VALMOREL HAS BEEN MODERNISING for a dozen years…
The Valmorel ski area and the SOFIVAL group – the public service delegate responsible for running the ski area in the Vallées d’Aigueblanche community of municipalities – have been investing to modernise the ski lifts and improve the customer experience, summer and winter alike.
Every season, major new investments are made in ski lifts, slope works and the safety of the artificial snow network on the Grand Domaine.
In total, over the last 7 years, more than €40 million has been invested in modernising the Valmorel ski area.
Winter 2023/24: Planchamp's new gondola lift
In December 2023, this new lift will provide direct, fast and comfortable access to the ski area from the pedestrian street in the heart of Valmorel village.
Replacing the iconic Altispace bubble chairlift, the new Planchamp gondola will be able to transport all categories of customer with ease: skiers, pedestrians (in summer and winter), mountain bikers, paragliders, beginners and people with reduced mobility (PRM).
Families with young children will now have easy access to the Pirates Village, as well as to the zip line and the pedestrian and snowshoe itineraries :
- – In winter, the lift will be 50% faster than its predecessor, making it easier for skiers to get off the slopes and reducing waiting times at peak times, allowing them to reach the heart of the Grand Domaine in less than 5 minutes.
- – In summer, it will be easier to pick up mountain bikes by loading them into the gondolas, which again saves handling time and eases traffic when groups depart.
This new installation will be innovative, as it is the 1st “Made in France” gondola lift from POMA to reach a speed of 7 m/s.
In terms of energy savings, a system for recovering the hot air produced by the drives will be used to heat the operators’ rooms and the staff canteen. Speed will be adjusted according to passenger numbers.
Compared with the old chairlift line, the impact on the landscape will be greatly reduced, as the intermediate station will be eliminated, the high-voltage overhead power line will be buried and there will be just 13 pylons instead of the previous 18.
The upstream station will also allow all the cabins to be retracted in the evening and when the line is not in operation.
Features
– Departure station: rue du bourg, in Valmorel village.
– Manufacturer: POMA (Auvergne Rhône-Alpes).
– 75 cabins of 10-seaters.
– Maximum capacity: 3,600 people per hour.
– Departure altitude: 1350 m
– Arrival altitude: 1920 m
– Length: 1,860 metres and 570 metres difference in altitude
– Maximum line speed: 7 metres per second
– Journey time: 4 minutes 40 seconds
– Investment: €18.5 million excluding VAT
Planchamp arrival station
To welcome our customers in summer and winter alike, public toilets are also available at the top of the new gondola lift.
REVIEW OF RECENT INVESTMENTS
DVA PARK
Dedicated to off-piste skiers and professionals alike, this area allows you to test and practise using your avalanche transceiver.
Located at the top of the Pierrafort gondola, a transmitter and receivers allow you to practise searching for several victims in a well-defined area. The nearby ski patrollers are on hand to provide any safety advice you may need.
more details 2022 - 2023The Côte Soleil draft lift
Thanks to the re-profiling of the Côte Soleil drag lift, access to the Valmorel ski area from Le Pré and La Charmette is now more comfortable, adaptable to your level of ability and more reliable. This is an important gateway, as parking is free and new tourist residences have sprung up.
The 6-seater chairlift at La Biollène
A strategic link between the Grand Domaine and a snowy cocoon offering a wide range of winter sports activities, this is the lift that handles the most passengers in a single winter season on the Grand Domaine. The replacement of the fixed-grip 4-seater chairlift at La Biollène and the 2 drag lifts at l'Arenouillaz with a single detachable 6-seater chairlift has revitalised this easy skiing area, where ski lessons, families, teenagers, pedestrians and freestylers all come together.
In 2020, a stand-alone skipass recharging point was added to the Doucy sale point, enabling customers to recharge their skipasses themselves over a much wider range of hours (from 7:30am to 10:00pm).
