the essential
All the ski resorts were full in the Ariège Pyrenees during these Christmas holidays. Attendance, ski passes, catering, accommodation… show almost dizzying figures for resort operators, who are delighted.
The observation is unanimous in all the Ariège ski resorts, like the Pyrenees in general: the Christmas period was prosperous. “This year is among the best for the Christmas holidays, if not the best,” announces with great joy Georges Vigneau, director of the Beille station, and aware of the affairs for Goulier and Mijanès Donezan through his position as operational director of the Haute-Ariège stations union.
Jacques Lurat, marketing director for the Ax-3-Domaines, Guzet and Monts d'Olmes estates, shares this enthusiasm. “It's a very, very good start to the season. We had a very, very good attendance. We were between 6,000 and 8,000 skiers per day at Ax, between 1,300 and 1,500 people at Monts d'Olmes, between 1 700 and 1,900 skiers per day in Guzet, very, very good figures, I think it’s a record attendance over the Christmas holidays.” In Ascou, “We had a great vacation. We had the best turnover in years. In terms of attendance, we haven't yet taken stock,” says Eric Laurent, director of the resort. .
Snow and sun, the winning duo
Everyone agrees on the reason for such success: the quantity of snow and the good weather. “We were highly acclaimed because we had a week of good weather just before Christmas, we noticed it with the peaks in attendance. For a week, in the valley, in Toulouse, in Foix, there was a cloud of mist. At altitude, it was perfect weather, sun and snow. So, the people from the valley went up,” explains Jacques Lurat. “It snowed well, 90% of the Ascou area was open,” adds Eric Laurent.
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In addition to local people, the resorts welcomed “a lot of French people, but also a lot of Spaniards. There was no snow in Catalonia,” specifies the director of Beille. “The Spanish clientele was larger than usual,” we also noted in Ascou. Jacques Lurat noted the presence of a large number of English people.
Vacationers who consume
The icing on the cake is that all these vacationers wanted to “have fun,” say the resort operators in unison again. “The catering business has done very well. In Mijanès, it's a hit for overall consumption, the figures have exploded. In Goulier, we are surely in the second best season for such a period. It's just a joy”, says 'exclaims Georges Vigneau.
Several avenues to explain that skiing has not been affected by the drop in purchasing power, which we are constantly hearing about. Prices remain accessible, to a certain extent, for modest families, far from the prices charged in the Alps. “In Beille, the package is €13.50, it’s not Andorra,” recalls Georges Vigneau.
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The weather conditions motivated powder enthusiasts. “We had a fear especially as our packages increased but, in fact, as soon as the snow and good weather conditions are met, skiing becomes a popular activity,” comments the marketing director of Ax-3-Domaines, Guzet and Mont d’Olmes. As proof, these resorts were filled with last minute reservations or day stays.
The figures will be analyzed these days by the operators. But already, they are dizzying because “the traders are happy. There are economic benefits for the valley”, assures the director of Beille, who adds: “I am signing up immediately for similar seasons for ten years”.
