Pending a first balance of the season in the Neiges Catalanes, after its last stations ended last Sunday, March 26, Font Romeu has been the first to release figures for the season.
During the ski season, the Altiservice group registered a new record of 515,000 ski days sold on its slopes, with a peak of more than 16,000 skiers per day on the 43 km of alpine skiing in the area, and 110 km of cross-country skiing.
The week of the hotel deals for travelling in December was particularly successful, with an influx of almost 12,000 skiers per day, which was a 7% increase compared to the previous record season, according to Font-Romeu - Pyrénées 2000 director Jacques Alvarez. The previous record dates back to the 2021-2022 season, with a turnover of 14 million euros for the resort.
Aerial view of the Ax 3 Domaines resort at the beginning of March.
However, the French slopes of the Eastern Pyrenees could have performed better if they had been able to keep to the planned schedule. For example, Les Angles had to close two weeks ahead of schedule, resulting in a loss of around €200,000, estimated at €100,000 per week by Jérôme Meunier, the resort's general manager.
The eight Ariege ski resorts - Alpine and Nordic - had difficulty getting the season off to a good start due to the lack of snow. However, after opening in mid-January, they recorded a good influx during February and until the end of the season last weekend.
According to Ax 3 Domaines marketing director Jacques Murat, December was the weakest month compared to the rest of the season. "From January 17 onwards, we had attendance peaks, even records during the February holidays, with snow and good weather," he comments.
Despite a somewhat disappointing March, several domains experienced similar results to last year, when they recorded a record season. "We welcomed more than 185,000 people during the four weeks of February. It's one of our records," says Jacques Murat. In terms of turnover, the 2022-2023 season should be among the top five for the Ax resort. "Attendance has been steady and smooth, with a large influx during the last week of February," he adds.
At Monts d'Olmes, director Christophe Esparseil is pleased with the start of the year. "We had our second best February holidays since 2015, with around a hundred days of skiing."
