LES ARCS 2012-13: A Rough Guide

If you're in Les Arcs this winter, here are 10 things you can drop into conversations to impress the locals and/or bore your fellow skiers:

1.  The bond with Bourg St Maurice

It's more than just the funicular to 1600: Les Arcs IS Bourg St Maurice's ski resort.  They are marketed jointly as Bourg St Maurice-Les Arcs, they are part of the same local government commune, and there is a daily commute of workers up and down.  Aime's relationship with La Plagne is similar.  Bourg is not a particularly wealthy town, and the economic impact of departure of the Chasseurs Alpins soldiers during Summer 2012 is a big concern.  The locals are called les borains.  People "from Les Arcs" are arcadiens. Locals over at Peisey are peiserots.

Bourg St Maurice, looking towards La Rosiere

2.  Founded by Robert Blanc

The founder of Les Arcs was from a farming family based in Hauteville-Gondon (just outside Bourg), who spent the summers with their sheep in what is now the Arc 2000 valley.  His dream was to come back and see a ski resort above his home town.  Arc Pierre Blanche (now 1600) was duly launched in 1968.  Robert Blanc was killed in an avalanche looking for lost skiers on the road up to 2000 in 1980.  More here.

3.  The resort nearly went bust in the 1980s

It all went a bit horribly wrong for Les Arcs, and a landslide on the road to 1800 did not help.  This prompted a transfer of power away from Blanc's business partner Roger Godino and land was sold to other developers.

4.  A pioneer of snowboarding

Apocalypse Snow...

Les Arcs always fancied itself as a home of les nouvelles glisses, for example in being the capital of the ski evolutif means of teaching beginners.  The Apocalypse Snow films were filmed in Les Arcs during the early 1980s....

5.  The old ski area around Courbaton

When you arrive at Arc 1600 you will see a dilapidated building on your left.  This is the former cable car station from the "old", pre-Les Arcs ski area.  More here.

6.  Intrawest

Arc 1950 was developed by the Canadian developers Intrawest during the early 2000s.  It is much loved by the Brits and, increasingly, by Russians.  The introduction of the Bois de l'Ours and Marmottes lifts were a direct result of the "resort" opening.

7.  Mountain Biking

The Cachette piste above Arc 1600 is a racing (slalom) course during the winter.  In summer there is a serious MTB descent route down its western flank.  If you're driving up to the resort, comment on how difficult the climb is, and remind your friends that this was where Miguel Indurain met his end during the 1996 Tour de France.

The top of the Cachette

8.  Architecture: a national treasure...

Not everyone loves the original architecture.  But it was part of a broader vision, starting on a relatively small scale at 1600, and moving on to the mass-construction methods deployed in Arc 1800 and later Arc 2000.  You can go on a tour if you are staying in 1600 and 1800, and you can read all about it here and here.

Pierra Menta, Arc 1800 (1978)

9.   Paradiski

The new lift to La Plagne opened in 2003.  Although no-one ever actually admits it, traffic between the two stations is far lower than predicted, but Paradiski must go down as a success in being able to promote La Plagne and Les Arcs as one of the top ski destinations in Europe.  More on the link here.

10.  Local sports

When you drive through Bourg St Maurice, comment on FC Haute Tarentaise, which is based in both Bourg and Aime - two towns together etc.  You may also see the Isere bubbling away.  This is one of the best white water rafting sites in Europe.  On the slopes you may see the Les Arcs' Ski Club training in their day-glo suits.  They are one of the best development squads in France.  The most famous local skier, however, is a "Plagnard", namely Jean-Luc Cretier.

LES ARCS AND THE SMALL SCREEN: 10 Videos

Here, in no particular order, are ten videos all about Les Arcs and its environs.

1.  The Beginning of the End for Miguel Indurain

Tour de France, 1996.  "Big Mig" has a jour sans on the road to Les Arcs.  Chris Boardman finds it a tad tricky too.  More here..

2.  Top Gear aux Arcs

Watch Hammond et al descend from Arc 1950 to Villaroger.  By car.  Racing against the locals.  On skis.

3.  Skiing Today

Courtesy of my daughter.

4.  Ski Joering:

Les Arcs seems to be one of the few places to practice this, er, unique activity.

