French Ski Resort To Open For Skiing, June 2013 (snow, hot, average)

[Cambium]

Am I reading this right?

French Ski Resort To Open For Skiing in June For The First Time In History!

French ski station to re-open slopes, in June! - The Local

At one point in the ski season, stations had to close because there was too much snow.

Spring in France, which forecasters say has been the coldest in 25 years in some parts of the country, has meant the snow, which would normally have melted away by this time of year, is still in abundance.

Charre said that slopes running between 1600m and 2500m in altitude “have as much snow as in winter”.

“From 2,100m upwards, everything is still pristine without any tracts of earth showing through. The snow is on average 70cm to 80cm thick and in some places there are still drifts of up to five metres deep,” he added.

Temperatures at the ski station hovered around 1°C this week.

[Rozenn]

I'm quite familiar with that ski resort since my parents own a small house there. Needless to say I was surprised when I heard that in the news. On a normal ski season, it's open from late November to early to mid April, though a few years ago they had to wait till Christmas and even then relied on artificial snow. Usually, some snow patches survive till August above 8,000' in sheltered areas, though on hot years there won't be any left by then.

[Patricius Maximus]

Interesting.

[Joe90]

It wouldn't be that big of a deal here. The local ski area shuts down more from lack of people than lack of snow. 2100 metres is quite high.

[Caleb Yeung]

Bilabo has a June high of 22.6C. If the lapse rate is 5.5C/1000m, 2100m would be 11.1C. So, this June is much colder than normal.