Real-Life Cases: Managing Flows in Ski Resorts with Affluences
- Affluences
- Oct 3
- 4 min read
Imagine a vacationer arriving at a ski resort… After a long train ride, they have to take a shuttle to climb up to the resort, without knowing if they’ll catch the one synced with their arrival time. Then they queue to pick up their rented gear, already surrounded by impatient visitors eager to hit the slopes.
Once equipped, they head to the ticket office to buy a ski pass: again, the wait can be long, especially during school holiday periods.
The next day, on the first ski day! At the lifts, they encounter new bottlenecks, at peak times or at strategic starting points toward the summits. On the slopes the experience improves, but at lunch, people crowd into the mountain restaurants, sometimes overwhelmed.
At the end of the day, the same phenomenon repeats on the return—at the entrance to relaxation areas (spa, ice rink, swimming pool). In summer, other flows appear: hikers on paths, mountain bikers at chairlifts, families in leisure activities. Whatever the season, visitors follow a journey dotted with moments where crowds can make their stay either fluid and pleasant… or a sequence of frustrating waits.
Through this series of concrete examples, Affluences offers ways (no pun intended) to ease convergence zones and improve the visitor experience in your resort!
Parking Flow Management: The Example of Semnoz (Annecy)
The Semnoz resort is located twenty minutes from Annecy: it is therefore very busy during holiday periods in both summer and winter. The parking lots fill up quickly despite shuttles set up to reduce individual car traffic.
The project launched with Affluences focuses on measuring and communicating the occupancy rate of five car parks around the resort: the parking on the Annecy side, “Les Rochers Blancs” parking, the Bauges side parking, the Courant d’Ere parking, and the Alpage parking.
The trial began with the car parks at Semnoz and is now being expanded to the Cusy footbridge. A multi-year plan foresees covering additional sites like Col de la Forclaz in 2026 and the Plateau des Glières in 2027.
To continue raising awareness among visitors about the need to distribute cars among the different parking areas, the information has also been added to the communication network of all parking points of the Greater Annecy area.
Optimizing Slope Usage: The Example of the Snowpark in Tignes
First, an outdoor counting device was installed in the Snowpark to count skiers, then it was moved to a mountain biking zone in the summer to adapt to seasonal activity.
The main objective is to provide the sports management with reliable data in order to:
justify investments with local elected officials by showing the real use of infrastructure;
optimize management of activities like the Snowpark or the bike trails by adapting to peak times of attendance.
Waiting Times at Lifts: The Example of the Skyvall Gondola and Serre-Doumenge Chairlift in Peyragudes
The initiative originally focused on measuring waiting times at the Skyvall gondola (maximum observed wait: 15 minutes). The partnership then expanded to include managing flows at the ticket office and at other lifts such as the Serre-Doumenge chairlift.
Pools and Sports Facilities: The Example of Aquariaz and Sports Facility Reservations in Avoriaz
With the Avoriaz resort, we worked on two projects:
Integration with the ticketing system of Aquariaz to display real-time occupancy rates, thereby improving user experience by giving clear information about facility availability.
A reservation system for sports activities (Tennis, Padel, Squash, Bouldering, and the e-sport “Hado”) to smooth access and reduce “no-shows” (people who don't show up for their reservations).
Result? 4,000 independent tennis court reservations were handled between July 1 and August 31, 2025.
Regulating Shuttle Traffic: The Example of Chamonix Mobilité Transdev
Our collaboration with Transdev Chamonix aims to optimize passenger flows in shuttles. For this, we launched a project to count the number of passengers in real time at a bus stop.
We installed two cameras on a streetlight at the Place du Mont Blanc bus stop. The goal is to count passengers in real time and to test the solution’s effectiveness:
On the operations side: allow traffic regulators to see occupancy on a large screen and receive alerts (SMS / email) when passenger numbers become critical, so additional shuttles can be dispatched or services adjusted.
On the management side: have tangible data to optimize use of the shuttle fleet and validate the positive impact of the solution to the city’s elected officials.
Library Visitor Count Analysis: The Example of Courchevel
Our project with the Courchevel public library aims to set up a simple and effective counting system to monitor visitor numbers. Previously, the library had a manual counting system which it abandoned because of its complexity.
An infrared counter was installed, allowing attendance to be collected automatically and easily, sending regular reports to management to track visitor figures.
Ski resorts face a common challenge: welcoming large volumes of visitors under optimal conditions, both during the winter high season and in the height of summer tourism. In winter, lifts, mountain restaurants, and parking lots are under pressure, while in summer, outdoor activities, trails, and cultural or sporting events generate new flows to be managed.
In both cases, the fluidity of the visitor experience remains a key factor in attractiveness and loyalty. A resort capable of reducing wait times, better informing its public, and ensuring smooth circulation across its entire domain stands out, both nationally and internationally.
The flow management solutions offered by Affluences give operators the tools they need to monitor occupancy in real time, anticipate peak times, and optimize resources, while at the same time guaranteeing a comfortable and safe experience for holiday-makers.
By betting on innovation and data, ski resorts can increase their attractiveness, enhance their image, and establish themselves as must-visit destinations, summer and winter alike.