5.  Tour de France 2009

Sadly, they stopped in Bourg St Maurice rather than making the climb up to Les Arcs.  And the winner of the stage was later tested positive.  More here.

6.  The 7e BCA

The Chasseurs Alpins have now left Bourg St Maurice - a big event, and one which will take some adapting to on a whole range of levels.

7.  Mountain Biking on the Cachette

The red run above 1600 morphs into a notable VTT descente in summmer:

8.  Panorama

This starts rather higher up, and gives a wonderful overview of Les Arcs' terrain during the summer.

9.  Welcome to Paradise

It's hard to love the official Paradiski branding but hey ho:

                          

10.  The "LA Session"

I think the days of these February meetings have now gone, but they were quite something...

A WEEK IN ARC 1800: The Non-Skier's Guide

Updated 10 Feb 2013

Les Arcs cannot claim to be the best destination for non-skiers.  All is not lost, however. Here are some things to do if you are going to be in Arc 1800 for a week, and have some time to kill....

SATURDAY

Take the bus to 1600 and then the funicular down to the market in Bourg Saint Maurice. The Grand Rue is quite animated, and the assembled stalls sell more cheese, ham and jam than you can shake a stick at.  There's even a horse butcher.  It starts at 8 and is over by lunchtime, so you'll need to be organised.  After lunch you could have a swim in the municipal pool, which is on the road to Tignes and Les Arcs.

SUNDAY

To the top of the Transarc to see the Grotte de Glace.  This is actually quite good - each year there is a different theme.  During November they create an ice cave, and then expert sculptors do their thing.  The only downside is that the adjacent restaurant (La Creche) isn't Les Arcs' finest.  But it's a good place to meet skiers and the view from the terrace looking over to the Nancroix valley is great.  The Transarc is one of the lifts open to non-skiers (see below).

MONDAY

Snow-shoe walking.  This "snow art" below the Varet lift (below) was created by a gifted snow-shoer, by the way.  (Search for "Simon Beck" on Google to see his latest work). There are quite a lot of organised outings - Arc Aventures have a daily programme, as do the ESF in both 1800 and 1600.  Some outings go from the top of the Tranarc; others in the forests above 1800 and particularly in the 1600/Courbaton sector.

TUESDAY

Les chiens de traineau are not cheap, but it is an amazing experience.  Their kennels have now moved from the Comborciere lift to Arc 1800, so the dogs can be closer to their clients.  More here.  

                          

WEDNESDAY

Check in at the Hotel du Golf.  You can get good deals out of high season if you book direct.  And they now have a small pool/spa complex which will be nice and quiet during the day.

THURSDAY

Running out of options here, but today might be the day to take the bus round to Arc 2000 and meet your skiing chums at the Chalets de l'Arc (more on restaurants in Les Arcs here.)   Pedestrians can (just about) make it to the Varet lift, and onwards to the Aiguille Rouge at 3226m).

If it snows or rains, the option of going to see a film in Arc 1800 and Arc 1600 is sadly no longer available.  (The cinema in Bourg St Maurice on the main road is a listed building by the way).  Occasionally some of the big blockbusters are shown in "v.o.", with English subtitles.  Of course if you come before Christmas, you can immerse yourself in an entire film festival.

FRIDAY

Connect with the "real France" by going back down to Bourg St Maurice and taking the train to Chambéry, which has a lovely setting, a fine old town and some good shopping.

Chambéry is, by some distance, the largest town in Savoie, is the capital of the department, a university town and one of the few places in the area to vote for the Parti Socialiste.  More on the town here.

It is also home to a noted handball team, which regularly records attendances of 5,000+.

AND FINALLY....

The tourist and lift pass offices sell a special "pedestrian guide", which includes one or two other attractions eg the "luge run", which goes from the top of the Transarc down to Arc 2000.  A day's lift pass for pedestrians was €16.50 in 2011/12, with the following lifts on offer: Transarc 1 and 2, Arcabulle, Vallandry, Vanoise Express and the Funiculaire.

AU REVOIR: Les Chasseurs Alpins leave Bourg St Maurice

Earlier this month the 7e Chasseurs Alpins left Bourg St Maurice.

This marks the end of an era for the town.  For some background click here.

Soldiers leaving for a tour of duty in Afghanistan

Their new base will be in Varces, near Grenoble.  Here are two videos covering their departure:

TOUR DE FRANCE: Les Arcs 2009

The Tour de France stage to Bourg St Maurice lacked the drama of the 1996 visit to Les Arcs (scene of Indurain's downfall - more here.

