Three Valleys - What's New For Winter 2010

Latest info on new developments in La Tania and The Three Valleys during Summer 2009

Plus airport / travel news, music etc... Last updated 24 September 2009

 

New Building Developments and Plans for Winter 2009/2010

 

The new proposed "public" building with apartments above situated between Hotel Montana and the Gondola Station - The artists impression is from the main road making things look quite built up as you approach the resort from Le Praz. The creche, commune office plus a medical room & small left luggage place are planned.

All the plans, building permits and regulations etc now here

 

Update October 2009:

Met up with Jean-Pierre Lalanne the Commercial Director of the lift company S3V (the company that runs Courchevel, La Tania and Méribel Mottaret areas) at the Ski Show - he confirmed that the new piste mentioned below will help cut out the occasional Biollay bottleneck with a direct route from Verdons to the top of the Jardin L'Alpin gondola.
 
There will be some extra traffic due to the new "fun area" snow park being developed below Verdons but the alternative route to the Pralong 6-man chair should take away plenty of traffic. Ultimately they may want to upgrade Biollay to a 6-man however. Well done to Nick Ski for spotting this in the Summer!
 
Jean-Pierre also mentioned that the original plan for the new Roc Mugnier chair was for it to be extended right up to the top of the Signal Chair - he said the local village/commune/.Mairie put the block on that though so it's in a similar place just short of the snow cannon reservoir - see pics below.
 
We also were told that a "mini-pass" in La Tania for beginners to use the Gondola without having to pay for a full Courchevel Pass is to be launched this Winter. Prices are still to be confirmed but should be significantly cheaper than buying a whole valley pass (Currently one trip up the Gondola can be purchased for 6€). The new Three Valley Piste Map will be out in November.
 
Confirmation that all the new beginners lifts around Val Thorens are "High Speed" (less than 2m/s compared to fast drags of 15m/s) covered Magic Carpets - a downwards one to access the big beginners area too. Also confirmation that the Altiport Drag in Méribel is not being removed - the beginning is being moved up the hill a bit to create more space around the arrival station of the new Méribel Village chair and the 8-man chair area. The drag is being upgraded too in this other excellent beginners area in the Three Valleys.
 
Finally no confirmation on the free bus links / frequency to Méribel yet. Thanks to Jean-Pierre from S3V and Nico & Arnaud from the La Tania Tourist Office for sharing the information.

 

New Lifts

A brand new high speed 6-pack chair is going in to improve access from the Courchevel 1850 area to the skiing above 1650. This will replace the old slow Roc Mugnier and Praméruel chair lifts (see pics below) plus the Combe drag lift may be replaced eventually if they extend a new chair from this area up to the Signal area (but see update above). Trips to La Boulette (aka Katie's) in 1650 for lunch and après ski sessions will now be a lot quicker!
 
 
 
 

The remains of the old Roc Mugnier and Praméruel lifts - looks like these ones are not being re-used or sent to Eastern Europe... Top right is a guess of where the new lift is going.

 

 

 

Update October 2009: The new Roc Mugnier Chair right up towards the snow cannon reservoir taking shape

Click on images for the full size photographs

 

The slow Golf chair up from Méribel Village is being replaced by a high speed 4-man detachable chair meaning another beer in Lodge du Village will now be possible before heading back to La Tania...
 

 

The new Méribel Village Golf chair will half the travel time up to the Méribel Altiport where it connects with the 8-man Altiport Chair or you can ski straight to Méribel Centre (with a little help from the rope tow if you like).

 

 

Update October 2009: The new 4 man detachable chairs are now going on the cables

 

In Les Menuires a new 6 man chair is going in near to Bruyeres this replaces the old Reberty and Etele chairs. This should allow another quick way out of the valley giving a link to the Beca chair and over towards Mottaret.
 

 

A guesstimate of where the new lift looks like it's going until we see the new 2010 piste maps

 

In Val Thorens the double drag lift back into resort has been removed, looks like a series of covered moving belt arrangement / travelator lifts are to replace this to allow easier access back to resort for beginners from the learner area nearby. Additional travelators are also being installed.
 

 

The Retours drag lifts can be seen in the centre of the piste map

 

Update Ocober 2009 - The New Magic Carpet Tunnel Lift in Val Thorens

 

The new beginners lift replacing the drags in Val Thorens - there's another one of these tunnels going in below this too. Thanks to Val Thorens Tourist Office for the pic.

 

 

An extension of the Cospillot draglift (below the Pralong Chair) is being made. This is to allow access from more (very expensive) chalets along this picture post card run down to 1550.
 

The Cospillot draglift on the top left of the piste map - See the full Three Valleys map for more detail.

 

Finally we've news of the replacement of the Rosaël chairlift over towards Orelle (the 4th Valley). This will be a new high speed detachable chair able to carry 2600 skiers per hour - preventing the panic that sets in after a long lunch over there...
 

The Rosaël chairlift linking over from the 4th Valley back to Val Thorens

 

There are also rumours of planned lifts up to the Couloir Tournier on Saulire from Méribel and planned replacements of the 1650 bubble and Gravelles lift - the La Tania chairlift and Bozel chairlift rumours seem to have gone quiet this year though...

 

 

Lift Pass News

A new 3 hour single valley lift pass is to be launched for Winter 2009/2010. The 3 consecutive hours are activated the first time the skier goes through a turnstile. This pass will answer the demand of skiers who want to ski when they like without being restricted to the 1/2 day pass times (like getting out of bed early). The 1/2 day morning pass will be discontinued except for the 3 Vallées ski area while the 1/2 day afternoon pass (from 12h30) will be maintained.
 
