Saturday, 9 a.m., Day 1 after the shock announcements from the Federal Council which notably got the better of the end of the ski season in Switzerland. But not in neighboring France, logically. At the foot of the Gabelou chairlift, on the Haut-Savoyard part of the Portes du Soleil area, the parking lot is filled with cars, many of which are registered in Switzerland. Particularly in the canton of Vaud, including that of two young people from Lausanne. “We had to go to Nendaz, but luckily we also had a free pass for Les Portes du Soleil. So, we hit the road in this direction this morning, explains Valentine Magnin. The highway was almost deserted, even between Vevey and Montreux where we are used to idling. ” And Jonathan Narinx, who accompanies him, to continue: “We are ready to enjoy what will undoubtedly be our last ski day of the season. And when it comes to health precautions, we will be especially careful to respect the distances to the restaurant at noon. ”
The contrast is marked with the hushed atmosphere that prevails on the other side of the Rhône, in Villars. Not far from the imposing building from where the Roc d´Orsay cable car starts, a shuttle bus from the Chablais public transport restarts, almost empty. “I still had a few customers,” says Patrick, who started work at 8 a.m. The driver explains that he is still there this weekend so that people can quietly collect their equipment before returning home. This is the case of Sophie Lugon and John Devantay, busy fixing slats on the ski rack of their car. “We had planned to ski this weekend, and at the time of the announcements, we initially thought that the cabins might turn, but with only two people inside,” said the young woman. “We still went up from Bussigny Friday to pick up equipment. And maybe tomorrow we will go and make sealskin. ”
A skin and snowshoe hike is just what this group of about fifteen parents and children is about to start, right next to the stopped cabins at Roc d’Orsay. Coming from Friborg, Neuchâtel and Geneva, they are all members of the Ski-Club Villars and should have participated in training this Saturday. “The news was hard to take for the children, who are very competitive, so we are trying to play down the situation by having a good time,” said Anaïs Dufaux. And for that, the adults thought of everything: “We have cheese and the equipment necessary to make a raclette in the open air,” laughs Alexandre Currat. What give a little smile to the young man of 14 who stands right next to him. “I still had races to go. The season was far from over. ”
This is also the case for the seasonal staff of several villardous businesses. “My employees will be unemployed from the 22nd, a month earlier than usual. In season, we are 95% dependent on ski lifts, “said Francis Decroocq, owner of the Sport’s House store. These lifts whose officials had no choice but to make an abrupt decision. “We are not happy, but we understand the request from the Confederation as well as from the Swiss ski lifts,” says Christian Dubois. This Saturday morning, the director of Télé-Villars-Gryon-Les Diablerets organized a crisis session at 8 a.m. with his management team to discuss the following. “We have to organize. We have to close the facilities, with all the maintenance work involved, but also provide a minimum service for alpine restaurateurs and ski schools who need to be able to dispose of their belongings. And we are looking for solutions to penalize our temporary workers as little as possible for the benefit of contracts valid until the end of the month, or even until April 19 … ”
Just opposite the departure of the cable car, the owner of the café, wine bar and local market Aux Saveurs des Alpes takes the hit. “I didn’t expect such an abrupt decision to close the station like that overnight. But that’s how it is, we will wait for it to pass, even if economically speaking, we have no idea what lies ahead. ”
Created: 14.03.2020, 16h09
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