As we've been busy enjoying another hugely successful summer here in Samoens, up in the Grand Massif ski area work has been raging on ahead of the incoming 2019-20 ski season. Investment this summer has focused strongly on artificial snow production which will provide a fantastic back up to the Grand Massifs impressive snow record.
New Reservoir, Samoens
A brand new reservoir will serve the Samoens / Coulouvrier areas, providing 35,000m3 of water to the Grand Massif's ever expanding snow making network. At a cost of €1.5m, it will help back up the areas already impressive snow record and offer the best possible early and late season conditions. The work is being carried out in conjunction with various partners to ensure minimum impact on the local flora and fauna, including the creation of new wetlands for the resident alpine newts.
New Snow Cannons, Flaine
Increased snow production on the Tourmaline piste with the installation of 7 snow guns and 5 fan cannons between the Veret drag lift and the top of the piste. The Serpentine piste has received 2 new snow guns on the final section before the Grand Vans chairlift. Finally, 2 new snow guns have been installed on the stadium piste.
New Snow Cannons in the The Giffre sector
Great news for the Marvel piste (one of our favourites!) with the installation of 12 new snow cannons on the final 1.2km of the piste. Elsewhere, there has been a doubling up of snow canons to increase production in several key areas, most notably the Demoiselles, Chars, and Aouia pistes.
There are some big and exciting improvements happening in the Grand Massif over the summer, and we can't wait to check them out!
The Coulouvrier Bowl Development
Substantial expansion of the Grand Massif ski area with the addition of 4 new pistes in an entirely new valley - 2 blue runs for winter 2017/18 & 2 red runs for winter 2018/19. The pistes will be served by a new 6-seater chairlift departing from 1200m and arriving at 2120m, it will be the longest lift of it's kind in Europe at 2850m. Taking only 10 minutes to whisk you back to the top, the lift will have a capacity of 3000 people per hour. This new area will be equipped with 70 new snow cannons.
Piste Remodelling
Extensive remodelling of the Tete de Saix to improve the movement of skiers as they travel between the various areas of the ski resort. The summit will also benefit from stunning 360 degree views.
Snow Making in Flaine
Creation of a 110,000m3 reservoir which will provide Flaine with a tenfold increase in it's snow making capacity. Carefully integrated into the surrounding landscape, it will help to offer enhanced snow coverage on the linking runs leading back to the resort.
Green Globe
In the autumn of 2016, The Grand Massif ski area became the first ski area to be awarded the Green Globe certification for all it's services including ski lifts, pistes.
Origine Grand Massif
Started up by the Grand Massif ski area, the 'Origine Grand Massif' association has been created to support the local economy by promoting and connecting local producers and artists to skiers visiting the area.
Coming Soon...
Work has now started on a major new chairlift ready for Christmas 2017. Located in the Combe de Coulouvrier, between Samoens and Morillon, the new lift will be a high speed 6 seater chairlift. Starting at an altitude of 1161m rising to 2105m, travelling at approximately 6 m/s, skiers will travel a distance of 2850m in under 8 minutes! This lift will lead to some new pistes in Samoens and Morillon. The first piste, a blue, will descend from Samoens 1600, with the lift carrying up to 3000 skiers an hour. This will provide great relief for the Chariande Express during busy times. The second blue piste will lead from the top of the Morillon ski area to the bottom of the Coulouvrier lift, providing quicker access for Morillon skiers to reach Flaine and the rest of the Grand Massif.
Major earth works are being undertaken at the Tete de Saix to allow for the increase in the numbers of skiers. Maybe there is enough space for a new restaurant too?! (not confirmed). The new pistes will be equipped with snow cannons allowing for guaranteed connections. 2 new reservoirs are planned for this summer too, integrating with the natural environment, and with the potential to increase the amount of water available for snow cannons for the whole area by up to 10 times.
In line with the modernisation of the Grand Massif lift network, two of the slower, older lifts will be removed and replaced by this new lift. Firstly, La Lanche at Morillon (constructed in 1989) and secondly, Gouilles Rouges at Samoëns (constructed in 1981). The new speedy Coulouvrier lift will get more skiers higher, more quickly than the two older lifts put together, with more reliability during bad weather – can’t be all bad!
If ever there was a year to go skiing in the Grand Massif, winter 2015/16 is THE time. Why? It’s all about the investment!
