Of Earth and Snow: A Study of Metabolism in Ski Resorts

Over the past sixty years, the growth of winter tourism in the Alps has led to numerous high-mountain development projects requiring earthwork for the construction, maintenance, and improvement of ski lifts and downhill runs. The operation of this infrastructure relies on biophysical flows, particularly energy, but also materials (rock, soil, concrete, etc.) and water. Once built, these developments remain subject to economic imperatives of growth, requiring ever-increasing amounts of maintenance and upkeep.

While numerous research studies have focused on the economics of the ski tourism industry, no study has sought to link the physical aspects of these activities to the social contexts surrounding them. The “De terre et de neige” project aims to shed new light on these blind spots in current research on mountain regions, using the example of the Tignes resort.

After suffering the consequences of the first major Alpine hydroelectric dam—whose filling flooded the historic village— the Tignes region has established itself as one of the major resorts in the French Alps, initially propelled by the Plan Neige (1964) and whose trajectory has continued ever since, though not without conflict.

Scientists will examine departmental and national archives and conduct interviews with local governments, businesses, and users in order to analyze the socio-historical conditions that led to the development of winter sports tourism, as well as its social effects (“path dependence,” the role of public authorities, the role of competition between regions—including those abroad—and so on). The project will draw on existing data to reconstruct, over several decades, the geomorphological impacts and the volumes of material moved by earthworks and infrastructure related to skiing.

In addition to the two coordinators, the following individuals are also participating in this project: Hugues François (Lessem, INRAE), Steve Hagimont (Utopi, IEP Toulouse), Anne Loze (Edytem, USMB), and Nelo Magalhães (CLERSÉ, CNRS).