DOWN BUT NOT OUT: Snowboarding

"Snowboarding is no longer new, no longer extreme, and - now that your mom knows how to ride - no longer quite as cool"   

THE big change on the slopers of the last 30 years has been the arrival of the snowboard. But there is pretty clear evidence that it has reached its peak.  According to this article, sales of snowboard gear are down 21% in the last four years.  The number of skier days in the US is up by 16% since 2004.  Etc.

Similarly, after seeing a period of 300% growth between 1988 and 2004, "the sport is spluttering in the United States".

The two reasons for the decline seem to be:

1. Snowboarders are getting older, so can't go as often as they would like, now they have families...
2. The innovations in ski technology (twin tips, park skis, fat off-piste skis) have made a real difference, enabling skiing to regain its market share

It's also clear that snowboarding remains much more popular in the US than it is in France.  Even in this 'post-growth' environment, the reports suggest around 30% of slope users are snowboarders.  In France, it's running at around half this level - and lower in the more "traditional" resorts.

Even Les Arcs, home of les nouvelles glisses, including the "cult" 1983 film Apocalypse Snow, struggles to get much above 15%.

                                         

As snowboarding started to get going in the 1980s, even James Bond got in on the act, with a snowboarding scene in A View To A Kill...

Back to the present.  Here are the results of our 2012/13 survey:

% of slope users on snowboards:
Les Arcs (Xmas): 11%
Les Arcs (10-11/1): 15%
Les Arcs (11/3): 12%
Les Arcs (10-11/4): 17%
La Rosiere (9/1): 16%
Flaine (15/3): 13%
La Plagne (12/3): 12%
Le Grand-Bornand (8/1): 9%
Ste-Foy (13/3): 8%
Villars (14/3): 6%

Technical Note: All data is gathered via careful random sampling methods, with minimum sample sizes of at least 400 per measurement....

THE HISTORY OF LES ARCS: Round-up

Updated 8 December 2013

A quick internet guide to the history of Les Arcs:

External inks:

The Reve des Bergers (aka "Shepherds' Dream) - Claudie Blanc's book about her father Robert and the Les Arcs story.  May take a bit of finding, but available in resort

The Espace Arcadien site has loads of history, including detailed guides covering the installation (and removal) of the various ski lifts

A long essay on the history, which will challenge your French

The culture pages of the official Les Arcs site

The English and French language Wikipedia pages

From this blog:

The timeline of Les Arcs

The architecture of Charlotte Pierrand and team (Part 1)

The architecture (Part 2)

The old ski area, which included lifts from Bourg St Maurice itself

Changes to the Les Arcs ski area, 2002-2012

Interview with Claudie Blanc about her book (see above)

Tour de France 1996, including the beginning of the end for Miguel Indurain

Tour de France 2009, with Lance Armstrong et al spending the night in Arc 1950

The now departed Chasseurs Alpins army division.  (They still keep a ski training base in Tignes Les Brevieres)

The Vanoise Express, which celebrates its 10th birthday this year

Looking back at Peisey-Vallandry from the Vanoise Express

A documentary which traces the history of Les Arcs (also taking in the Tignes dam)

LA PLAGNE SKI AREA: What Happens Next?

There's been quite a bit of change in La Plagne this year, with the remodelling of the Plagne Centre area, and the opening of the fast new chairlift by the stade de slalom and the new Traversée lift on the glacier.  Not to mention all the excitement of the 50th anniversary, the re-opening of the Derochoir piste.  Etc.

And there's more to come.  The ever-alert www.perso-laplagne.fr site has just brought us the latest news.  They thank the La Plagne Press Office for their advice.

Changes on the not-too-distant-horizon include:

1. The renovation of the Telemetro between Aime 2000 and Plagne Cetnre - more information to come on this shortly.

Aime 2000

2. The 3rd phase of the refrubishment of the galeries at Plagne Centre - which have been lovingly chronicled here.

3. The removal of the Coqs chairlift.  Skiers coming from Montalbert will be directed to the La Roche chair, via the Cornegidouille piste.  There are some concerns that this may cause overcrowding on the Cornegidouille.  It's narrow in places, with trees either side, and could become a bit of a nightmare with skiers of all abilities only having this option. So they are going to see how they go for a season.

