Following Lac Blanc in July, it is now the turn of Grand Ballon to announce the end of its alpine skiing. The mixed syndicate that runs the resort decided in early September: the lifts will not reopen this winter, and this closure is set to last. Here is a look back at a decision signalled for several seasons.
A decision confirmed on 2 September 2026
It was the Syndicat Mixte du Markstein Grand-Ballon (SMMGB), which directly manages both sites, that announced the news in a press release: winter operation of the Grand Ballon lifts is ending, permanently. The ski area, which has nine runs served by three drag lifts, will therefore not reopen its installations this winter, nor the winters that follow.
Figures that left no real choice
The picture is unambiguous. Over the last six seasons, the ski area was operated on average for just 8.75 days per winter, for an average turnover of barely €12,524 per season. The 2025-2026 season allowed only a day and a half of skiing; the season before, no opening was possible at all. A level of activity that no longer covers the resort's running costs.
Another major handicap: Grand Ballon has no snow cannons at all. Without artificial snow to make up for the lack of natural snow, the resort, which starts on its lower slopes, cannot open even when the summits are sufficiently covered. On top of this, necessary works on the installations are estimated at a minimum of €30,000, not counting the upcoming replacement of some equipment.
Grand Ballon joins a growing list
The Vosges massif loses yet another site. Le Tanet and Gaschney had already stopped alpine skiing, and Lac Blanc made the same announcement this summer: there too, the syndicate committee unanimously voted to end the lifts from the 2026-2027 season, citing global warming and the lasting decline in natural snow cover. Grand Ballon is drawing the same conclusions.
And now?
Bought in 2012 by the SMMGB for lack of a private buyer, the Grand Ballon resort should now move towards a tourism project focused on all four seasons and outdoor activities, rather than alpine skiing alone. Nearby, the Markstein site, which does have snow cannons, will however continue to offer alpine skiing this winter, although its economic difficulties also remain under the mixed syndicate's watch.
Key takeaways
Grand Ballon illustrates a broader trend in low-mountain ranges: without artificial snow or sufficient altitude, several small Vosges resorts are gradually turning the page on alpine skiing to reinvent themselves in other ways.
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