INTERNATIONAL
PASSES AND PRE-SALES In the United States, skiing remains elitist. Vail Resorts group was the first to set up a season pass system giving access to some thirty resorts at accessible prices, with discounts on accommodation, restaurants, ski lessons, equipment rental, and more. “There is also the Magic Pass in Switzerland. Small, independently run resorts have come together around a single pass to encourage skiing by young, local people,” says Kaline Osaki. “Val Cenis has adopted dynamic pricing to boost early purchases. Pre-sales and season passes with limited capacities, encouraging advance purchases, are becoming a major trend in France and are being confirmed in Switzerland,” says Laurent Vanat. Is this limited capacity the answer to overcrowded slopes? “A French satisfaction survey reveals that users consider that there are too many people on the slopes. Austria and Switzerland have implemented measures to limit the number of visitors and to manage flow rates. Wouldn’t it be better to return to a more reasonable model?” asks Kaline Osaki. If there is good in each resort, “none of them are perfect,” says Laurent Vanat. The ideal station does not exist, and not all models are replicable. No two mountains are alike, and that’s fine.
European research project on the mountain territory transition Emmanuelle George is working on an application to the Interreg Alpine Space program with other European alpine countries: Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and Slovenia. This study concerns the transition mountain resorts and tourist territories as they share the same issues. If the project is selected, the mission should start next autumn.
“The idea is to obtain diverse situations, with more or less vulnerable resorts, and different levels of awareness. And in all cases, territories that are willing and ready to embrace the program that brings research and reality in the field together,” indicates the researcher. Once established, this network of European resorts will be able to share experiences, find transposable solutions that can be adapted to each territory and make them available to resort players and public authorities. Emmanuelle George is already carrying out similar work in the Isère department. She intends to articulate both programs so that they feed off each other.
“The idea is to obtain diverse situations“ EMMANUELLE GEORGE, RESEARCHER
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M O U N TA I N P L A N E T
2022