What could be better - a start in Switzerland, through Italy, down into Bourg St Maurice, via the Grand and Petit St Bernard passes, before a final climb up to Arc 1800.

Except the decision was taken for the riders to finish down in the valley in Bourg St Maurice - so that the suspense could continue right until the final Saturday and the climb of Mont Ventoux.  Here's the Wikipedia account of the 2009 Tour.

In the event, the Ventoux stage proved to be a bit of a let-down, and the stage to Bourg is little remembered.  Or at least remembered for the wrong things.  The winner of the stage, Miguel Astarloza, later tested positive for drugs, and the stage was awarded to Sandy Casar.

Here are the riders on the descent to Bourg St Maurice.

The finish line was in the road leading from the SNCF roundabout to the Funiculaire:

The following day the riders left from Bourg St Maurice.  Here they are on the very lower slopes of the Cormet du Roseland.

Lance Armstrong and co stayed - of course - in Arc 1950.  The Euskatel Euskadi team, on the other hand, stayed in the more modest environs of Arc 1800.  As did The Tour Doctor:

More on cycling in Les Arcs this summer here.  If you think the 1st category climb from Bourg St Maurice is too easy, go down to Landry, take the (much harder) climb to Peisey and up to Arc 1800 on the summer road, and then continue to Arc 2000.  The final climb from the Comborciere lift at 1800m to Arc 2000 (actually at 2100m) is a tough one....

TOUR DE FRANCE 1996: Les Arcs and The Beginning of The End for Miguel Indurain

The 1996 Tour de France can hardly go down as the greatest in history, given that the winner Bjarne Riis admitted taking drugs during the tour, with most of the other riders also implicated - see wikipedia account for some of the background.

Aside from this depressing backdrop, it is notable for two reasons: the first inclusion of the climb to Les Arcs, and the beginning of the end for Miguel Indurain.  Here's the route, which included the Chambery to Les Arcs stage, via Col de la Madeleine and the Cormet de Roselend:

Other features of the 1996 Tour include:

• Lance Armstrong having to give up at Aix-les-Bains - the start of his fight against cancer.
• Snow stopping the racing on the Cols de l'Iseran and Galibier
• Chris Boardman in his heyday, albeit not on the Les Arcs stage.

The stage to Les Arcs was also notable for seeing yellow jersey holder Stephane Heulot abandon on the Cormet de Roseland.

On the climb itself, we see Indurain dropped just before the Arc 1600 roundabout, and (in contravention of the rules) taking a drink.  Was he wearing too much, speculate the commentators.  Have a look at around 2:45 for the moment Indurain cracks, with Luc Leblanc going on to win the stage.

Gary Imlach was sent to Indurain's hotel (the Grand Hotel Paradiso) in Arc 1800 to find out more.  "I wasn't suffering but I didn't have the rhythm or strength to do it...."

It wasn't entirely the end of the road for Indurain - the next day he put in a very good performance in the Bourg St Maurice - Val d'Isere time trail.  But it was Les Arcs which marked the beginning of the end for "Big Mig".  It isn't the hardest climb in the world, but it is long - 15km.  Arguably the 2009 Tour would have been much more interesting if the organisers hadn't wimped out of taking the riders up to Arc 1800, rather than finishing in Bourg-St-Maurice.....

More on cycling in Les Arcs here. 

And below is a fuller version of that 1996 stage:

APRES SKI: Summer in Les Arcs

Update 27 May 2013

Les Arcs is open this summer from 6 July to 30 August, with "pre-ouverture" on a couple of weekends in late June.  Cyclocoeur runs from 9-11 August.

There are one or two parts of the Alps - the Chamonix Valley and the Jungfrau region which do at least as well in summer as they do in winter.

This isn't the case in the Tarentaise.  But the resorts are open, the sun is (usually) out, and you are much further from the madding crowd than you are in winter.

Here's a "Top 10" Guide of things to do in Les Arcs.  If it rains, go to Le Lagon in Tignes for a swim.

The Les Arcs website is now in "summer mode", with the resort (including key lifts like the Transarc) open from 7th July.

Although there are lots of things to do, it's arguably the cycling that's the jewel in the crown.

