The sky fell on the heads of the Bornandins on the weekend of December 7. Literally, at first, with significant snowfall after several days of dead calm. Then, while learning, in Liberationthat the mayor of Annecy, François Astorg, cut his financial support (100,000 euros) for the Grand-Bornand biathlon world cup stage, which begins Thursday. “Adapting the mountain to warming cannot wait any longer,” explained the city councilor.
The photos of snow transported on trucks to prepare the Sylvie-Becaert stadium, published a few days earlier on social networks, must have reinforced the environmentalist in his choice. As in 2022, faced with the shortage of white gold at an altitude of 980 meters, the organizers had to launch this plan B, based on snow making and snowfarming (snow storage), to be in compliance on the 9th. December, the date on which the snow check had to be carried out, otherwise the stage would be cancelled.
Snow, “consumer good X”?
“You can imagine, they worked for a year to prepare everything and finally, lack of snow, bam, the race is elsewhere,” imagine Anaïs Bescond, Olympic champion in 2018 in the mixed relay. How can you motivate organizers to get involved if, in fact, the week before, you’re going to be told to go elsewhere? » So, using artificial snow saves all that. Even if it means putting small flakes in a big truck, as André Perrillat-Amédé, president of the organizing committee and mayor of Grand-Bornand, explains:
« Until now, we only had one storage, and we were actually moving artificial snow from another shared storage with the alpine ski area, over the 5 km that separate us, and which actually caused the cause. We are fully aware of the sensitivity that these snow transports represent, and we wish to progress in this area, since we have set up a second snow reserve on the site which, unfortunately, could not be fully operational for this winter. »
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These transports of snow on the road have triggered the ire of environmental protection associations, such as Résilience montagne, whose founder and president, Valérier Paumier, believes that no lesson from the 2022 ordeal, where the same movements had been seen, was retained: “We must imagine another story of the mountain all together. We show that we can drive trucks with snow like a consumer good X, because snow no longer falls from the sky. And that’s the imagination we want our kids to see. »
Don’t end up in soup
The kids will see Émilien Jacquelin, Lou Jeanmonnot and company treading on artificial snow all weekend long. And, even if it had snowed heavily in Haute-Savoie, it is not certain that it would have been otherwise, assures André Perrillat-Amédé: “If we use artificial snow, it is not linked to the change climatic, it is linked to the very nature of the tests. It allows you to have a stable layer of tracks, due to the fact that it has already been worked, reliable and secure. »
“It also ensures fairness in the race,” explains Anaïs Bescond. In my first career competitions, I took a 100 bib at the start, I waded up to my knee. I can tell you that I didn’t have at all the same racing conditions as the first ones who left. So at least it guarantees that everyone leaves with more or less the same chances. »
In total, artificial snow, and its transport, represents only 0.8%, or 38 tonnes, of the carbon footprint of the entire event (80% linked to the travel of spectators, biathletes and media) . And the organization wanted to lower the score a little further, by setting up wooden modules on the shooting range instead of snow which requires a lot of work. A first on the world circuit, which is just waiting to be exported elsewhere, the organization hopes.
“Pressure on the environment”
The fact remains that the water used to make this snow comes from the watersheds, “which they siphon off to fill the high-altitude basins,” denounces Valérie Paumier. It’s not their water. Today, we know how to make snow at positive temperatures. The question is just, should we do it? I even wonder about the point of continuing this kind of competition in places like Le Grand-Bornand. » An idea obviously not at all shared by everyone.
“This event is both an economic and social lifeblood due to its media influence, with 125 million viewers worldwide and economic benefits of around 5 million euros,” estimates André Perrillat-Amédé. We are fully aware that any event like this necessarily puts pressure on the environment and that we seek to be responsible for these problems. »
The mayor of Grand-Bornand has therefore… submitted a candidacy to host the World Cup for the period 2026-2030. But remain open to a change of date, particularly in January, to have a little more natural snow. But between the established schedule and the desire of the International Federation to limit the movement of runners, to protect the environment, it is not certain that the request will succeed. We are on track to continue making snow until 2030, when Grand-Bornand will also host the Winter Olympic Games.
