Is tourism the price to pay for economic survival? Adam Ruck looks at the pros and cons of linking two of Switzerland’s most traditional and picturesque resorts with a huge new cable car. n the French side of the develop the physical strength of ‘la place, this goes to the heart of the language border in prime jeunesse masculine’ and organise ‘les appeal of Grimentz and its Anniviard Swiss wine-growing country, caravanes de secours en montagne’ neighbours - Zinal, St Luc, Chandolin OCrans-Montana’s urban sprawl (mountain rescue teams) in bad and Vercorin. We appreciate the and the chalet villages of the Val weather. jam-and-geraniums charm of the old d’Anniviers face each other across A period-costume parade through village, and enjoy our glimpses of the Rhône Valley, like adversaries the old village recalled the many community life. Visiting the cellar of in the debating society. How do you phases of local skiing, whose earliest the Bourgeoisie to sip the heady Vin like your skiing: with oligarchs and manifestation involved jumping from des Glaciers from ancient barrels, or Pétrus, or geraniums, farm visits and roof to roof and clearing the road choosing the Claire Fontaine’s aperitif family baking at the four banal (a where the Moiry hotel now stands. formula of a thimble of fendant and medieval common oven)? Grimentz later won glorious victories a small dollop of raclette cheese, we Recently I crossed the valley from in the Patrouille des Glaciers ski feel closer to a cultural tradition than north to south, my patriotic chest mountaineering race from Zermatt to is possible over a pint in the pub in puffed out after much flag-waving Verbier, which has its roots in military Méribel. training exercises for the Not having to queue spoils us for Is Grimentz to rest on its laurels defence of the border during other resorts, and with its farm visits as the most famous ‘best-kept the Second World War. A more and sunny nursery slope Grimentz recent local craze was speed is ideal for our small children, apart secret’ in the Alps? That story has skiing: Upper Lona was the from the hurdle of its long drag-lifts. been told so many times, it must fastest track in Switzerland, But what brings us back, after the with a top speed of 196 kph. children move on to resorts with surely have dug its own grave. Glacier patrol heroes, more nightlife, is powder that lasts for the centenary of a downhill race old-time stretcher bearers and speed - to learn in, fall in, and have fun in, organised at Montana by Arnold skiers in latex squeezed though the weeks after a snowfall. Lunn... and was surprised to find little press of spectators, and local youth There is plenty of entry-level stuff Grimentz hitching up its skirts for a put on a display of jumping over the reassuringly close to the piste, but birthday knees-up of its own. It came road near the lift station. It was while the spécialité du pays is backcountry as a shock to discover that a century watching this show from a friend’s tours (with or without skins) down ago skiing was evolving in places that flat that I overheard a guest apologise empty valleys to a bus stop, a snow- had not been colonised by the Public to her host: covered forest road, a café where we Schools Alpine Sports Club. “My off-piste skiing isn't up to can ring for a taxi, or a Poma on the The party was a celebration of much I’m afraid because until now edge of some other ski area which we the foundation of the Grimentz Ski I've done all my skiing in big resorts can use as a springboard for another Club, the first in central Valais, in like Verbier and Val d'Isère, where ski ramble home. December 1910, its objectives powder never lasts long enough to Poring over bus timetables, piste being to learn in.” maps and real maps to work out the For many of us who love the logistics of the expedition is part of 42 S+b3_Dec2013.indd 42 18/10/2013 11:53 the fun. If we could set off any time we liked and jump on a lift at the bottom and to do the run again, the sense of meeting in the achievement would be less, the skier- privacy of their Bourgeoisie’s council construction traffic would be heavier, the snow chamber to decide important matters of new holiday homes, would be worse, and the café at the of policy. the rush for planning permits bottom would close for the winter. At one of these meetings half confirmed that the Grimentzards are What of the next 100 years? Is a century ago, shortly after the quite happy to cash in. it reasonable to expect this kind of valley got its first paved road Why