A long line of around 80 skiers waiting to buy their day passes for the slopes is not uncommon at popular downhill ski resorts in France.

But France's ski lifts are currently shut because of the pandemic, and this queue is at Plateau de Beille, the biggest cross-country resort in the Pyrenees.

Since December, skiers have had to wait up to an hour and a half, which is unheard of for cross-country skiing. Ticket sales have jumped more than 30%, with numbers sometimes doubling from 700 to 1,400 skiers.Manager Georges Vigneau has even had to call the police to close the road several times to stop the resort from being overwhelmed, as strict social distancing rules are being enforced on the mountains just as much as in cities.

There are two main reasons for the surging popularity of cross-country skiing.

Most downhill ski resorts haven't opened this year and probably won't all season, as anti-Covid restrictions mean ski lifts cannot operate. The other reason is that, with long periods of enforced lockdown and working from home, the French have been eager to leave cities for the mountains whenever they've been given the chance.French school holidays start from Friday evening, and a mass getaway is expected, even though it will be less frenetic than usual and most resorts will remain closed.

You can tell many of the skiers are out for the first time, because as soon as they put on the long and narrow cross-country skis they slip and fall over. They soon realise they have a lot of hard work ahead, especially as the prepared ski trails are rarely flat.

In numbers: Winter sports in France

12% of the French population goes skiing every year
350 ski resorts in France, including downhill and Nordic skiing
€32 (£28) is the average cost of a downhill day ski pass
€10-€12 is the cost of a cross-country or snowshoe pass
89% of all ski revenue is generated in the Alps and 8% in the Pyrenees
Sources: French ministry of sport, Nordic France, Occitane tourist board and L'Equipe

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