Tour de France 2009, lower slopes of Cormet de Roselend

For cycling uphill, there is an almost endless range of options from Bourg St Maurice: Le Cormet de Roselend, Petit St Bernard, Cold de l'Iseran, plus of course the mythical climb to Les Arcs :)

The best English-language guide to cycling I've found is www.grenoblecycling.com, which covers just about every col you can think of.

In Bourg St Maurice, the big local event is Cyclocoeur, which runs from 10th-12th August, in aid of local disabled charities.  It involves various events for road and VTT, including the hard-core climb to Arc 2000, which takes the experts around an hour.  More on the event below:

For cycling downhill, there are endless VTT trails, including the Cachette piste at 1600 which is used for competitions.  The video below gives a good guide to the terrain. NB The initial descent, from Aiguille Grive down to the Nancroix valley can also be covered more sedately on foot, ending at the Hotel de La Vanoise in Peisey.  A chacun son gout....

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: How They Voted In Round 2

The results are in, with Hollande scoring 51.7%, and Sarko 48.3%, on an 80% turnout. All the results, including by departement and commune here.

True to its tradition of being more to the right, Savoie voted for Sarkozy, by a 53: 47 margin.  In Haute Savoie, as ever, the result was even clearer: Sarko ahead by 60:40.

Chambéry voted for Hollande, just as it voted for Royal in 2007.  But the "Trend Tarentaise" is again evident.  In other words, the higher you go up the valley, the higher the vote for Sarkozy: First round results here.

In Bourg St Maurice and Val d'Isere, Sarko's vote held up well.  There are changes elsewhere, more in line with the national swing.  Indeed, in the key marginal of Landry, below Peisey, a 51:49 Sarko-Royal in 2007 transferred to a 52:48 Hollande lead.

Here's how some of the ski villages and towns voted.  The 2007 figures are first, followed by the 2012 scores.

All figures are % voting for Sarkozy:

Landry  51, 48

Moutiers  55, 53

Albertville  55, 54

Bozel (Courchevel)  56, 54

Aigueblanche (Valmorel)  57, 52

Beaufort  58, 58

Aime (La Plagne)  61, 58

Bourg St Maurice-Les Arcs  60, 59

Seez (La Rosiere)  61, 58

Champagny  62, 59

Peisey-Nancroix  65, 60

Tignes  66, 67

Macot-la-Plagne  68, 65

Villaroger  70, 64

St Martin-de-Belleville  73, 70

Brides-les-Bains (Meribel)  74, 68

Crest Voland  79, 77

Val d'Isere  80, 79

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: How they voted in Round One

The first round of the election results are in.  Savoie is hardly a bellweather state - it is traditionally more to the right, and that's what happened last Sunday.

France-wide, the figures were (Savoie in brackets):
Hollande 29% (24), Sarkozy 27% (29), Le Pen 18% (19), Mélenchon 11% (11)
Full results here.

Haute-Savoie is more of a stronghold of the right.  Here, Sarkozy scored 34%, with Hollande trailing on 20%.

Sarko with ESF moniteurs at La Clusaz (Haute Savoie).
He says he's not "as good a skier" as Carla.
And anyway, he hasn't skied since being at the Elysée...
people would think him crazy if he broke something..

The main pattern to emerge is that, the further you up the Tarentaise valley, the higher the vote for the current President.  That is to say there is a correlation (I don't think it's causation....) between altitude and the share of Sarko's vote:

                              Chambéry     Albertville      Moutiers     Bourg SM     Val d'Isere
                                  (245m)           (328m)           (481m)         (810m)           (1850)
Sarkozy                         25                  27                   32                 34                 58
Hollande                         30                  26                   23                 18                12
Le Pen                           14                  20                   19                 16                 11
Melenchon                      14                 13                    12                 11                 7

This is not a new phenomenon, I hasten to add.  Here's how Savoie voted in round 2 of the 2007 presidentielle, for example.

PS Both Hollande and Sarkozy are very keen to remind folk that they are great sports fans.  Sarko loves cycling, and his dream is to win an Alpe d'Huez stage.  Hollande loves his football, and is a big Rouen supporter.  More here.

