Research
The threat from rock slope failures to ski resorts
Eos · By Dave Petley ·
The Brief
- A new paper by Blondeau and Gunnell (2026) in the Journal of Environmental Management examines how landslide risk at ski resorts in northern France is changing over time.
- The study focuses on rock slope failures, which the Eos article presents as a growing threat to ski resorts.
- Skiing is popular in many high mountain areas, which makes resort exposure to these hazards relevant beyond France.
Why it matters
Rock slope failures can damage resort infrastructure and endanger skiers, so evidence on how the risk is evolving can inform resort planning and safety management.
Who’s affected
- ski resort operators and managers
- skiers and visitors to high mountain areas
- researchers studying natural hazards and landslides
- #landslides
- #rock slope failure
- #ski resorts
- #natural hazards
- #france
A very interesting new paper ( Blondeau and Gunnell 2026 ) in The Journal of Environmental Management seeks to understand the evolving patterns of landslide risk in ski resorts in northern France. Skiing is a very popular activity in many high mountain areas, perhaps most notably…