Anthony Julien looked up at a motionless chair lift above a grassy slope at Grand Puy, a ski resort in the French Alps of Haute Provence, and sighed.

“I put body and soul into running this lift over the past six winters at the expense of family. Now I’m going to have to tear it down. I feel like I’m in mourning,” he said under dark, brooding skies.

The 40-year-old municipal worker’s post as Grand Puy’s lift operator in charge of its 13 runs ceased to exist last Sunday when the neighbouring village of Seyne-les-Alpes voted in a referendum to close the winter resort due to fewer skiers, melting snow and mounting debts.

It is believed to be the first such referendum over the fate of a French ski resort struggling in the face of climate change and competition from bigger, higher ones as customers move up the slopes in search of snow. It is the fourth resort to shut in France this autumn.

Built in 1959, Grand Puy is the oldest of three mid-altitude Southern Alps “stations de ski” in the Vallée de la Blanche, around 30 minutes from Digne-les-Bains.

For 65 years, skiers from Provence as far as Marseille – two hours by car – have enjoyed family skiing down its slopes that rise to 1,800m (5,906ft) for a fraction of the price of Alpine mastodons like Courchevel or Alpe d’Huez. In a recent survey, it was found to be Europe’s third-cheapest ski resort, with a day pass costing just €20.