French winter resort opens ski run accessible by car

A French Alpine ski resort has opened a small ski run that can be accessed by car to get around the government-ordered closure of ski lifts.

Officials at the tourist office at Courcheval, Savoie, said that the 2km blue ski trail is 'marked and secure'. It has been authorised by municipal decree for the winter holidays.

No shuttle is in place, but it is possible to drive or take a taxi at the bottom of the resort, in Courchevel 1850, to go to the start of the blue run, the tourist office told Franceinfo, insisting that the required sanitary measures were in place.

First of all, it is not a question of avoiding sanitary rules, all sanitary protocol is strictly observed. We have a local test center. (...) It is an additional activity among more than 35 different activities that we offer. You should know that in the normal season, we have more than 100 ski slopes that are open, so we decided to have a secure one to allow learning to ski for those who come to join us for the February holidays.

Ski resorts are counting the cost of close to a lost winter. At Courcheval, even with a ski run open, local authorities are expecting just 25% to 30% of their normal number of visitors because of the current health situation.

"We are going to have to survive, of course we want to offer the best service to customers who trust us and who come, but who will be at the maximum of 30% this year," director of the Courchevel Tourist Office, Gilles Delaruelle, said.