days out at both.  Never made it to Drouzin when it’s been open but have toured there on the closed pistes and up the valley the other side going up to Ouzon.

The point about having the foresight not to invest in bigger lifts is fair comment but the flip side of that is that there is good summer business with mountain biking so having the uplift potential for that can be important. The right size might be the cheapest lift you can get a bike on.

There’s a small telecabine up the road at Les Diablerets that will most likely close this year. It’s been in the press on and off the latest being this :

http://www.rts.ch/video/info/couleurs-locales/4634167-vd-une-etude-preconise-l-abandon-de-la-telecabine-d-isenau-aux-diablerets.html

It looks a bad way to spend some money they’ve not got. Sometimes ski stations need a dose of economic reality!