 Poster: A snowHead
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It's been off for about 6 days now.
Any idea when it might be fixed? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The whole 3Vs lift system is creaking.
They need an overhaul.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
The whole 3Vs lift system is creaking.
They need an overhaul. |
Dunno about Val Thorens but the boy and I were just talking about how old the Val d'Isere and Courchevel lifts are in general, they don't seem to have spent much since 1992. Maybe they figure they'll get their money's worth out of the current lifts before climate change finishes European skiing?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I don’t think your statement about Courchevel stands scrutiny...
Forret, Bouc Blanc, Grangettes, Ariondaz, Plattiers to name a few all recently replaced.
At Val d’Isere loads of lifts have been renewed since I was last there ten years ago. Solaise, Fontaine Froid, Daille etc.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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To add to the post above...since I worked a season in 05/06 in the 3V these are the new lifts/replacement lifts I can think of.
In Les Menuires/St M
Reberty chair.
Sunny express chair.
Roc 2 chair -07
St Martin express chair. 2016 or 17
Bettex chair ( recycling old St Martin 2 chair)
In Meribel
Legends chair 2018.
Cheferie chair, (recycling old Plan de L’homme)
Tougnètte 2 in about 07,and Tougnette 1 a couple of years later (or the other way round-I forget).
Plattieres 1 and 2 replaced.
Chatelet chair
Loze chair-about 3 years ago.
Golf chair from Meribel village about 8 years ago.
Saulire express bubble stage one, then a couple of years later, stage 2.
Combes chair 2017,
Roc de Tougne chair 2017
In Courchevel
Biollay chair
Plantrey chair
Aiguille de fruit chair-within the last 4 years I think.
Roc Mugnier chair-about 8-10 years ago.
New Ariondaz bubble in 2017.
Grangettes bubble 2018.
Foret chair
Bouc Blanc chair
In VT
Poinniers chair
3 Valleys chair
Moraine bubble.
Plan de L’eau chair.
Boismint chair
Thorens cable car
In Orelle all lifts have been replaced-Rosael was the first, then Peyron and Bouchet.
Plus numerous magic carpets where there weren’t any.
New Bruyeres bubble in Les Men admittedly does seem to be a bit glitchy.
So..@Whitegold, while I don’t usually feed the troll, faced with that evidence, would you like to reconsider your post?
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@davidof, I think a few of the Tarentaise resorts blew the chairlift budget for the Albertville Olympics and I think STVI (Val D) nearly went bust before joining Compagnie des Alpes. I think they now realise that the Olympique Gondola was a vanity project (about €18m - open in 2003), and it doesn't shift that many people (it could if they had 'crammers'). There was then a lull but then in the last 10 years they have replaced (or built) Laisinant, Fontaine Froide, Marmottes, Solaise Gondola, La Daille Gondola, Cascades Express, CEMA, Pyramides, Datcha.
I think the Funiculaire was a similar colossal expense in Tignes but then in the last 12 years we have had a new chair or gondola every year (on average).
That said both resorts have a couple that need replacing!
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| Quote: |
So..@Whitegold, while I don’t usually feed the troll, faced with that evidence, would you like to reconsider your post?
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+1 , tw@t
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
So..@Whitegold, while I don’t usually feed the troll, faced with that evidence, would you like to reconsider your post?
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+1 , lady's front bottom
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And to add to the above list, the Mont Vallon gondola in Mottaret is new the season.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Perty, for Courchevel you can add to your list (all fast 6s):
Pralong chair
Marmottes chair
Chapelets chair
Signal chair
In VT you can also add:
Plan de l'Eau chair
The new-ish funi thing above the lift right of Moraine (never go up there so can't remember the name...).
Having skied rather extensively across the French Alps in most places big, medium and small I would say 3V has the best lift system for similar day pass priced areas - EK now coming close. I can leave Courchevel and be in Val T sub 1 hour, same on way back. Plattieres 3, Cote Brune due for renewal this coming year (if memory serves), as is the le Praz bubble up to 1850.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Perty,
Well said! 
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In VT, the Stades chair is completely new (2 years ago) and the Portette chair was upgraded the year before. Cairn and Caron both got new 8 seat cabins to increase capacity and the Funitel Peclet cabin interiors were redesigned to increase capacity.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
Plattieres 3, Cote Brune due for renewal this coming year (if memory serves), as is the le Praz bubble up to 1850.
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good news, was wondering when Plattieres 3 would be replaced.. Every year there are new lifts put in the 3V's let alone bigger ponds for snowmaking, cannons. Mottaret has changed massively in the past few years with greatly improved beginner facilities, pistes, buttons and magic carpets...
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Poster: A snowHead
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skimottaret,
We rode Plattieres 3 yesterday and enjoyed the nostalgic ride from yesteryear.
Funnily enough we were saying (prior to reading this post) that we hope they keep it for a while yet.
Strangely, we enjoyed the quirky, old fibreglass cabins and the cramped ride up
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Bergmeister, yeah I know what you mean but it is kinda weird now having it for such a short ride. Haven't been on it since they replaced the lower section and prefer to use Cote Brune.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The Olympics has become a curse for many regions around the world. I think the citizens of Montreal are still paying very high rates to pay off the debt. Many places have pulled out of recent Olympic bids having seen the real legacy.
The early nineties certainly saw incredible investment in the region and EK, LA, LP and 3V all became interlinked, high altitude playgrounds like nothing before all accessed by a lovely dual carriageway from Lyon.
Interestingly, the thread about the Courchevel fire talks about the state of some buildings and lack of investment in buildings.
I'd imagine the cost of running resorts has rocketed - Lifts consume huge amounts of electricity, more snow making is needed, insurance costs must be huge in litigious times and employing people in France, for example, cannot be cheap.