4.  This is all part of the grand plan taking shape to prepare for the new Montalbert télécabine, planned for December 2014.  There appears to still be some heated debate around what this will mean for the three holiday villages on the piste down to Montalbert. But it looks like intermediate stations for the lift have been ruled out, at there will simply be a direct line between Montalbert and Le Fornelet.  There will however be a reworking of the pistes, and more artificial snow to link them to the gondola base station.

Montalbert

The new lift will see the end of the Montalbert and Fornelet chairlifts, although apparently they will be put to good use elsewhere in the La Plagne ski area.

In the words of www.perso-laplagne.fr:

"Let us hope that everything will be done to protect as much of the forest as possible along the line of the route, as well as the Tete du Fornelet site itself"

5. Meanwhile, the current Coqs lift is not being scrapped or sold.  It is going to be moved over to Les Bauches, where it will replace the old 2-person lift.  Since the re-opening of the Derochoir piste, this area has got much busier, so this will help ease the queues. The www.perso-laplagne.fr report speculates on exactly which path it will take.  In theory, its length (1250m) would allow a link with the 6-pack La Salla lift.  But then again the Carroley lift is going to be replaced in 2017, and there are various modifications coming in that sector, ahead of the construction of the new Carroley télésiege.

LA PLAGNE'S GREAT DESCENT: From the Glacier to Montchauvin

Much is made of the epic descent in Les Arcs, from the mighty Aiguille Rouge at 3226, all the way down to the pastures of Villaroger 2000m below.

Very few resorts can claim to have ski runs giving 2000m vertical.  La Plagne is one of them.  Its own great descent takes you from the Bellecote glacier, at around 3250m, all the way down to Montchauvin.  But it is rather less well known.  For two good reasons...

The trip starts on La Plagne's rustic/"urban" gondola from Roche de Mio over to the glacier area, followed by the new Traversée chairlift.  

The glacier at La Plagne

This 2000m descent has been on and off La Plagne's piste map for years.

Here's one example, which shows the pistes (regardless of whether you take the black or red/blue versions) finishing at 2300m.  There is no piste down towards Les Bauches and the Vanoise Express.  And the oh-so-fancy interactive Paradiski map doesn't have it either (yet).

This is where the newly resurrected Derochoir piste comes in.  It was on the piste map until 1987, was then retired and became an off-piste route.  And now, following a series of works by the lift company, it's back.  Skiers taking this route are warned with a big sign saying (from memory) "68% gradient - good skiers only".  But it's just too enticing for many.  Carnage ensues:

The Derochoir piste

There are no nasty cliffs to fall off, but it is icy, busy and has some narrow sections. Stay patient and you should be fine.  But it is harder than anything on the Aiguille Rouge-Villaroger run.

If you survive the Derochoir, you ski down a beautiful deserted valley to your next challenge.

To avoid taking a lift, and therefore keeping to the "2000m in one descent mission", you have to take the Les Bauches blue.  This sounds delightful.  However, a sign warns you that this is, er, on the flat side:

2km of flat piste awaits

This is indeed a correct assessment.  But if you persevere, in perfect solitude, your poling will lead you to the Vanoise Express sector, with a clear run all the way down to Montchauvin at 1250m...

LA PLAGNE: An internet tour

UPDATED 25/7/13: For summer 2013's events/activities click here...

No visitor to Les Arcs should go home without spending some time over at La Plagne.

The resorts are in some ways very similar, but do have a different atmosphere, terrain, history.  And La Plagne has many more places to eat!  Not to mention its epic logo:

Here are some links:

Official website (English version)

http://www.perso-laplagne.fr/ (in French). A wonderful site, full of news, history, photos

Accommodation in Plagne 1800. Along with Champagny this is arguably the nicest place to stay - very handy, but slightly away from it all

The Where to Ski and Snowboard guide to La Plagne

The We Love 2 Ski guide to La Plagne

Summer Walking via The Independent newspaper


Plus, from this blog:

New lifts for La Plagne, including the Montalbert gondola, planned for Xmas 2014

Guide to La Plagne, the Everton of skiing

La Plagne, No1 in L'Equipe's Top 50

La Plagne's 50th birthday

A brief history of La Plagne (Part 1)

A brief history of La Plagne (Part 2)

The bobsleigh track below Plagne1800

La Plagne's 2000m descent, from the Glacier to Montchauvin

Les Arcs v La Plagne: head-to-head

Les Arcs v La Plange: le marketing

The Tour de France and La Plagne

The Vanoise Express

PISTE-SIDE DINING AT ARC 1800

Not a topic which brings with it a lot of material to write about, it has to be said.

