Pic Cassini

The small family ski station of Mas de la Barque was inaugurated in 1968 to meet the expectations of people living locally. But in 1981, there was  precipitation but not much snow; in 1982 the winter was mild; 1983 was a very hot year; and 1984 and 1985 were very cold (record: -23.5°C). These climate hazards gradually shifted the station's focus onto cross-country skiing; downhill skiing was phased out from 1994.

This forest is both protective and productive. Silver firs are grown for timber; beeches (known locally as fayard) for firewood. But above all these trees serve to keep soils in place, break the wind, and stop the snow. The extreme weather conditions in this mountain environment (fog, violent storms, heavy snowfall, droughts) make forest growth unpredictable. The old beeches have been felled; only tall young trees have been kept to regenerate the beech forest. The creeping pines, planted over 80 years ago, are a frugal mountain species that makes do with poor soils.

The first geometrical map of the Kingdom of France was realised, at a scale of 1:864,000, on the initiative of Louis XV. It is known as the Cassini Map. The Cassini family produced four generations of scholars. The first Cassini, an astronomer, began to apply a geodesic system that consisted of measuring the position of a point on Earth using bearings, namely the polar axis and the Equator. His descendants established a precise map of France (180 sheets) by triangulating a large number of bearings, such as Pic Cassini. It was used as a model for France's Ordnance Survey maps and today has practical applications in many fields (toponymy, phytosociology, etc.).