The integration of Courchevel 1650 into the Minipass. For 1650 visitors there was only the free Mickey and Belvédère draglifts on the Minipass. From next season, the Minipass will include the Ariondaz télécabine and Petite Bosse draglift.
 
Morning only passes are available for Three Valleys (09:30-12:30 €37.50) or the three hour local pass (€32). 1-Day Courchevel €39 (from 38), 6-Day Courchevel €190 (from €182) and 6-Day Three Valleys €232 (from €225).
 
Three Valleys season pass stays under the thousand euro mark at €990 (from €970). All the 2009/2010 lift pass prices and options are here

 

 

Piste Work, Snow Cannons and Avalanche Protection

Some major piste work on Murettes down to Le Praz is going ahead, possibly there are some more new snow cannons being installed and an easier route down to the village is being planned. This piste connects to the bottom of the classic black Jockeys route down from the top of the La Tania gondola. This area catches more of the sun and is the first area on the run to start losing snow.
 

Update October 2009: The bottom of the Murettes/Jockeys run - reshaped and looks like new

cannons going in - see the orange markers. Click on image for the full size photograph

 
 
The Plantrey Snow Park is being moved to the Dunes and Canyons zone underneath the Verdons telecabine so as to create a larger entertainment area, which will be both more varied and visible.
 
The idea of the project (to be completed over several years), is to better exploit the space between the Verdons and Renard pistes by regrouping complementary activities such as: hoops, boarder, jumps, Avalanch'Camp, and other entertainment ideas.

 

As part of this work it looks like access to the Pralong area may be be available without using the Biollay chair which can become a bottleneck at peak times during the high season.

 

Redevelopment of the Sittelle piste to make the start of this piste more accessible so as to alleviate the flow of skiers through the Rossignol ZEN* making it more of a through route.
 
Improvement of the signs and directions for the Snowpark des Plattières to highlight the visibility of the entry gates. Also the 2.5 hectares of the Snowpark will be upgraded and the access to the Pipe XXL at the summit will be improved.
 
The snow cannons on the Aigle piste and on the Plattières Area are to be replaced by newer versions with improved energy consumption and lower noise levels.
 
New avalanche release systems to allow faster securing of the Combe des Plattières area and therefore faster opening of the 3 Vallées link after heavy snowfalls.
 
Down in Méribel the Liévre piste has been improved and re-shaped for easier access down to La Chaudanne area from the Moon Park side of the hill - this can often can be icy in late afternoon or a slush-fest at the end of season, so a welcome improvement.

 

Building Work

As well as the many chalets being built and re-developed especially around 1850 it doesn't looks like work has started on the buildings between Hotel Montana and The Gondola yet. There are some new chalets under construction in La Tania near to the red run down in to resort however plus another new one springing up behind the Ski Lodge.

 

New Businesses in La Tania

Announcing Snow Retreat, Trois Vallees IT, SeasonHair.com, - more here plus New Generation Ski School and skivo2.com will be operating in La Tania for Winter 2009/2010.

 

Hotel Telemark in La Tania Up For Sale

Hotel Telemark is no longer operating, the sale of the business (Fonds de Commerce) is going to be put up for auction. Anyone interested needs to contact Jean Blanchard on +33 (0)479 322 094 or email george@hoteltelemark.com for further information The flexible stay options, bistro menu and bar near the chalets were a real boon to La Tania - some great people have worked there over the years, let's hope someone takes this on next season.

 

No More Snow Train

The Snow Train will not run in 2010, the current economic climate and exchange rate are blamed. It may return in the future but for now the only options will be the Eurostar direct to Moûtiers or change in Paris (if only they used the same station) for an SNCF service to Moûtiers - no disco carriage anymore! Eurostar Direct London to Moûtiers services are now bookable from £149. Choice of 8:30pm departures from London on a Friday night, Saturday daytime services and return from Moûtiers on Saturday night. More here

 

ResidHotel have gone in to receivership

This company managed leaseback deals in the Saboia block and others. John Murphy is coordinating owners, contact him on 01942 620291 or 07900 162225 or email johnmurphy365@hotmail.com

 

Work on Folyeres / Troika

Easier exit at the top of the free beginners Troika lift in the centre of resort has been made. The piste levelled off and the trees removed. Easier access from the green run link over to Folyeres has been made as well to improve access down to resort for beginners.
 

Update October 2009: Digger at work at the top of Folyeres

Click on image for the full size photograph

 

Improvements to Les Arolles Piste

This beginners blue run down from the top of the mountain towards the top of the gondola station has been widened, re-aligned and re-shaped in places to make it much easier for beginners. More on this here and thanks to our new ESF Directeur Manchu for the pics.
 
   

 

Another new Snow Cannon Reservoir under construction

 

Above St Martin De Belleville a large reservoir has been built for the snow canons near to the Granges chairlift.

 

 

Plus other random bits in absolutely no order of category, importance or accuracy...

Think that's enough for now...
 
La Tania lift opening has been confirmed as the 12 December 2009 - It's the 10th Birthday of latania.co.uk so see you all then! La Tania is now closing on 25 April 2010 (the same as 1850 for 2010, normally we're a week earlier).

 

Val Thorens plans to start opening lifts on 21 Nov 2009 to 9 May 2010 (a week later that 2009).
 
Courchevel 1850 and some main Méribel valley lifts plan to start opening from 5 December 2009 through until 25 April 2010.
 
Le Praz (1300), 1550 & 1650 expected 12 Dec 2009 to 25 Apr 2010.
 

All subject to snow, cannons, weather, demand, staff etc...

 

 

 

Thanks to Nick from Nick Ski plus Andrea from Snow Retreat and Tim from Pub Le Ski Lodge for the photos.

 

 

page last updated 30/10/09

 

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