As a partner with the lift company, Alps Accommodation are invited to visit the piste and lift improvements in the Grand Massif carried out since the lifts stopped turning at the end of the winter. The lift company, GRAND MASSIF DOMAINES SKIABLES (GMDS) as they are now called, certainly don’t sit still during the summer. This year was no different, and their main investment has been in safety inspections, rigorous checks and maintenance of numerous lifts. The required interval between these high end inspections varies on the age and type of the lifts, but this summer, many reached that time together making it big business in the Grand Massif. When you consider the lift parts that need to be inspected are halfway up a mountain and 50 foot in the air, it’s no wonder it costs so much time, effort and money to keep it all safe for us skiers. Therefore, if ever there was a year to ski in Samoens, Morillon and the Grand Massif, just after a major safety inspection is a good choice!
Our day started at GMDS HQ, the office above the Grand Massif Express in Samoens village. Welcomed with the usual strong coffee, croissants and pain au chocolates, i noticed a few new faces this year. One of which was the new Director of Samoens’ Tourist Office, Nicolas Francfort who has a very impressive CV with experience at Compagnie des Alpes (owners of GMDS) and Club Med. I’ll corner him later i thought, but at least let him finish his coffee!
We jumped into our 4 x 4 Toyotas for our bumpy off road trip to Tête de Saix, then right driving down the famous long blue piste, the Perce-Neige. A dusting of early snow and frosted plants set my excitement levels soaring in anticipation of the winter to come. Passing the top of the Les Molliets chair lift we started down towards Morillon on the pretty tree lined piste called l’Arête where we had our first stop. This piste has been trebled in width, and then covered with compost and seed (the compost and seed mean the grass can be skied on for longer). This is such an improvement to what was a very narrow, busy piste to Morillon from Samoens and Les Carroz.
Back in the 4 x 4’s we then headed again up to Tête des Saix passing a few walkers, where the sun was shining and our early picnic lunch was being laid out. What a spot, Mont Blanc views, cloud in the valley, sun warming our faces and the freshest of fresh air. A glass of wine later, i started chatting to Nicolas from the Tourist Office. As he was only on day 3 i thought best go easy, but my main question was when is Samoens getting an indoor swimming pool. The positive news was that he shared mine, our guest’s, and just about everyone else’s view that an indoor ‘Aquatic Centre’ is overdue in Samoens. Watch this space.
The lunch break also gave me the opportunity to chat with the director of Flaine’s ski area and see how they had spent our hard earned lift pass cash. The piste down to Flaine from the top of the Grand Vans chair called Tourmaline has had a major improvement just after the Veret drag lift. The piste has been widened into a sweeping S so much less harrowing for those intermediate skiers heading to Flaine for the first time and spreading skiers across the piste on busy days.
Now, most importantly of all, Flaine’s toilets at the top of the DMC have been given a complete makeover costing 400,000 Euros – that’s a lot to spend a penny! They have a green recycling, algae eating system, meaning we can rest the legs on our mountain throne knowing we aren’t harming the beautiful environment! The snow park in Flaine has also been moved and improved. It will now be right in the centre of the resort, something about ‘au cœur de la poule’. With more jumps and kickers, more features and more investment it has been remodelled to appeal to a wider audience. I might even dust off the old board and give it another go after 10 years! Don’t ask me why it's been so long.
On the way back down, after strong coffee and chocolate we were briefed of a new gas blaster just where the Marmotte and Perce-Neige part company, under the three ‘Fingers’ as they are known locally. This along with an investment in the computer controlled aspects of the snow cannons and other gas blasters apparently means the slopes will be safe earlier in the mornings. Earlier daily openings – I hope so! The Cascade has also seen further investment in snow cannons and safety elements.
Next, just after hearing the cry of an eagle we bumped our way back down to Morillon 1100 Les Essert’s main car park which has been doubled in size. Mid-bounce, our driver, told us the helicopter was due to arrive at 14:30. For a split second i thought DSGM had really pulled out the stops this year and were going to give us an aerial view of some distant improvement. But no, it was arriving to help re-install all the wheel runners of the ski lift pylons, which had been removed earlier in the summer from the Sairon chair lift. Never mind i thought, it was still pretty impressive watching the helicopter, swoop down, hook up the next wheel stack, drop off and return in a matter of minutes. With the parts removed by helicopter, microscopic investigations looking for any signs of faults, and then returned by helicopter, you get an idea of the scale and costs involved. Perhaps this is why we haven’t got a fancy new lift this year, but personally I’m happy to settle for a ride on a left that has just had a high level inspection.
