In the Les Rousses ski area, there is a Franco-Swiss confrontation over the financing of the building.

Will the French agree to pay for the Swiss? In any case, the standoff between Swiss decision makers and their French counterparts is over the financing of a building that has been under construction for many years in the ski resort of Les Rousses, spanning two countries.

Located on the Swiss side, at the foot of the Dappes chair lift, White Rabbit is a hub that includes reception areas and a restaurant. The skyrocketing cost of materials increased the cost of the project, originally estimated at 3.5 million euros. Now another 1.1 million will be required. For the Swiss, these additional costs must be borne by the French.

“It’s all a bluff to make us pay more”

The requested community of the communes of Les Rousses and Sogestar, which manages the ski area on the French side, suggests that this request has a chance of being accepted. “The link is too important,” the elected official explains. We pay for equipment rental on the Swiss side. In addition, this proposal would allow us with this investment to become 75% owners of the building in twenty-five years. And then this project should end. »

A perspective that does not at all convince Nolwenn Marchand, president of the community of communes of Le Rousse, is in the minority in this matter: “The rent we pay for the estate is already very beneficial for the Swiss. We allow ourselves to be too impressed. A few years ago, they threatened to dismantle the estate’s infrastructure if we didn’t agree. Now it is a building, which, in fact, is almost completed. It’s all a bluff to get us to pay more. »

The final argument against this major investment is the prospect of snow cover, which promises to be increasingly rare in this mid-mountain region. French elected officials will have to decide on this Swiss request on 20 January. According to the latest surveys, there is a trend towards adoption.