Birth and history of the Alpine resorts, everything for skiing
The first French resort was created in the 1920s around the village of Megève by Baroness Noémie de Rothschild. Inspired by the Swiss resort of Saint-Moritz, frequented by the European aristocracy, she decided to build a luxurious chalet and an ice rink on Mont d'Arbois. Here, skiing gradually developed thanks to the use of ski lifts to go up the slopes, before the first cable car opened in 1933. A model that will spread throughout the Alps to other villages wanting to take advantage of this new financial windfall. This is the case of Les Gets, a village resort which was the first to equip itself with a chairlift in 1947 to facilitate access to the slopes for a greater number of skiers. After the Second World War, a new type of resort was born where everything was organized for better skiing. It is interesting to note that the first resort of this kind, Courchevel 1850, was created after the war above the village of Saint-Bon which benefited until then from the summer tourism linked to the spa of Brides-les-Bains. Courchevel 1850 was the first resort entirely built on a totally virgin land with new houses. If the ski industry was born, it was not yet accessible to all, the chalets of Courchevel 1850, based on the model of traditional chalets, could not accommodate too many skiers. It was not until the 1960s and the model of "integrated resorts", designed entirely for the mass practice of skiing (land, urban planning, housing, skiable area ...), to see the development of alpine skiing. This is the birth of large resorts like Flaine, Avoriaz or Les Arcs, real laboratories for architects. Huge buildings cover the slopes, creating "districts" linked by lifts, housing large shopping malls, encouraging the maximum practice of "ski-in/ski-out" from one's cabin apartment. Winter sports have become a flourishing industry at the expense of nature and the environment. So much so that a Mountain Law was passed in 1985 to reconcile development and protection of the mountains. After undeniable excesses in terms of development and urban planning, the promoters of the resorts came to their senses with a "neo-regionalist" style with the rise of the village resorts. Resorts that are no longer content to promote the winter season and the practice of downhill skiing alone. The Alps are rediscovering their natural heritage with the practice of a summer activity that gives back its natural dimension to the mountains: hiking. After the golden age of alpine skiing and the gigantic developments that were solely focused on this winter activity, the Alpine resorts are now turning to other, more "natural" sports and other seasons.
From "all winter" to the rise of summer activities
When the first ski resorts frequented by the aristocracy were created, there was no question of using them in summer, a season reserved for sea bathing on the coast. For a long time, the mountains had only one season, except for mountaineers and a few walking enthusiasts who made the days of certain resorts like Chamonix. It is no coincidence that the first long-distance hiking trail, GR®, in the Alps was the Tour du Mont-Blanc in 1951. The marking of hiking trails, often old paths used by shepherds and their flocks, is developing throughout the Alps, allowing a wide public to practice a family activity and inexpensive. In the 1980's, the first awareness of the pollution of our environment and the abusive use of the coastline in summer led to a growing need to escape to unoccupied territories... like the mountains in summer! But what to do in this season in these ski resorts? The first mountain bikes made their appearance in France in 1983 in La Plagne. This new downhill activity, which will use the infrastructures built for the winter season and which will offer a new economic activity to the resorts, will very quickly take off in the French Alps. If the first track dedicated to mountain biking was created in the Jura mountains, the number of areas reserved for mountain bikes is increasing in the Alps with the creation of "bike parks". Each resort now has its own area reserved for mountain bikes, an activity that replaces skiing in summer. At the same time, cyclists are following the exploits of the Tour de France riders and want to climb the Alpine passes in their turn. Resorts such as Alpe d'Huez provide them with specific markers to time themselves and measure themselves against the champions. But hiking, road biking and mountain biking are not the only sports that liven up the resorts in the summer season. With global warming shortening the ski season each year, nature lovers have developed numerous activities to take advantage of the exceptional environment of the Alps. In the air, after hang-gliding, paragliding has become more popular. Nowadays, all kinds of coloured sails fly over the skies of the French resorts with discovery flights accessible to all. On vertical cliffs, the via ferrata facilitates the practice of climbing while providing the thrill of vertigo. Along with hiking, which is becoming increasingly popular, trail running - running on trails in a natural environment - has developed widely in the Alps, particularly since the creation of the Stations de Trail®. On the slopes, summer sledges on rails reproduce the sensation of sliding. In the trees, adventure parks offer fun and sensational activities. The rivers of the Alps are also used for rafting and canyoning, two activities that are as refreshing as they are sensational. All these summer activities, to which we could add golf, horse riding, archery..., make the ski resorts as lively in summer as in winter.
From summer/winter resorts to 4-season resorts
Some resorts in the Alps have historically welcomed tourists in all seasons. This is the case of Chamonix, a resort that is a lively town all year round, offering a wide range of mountain activities, from mountaineering to skiing and hiking. It is also the case of Briançon in the Southern Alps, a small regional capital with a strong architectural heritage - Vauban fortress - which has linked up with the peaks of Serre-Chevalier Valley to widen its offer and participate in the development of a vast domain. If some resorts have always had a year-round activity, the vast majority of the resorts in the Alps have long been focused solely on winter sports, then on winter sports and summer activities. During the long periods known as "inter-seasons" - between April and June, and between September and December (periods which become longer as the snow cover decreases) - the resorts experience an "off-season". Moreover, many resorts, except for some village resorts, communicate by saying that they are simply "closed". During these periods, accommodation and shops do not open and no activities are offered to visitors. However, many urban people living near the mountains - from Grenoble, Chambéry, Lyon, Marseille or Nice - want to get away for a weekend or a "short" holiday outside the period for outdoor leisure activities, a demand that is experiencing a strong dynamic. All the resorts are now integrating facilities into their development to ensure year-round operation, in order to attract new customers such as senior citizens, business tourists or seminars. It is the so-called "medium altitude" resorts, those which will be the first to suffer from the lack of snow, which will become the first 4-season resorts in the Alps. For these resorts, like Chamrousse above Grenoble - a resort created for the 1968 Olympic Games - the challenge is quite simply vital. They need to attract both more year-round residents to keep the local shops and services going and more tourists to develop their activities. This transformation into a 4-season resort requires the construction of new infrastructures, such as a large aquatic and fitness centre in the case of Chamrousse or a "multi-use" hall, hotels with spas for a constantly growing wellness tourism. The Chartreuse or Vercors massifs, the Dévoluy or certain southern parts of the Mercantour, which are less elevated than others, will have to adapt both to climate change and to the new demands of a public in search of fresh air, pure air, well-being and sensations. Even high altitude resorts such as Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc are openly "4 seasons" with the development of intermediate activities such as forest walks, snowshoeing, the discovery of an amazing heritage ranging from baroque churches to a brand new cultural place, a concrete car park entirely painted by artists. For too long a time a simple winter playground, the mountains are becoming a year-round living area. The Alps offer themselves as an attractive territory where all sectors of the economy are developing together, with agriculture in the lead, but also the tertiary sector and the inevitable tourism. New outdoor and indoor sports activities, new relaxation activities for couples and families, heritage and culture, the 4-season resorts are also eco-responsible for a sustainable development with or without snow. All over the Alps, the 4-season resorts are undergoing a complete metamorphosis to ensure year-round activities.