More details 2020 - 2021The Mottet 6-seater chairlift
A favourite spot for expert skiers, the steep, north-facing slopes of Le Mottet are now quickly accessible since the fixed-grip chairlift at Le Mottet was replaced by a much more comfortable detachable chairlift. It takes less than 6 minutes to reach an altitude of 2400m and enjoy the best powder!
Another major advantage is that the Pointe du Mottet is now accessible to non-skiers, as the new lift allows pedestrians to get on and off, and at the top they can enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps.
That year, the ski area installed 2 cable cars:
- one in the Riondet sector for freeride skiers,
- and secondly to the Voiles du Nant high-altitude restaurant and to the Altispace on the way down.
In 2019, Valmorel will be equipped with 2 new skipass vending machines to make purchasing easier and give everyone quicker access to the slopes. These self-service machines allow you to buy or top up skipasses at express sales points. They are available in the hamlets of Crève-Cœur and Le Bourg, next to the ski lift ticket offices.
more details 2019 - 2020Guaranteeing snow
As part of the renewal of the DSP (delegated public service) contract signed for 35 years between the CCVA and the SOFIVAL group, a new investment dynamic is being set in motion from 2017.
In order to guarantee snow conditions from the start of the season, the Valmorel ski area has embarked on a project to optimise and modernise its artificial snow network, for example by equipping it with new low-pressure fans, which will substantially increase snow production at marginal temperatures while limiting water and electricity consumption.
This system is currently being deployed on the following strategic routes:
- The link with Doucy Village,
- The return to Valmorel via the Traverses slope and the Combe du Morel,
- The Grand Domaine link between Valmorel and St-François via the Valette and Grande Combe slopes.
By December 2023, we will have 218 snow guns and 31% of the Valmorel-Doucy ski area (excluding the St-François-Longchamp ski area). The long-term aim is to be able to ski at altitude, to go to Saint-François Longchamp and to ski back easily throughout the season on the main blue routes.
- Snowmaking network: 23 km
- Snow-covered area: 92 ha
- 158 dual-fluid (pole) snow guns and 60 types of fan guns.
2017 - 2018 et depuis...The Stade drag lift
Valmorel believes in young people and in the future of skiing and all snow sports. In support of the Valmorel Ski Club, major work has been undertaken to install the Stade drag lifts and enable young competitors to train in the best possible conditions throughout the winter season.
To improve the welcome and comfort of our customers, the main sales outlet on Valmorel's pedestrian street has been completely refurbished. More spacious and brighter, it's also easier to find the package that's right for you, thanks to harmonious signage.
2012 - 2013The Pierrafort gondola
In December 2011, the old Pierrafort gondola lift, which dated back to 1981, was replaced by a new-generation cable car with an open station to keep the footprint to a minimum. The starting point was lowered to the hamlet of Crève-Cœur (whereas the old lift started at the hamlet of Mottet, at the top of Télébourg)..
This popular line is also one of the busiest, both for expert skiers heading for the more technical Mottet sector, and for beginners accessing the Malatrai beginners' area at an altitude of 2,000m
To cater for the ever-growing number of novice skiers, the beginners' area, which at the time consisted of a single drag lift, was extended to include a learning carpet, which was easy to access and open to all, even without ski school supervision.
Located at the top of the Pierrafort gondola lift, in an area that remains well covered in snow until spring, this beginners' area guarantees "first glide" skiing from December to April.
The Grand Domaine's ski slopes cover almost 3600 hectares, and the link between the Pierrafort and Beaudin sectors used to be via the Morel chairlift, which had a reputation for being difficult (with several angles) and above all very long...
As part of the Valmorel Ski Area's ongoing development project, linked to the arrival of new tourist beds, this link is now via a new detachable 6-seater chairlift, which flies over the Morel stream and the combe of the same name. It now takes 6 minutes to reach the top of Arenouillaz!
2010 - 2011Or new slopes
And let's not forget... the Pirates' new fun slopes:
- ValmoCross (2007)