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: How They Voted In 2007

Not long now until the first round of the French Presidential Election.  Here's how France voted in round two back in 2007:

Sarko v Sego

Savoie is traditionally more to the right and voted in favour of Sarkozy by 57:43

Indeed, the only town I can find which voted for Royal is the capital itself, Chambéry, which went against Sarko by a 49:51 margin.  The full results, broken down by departement and commune, can be found here.

With one or two exceptions, the communes serving ski resorts backed Sarkozy by a greater margin than the Savoie average.  Here is a selection, ranked by % voting for Sarko:

Landry  51
Moutiers  55
Albertville  55

Bozel (Courchevel)  56

Aigueblanche (Valmorel)  57
Beaufort  60
Aime (La Plagne)  61
Bourg St Maurice-Les Arcs  60
Seez (La Rosiere)  61
Champagny  62
Peisey-Nancroix  65
Tignes  66
Macot-la-Plagne  68
Villaroger  70
St Martin-de-Belleville  73
Brides-les-Bains (Meribel)  74
Crest Voland  79
Val d'Isere  80

L'ARMEE ET LA VALLEE: The Chasseurs Alpins Leave Town

This summer sees one of the bedrocks of Bourg St Maurice leaving town.  The 7th Brigade of the Chasseurs Alpins (7e BCA) are moving to the Grenoble area.  They are the French army's elite mountain troops, with many currently in Afghanistan.

The departure of the BCA caused quite a stir when first announced - the impact on the local community and economy of several hundred families moving on, the loss of an emergency service in case of disasters, etc.  And it remains high up the list of concerns at the start of 2012 - they are one of the anchors of the local economy, and with the ski industry flat, there is much to think about.  The French government have sweetened the pill slightly by awarding the new national advanced ski training centre to Bourg St Maurice rather than Chamonix, but it certainly makes initiatives like Bourg St Maurice 2020 all the more relevant.

So this will be the last season you will see the chasseurs on the local pistes.  They have guarded my hire car at Les Ecudets (below La Rosiere), and at Les Brevieres (below Tignes).  And they have scared me, with their "we do not stop for civilians" armoured car convoys on the Cormet de Roselend.  You will still see them training - for example on the Les Granges piste below Arc 1800:

Here's the local news coverage where they talk about the departure from BSM:

More on the background, history etc in the Wikipedia entries, in English and (with much more detail) in French.

LES ARCS: Ski Season Calendar

A summary of the various events and competitions taking place in Les Arcs this winter:

15 Feb: 20 years since the Olympics

Les Arcs (Arc 2000) was the venue for the speed skiing at the 1992 Albertville Olympics (the "kilometre lancée").

The day's programme will include initiation in "mini KL", exhibitions of films and photos, speeches etc by those involved, as well as a torchlit descent and fireworks display.

The event was marred by the death of a Swiss speed-skier before the start of the race.  More here.

17 Feb: Le Grand prix de France jeune de skicross (Arc 1800)

This will include a "pro-am" competition for 11-14s, so budding young skiers can have a go.  Various ski-clubs from across France will be participating, as well as skicross champions like Enak Gavaggio.

23 Feb: "The L.A. Session by Pull-In" (Arc 1800)

This is well worth seeing - "le grand show freestyle" which takes place at the front de neige at 1800 after the day's skiing is over.  Last year's was cancelled due to lack of snow.  Here's the video from the 2010 session:

29 Feb: Rallye Robert Blanc

From memory, this is a race, open to all (including families), from the top of the Grand Col chair down to the car park at Pre St Esprit.

1 April: La Course du Coeur Paris/Bourg St Maurice

A long-distance fund raising event which involves a marathon walk from Paris to Bourg St Maurice and then up to Arc 1800.  Its aim: to raise the profile of organ donation among the public.  More details here.

13-15 April: French Speed Riding Championship: The Final

Speed riding is a mixture of skiing and paragliding.  Or something like that.  Arc 2000 seems to have become a bit of a centre for it, in the fine traditions of Les Arcs being among the first to try out new disciplines.... Here's some footage from the top of the Aiguille Rouge:

14-20 April: Les Hors piste du cirque (Arc 1600)

There will be various training sessions and shows ope to the public, courtesy of the students of the Centre national des arts du cirque.


Source: Le Dauphiné Libéré, 4 Jan 2012; www.ledauphine.com

THE LES ARCS A-Z: A Guide for 2012

Here's an attempt at a guide to Les Arcs and the surrounding area....

