This is a very interesting article on snowmaking in France:

http://www.pistehors.com/comments/384_0_1_0_C/

Wouldn't it be nice is North American ski resort plowed 37 percent of gross revenues back into the resort? That explains how these resorts are able to transform the Alps into the land of the high-speed 6-pack.

"French ski lift operators made 970mm Euros in profit last year" (paraphrase).

Do ski resorts here make that much money combined? Over a billion dollars in *profit*?

The article was also interesting in terms of how much government funding is being spent on skiing and how the different industries are starting to squabble about it. I wonder what the impact of the subsidies are on the profit margins.