WHAT'S NEW IN LES ARCS: Parking matters

Les Arcs is no stranger to parking controversies.  The introduction of parking charges in 2009 did not go down well with the local saisonniers and proprieteres.  The Council was very clear at the time that it needed to introduce charges to help cover its deficit, and saw no strong argument as to why parking in the ski resort should be subsidised by local taxpayers.  Not all were convinced, but the issue seems to have died down now.

For many years, a very sensible alternative for the holidaymaker has been to use the funiculaire from Bourg St Maurice, leaving the car in the adjacent (free) car park.  The parking is of course heavily used by locals as part of their daily commute.

This state of affairs has now been thrown up in the air, in the wake of the municipal council's decision this October to introduce new parking charges in Bourg St Maurice.  

For the tourist, a daily charge of €3 sounds reasonable, but there is a cunning surcharge for an overnight stay which means I clocked up a €65 bill for a four day stay.  When I questioned the amount, I was advised that "You do not have the right to park overnight". It does seem, however, that parking overnight is not entirely frowned upon: a €50 weekly ticket (for 5-7) days is apparently available.  Full details of the costs are on the Les Arcs website.

For those working in Les Arcs, there is the option to buy a €180 ticket covering the season.

This has been condemned as a "tax on work" and the CGT and FO unions representing the resort workers have have launched a campaign.  This included a march on the town hall the week before Christmas.  The issue appears to be far from over...

Bourg St Maurice, 21 December 2013

For the moment, Les Arcs' claims to be "eco-friendly" or "car-free" appear a little hollow. By my maths, the new cost of a week's parking down in Bourg (50€ plus return ticket to Les Arcs) makes driving up to the resort and paying the 65€ charge the cheaper option. Which seems odd.

WHAT'S NEW IN LES ARCS: Two new places to eat

What's new in Les Arcs for 2013/14?  Well, alongside what's here, a couple of things to report on. These cover two of the essentials of modern life: food and parking.

First, food.  The new restaurant above the pistes at Arc 1800 is now open.  Chez Grillette has a brilliant location on the home runs above the golf course, with great views across the valley.  It's a great addition to an area which has been crying out for a piste-side refreshment stop for years.  There is a big outdoor terrace, and a fair-sized indoor area, which does get busy.  It's more upmarket than the Arpette, but nothing like the Chalets de l'Arc: €12-14 for a one-pot casserole, and, in a possible first for Les Arcs, a selection of "wok" dishes.  

Chez Grillette

Expect to see more developments in this part of the resort over the next few years, as part of the reorganisation of the Chantel slopes and lifts - details here.

There is also news over at Arc 1600.  The original Les Arcs village suffers more than Arc 1800 for not having a proper front de neige with restaurants, places to meet etc.  The facilities are all rather set back from the lifts.  Step forward a new hostelry, just to the side of the Cachette piste, below the Hotel Beguin.  Not sure what it's name is - it appears to be called "restaurant" at the moment.

The new restaurant is at the foot of the
beautiful Mont Blanc piste

Strictly speaking the newly-openend Aiguille Grive Hotel may not count as a "mountain restaurant", as it is only a stone's throw from Charmettoger.  But you can ski to the door, and directly to the lift afterwards, and the location does feel quite away from it all.  Resort old-timers will still miss the "Gilles and Annick" restaurant which used to sit on this site. But at least Gilles is back running the restaurant, and the new construction is quite something:

The hotel's opening was delayed due to problems
with the electrical licence - here is the restaurant

Although the area will win no prizes for its mountain restaurants, things are definitely improving, both in terms of quantity and range.  For more on piste-side eating in Les Arcs, click here.

DREAM OR REALITY? The Fast Track to Flaine

As the Vanoise Express celebrates its 10th birthday, plans for another similarly ambitious project are resurfacing.

Le Dauphiné, 17 October 2013

Step forward Le FuniFlaine.  This new link would take skiers from Magland (down in the valley, just 45km from Geneva) to Flaine in 15-20 minutes, creating 80 jobs in the process.

It's been muttered about for decades, indeed for some 40 years.  A rudimentary cable car was set up to transport materials up the mountain during the constuction of Flaine, and apparently an electricity pylon remains to mark the spot.

The engineering challenge is making sure the lift
can cope with the steep cliffs and wind on the Magland side

Middle station at Les Carroz (1100m)

From a technical point of view, the plans seem to be well advanced.  The route would take in 1,350m vertical, with 6 pylons.  There would be several large cabins, rather than a gondola-style lift.  It would use some of the latest technology (along the lines of that recently deployed at Avoriaz, apparently).   Meanwhile, the latest economic feasibility studies are positive, despite the crisis.  That said, funding from regional and national government would be needed, given the €80m cost.

Perhaps more importantly, it does not appear to have universal support locally. Politicians from rival ski areas (eg St Gervais) are not particularly keen, while those from the valleys (eg Sallanches) are rather more positive about the idea...



For more on what to expect when you do get up the mountain, click here.

NEW SKI SEASON: 10 Things You (Possibly) Need To Know

Here are some fascinating facts you can use on the chairlift to impress/bore your companions:

1.  We have lost 300,000 British skiers since the start of the recession.  Last year just 900,000 of us hit the slopes.  France remains the market leader, with Austria in the ascendency and North America in freefall.  More here.