Architecture - 3 sites in Les Arcs have been awarded the label of "Architecture of the 20th Century": the sites of Arc 1600/1800, the town hall and cinema in Bourg St Maurice and the Aiguille Rouge cable car station - overview here

Bourg St Maurice - "la montagne dans la ville", gateway to Les Arcs

Cycling - Les Arcs was the scene of Indurain's downfall; La Plagne of historic performances by Roche, Fignon and Boogerd

Domaine Skiable - here is the 2010/11 plan des pistes; the Les Arcs website has been a bit slack and hasn't put up the new 2011/12 one up yet - and there are a few changes, for example in the Mont Blanc area above Arc 1600

Edenarc - you can buy your new flat here and look back at what might have been, with Charlotte Perriand's original design here

Funiculaire - "unique in France", with a new makeover.  Timetable here

Golf des Arcs - a beautiful site, 32 holes, open from June until les premieres neiges

Arc 1800 runs to resort, on the golf course

Hauteville Gondon - home village of Robert Blanc, founder of Les Arcs

Infos practiques - on the Les Arcs website

Jeux Olympiques - the speed skiing was at Les Arcs, and saw a tragedy on the morning of the event

Killy - as in Espace Killy - about 40 mins up the road from Bourg

League Tables - Alpe d'Huez beats all the Tarentaise resorts, and is a brilliant all-rounder, summer as well as winter - see rankings here

Manchester United - cf Val d'Isere.  France's best ski resorts are matched with their Premiership equivalents here

News - @ledauphine gives comprehensive coverage and will improve your French

Off-piste - there is a Bureau des Guides at 1800, and Arc Aventures also have specialists.  Here's a book for the armchair expert, in French but with some English summaries.  It's available in resort

Aiguille Rouge summit: 3220m

Plagne - as in La Plagne - Les Arcs' local rivals...

Quecha - the low-cost Decathlon range.  The shop in Albertville (just off the RN90) is very good and sells ski de fond, ski rando equipment etc, which can be hard to find in the resorts



Rosiere - as in La Rosiere - distinctly under-rated - my favourite (apart from Les Arcs, of course).  Great views in both directions towards both La Plagne and Tignes, as well as the link with La Thuile to explore

La Rosiere: looking up the valley towards Tignes

Society and Politics - against an uncertain economic background, the area is not short of heated debates about which direction/s it should take in future - overview here

Tignes - just up the road.  Park at Les Brevieres

U - as in Super-U on the Route des Arcs at the edge of Bourg St Maurice

Valmorel - a resort on the up, with a new Club Med, new lifts, and handier for the airport than the Haute Tarentaise - quick review here

Websites - official Les Arcs site is more style than substance, but others compensate

X-ray - main cabinet medical is close to the Cachette lift in Arc 1600.  Will cost you several hundred pounds to be taken down the mountain by a hunky pisteur

Y - La Grotte du Yeti appears to be a chain of bars - with branches in Arc 1800, Les 2 alpes, St Francois Longchamp etc

Z - As in Zinedine Zidane - the France football team often train at Tignes, for example before their ill-fated trip to South Africa....

WHAT'S NEW IN LES ARCS

Here are 6 things which are new in Les Arcs for 2011/12:

1.  Snow

After last year's debacle, the arrival of l'or blanc is THE big news.  Last year, there was no snowfall of note between the end of December and June (sic).  This Christmas sees snow depths of 300cms at the top, more than Val d'Isere and Tignes and far more than in Austria and Switzerland.  Here is Place Miravidi in 1800:

2. Changing hands (i): Hotel du Golf

The "anchor" hotel of 1800 has changed hands, and is now owned by the Groupe Temmos.  They are looking to change the ambiance a little, making it more "welcoming" and less formal.  Sadly this means the charismatic bar host and ace monoskier Pierre-Yves no longer appears to be part of the hotel's plans.  They seem to be having a promising start, and they have some quite competitive half-board deals if you book direct. Hotel du Golf's website here.

3.  Changing hands (ii): Aux Enfants Terribles

The restaurant formerly known as La Poudreuse, on the slopes above Peisey-Vallandry, is now re-named and under new ownership.  Indeed it is now under the same ownership as the Arpette restaurant below the 1600/1800 snowpark.  It boasts a newly wood-cladded exterior and "cosy" bar.