We have the Arpette, and the Blanche Murée.  There is the Altiport café, and I suppose you could include the restaurant at the Chantel complex.  But that's pretty much it.  (For more on food in Les Arcs, click here.)

The closure of the Aiguille Grive Restaurant, run by Les Arcs' legends Gilles and Annick, was a big loss.  This was quite a few years ago now.  The building was demolished, rebuilt as an upmarket hotel, but its opening has been delayed.  It will be coming back next season - website here.

The Aiguille Grive, 11 March 2013

The good news for the remainder of this season anyway, is that Gilles is back!  The restaurant attached to the hotel is open, and a review, courtesy of the Avenir et Animation des Arcs site, states:

"The Aiguille Grive restaurant has reopened.  The decor is more contemporary, 

but still in the 'spirit of Les Arcs'.  The ambiance is the same, Gilles Christophe returning to welcome his clients.

At lunchtimes, simple food is served either on the south-facing terrace 

or in an airy dining room with great views of the mountains.

In the evening, with a fire burning, there's the chance to dine in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere.

To reserve, call 04 79 40 20 30."

Season 2013/14 will also see another restaurant on the home runs to Arc 1800 - its foundations are already in place, just below the Transarc middle station.  I imagine there may also be more happening at as Edenarc takes shape.  At the moment it's almost disarmingly low key and quiet.

ARC 2000: The Wembley of Speed Skiing

Speed skiing is apparently the "sport of going downhill in a straight line as quickly as possible".  

Vars and Les Arcs are the two remaining French courses

It certainly goes down as something of a niche sport, but does have a history going back to the 1930s.  The French Wikipedia site gives a more detailed overview than its English language cousin.  The first races were held in Switzerland, in Murren and St Mauritz, with the Austrian Leo Gasper achieving 137km/h in 1931.

During the 1970s the Italians appear to have been the keenest on the sport with the kilometro lanciato course in Cervina hosting an annual event.  In the southern hemisphere a course was established at Portillo, and here Steve McKinney reached the 200km/h barrier in 1978.  

Unsurprisingly, the big shadow hanging over the sport is safety.  In 1978 two fatal accidents at Cervinia prompted the FIS to take speed skiing out of its portfolio altogether. Speed skiing races continued to be organised both in North America (Silverston), in Les Arcs and at La Clusaz.  These events, coupled with improved security, prompted it to be included in the 1992 Albertville Olympics - the one and only time it has been included in the winter games.  That event (which drew the second highest viewing figures of the games) saw the death of the Swiss skier Nicolas Bochatay during training.  More recently, 2007 saw the death of British speed skier Caitlin Tover, who fell from the start area.

The courses at Les Arcs and Vars are still going. But Les Arcs is no longer marketing scaled-back versions of the course to holidaymakers.  I think it is just being left to the people who really, really want to do it.  I am told that there is only one ski maker still producing the 240 metre skis required to take part.

The Vars course has a 98% gradient at the start

Les Arcs does appear to be the Wembley of speed skiing, and both the male and female records were set there (251 km/h by Simon Origone and 242 km/h by Sanna Tidstrand). It starts at 2710m, below the Varet lift, and finishes, 1.7km later, at 2145 metres, at Arc 2000.  You can watch it all unfold from the Chalets de l'Arc restaurant.

                           

The top speeds can only be achieved be gliding on the thin watery layer above the melting snow, and so the records tend to have been set right at the end of the season.  And, from 6 April, the piste will be back in action, during Les Arcs' speed week.  This will see attempts at the world record on skis, monoski, handiski...and mountain bike.  It's the brainchild of Eric Barone, who will be getting back on his bike with a view to breaking the 200 km/h barrier again....