2.  This has contributed to a pretty flat market in France.  The financial results of lift operator giant Compagnie des Alpes are disappointing, and the French ski resort association is in open revolt about changes to the French school holiday calendar which mean the Easter break now starts after many resorts have closed.

3.  Even if a slow recovery has started, the concern is that skiing, never a cheap activity, is losing market share to other travel destinations/pursuits.  This has been the spur for various rebranding initiatives, for example Méribel, Chamonix and, most notably, Val Thorens (United):

#WantToSki: Website here.

4.  Other resorts are looking to build their share of the wallet by developing new products.  The 100% freeride area below the 2877m Pic du Midi in the Pyrenees looks a neat idea, not least if it is accompanied by a night in the observatory at the summit.



5.  Swiss Connections No1: 2013/14 sees resorts coming together in bids to enter the premier league.  Lenzerheide joins with Arosa in a CHF50m project which will create a 225km area.  It opens in January, apparently.

6.  Swiss Connections No2: The Val d'Anniviers is celebrated by all those who visit. This year the previously separate Grimentz and Zinal ski areas will be linked by a new cable car.

7.  The original and best?  The Vanoise Express celebrates 10 years of Paradiski with a makeover of the cabins.

8.  On the Les Arcs side, there are some new developments for 2013/14.  There is a new roundabout at the foot of the climb, a new 4 star Aiguille Grive hotel, and a new mountain restaurant on the golf course.  More here.

9.  And there are BIG CHANGES planned for Les Arcs over the coming years. The masterplan for Arc 1800 includes a reorganisation of the Chantel slopes, a new indoor pool and new links to both Edenarc and Arc 2000.

The Alpages du Chantel and Edenarc developments
will (finally) be linked to Arc 1800 over the next few years

10. The "British ski hosts banned" row rumbles on, with Crystal now having done a deal with the Evolution 2 ski school.  The ESF is starting to respond/think about the implications of all this, for example offering free hosting in La Rosiere on Sundays - more here via Planet Ski.

10 YEARS OF PARADISKI

Paradiski is 10 years old this season:

To celebrate, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has given the Vanoise Express a makeover.

There will be tightrope walking on 16th December, again at the Vanoise Express.  A "world premiere" is promised, with a 60m walk between the two cars:



It's also the 10th anniversary of Arc 1950, whose arrival marked a complete departure from the original Les Arcs' approach.  (See interview with Claudie Blanc for some history).  I personally find it hard to love the place, but it certainly means that Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry can offer a pretty full range of accommodation options, for all budgets and tastes.  And it certainly has helped fund the transformation of Les Arcs' lift system.

Here's the official Les Arcs press release on Paradiski's 10 years.

YES WE CANNES: Film and the Mountains

Some of the best film and TV moments were of course shot in the mountains, for example many of the best James Bond scenes and unforgettable pop videos by Wham, the Police and the Jacksons.  Not to mention the, er, iconic Apocalypse Snow, shot on Les Arcs' slopes in 1983:

But a number of resorts have developed their own niche in hosting film festivals, as part of their bids to broaden their appeal - for example in Les Arcs.

The season kicks off above Bourg St Maurice with the  Les Arcs Film Festival which runs from 14-21 Dec.  This year includes a special focus on film from  "Yugoslavian countries", for example the 2011 Serbian/Macedonian production "Punk's Not Dead":



Prior to all this excitement, next week sees the 30th Mountain Film Festival taking place at Autrans, over in the Vercors:

Click here for the official Autrans site

Over Christmas, Autrans' neighbour Lans-en-Vercors will be holding its own festival, this time centred on childrens' cinema.

It looks like some of the new Belle et Sébastien film was shot in the Vercors - in cinemas from 18th December:



Finally, at the end of January, Alpes Magazine will be hosting a 3 evenings looking at alpine cinema, including this classic film from 1944:

28-30 January, Palais des Congrés, Chambery

ALBERTVILLE: Gateway to just about everywhere

It's now 21 years since the Albertville Olympics, and it's not hard to see the legacy (for example the upgraded RN90 through the Tarentaise or indeed the La Plagne bobsleigh track).

Albertville may struggle to make a claim to be a ski resort in its own right, but has options stretching out in all directions - more here.

Its setting, at the confluence of the Isere and Arly, is a beautiful one.  But one would struggle to describe the town as attractive.  With one exception.  The medieval city of Conflans, just above the town, is quite something:

The Wikipedia guide to Conflans is here.

The Auberge de Costaroche sits just below, and is a budget base for visiting some of the following:

• 30 mins: Brides-les-Bains, with direct access to Méribel and the Trois Vallées
• 30 mins: Areches-Beaufort.  Here's an appreciative write-up in today's Sunday Telegraph
• 35 mins: Valmorel - if you want to be a bit different, you can access the skiing via access via Doucy-Combelouviere or (even more daring), Celliers
• 35 mins: Crest-Voland and the Val d'Arly

PS: If you are buying ski equipment, the Decathlon, just off the RN90, is well worth a stop - both for the range (including ski rando and ski de fond) and the prices.