not? Selling small bits of minority-interest skiing to last, and connection with the outside world, land for new chalets is easy money, Grimentz to rest on its laurels as the some visionary must have swung building them is good work, and if the most famous ‘best-kept secret’ in the discussion in favour of opening chalets are usually empty, so much the door. With the the better: the impact on the quiet Visiting the cellar of the Bourgeoisie population of the life of the village is minimal. valley in steep decline, to sip the heady Vin des Glaciers Grimentz would carry on like tourism was the only that, but Switzerland has decided from ancient barrels, or choosing the hope. that covering the mountains with Gingerly they Claire Fontaine’s aperitif formula of a oversized and under-occupied pulled back the sheet new housing is not a good model. thimble of fendant and a small dollop and climbed into Instead, the time-share version is bed with the tourism of raclette cheese, we feel closer to preferred: quasi-hotels whose rooms monster, offering a or apartments may be sold, but must a cultural tradition than is possible lukewarm embrace: be managed and occupied. In trade we don’t mind taking over a pint in the pub in Méribel. jargon, beds must be hot, not cold. your money, but do not Hot beds sound sensible enough, the Alps? That story has been told so wish to be corrupted, so no big hotel and Grimentz has them in the many times, it must surely have dug blocks thank you very much, no mass pipeline. But for the moment this its own grave. Tourism is a numbers market, and no touching below the model is not what the market wants, game and there is no denying the waist. and these projects have failed to growth imperative. At risk of taking this metaphor progress beyond the hole-in-the- Grimentz has grown prodigiously too far, flirting with tourism is a ground stage. in the new millennium. Every year, dangerous game: the beast will One building project that has chalet creep consumes more of the usually have its way. When national gone ahead is the lift link with Zinal. steep mountainside above the old legislation threatened to ban the Barring accident or unforeseen delay, village, hairpin access roads climbing Switzerland’s third largest cable car like bindweed. will open before Christmas, lifting The Grimentzards hang on to skiers from Grimentz to the their traditions and cherish their upper reaches of the Zinal separateness, frowning on nightclubs ski area via 43 S+b3_Dec2013.indd 43 18/10/2013 11:53 Arnie Wilson writes: When a colleague, Simon Usborne, wrote a feature in the Independent extolling the virtues of this charming, traditional back- of-beyond community he could hardly have expected the broadside he’d get from a ‘local’ (edited) below. “You really suck!” was her opening email gambit. “Grimentz needs to be protected to keep its beauty... especially from people like you!!!” she typed, fingers on fire and hatred in her heart. “Soulless idiots/ journalists like you who need to write about it - just to three kilometres of fresh air in seven existing lifts? They are not exactly deliver one more article! Ran out of ideas? minutes. state-of-the-art. You really ARE dumb!! You are spoiling your own paradise! I detest people like you! You Two small ski areas of about 50 The answer is, business. are really ruining it for me. My family and I piste-km each will thus become one Replacing an old chair lift and a have been coming here for 35 years (owning large area of 100 km, to rival St Luc couple of Pomas might be worth a our own place!) and find the changes and Chandolin on the other side footnote in the ‘what’s new’ section caused by idiots like you unbearable!!! This of the valley. The talk is of critical of websites and guide books. A beautiful village has really begun to suffer enough. Hope I never run into you on the mass - the new whole being better £20 million cable-car link between slopes.” than the sum of its old parts - and resorts is the stuff of headlines. low impact: only three pylons They will attract new skiers To his credit, Usborne answered in a pretty civilised manner. and no bulldozing of new - future occupants of the “Wow, you're really angry!” he observed. pistes, since the Chamois yet-to-be-built hotbed “I'm very interested in the views of local run from the top of Zinal chalet-hotels - and fund people about the efforts by other local to Grimentz is already in further expansion and the people to publicise destinations that are not place, albeit graded black improvements everyone well-known.