The above, coupled with the rise in popularity of sports such as cycling and younger generation coming through with far less disposable income must be really hitting the industry. I think the customer demographic change has probably gone against the mega resorts. The money is now, more than ever, with the older generation who want class, good food, and relaxed scenic skiing rather than 20 runs in the same bowl splattered with bars blasting out dance music.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Plans to add a new lift from Orelle up to Come Caron
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| davidof wrote: |
| the boy and I were just talking about how old the Val d'Isere and Courchevel lifts are in general, they don't seem to have spent much since 1992. |
Huh!?? Val and Tignes have spent an absolute arm and a leg upgrading lifts in the past few years. The new La Daille gondola has just opened this season and the Sache replacement in Tignes - Not to mention the Toviere lift (the Aeroski replacement). Also Solaise has has a huge rework with the new gondola replacing the chair and new lifts all over the place!!
Those are just the ones I can think of - the natives could tell you many more.
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| alti - dude wrote: |
| Plans to add a new lift from Orelle up to Come Caron |
No need. No need to make Orelle more popular. Leave it in peace for those that appreciate it.
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But - following on from my original post/question...
Any news on the CdC cable car?
Is it working again?
(I'm back in the UK now  )
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, agree !!
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| Bergmeister wrote: |
But - following on from my original post/question...
Any news on the CdC cable car?
Is it working again? |
No, it's done for the season.
From www.latania.co.uk:
The Caron cable car in Val Thorens is closed for the season. Cables have been damaged when it was operated with an unusual build up of ice and will need to be replaced this Summer. Pistes will be maintained for ski touring use.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Bummer. Will make Grand Fond a lot busier
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, is the unload point for the Caron accessible from Grand Fond if, say, you took a long traverse and maybe some skins? Or is there something in the way?
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Dunno. Traverse on the Orelle side probably easier. Rather fecks chances of full Lac De Lou laps though.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, yeah maybe from Roseal, but I can’t remember what the terrain looks like. Need to make up the 200m height diff too, hence the skins suggestion.
We did Lac du Lou from Boismint, non?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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You can do Lac du Lou from La Masse easily enough, straight off the back out of the gondola. My friend who lives out there near La Tania was surprised to hear I'd done Lac du Lou from somewhere else, we did it from Cime de Caron as I recall
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yes Lac du Lou is accessible from La Masse and Boismint, although the longest variant is from the Cime de Caron. Would be a tricky traverse across rock bands from Grand Fond.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| nbt wrote: |
| You can do Lac du Lou from La Masse easily enough, straight off the back out of the gondola. My friend who lives out there near La Tania was surprised to hear I'd done Lac du Lou from somewhere else, we did it from Cime de Caron as I recall |
Not if you only have a VT pass. Plus even if La Masse is open at the EOSB that face gets pretty uncomfortably sketchy in the spring sun.
Having said that Boismint laps are way quicker for some melliw turns.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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There was a statement in an advert for a property in Orelle stating - "Coming soon Orelle will have a new funiculaire up to the Cime de Caron at the top of Val Thorens completion is set for ski season 2020-2021!"
I can't see anywhere that this is true. There are lift/gondola upgrades planned, but I can't see and reference to a funiculaire. Does anyone else know if its true?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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FrediKanoute,
It's true - sort of... However, the new lift wull be a gondola (and not a funicular).
We were skiing "over there" yesterday and the lift pylons are already in place, from Orelle mid station upwards. The mid-station lift station is also well underway.There's a notice board there, saying it opens in December this year.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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OK, so the misleading bit is the funiculaire. The accurate bit is that the 2 stage left will now have a a single lift all the way to the top. Are they getting rid of the 2 stage lift?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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No.... There is no current two stage lift. Orelle village has a gondola up to 2200m (the mid station if you like). Thereafter you disembark and have a choice of a quick 6-man chair (to a ridge at 3000m immediately above Val T) or a couple of chairs up to Combe de Rosael ( highest pt in 3Vs and access to good off piste). The new lift is a two-stage gondola which replaces the current village gondola up to 2200, then follows a new line up to the left straight up to summit of Cime de Caron. There is only more advanced skiing from that point down so the majority of visitors will still utilise the lower liaison point so no lifts will be taken out. You can view articles online but as far as I know they are all French press releases. Hope that clarifies!
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@FrediKanoute, I was told by VT locals, that one the main ideas of the new lifts up from Orelle to the Cime de Caron, is to enable visitors to arrive from airports to Orelle in the valley, and then take gondolas/cable cars all the way into Val Thorens itself, together with their luggage. Grenoble and Turin airport will be a shorter transfer, and time is even shaved-off transfers from Chambery and Geneva airports.
Plus of course, large car-parks will be built at Orelle, to allow those driving do the same.
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Hmmm... That sounds a bit far fetched to me but I guess stranger things have happened. Already large car parks at Orelle which are rammed during peak holiday times.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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It's an interesting idea, and could be environmentally friendly. (If they added a TGV station at Orelle it would be only 4 hours from Paris, and under 2 from Turin). But I'm not convinced - who would want to risk not getting to their accommodation if any one of 4 gondolas breaks down, or stops running in high winds? And would they run overnight if flights / trains were delayed?
One of the main drivers surely has to be to provide an alternative route back to VT if the Rosael chair breaks down. I'm always a little nervous when in the Orelle valley at present, as a single lift failure could mean a lot of skiers fighting for either limited overnight accommodation or paying for a 90 mile taxi journey back to VT.
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Indeed. The old Cime de Caron telecabine being the obvious weak link in that plan!
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FAQ
