Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/Getty Images

Another French Ski Area Closes for Good

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Apr 29, 2025 2:37 PM ET

Hautacam, a French ski area in the Pyrenees, has confirmed that after three consecutive winters of minimal snowfall, it will stop offering downhill skiing as an activity, The Connexion, a French-English newspaper, reports.

Established in 1972, the ski area has historically operated with 20 pistes and seven lifts, but the lack of snow has negatively impacted its finances, the Hautacam joint association, the Pyrénées Vallées des Gaves community of municipalities, and the Lourdes City Hall said in a joint statement.

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To rectify the deficit, the organizations said in the statement that Hautacam will need “to request a significant contribution of €1,440,000 from the two local authorities … instead of the €630,000 [needed] in previous years.”

The statement added that Hautacam was a victim of global warming, noting that the ski area, like other mid-altitude resorts, was dependent on the changing climate. Hautacam stands between about 5,000 and 6,000 feet.

The end of skiing at Hautacam doesn’t mean that the ski area will close entirely. Instead, its operators are shifting to a four-season model with activities like biking, hiking, and tubing. The statement said that when the snow arrives, Hautacam will also offer a beginner-focused “ski initiation area.” However, The Connexion reports that there won’t be any proper downhill slopes.

The conclusion of downhill ski operations has sparked a petition penned by a “worried shopkeeper” titled “No to the Closure of the Hautacam Ski Resort,” garnering just over 1,300 signatures so far. Commenters on the petition expressed their dismay over the possible economic impacts of the planned closure. They also emphasized that Hautacam offered affordable, family-friendly skiing.

“A family resort and very pleasant. No to this closure!” read one comment.

“I learned to ski there and I'm happy to come back as soon as I can. We must save Hautacam,” read another. Hautacam isn’t the only European ski area struggling with warm winters and the lack of snowfall.

In fall 2024, Alpe du Grand Serre, another French ski resort, announced that it would close, noting that it didn’t have enough funds to become a year-round destination. Skilift Schratten Flühli, a small ski area with two lifts in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland, also said that it would cease operations last year.