Southern-Alps
Tuesday, 23 September, 2008
Briançon on the brink
At 1326 meters Briançon can boast to being the highest ski town in France. When the municipality invested 38 million euros in a gondola lift to link the center with the ski area of Prorel and the vast ski domain of Serre Chevalier the locals dreamt of riches brought by the white gold of the ski industry. It was a dream that looks like turning into a nightmare as the town is faced with bankruptcy.
• (4) Comments • Read More... •
Wednesday, 26 March, 2008
La Grave cable car turns thirty
The La Grave - Vallons de la Meije ski area is celebrating 30 years of operations this March but the idea of linking the village of la Grave to the summit of la Meije goes back over a century with some madcap schemes before the very functional Creissels designed pulse gondola was opened in 1978.
• (2) Comments • Read More... •
Thursday, 22 November, 2007
Are Southern Alps ski resorts ready for winter?
Last week we covered the drought in the south of France and how this may affect ski resorts over the winter. While the Northern Alpes have had a snowy start to the ski season, some resorts opened earlier than normal, the situation further south is more worrying. There was fresh snowfall at the end of October but temperatures have since been high. The col d’Agnel (2630m) has 25cm of snow on the ground, 15cm fell over the last 24 hours but further south at the Col de Restefond there is barely 10cm and the zero isotherm is around 2700 meters. The situation regarding water stocks looks better but two clouds hang over the ski resorts of Céüze near Gap and the Val d’Allos.
• (5) Comments • Read More... •
Tuesday, 13 November, 2007
Drought worries southern ski resorts
The mayor of Gap in the Hautes-Alpes has introduced water restrictions. From today it will be illegal to water gardens, wash cars or to fill private swimming pools. The mayor has asked everyone in the area to make an effort. The restrictions will be reviewed on the 2nd of December. The region has been suffering from a drought for some time with little rain over the last few months. Many reservoirs are lack water and there are worries that the shortage may have a knock on effect on the ability of ski resorts to make snow.
• (0) Comments • Read More... •
Monday, 19 February, 2007
Hautes-Alpes avalanches continue
The series of fatal avalanches continued over the weekend in the Hautes-Alpes. A 41 year old man from Lyon, ski touring with a couple of friends above Molines-en-Queyras triggered a slide yesterday at around 14h30. The group were close to the the summit of the Rua. The man was found after forty minutes under the snow using his avalanche beacon but his friends were unable to revive him.
• (0) Comments • Read More... •
Friday, 16 February, 2007
Skier missing under Crévoux avalanche
A search restarted first thing this morning in the vain hope of finding a missing ski tourer buried under an avalanche above the ski resort of Crévoux in the Hautes-Alpes. The alert was given at 16h00 yesterday by a snowboarder who was accompanying the man.
• (1) Comments • Read More... •
Monday, 20 November, 2006
First tracks for 2006/7 winter
Driving up the long, meandering Romanche valley towards the frozen wasteland of the col du Lauteret and its isolated motel always brings The Shining to mind. To be honest you’d have to be slightly unhinged to climb 600 meters towards the Col du Laurichard just to steal a few turns but such is the draw of the “plaisir de la glisse”. It’s been a long time baby.
Shining motel, a tremendous sense of isolation
• (8) Comments • Read More... •
Wednesday, 20 September, 2006
Ski resort of Céüse threatens closure
Céüse, for a long time known as the ski resort of Gap, is on the brink of closure today. Last night the staff were told that this tiny ski resort of just 35 km of runs would not reopen this winter. The reason, a dispute between the new operator and the communities of Sigoyer and Pelleautier over water resources.
Snow making at the heart of the dispute
• (6) Comments • Read More... •
Wednesday, 06 September, 2006
Ski Resort Monopoly
It is transfer season for ski resorts with the main players the first division teams Transmontagne and Remy-Loisirs. On the first of August Vosges based Remy took control of the ski lifts of Notre Dame de Bellecombe and Flumet which has previously been run by the local communities. The group, which in 2005 ranked 5th largest in France just begin Transmongtagne with 2.62% of total lift turnover already controls neighbouring Crest-Voland / Cohennos
• (0) Comments • Read More... •
Tuesday, 29 August, 2006
Black day for the white forest
Risoul and Vars have been linked since the 1990s as part of the Forêt Blanche ski domain (white forest). The single lift pass is an important marketing tool for both resorts. However the two ski areas are run by separate lift companies, the private / public partnership SEDEV at Vars and the private company Sermont at Risoul and this is proving to be a bone of contention with SEDEV claiming that Sermont owes them the sum of 262,264 €.
• (0) Comments • Read More... •
Members
Log-inRegister
About PisteHors
Advertise
F.A.Q.
Updates
Comments
Trip Reports
Ski Search
Hiking
Last 12 Issues
Atom
MyYahooNews Categories
Recent Forum Posts
Pyrenees ski resorts get early start - 18/11/2008 10:31 pmChamrousse Snow Report - 18/11/2008 01:51 pm
Film: West Peak of the Combeynot - 17/11/2008 04:50 pm
Damages awarded to skier left paralysed by off piste accident - 17/11/2008 07:25 pm
November snow near Morzine - 18/11/2008 05:14 pm
Stats
Total Entries: 844Total Comments: 977
Total Members: 2678