Latest news from the Three Valleys.

We’re into June already and after a cold, wet May, it is starting to feel like summer is finally on it’s way. The lifts shut in La Tania on 22 April, and a what a great season we had for snow and sunny days too which is always much appreciated in the winter months.

FOLYERES PISTE 22 APRIL 2019

As usual there’s lots going on this summer. The resorts are open in July and August and once again the lifts are free to use in the Courchevel Valley, which is a great way of getting around to explore the area whether on foot or by bike.

There’s plenty of sporting events to look forward to – Ski Jumping in August, Cycle races, Trails, Golf Tournaments to name a few.

We’ve already had our first cycle race on the new Col de La Loze track and there’s lots of building projects going on too.  Here’s a brief round up of what’s happend so far since the lifts shut and some exciting news for La Tania.

Col de La Loze Cycle Race

There was a cycle race in May on the the new paved cycle track up to Col de La Loze, Courchevel.   The distance from the bottom of the valley is 22.6km and at 2,300m it is the 11th highest paved Col in France and the third highest pass in the Savoie after the Iseran and Galibeir.  The fastest time was one hour and eight minutes.  Not bad going considering it was a pretty miserable day for weather, and low temperatures higher up.

A path is being made on the Meribel side too, with plans to link all the way to Val Thorens.  Rumour has it that they hope that with this new path for cyclists, it will lure the Tour de France back to the area, so watch this space…

 

(photo credit Courchevel Officiel)

Alpinium Building and the World Cup 2023

Work has started again on the new Alpinium building in Le Praz.  The old gondola building has already been bulldozed and they are taking out the old plyons this week by helicopter.  The new high speed gondola up to 1850 will take less than six minutes.

The building is part of the resort’s preparations for the 2023 World Alpine Ski Championship, which Courchevel is hosting jointly with Meribel.

The men’s downhill run will start near the top of the Bouc Blanc piste here in La Tania and then cut across on to Jockeys and down to Le Praz. The Women’s and Team events are being held on the Roc de Fer piste in Méribel.

A new grandstand will be built for the world cup event and the new multi-purpose building will house a medical centre, tourist office, sports facilities and underground parking for 500 cars.  Work is expected to be completed by December 2019.

New Green Run in La Tania

A new green piste back to La Tania is planned for hopefully next winter.  The existing piste, Plan Fontaine is not ideal for beginners as it crosses two red runs and is quite steep in places.

The new piste will have a gentler incline and it will not cross any other pistes, which will make it much safer and a more enjoyable experience for beginners.  The piste will follow much of the existing track through the forest to the left hand side of Folyeres.  (see photo below)

In addition, there will be a new beginners’ area, with two new magic carpets and an underpass for pedestrians. Work starts this summer.

Future Developments

The new hotel/apartment complex for La Tania looks like it is going ahead.  This will be built on the existing car park as you come into La Tania.  The planned for chair lift is not going ahead,  but instead they are going to update the existing gondola in La Tania, similar to the improvements made on the Mont Vallon gondola.

So, lots of improvements and exciting developments to look forward to. More news to follow in the coming months, but in the meantime if you would like to book for winter 2019/2020 do get in touch!