The Estables resort and its 300 inhabitants are waiting for the snow and its first skiers! While snow is forecast for this Sunday, December 8, 2024, the Altiligère resort, located at an altitude of 1,346m, is ready to open its slopes. Traders are also eager to see tourists arrive.
Having lived in Estables for 43 years, Régis, the village butcher, waits, like every year, for the first snows. “As I start very early in the morning, I take advantage of the early afternoon to go cross-country skiing on Mont d'Alambre (1,691m). It’s important because it brings energy.”
Something to keep you busy, with or without snow
There is something to let off steam with 9 alpine ski trails, 15 kilometers of snowshoe trails and 52 kilometers of cross-country ski trails. Everything is ready according to Marie-Eve Chalendard who coordinates activities at the Chalets du Mézenc for hundreds of children who come to enjoy the mountains. “All week we saw the employees of the community of municipalities who were setting up the snow guards and the snow guns. There is also the ski school which set up the baby to welcome beginners.” If there is no snow, there are other activities such as 4-season sledding, mountain biking, hiking.
Julien Frenoy
Even if the snow sets in in the coming days, the manager of the supermarket Gilles Rannou is not expecting tourists before the school holidays in two weeks. “Even if it snowed now, we might have a little more people on the weekend, but people are in the gift shops, they are more in the department stores and in town. We have to wait to really get the season started,” explains the man who has been running Vival for seven years. “There are often visitors who come for the day since we have customers from Saint-Étienne, Aubenas, Privas. Les Estables is a very small resort but has the advantage of being inside the village. That is to say that when they come here, not only can they enjoy skiing, but they can also take advantage of all the activities there are and all the shops since we have everything they need. need on the village.“The reception capacity is still reduced by 300 beds this winter, and since May, with the work on the Holiday Village.
For its part, the Chalmazel station (Loire), which is located a little lower at 1,130m above sea level, has not planned to open this weekend but plans to do so on December 21. The sled dogs of Saint-Régis-du-Coin in the Monts du Pilat will also wait a few weeks before hiking in the snow.
