DEVELOPING AND OPERATING WINTER SPORTS IN THE MOUNTAINS: THE SOCIÉTÉ DES CHEMINS DE FER ET HÔTELS DE MONTAGNE AUX PYRÉNÉES (1911-1982)

Abstract

The dominant model of different ‘generations’ of ski resorts has overshadowed the story
of the two first ski resorts which were built on greenfield sites in France by the Société des
hôtels et Chemins de fer de montagne aux Pyrénées (CHM) around 1911. These ski resorts,
Superbagnères and Font-Romeu, embody the complementary nature of local ambitions for
diversification of tourism and the commercial strategy of the Compagnie des chemins de fer
du Midi. They were pioneering developments that attracted significant capital investment in
order to address the problem of declining snowfall by moving to higher altitudes. However, the
timing of these resorts proved to be poor. Although the winter tourism market looked promising
before 1914, it actually stagnated after the war and there was little interest in developing
greenfield sites as they were particularly expensive. Things changed, however, in the 1930s,
in particular because of the growing popularity of Alpine skiing and the uptake of automobiles.
Unfortunately, neither of these developments were predictable when Superbagnères and
Font-Romeu were originally conceived and, as a result, the layouts of their topographical sites
were not suited. Social and political factors added to the problems to be addressed. On the
one hand, Font-Romeu did not have a clear governance system for the resort and urban development was badly organized as a result. On the other hand, modernization of Superbagnères
was delayed by land disputes between the CHM and the pastoral municipality that owned the
skiing area. In the 1970s CHM finally acknowledged the environmental challenges of further
urban extension of the Superbagnères project and withdrew from the resort. This study of a
winter sports company over a relatively long period highlights the complex interaction of luck,
experimentation and politics involved in managing activities that occur in a natural environment.