Spring 1991. The French mountains are preparing for their Winter Olympics, in Albertville (Savoie), and are worried about a new concern: “Monster traffic jams on the alpine roads”, in the words of the socialist senator from the Rhône Franck Sérusclat (1921-2006), who was moved by it in a written question to the government. He attributes them to weekly rentals, which begin on Saturdays. Do not worry, responds in substance the Minister Delegate for Tourism at the time, Jean-Michel Baylet, who brought together the professional organizations: “The problem of short weeks, long weekends and a relaxation of departure and return dates has been raised. » The snow professionals have promised, he says, to relax the terms of rental in order to spread out the arrivals.
Thirty years later, on Saturday February 19, the start of school holidays in the Paris region, should drain more than 35,000 vehicles on the RN90 alone, which serves the major resorts of the Tarentaise. The traffic is red every Saturday, between the end of January and mid-March; much quieter the other days. Smart Bison comes to the same conclusion as the inhabitants, who no longer leave their homes that day: thirty years of changing lifestyles have not been enough to settle the hell of Saturday, which seems an immutable given. mountain tourism.
On the phone, when we mention “Saturday-Saturday”, Laurent Vanat bursts out laughing. It’s because he’s Swiss and, seen from his home, this Saturday hell is a very French phenomenon. “It’s a monster problem in your ski industry! And it is insoluble, frozen in concrete. » Consultant specializing in mountain tourism, he has toured resorts around the world, and he certifies it: this sixth day is a French obsession. “In Colorado, 60% of skiers come by plane, but they arrive every day. In Switzerland or Austria, there are many more hotels, which are more flexible than French hosts. »
“Vicious and self-blocking circle”
According to Laurent Vanat, the mountain ecosystem has formed a “vicious, self-locking circle”. Because those who wish to leave the system will have difficulty finding accommodation or even getting to the Alps other than by car. The SNCF offers connections between the province and the Alps during the February school holidays, but only on Saturdays. Like the Thalys from Brussels. She refuses to specify the level of her offer, but mentions “four to five times more traffic on Saturday than on Friday”. The airports of Grenoble and Chambéry welcome two thirds of their flights on Saturdays, and that of Geneva overflows on the same day.
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