4.  Just open: Edenarc

The Edenarc development is now starting to come on stream, and it looks like Stage 1 is now open.  At least I did see some skiers going in there, and a light burning inside.  It does feel quite lonely and isolated at the moment, a bit like the kind of place Scooby and co would show up at on a stormy night.  If you've got the cash, I'd wait until a later phase, by which time the hot-tubs etc will presumably be bubbling away happily.

By the way, you can see the original Charlotte Perriand design for this site here:

5.  Coming soon: A new 4-star at Charmettoger

The much-loved Aiguille Grive restaurant is now long gone, and 2012/13 will presumably see the opening of this new hotel-restaurant.  You can have a sneak preview by turning left on the main run back to Arc 1800.  It looks like it will be a fair old size.  And it looks like the design will be at least paying some reference to the "Les Arcs" pointy style.

6.  Ride in Style: The newly "pimped" funiculaire

The funiculaire from Bourg St Maurice is proudly deemed to be "unique en France".  It has been given a new coat of paint, which proclaims its "environmentally friendly" credentials.

  

THE BIG SOCIETY AUX ARCS: Heated Debates

We have endless books and articles in English about how much greener things are on the other side of the Channel.  "The quality of life is so much better, the pace of life is slower, people are happier.  Not like over here...."  The reality is of course rather more mundane.

Bourg St Maurice is an isolated and not particularly wealthy town.  Tourism is of course the key sector, offering loads of seasonal work.  But the ski market has peaked, at least for now.  And it faces the forthcoming closure of the Chasseurs Alpins military base. More here.

With all this comes the issues, controversies and political disputes - large and small - that we will all be used to.  Here are five of them.

1.  Parking

A big issue where I live in Barnet - and a big issue in Bourg St Maurice-Les Arcs too.  A couple of years ago the local council declared that it could no longer afford the several hundred thousand euros a year cost of clearing up the snow.  Outrage ensued as plans for a new peage-style barrier at Arc 1800 took shape.  There were brief celebrations as the technology failed shortly after opening, but now the system is well and truly working. And both locals and proprieteres are not happy.  More on the practicalities of parking here.

2.  Les Proprieteres en colere


As Billy Bragg says, "There is Power in a Union".  You can join the Union des Proprieteres pour la Defense des Arcs (UPDA) here.  They, alongside the ADS (lift company) and the mairie, form a triange of interests who do not always get on.  Recent debates have included a long-running dispute called the "Affaire du Golf" which resulted in money being returned to the proprieteres, parking at Villards (which has witnessed something of a saga around both the old and new car parks) and the more recent "save the Maitaz" campaign (see below).

If you do park at the open-air site at Charvet, you may find yourself walking along a desolate pedestrian tunnel, then taking a lift up to the centre station.  There has been a huge argument here re who is responsible for its upkeep, this time between the local authority and the residents of the Pierra Menta block through which the lift runs.  As far as I can see, the proprieteres emerged as winners.

3.  Chantel

This is only a minor dispute these days in that the Edenarc plans have been in place for many years, and development has only really been delayed by slow sales.  Some locals and fans of the original Les Arcs architecture are unhappy - Claudie Blanc, for example.

That said, there were always plans to build on the Chantel site, even though it means the destruction of some very beautiful tennis courts.  Charlotte Perriand's original design for the site is here.

4.  New developments

You can read more about current and future developments, including the new lift at 1600 here.

Today's heated debate is all about the future of the Maitaz site, which is on the green piste to Villandry.  The discussions surround whether it is such a good idea to bulldoze such a beautiful site at a time when so much of the resort is empty for so much of the year.  This time the villain in many people's eyes is the Landy mairie.  You can read more at the Sauver La Maitaz Facebook page, and see the impact on the Route des Espagnols (aka the piste) here.  It looks like a debate which will run and run.

5.  Politics

Bourg St Maurice and the surrounding valley is traditionally a right-wing stronghold - Sarkozy recorded 60% in the last presidentielle.

2011 saw a political crisis which resulted in a third of the local councillors resigning as the Damien Perry-Daniel Payot administration collapsed in a Savoyard version of the TB-GBs.  This saw an un-triumphant return of former mayor and Jacqueline Poletti in a landslide victory, registering 61% of the vote.