Photo: Giant rockfall blocks major route to ski stations in France
RN90 open again to limited traffic after 150 tonne blocks fall on Saturday
The road between Albertville and Moûtiers has since partially reopened to traffic
Ville de Moûtiers / facebook
Three huge blocks of rock - weighing more than 150 tonnes each - fell onto a key access road to ski stations in Savoie on Saturday morning, cutting the road for several hours and injuring one driver.
The 50m3 of rock crashed onto the RN90 between Albertville and Moûtiers. The RN90 was closed for hours after the rockfall at 10:45 on February 1, complicating access to the nearby Tarentaise, 3 Vallées, Tignes, Val d’Isère, La Plagne, les Arcs and La Rosière ski resorts.
Incredibly, only one driver was hurt - a 62-year-old woman who was taken to Albertville hospital with reportedly minor injuries.
The road was partially reopen by Saturday evening, albeit to severely limited traffic.
"From 2,200 vehicles an hour, we are down to 900," said La Plagne mayor Jean-Luc Bloch on Sunday, adding that he was "almost certain" that the road would not fully reopen in time for the start of the half term holidays for the north and south east of France (Zone B) on February 8.
Read more: Calendar: French school holidays for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026
Nonetheless, the president of the Savoie department, Hervé Gaymard, announced on Monday that work was underway.
“We've already started clearing the rocks that are on the road. About a quarter of what fell has already been cleared. We need to continue this work as quickly as possible to open the road as soon as possible.”
Savoie Prefect François Ravier added that the ski resorts were still accessible.
"I think that drivers who are aware of the situation will be able to adapt their trip and leave earlier," he said, adding that more information would be made available closer to February 8.
Local snow plough driver Pierrick told French media that the fall of the massive rocks had been expected.
“For several years now, the locals and the mayor of Moûtiers have been asking for the work to be stepped up. We're about to host the Winter Olympics and we find ourselves with a blocked valley. We all make our living from the economy, and now it is at a standstill because of this," he told BFMTV.
“Now we are going to have to be patient,” he said, awaiting the removal of the giant rocks that he estimates at around “150 to 200 tonnes each.”
Alpine landslides
The Alpine valleys are notoriously susceptible to landslides.
“There's probably no link between what happened this weekend and global warming,” said Ludovic Ravanel, geomorphologist and research director at the CNRS and member of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix on Franceinfo.
However, there is no doubt that global warming is making mountainous areas more fragile.
Rockslides are on the increase due to higher temperatures bring wetter weather and more freeze-thaw effects to what once was solid earth.
On January 23, rocks fell onto the RD28 road through the Cians gorges near the village of Beuil (Alpes-Maritimes), completely blocking the road in both directions.
Another major landslide happened in August 2023 as a 300-metre tunnel was blocked, cutting rail travel between France and Italy through the Maurienne valley for 19 months.
Direct high-speed trains between Paris and Milan/Turin are set to run again from the end of March 2025.
