Haute-Savoie

Thursday, 14 December, 2006

Final Solution for Flaine

The French Alpine ski resorts are known for their rugged slopes. Normally these kind of runs need close to a meter of snow in order to be skiable. The high mountain terrain can also be challenging to less than expert skiers. One of the consequences of climate change is that snow depths are thinner, particularly at the start of the season. Snow canons can be used to lay down base but they are costly to run both in terms of water and energy resources.

flaine
Durable development?

Posted by davidof at 08:50 PM
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Wednesday, 29 November, 2006

Aux armes citoyens!

Skiers in the Hautes-Pyrenees department have been faced with a nasty surprise as they have queued up to by their ”gens du pays” lift passes. The department’s prefect has told ski resorts that it is illegal for them to offer discounts to locals or any other form of discriminatory pricing.

Posted by davidof at 05:31 PM
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Sunday, 26 November, 2006

Grands Montets closed ‘till Christmas

The Grands Montets domain, part of the Chamonix Mont-Blanc ski area will be closed until around the 20th of December following the discovery of problems with the structure of the load cables of the first section of the cable car during tests in October. The closure also appears to affect the Plan Joran chair which passes under the cables.

Posted by redac at 02:04 PM
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Sunday, 19 November, 2006

Prison sentence for snowboarders after fatal avalanche

Two snowboarders who triggered an avalanche that killed a girl at La Clusaz in February 2003 have been sentenced to 2 and 4 months in prison. They had been tried for “manslaughter due to lack of care, negligence or security”. Both sentences were suspended by the Annecy Criminal Court. On the day of the accident Météo France had announced a considerable avalanche risk (3 on a scale of 5) with particular dangers close to ridgelines.

la clusaz avalanche
© Frederic Laugier

Posted by redac at 11:00 PM
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Tuesday, 14 November, 2006

Locals Duped by Compagnie du Mont Blanc Ads?

According to an article published in Monday’s edition of regional paper Le Dauphiné Libéré (titled in English “With or Without Courmayeur” - page 7) the new season and yearly passes for the Mont Blanc ‘Unlimited’ area are actually quite the opposite and do not include Courmayeur. Pistehors.com reader Rich already told us that the Mont Blanc unlimited season pass advertises access to Courmayeur all season long. However when he went to buy his pass the CMB revealed that it was a “mistake” in the advertising.

Posted by firechick at 10:59 PM
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Saturday, 11 November, 2006

Prefect says stop to Les Houches shenanigans

At 9 million € the new gondola lift at les Houches Prarion is the biggest investment in the French Alps this winter but its opening has been threatened by a series of legal actions. This time it is not the eco-warriors of the FRAPNA or Mountain Wilderness who are objecting to the new cable car but a local lift operator. For historic reasons the ski lifts at les Houches are run by two rival companies. The THP (Télécabine Les Houches Prarion) which has recently changed its name to LHSG (Les Houches Saint Gervais) and the SEPP. Think Dallas and the Ewings and the Barnes.

les houches / prarion cable car

Posted by davidof at 09:09 PM
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Thursday, 02 November, 2006

The Gorges de l’Arly reopen tomorrow

During the winter the gorges de l’Arly linking Albertville with St Gervais are more often closed than open due to the real danger of landslides and stone fall. The last 8 months have been a bit of nightmare for anyone wanting to use this important route. It is has been completely closed with a complicated detour through the mountains by Héry en Ugine. Now after over 6 million euros of work the road will reopen tomorrow, one month ahead of schedule.

Posted by redac at 08:01 AM
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Wednesday, 27 September, 2006

Chamonix lift pass to include Grands Montets

One weapon in the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc’s recovery following a poor 2006 season is a new lift pass. The Forfait Mont Blanc Unlimited will cost 46€ per day (or 220 € for a six day pass) and includes unlimited use of the 3,300 meter Grands Montets cable car. The new pass brings les Houches back into the Mont-Blanc fold and also includes access to Courmayeur in Italy and the trains of Montenvers-Mer de glace and the Tramway du Mont Blanc (TMB) as well as the Aiguille du Midi to ski the Vallée Blanche.

Posted by davidof at 01:14 PM
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Chamonix profits hit hard by weather

It has been a difficult few years for the Haute-Savoyard resort of Chamonix. Killer avalanches, a deadly tunnel fire, barbarian invasions (in the form of British “neo-colonists"), a cable car accident that wiped out the summer season in 2004, a fire that ripped the heart out of the Rue du Moulin, open warfare with Saint-Gervais over access charges to Mont Blanc and now a 35% drop in turnover for the lift company.

“chamonix

Posted by davidof at 12:54 PM
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Thursday, 14 September, 2006

Montroc avalanche, last legal lap?

The last legal lap in the Montroc avalanche may finally have been run in Grenoble’s Administrative Court this summer, more than seven years after the events that killed 12 people in their homes in the hamlet of les Poses. Four sets of claimants, relatives of the deceased as well as the commune’s insurer AXA sought significant damages against Chamonix and the French state for their role in the tragedy.

montroc avalanche