What’s New in La Tania & 3 Valleys 2018. #1 of 5 – The New Lifts

Three new ski lifts across the 3 Valleys for Winter 2018 plus some new beginners “magic carpet” type travelators as continued investment keeps the biggest ski area in the world at the forefront of modern lift infrastructure.

1. Ariondaz Gondola – Courchevel 1650 Moriond

The new gondola follows the tracks of the old one which dates back to 1974. The replacement is a new 8 seater doubling the current capacity and gets straight up to the Bel Air in 7 minutes instead of 10½ minutes – a 25% speed increase and not a 2 stage gondola which was originally rumoured. It still looks like a walk up from the snow front and we’re not sure if access from inside via the escalator from the main is possible.

Stats – Cost €19m, Length 2430m, Vertical 456m, 2400 skiers/hour.

Top and bottom stations have been completely refurbed.

Gondolas have 4 individual seats on one side and a bench type seat on the other which is quite strange. The new pylons are the smarter looking tubular type rather than the old “electricity pylon” type and there’s only 16 now – one less than before!

The removal of the Stade, Sainte-Agathe and Marquis drag lifts has also been completed this Summer removing some 27 pylons from the ski area.

So a welcome improvement over in Courchevel 1650 with a more comfortable and quicker ride up to the Bel Air area. No alternative in bad weather now, with the Marquis drag lift going, although the new gondola will be able to operate in higher gusts than the old one.

There is of course the free skibus up to the centre of 1850 around every 10 minutes during the day which is often used anyway to loop back over towards La Tania or Meribel in a hurry or when conditions for a glide across from the Bel Air to Gravelles aren’t good (and you don’t want to take another lift such as the Signal Chair or Petite Bosse drag). It will be interesting to see what the finalised plans for a link to Aquamotion are towards 1550 which would hopefully make for a quicker alternative route when the new lift goes in down there with eventually.

The gondola does give a lot easier access for pedestrians than a chair and with the new 3km Luge run from the top to resort plus the Western Park beginners/kids area it makes a lot of sense to have a gondola here rather than a chair. More on the Luge and new runs in What’s New #2 of 5 – New Pistes and Ski Area Developments coming soon.

2. Roc de Tougne – Meribel

Replacing the 2 parallel drag lifts of the same name this high speed 6 seater detachable chairlift will link nicely from Combes 2 chair (new in 2015) out of Mottaret adding another faster, easier way out of the valley and over to Les Menuires and Saint Martin de Belleville while also giving access to the black Bartavelle and red Lagopède pistes.

Stats – Cost €6.3m, Length 1083m, Vertical 400m, Pylons 10, 2400 skiers/hour.

From the 2018 3 Valleys Map showing where the link over to the Beleville Valley is (note the error showing Plattieres 3 as a detachable chair rather than the old bubble type gondola it really is).

The new chair will be nearer to the black run Bartavelle, already a designated “Peuf Experience” piste that is not groomed immediately following new snowfall – presumably a bit more sheltered to prevailing winds, an issue drag lifts of course don’t have!

Good to see an upgrade in this part of the ski area and good alternative faster routes now available. This was one of the 3 Valleys Escapade lifts – but the markers have disappeared off the piste maps for 2018, so the future of that is still not known.

Of course some of the Old School are have a little moan as this is bound to open up the area to a lot more skiers and the North-facing off piste around there for those not prepared to suffer the long and often cold drag lifts. Now a quick 3 minutes and 50 seconds to the top!

Many thanks to Ski Fan for many of the photos here – see more pics on the SkiFan Flickr Page

3. Moraine Gondola – Val Thorens

Near to the Chalet 360 Restaurant Complex (home of Wok Ski one of out favourites) and replacing the long and cold 4 seater chairlift (which is now up for sale if you fancy it) is a new 10 seater Gondola (reportedly heated too!).

The top station with the Col Chair

The base station next to Chalet 360

Following roughly the same line as the chair it is not being extended to take in the Col chair too as was previously rumoured but will be perfect for blue run skiers to access the Moraine and Genepi pistes and advance skiers for faster access to the off piste to the skiers left off the Col chair.

Stats – Cost €14m, Length 2454, Vertical 466m, Pylons 17, 2800 skiers/hour.

The pylons going in on the new lift

Many thanks to Ski Fan for many of the photos here – see more pics on the SkiFan Flickr Page

4. New Magic Carpets / Travelator Lifts

A new Magic Carper at Méribel’s Rond Point area has been installed where a new Easy Rider beginners zone has been created.

The previous Loupiots magic carpet has been replaced by a modern, covered one. It will allow beginners and families to practice skiing on a very gentle slope.

Further improvements at the Western Ski Park beginners area near the Bel Air in 1650 have been promised and there is now a decent length magic carpet there.

There maybe a new magic carpet lift in La Tania going in when the restructure of the Troika area is completed but rumours of the swimming pool going to make way for this will not be welcomed by some. With the Tourist Office Director leaving this Summer (good luck in Marseille, Arnaud!) and by the look of things not being replaced, it’s hard to get any kind of official news of what is happening.

We just see more chalets going up without updating the village infrastructure like the coach arrival point, village centre paving and Chalet Quarter access. Meanwhile the Moretta Village development & new chair lift to the Bouc Blanc lift, which will change La Tania to a certain degree, still has no firm start date. So much for becoming part of the Courchevel Commune eh?

Will be all tidied up and the shell of the new chalets in place for Winter by the way, more on these developments and future plans in What’s New #3 of 5 – New Building Work, Chalets and Developments coming soon…

Coming next is What’s New #2 of 5 – New Pistes and Ski Area Developments

Photo Credits: Ski Fan, Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens Tourist Offices