The Amis de la Bérarde collective, present on the stage of the Rencontres Ciné Montagne in Grenoble on Thursday November 7, is waiting for only one thing: for their village to be rebuilt. Identical? In the same place? In what way? When residents, elected officials and socio-professionals experience a tragedy like that of La Bérarde this summer, it is very hard to keep reason and emotions in separate boxes. More than a hamlet, it is a life and even a future that must be (re)erected. The collective of friends of Bérarde and Haut Vénéon advocates reconstruction on the outskirts and the Mountain Wilderness collective insists on new mobility and tourist approaches. Two lights that are not at all antagonistic.
The “Oisans – Vallée du Vénéon” collective
The exceptional event of June 20 and 21 which ravaged the hamlets of La Bérarde and Les Étages will forever leave scars in the minds of the inhabitants and more widely in the mountain environment.
After the time of fear, astonishment and tears, comes the time of questions. However, the future of our Haut Vénéon is not an option. There is a future and it took shape the day after the disaster.
Weeks of work, sweat, tears and the crazy energy deployed by the residents made it possible to empty the houses of thousands of m³ of piled up materials and to clean up the homes before the arrival of winter. Hundreds of volunteers came to clean, decontaminate and give a face to this valley in order to move away from this vision of an open-air dump. The strength carried by the mayor and his municipal team, the energy of our association “Les amis de la Bérarde et du Haut Vénéon”, the dynamism of the collective defending residents, all these efforts to allow the imagination to see far…
Reconstruction in place seems difficult to imagine, however the bed of the Étançons torrent must return to its route before the event. Rebuilding in the periphery, in wooded areas protected from the elements remains possible. The hamlet will not regain its face as we knew it, but we will be the bearers of memory and the actors of this reconstruction which will remain in the image of the inhabitants… Indestructible! SUPPORT US BY SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHARTER.
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Sébastien Truche and Frédi Meignan for “Mountain Wilderness France”
Having become a legendary mountaineering hotspot, La Bérarde was previously a hamlet living all year round. In winter, the teacher, the schoolchildren and the families remained cut off from the world. For centuries, life in Vénéon was harsh and risky. It still is today, amplified by climate change. Habitability in our French mountains, and around the world, is becoming a critical subject.
The Bérardins, the first victims of the event, have their entire history anchored here and want to live there. Lovers of Oisans cannot bring themselves to abandon this valley and its exceptional mountains.
However, having a clear opinion on the reconstruction is almost impossible, as there are still so many unknowns linked to the security of the premises. A new era is dawning for the valley, a new chapter is to be imagined. A new challenge for the inhabitants, for all the players who bring this important place to life: refuge keepers, guides, restaurateurs and hoteliers, mountain climbers, Écrins National Park, etc.
Many issues must be discussed collectively. How can we continue to welcome despite the risks? What mobility can be developed to allow access despite a perpetual threat to infrastructure? Are there new tourism approaches to be designed, such as extensive roaming? And many other questions to work on in a peaceful and creative framework of exchanges. Despite the difficulties, we are convinced, the Bérarde valley has a certain future. It is appropriate to draw it together.
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