A fire destroys Chamonix cable car in the Grands Montets ski area, but the area will open for the winter.
Compagnie du Mont Blanc press release- In the early afternoon of Tuesday 11th September, a fire broke out during work to repair the roofing of the upper station of the 1st cable-car between Argentière & Lognan (Les Grands Montets ski area). This work was entrusted to a specialist sub-contractor.
The fire spread almost instantaneously throughout all the buildings of the arrival station, creating severe damage to the infrastructures of the two cable-cars.
Les Grands Montets funicular on the ground, luckily there were no victims.
A Day Visit to the Terminal Neige-Refuge in Montenvers, Chamonix
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On our way to Courmayeur, this year we stayed for two nights in Chamonix. We had the luck to go this time up to the Gare du Montenvers and take the train up to the mountain to see the glacier of the Vallée Blanche. That in itself was a great day out! The train goes over a rack and pinion railway and through some nice forests and then climbs up giving travellers amazing views of Chamonix and the mountains surrounding the valley. Most people go up the station and then climb down the stairs to the ice cave, which needs to be carved each year in the glacier, as each year the glacier retreats many meters. It is impressive to see how high the glacier was not so many years ago. There is a small gondola that takes you to the top of the stairs, and then each year the stairs have to be extended down and down to reach the entrance of the ice grotto.
The train takes you from the station in Chamonix up to Montenvers, where the Mer de Glace awaits. Photo: The Ski Guru
The day we choose was amazing, pretty warm in the sun, with some clouds menacing a storm that did not materialise, and we were happy to be up the mountain, as in the valley of Chamonix it was 31 C (this summer was way too hot all over Europe!). This considering that Chamonix is by Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe and even here it was hot!
The Mer de Glace as seen at the arrival station at Montenvers. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.
Not too many people know, that 100 metres from the train station (gare), walking back to the valley, you find the Terminal Neige-Refuge. This hotel was built in 1880 to accommodate the first mountaineers and travellers who went to visit the Mer de Glace. From outside is a typical ‘rifugio’ of the Alps, with granite façades and small windows. The hotel is perched at 2049 meters over sea level (6725 feet) with magnificent views to the Mer de Glace glacier, the mythical Aiguille des Drus, the Grand Jorasses, and also the Valley of Chamonix.
The summer holidays are coming upon us and I am counting the days to leave this hot city and have some days off. I have been planning this summer holiday for at least half an year and cannot believe it is finally coming! We will be going to the mountains and the beach in one trip, to please all the members of the family. Even though I will be having a couple of meetings here and there, it is still time to spend with the family and enjoy being and playing outside.
I love planning where we are going to go each year. For winter we always go to the Alps driving, and we have done already 5 years of going to Pila, just up from Aosta, one going to Madonna di Campiglio and one adding Courmayeur to the end of our stay in Aosta/Pila. We always travel by car, as we take all our equipment with us, and we are well positioned in SE London to get to Folkestone for the Eurotunnel station.
Start of the trip at the Eurotunnel – can’t wait! Photo by The-Ski-Guru.
Summer is not different. I find that purchasing flights for the family during the kids’ school holidays is very expensive, plus I do love our road trips. So off we’ll be going soon to Folkestone to board the Eurotunnel and get into another adventure.
One thing to remember is to get the car lights stickers that are obligatory for UK cars driving in the Continent, so you do not blind the cars coming the other way, the yellow vests per each person in the car, a triangle and I am not sure if the breathalysers are still requested in France. It was the case, then I’ve read that it was not the case anymore – just check online before travelling just in case! Have all these things inside the car, reachable if you are stopped by the police, not in your car boot, as you could be fined if you need to get out to get them!
Les Trois Vallées, the world largest ski area as they call themselves, is composed by renowned resorts like Courchevel, Meribel, Brides-les-Bains, Les Menuires, St Martin de Belleville, Val Thorens and Orelle. With 600 km of pistes, it can keep all guests entertained for weeks, without having to ski one trail twice! Here we’ll tell you what is new for the 2018-19 ski season.
Les Trois Vallées, an amazing expanse of pistes and off-pistes to challenge any type of skier.
The opening days for the 2018-19 ski season from the different resorts are from 17th November for Val Thorens, 24 Nov for Orelle, 8 December for Courchevel 1850, Courchevel Village, Courchevel Le Praz, Vallée de Méribel and Les Menuires. On the 14th December is the turn of Brides les Bains, followed on the 15th by Courchevel Moriond, Courchevel La Tania and Saint Martin de Belleville.
The Mountain Collective is still alive and kicking after the announcement of the IKON Pass and the disappearance of the MAX pass – as many of the resorts that were in the latter, where absorbed by Alterra Mtn Co with its IKON pass.
Mountain Collective Pass – Niseko United.16 destinations- 2 days per resort.
Each 2018-19 pass-holder will receive 2 days at the Collective destinations for a total of 32 days, plus a third day at the destination of their choice.
If you look at a ski map of Les Trois Vallées (3 Valleys of France)- the largest ski domaine you see in the middle of the map Meribel, which is known as the heart of Les Trois Vallées. This could be a great resort where to base yourself if you want to ski all over the three valleys. But maybe you should look a bit lower, at 600 meters, it is an easy way to get to, and is connected to all the rest of the three valleys. I am talking about Brides – les – Bains.
Sauna cabin at Meribel- Photo courtesy of Brides-les-Bains Tourism Office.
Maybe not thought as much as a place to stay, but Brides -les -Bains is a town that is opened 11 months of an year, instead of only some months in winter and a couple in summer. Therefore, this makes a bigger population of all-year residents, and prices are much cheaper. They do not need to make in three months their year’s earnings. Rates are between 30 to 50% lower than at the high-altitude resorts in the Three Valleys.
Going skiing with the family is great, but you need to plan your bag ahead, and be sure that your little ones will not be suffering from the cold, or if not, your holiday might be jeopardised if they are too cold for skiing.
A stop in the way when driving – Photo by Easton Oliver – Unsplash – Estes Park, Colorado
When you are packing, I suggest thinking on your ski clothes first, and doing the normal clothes later. You will not need too many normal clothes if you are self catering, a couple of trousers, shirts or t-shirts and warm jumpers if you are planning to dine outside, unless you are staying in a hotel or chalet and you have to go out for dinner or you have included half or full board, that you might want to look smart every evening.
Swissinfo.ch published a very good table with all the ski resorts’ lift ticket rates – which is good to see when planning a ski holiday – even though the price of the lift ticket is not all, and it accounts to only a 6% of the ski holiday, but, every little helps!
This is not an exhaustive list, but you have something to compare. I am assuming that the prices within the Dolomiti Superski area, are showing all the same rates, as they must be selling the Dolomiti Superski lift.
To keep on reading more ski news at your fingertips, keep on coming to The-Ski-Guru
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The Panoramic Mont-Blanc lift finished in the ground after suffering very weird conditions. A thick ice cover, thicker than the width of the cable covered a very long stretch of cable creating a very heavy mass, which made the cable collapse.
The Mont Blanc Panoramic Lift has fallen to the ground due to the weight of ice on top of its cable.
The pair slipped in icy conditions, skiing off-piste with another man.
Two Cambridge men have fallen hundreds of meters to their death in a skiing tragedy near Chamonix. The two, aged 26 were on holidays in the French resort of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.
Two Cambridge men have died in a skiing tragedy in the French Alps.
The gondolas that go on top of the Mar de Glace, from Aiguille du Midi in France (Chamonix) to Punta Helbronner in Italy (Courmayeur)
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