Story | Battle for La Grave

The small, colorful gondola in La Grave was built in 1976. Many employees have been working there for decades and lovingly take care of the maintenance and upkeep of the old gondola. The minimalist lift covers a lot of terrain, most of which is challenging. There are no slopes. The small village is still relatively unspoiled and free of après-ski temples and large luxury hotels. The special atmosphere of La Grave is repeatedly described with adjectives such as "free", "wild" and "authentic".

In a BD-TV video about the gondola, the following sentence is uttered: "There are two options - you can adapt the mountains to the skiers, or the skiers have to adapt to the mountains." Under the reign of Denis Cressiels, the latter always applied in La Grave. The now 80-year-old designed the lift and took over the lease from the municipality in 1987.

This lease expires in June 2017 and the question arises as to what will happen to the ski resort. As in many small areas with old infrastructure, the lift does not generate much money. La Grave is one of the poorest municipalities in France. When the municipality was last responsible for the gondola operation in the 1980s, the lift had to close for 18 months due to an acute lack of funds. Due to the problem with the Chambon Tunnel, visitor numbers fell by up to 75 percent last winter. The gondola is located in the Ecrins National Park. In theory, no new construction is allowed here, which makes modernization difficult.

However, there are various interest groups that are interested in taking over the lease. On the one hand, there is Mr. Cressiels, the previous leaseholder. He is said to have said a few years ago that he would only continue if he was given permission to build a new lift between Chazelet and La Grave and has not spoken publicly about the issue for some time. Whether and how he is currently applying for the lease is unclear.

Signal de la Grave trailer

A small team led by Joost van Zundert is behind Signal de la Grave. Van Zundert lives in La Grave, is a passionate outdoor sportsman and economist. Like many others, Van Zundert believes that large companies such as CDA are misusing the La Grave myth for marketing purposes. He fears that some investors are primarily interested in the lease as it gives them access to the ski resort's glaciated terrain, which would guarantee them profit even in times of climate change. According to Van Zundert, the major investors are only interested in a new, marketing-suitable ski resort superlative.

However, he also admits that this is only speculation so far. The applications for the lease have hardly been made public so far. Apart from Signal de la Grave, no one has explicitly declared any intentions. The Signal team hopes that the discussion about the future of La Grave will get off to a better start - this is another aim of the campaign. Denis Cressiels is not directly involved in Signal de la Grave, but according to Van Zundert, he would support the project if the Signal Team were able to secure the lease.

Signal de la Grave will continue to exist regardless of the lease agreement or in the event of failure. The non-profit organization aims to promote sustainable, environmentally conscious development, strengthen local businesses and expand outdoor opportunities, especially for summer operations. All proceeds are to benefit the local population. Signal de la Grave's crowdfunding target is 45,000 euros. It is intended to enable the SAS to work during the application process (legal fees, bookkeeping, etc.). If the lease does not go to the SAS, Signal de la Grave plans to use the money for the above-mentioned goals. If the actual plan succeeds, however, investments will be required to modernize and maintain the railroad. According to Van Zundert's calculations, this would be around five million euros. The sum is to be raised by private investors, not by crowdfunding.

Van Zundert does not see himself as an idealist in his project, but as an economist. He and his team are economically minded inhabitants of a special region with unique nature and diverse outdoor opportunities. Signal de la Grave wants to make a sustainable commitment to its location with practicable projects. Van Zundert can imagine La Grave following the example of ski resort cooperatives in North America in the future, such as Shames Mountain or Mad River Glen, where locals have also joined forces to secure operations. However, he doubts whether France is ready for such revolutionary ideas in times of mass tourism.

If no suitable leaseholder can be found because no agreement can be reached with anyone, the ski resort could be closed for good. According to Stefan Neuhauser, PG author and mountain guide who spends a lot of time in La Grave, things would then look bleak for the village of La Grave. The mountains would become a little more lonely and wild than they could ever be with the gondola running, no matter how unique the gondola is. That may also be an appealing thought for some people.

Crowdfunding campaign

The Signal de la Grave Indiegogo campaign has been running for almost three days and has already raised almost 30 percent of the desired amount - mainly with small contributions from individual supporters. The campaign will run for a total of one month. Further information can be found on the Indiegogo page, as well as on the Signal de la Grave Facebook page.