Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, France – With many of their slopes bare and snowless, two ski resorts in the French Alps are asking local skiers to leave what little snow there is for vacationers through the holidays.

The mayor of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, home to the resorts of Val Thorens and Les Ménuires, made the unusual request last week when the two resorts entered the all-important Christmas holiday week with only 90 cm and 50 cm of snow coating their upper slopes, respectively.

“We want to offer our loyal customers the best quality skiing experience, while looking after their safety on the slopes. We have no choice but to take measures to restrict access,” explained mayor André Plaisance.

A Val Thorens spokesperson added that mayor Plaisance’s request is just a suggestion, indicating that local skiers would not be denied access to the slopes.

Mild early winter weather has also stunted the start to the ski season across resorts in Switzerland and Austria.