Courchevel - The Mountain Master Plan
The latest on plans to install 16 new lifts...
11 May 2012
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OK - so these are only "Plans".... Thanks to Greg H for the tip off....
The Mountain Master Plan that the Courchevel Mairee tendered out back in 2010 is starting to leak out - CIME and Ecosign came up with plans to install 16 new lifts and remove some 30 lifts (mainly drags and low capacity / short uplift ones) while keeping an existing 27 (there's currently 57 in the Courchevel Valley).
It comes close to €100m of investment over the next 10 to 15 years apparently and we already knew about the upgrade of Biollay to a 6 seater next season and the replacement of the old 3 Vallees chair in Courchevel 1650 (Courchevel Moriond from next season of course) .
There were also rumours of a new Le Praz chair to the top of Cretes which is on the plan - but no sign of a La Tania chair from resort though and the drags are to be removed - although a new lift from the top of the La Tania Gondola is planned and a lift from Le Praz direct to the top of the La Tania Gondola is marked. If the planned development of the car park near the La Tania Gondola goes ahead then surely further uplift from resort level must be mandatory before planning is given.
Note red lines are planned lifts, red dots are "alternatives", black lines existing lifts and black dots lifts to be removed.
Also of note is a link almost direct from 1850 to 1650 and a lift from 1550 (Courchevel Village next season) to St Bon & to the valley floor at Bozel - something else that's been rumoured forever. Also above 1650 the Pyramid, Marquis & Combes drags get replaced.
Elsewhere in the 3 Valleys next Winter the bottom section of the new Saulire Express Gondola down to Méribel will be completed and the Plattieres 1&2 Gondolas are to be replaced along with 10 seater cabins installed. There's plan to remove the 6 seater Adret below the Ronnie but there is a campaign to try and stop this. Tougnette Gondola must be next to be replaced but nothing concrete on this yet and Nick & Joey from Nick Ski spotted new concrete foundations going in at Les Menuires - this may be an extension to the "chip" pans out of Les Menuires so they link up to the Sunny Express - see pic below:
Thanks to Nick Ski for the pic
As usual there'll be more to come on new piste work, snow cannons, transport links (Jet2 flying to Chambery & Geneva from East Midlands and Manchester - Grenoble next Winter plus Monarch to Grenoble from Leeds for a start), bars, restaurants (it's all about the new Folie Douce below the mid-station Saulire Gondola over in Meribel - the pisteurs are gonna love that!) and the general Summer What's New news....
No doubt we'll find out how set in stone (or not) these plans are - there's certain to be some planning and financing obstacles to get through yet - but good to see The Three Valleys continuing to invest and remain at the top of the premier ski destinations on the planet.
La Tania lifts open for Summer 2012 from 1st July to 30th August - see you there...
