At the time the drag lift was custom built, largely in wood, by a carpenter called Rossat. The resort was run by Pierre Garin who owned a hotel and restaurant at the col. Since the 1950s the resort has also been the center of Meteo France’s snow studies research station, monitoring every crystal that falls on the 1400 meter mountain pass. The resort has adapted to recent trends with a snowpark and night skiing. However the son of the station’s founder, Paul Garin, mayor of Sarcenas, says that the resort will remain closed until a deal can be done with nearby Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse. The col de Porte is also the gateway to the classic Chamchaude ski tour, possibly the most toured mountain in the world and the area was a model of peaceful co-existence between randonneurs and downhill skiers.
Posted by
davidof on Tuesday, 15 January, 2008 at 09:32 AM
The lift owners of the Col du Porte staged a protest about the continuing legal disputes concerning their resort on the 23rd December. The road was blocked for some time. The only ray of hope at the moment is the Prefet of the Isere, who has been in favour of a solution involving St Pierre de Chartreuse, is rumoured to be moved out of his job in January… maybe M. Garin has friends in Paris? Anyway this may help to unblock the situation.
Posted by
davidof on Friday, 26 December, 2008 at 12:18 AM
After a long battle with the prefet the col de Porte is open for the February school holidays. The three drags on the Charmont Som are running until 8th March. The chair lift and lifts on the Chamechaude are still closed.
Posted by
davidof on Sunday, 15 February, 2009 at 10:42 AM
The Col de Porte will reopen for 2010 this weekend! Well all the lifts except the Chair as this is on land disputed with St Pierre de Chartreuse (see story above). Great news for a great little ski area.
Posted by
davidof on Wednesday, 06 January, 2010 at 10:50 PM
We went to the Col de Porte on Saturday. Great ski area for kids and beginners and just 20 minutes from Grenoble. We skied on the Prairies, practically hallowed ground as one of the first drag lifts in France was built here in 1934.
Posted by
davidof on Sunday, 17 January, 2010 at 10:31 PM