Overall the team at GMDS were upbeat about the long range snow forecasts. So much so in fact that if we get the cold weather predicted in November, they will run the snow canons earlier to build up a base so we can ski no matter what. Great news for all our Christmas guests.
Keep up the good work guys and huge thanks to Estelle, Emmanuel and all the team at GMDS.
by Tom Ward-Lee
Domaine Skiable du Giffre (DSG), the company who operates the lifts here in Samoens, Morillon and Sixt have been beavering away this summer at many improvements for the lifts and pistes. Although the area boasts one of the best snow records in the Alps, the team are not resting on their laurels. Significant investment has been made across the ski domain with an emphasis on further increasing snow making facilities, and increasing the longevity of the snow to further improve skiing conditions at the start and end of the season.
I was invited again for DSG’s annual display of the piste and lift improvements this week, welcomed warmly with hot coffee and fresh pain au chocolates in the upstairs office of the Grand Massif Express. A brief intro from the boss, then we all jumped into the 4 x 4’s for our bumpy day ahead. Our first stop was Lac Bleu in Morillon to see the new pumping house next to the lake. Two massive pumps push the water from the lake up to Morillon 1100 to refill the lake used for snow cannons - massively increasing the snow making capacity.
Lac Blue is re-filled from a huge underground lake which runs from Sixt to Taninges so there is never a shortage of water! For those of you who have swum in the lake you will know its pretty chilly, 8 degrees centigrade in fact. So when the head of artificial snow making said the water was rather warm (in snow making terms), I let out a little chuckle!
27 new snow cannons have been installed in Morillon this summer, 25 of them on the piste coming down from Morillon Les Esserts at 1100m to Morillon village – Piste Doina. This is great news as another of my favourite pistes is guaranteed snow much later into the season.
Back on the 4 x 4’s we briefly stopped half way up the piste from Morillon 1100 to Morillon village to check out some of the new snow cannons. Then we climbed up to Morillon 1100 and headed off road up the Marvel all the way to the top of Morillon ski area. From here we headed over to Samoens Tete des Saix driving past the new much larger opening into the Marmotte run. Opening up a bottle neck/busy area for sure, so you can glide more easily onto this great red run.
We passed the top of the Lanche black/off piste area where they have been busy cutting the bushes back. Why I asked? For two reasons came the response. Firstly, less things to hit when skiing, but more importantly to reduce the possibility of avalanches. When the snow falls the bushes bend and create a pocket of air stopping the layers of snow property bonding.
Loads of top soil and grass seeds were being spread on all the pistes that were still rocky. This increases the longevity of the particular piste, as you can ski on grass with much less snow than on rocks. This again will further improve Easter skiing for sure.
Lunch at Tete des Saix, with, of course a few plastic cups of quality french wine! Then we headed back down the piste Dahu and stopped at the lake half way down. Here we saw the new ‘Robots’ in the photograph sitting on the surface of the lake, to churn the water all winter stopping it from freezing, providing much more water to the snow cannons again. They have also emptied the lake during the summer and cleaned it all out, increasing its capacity significantly.
Then on the way back to Samoens we stopped for a shot of Kirsch as a digestif at Luge de Teran while being given a display of the snow cannons opposite!!
Other improvements discussed during the day included:
Reducing risks of avalanche throughout the ski area by installing more barriers to stop the snow slipping. Improving the junction between the Marveline and Marvel pistes. Improving the sledge run at Samoens 1600. Improved safety on the GME, and improvements on the pistes of Fontaine, Cascade and Grand Cret.
Huge plans for the Sixt ski area one step closer. Discussed over a glass of vino with sketches on the back of a piece of scrap of paper - watch this space for more information!
A big thanks to all the team at DSG for a great, informative day out. It’s got me in the mood now so I’m dusting off the skis this weekend, checking over the kit, watching the snow forecasts and am delighted to see 20cm forecast on the upper pistes this week. Bring on the winter!
by Barbara Allan
The winter season is now fully upon us. Fresh snow has been falling this week between bluebird days and there is more of the fluffy white stuff forecast from Friday. These are exciting times, but not just because of the snow. Of course the snow is what it’s all about right now, but here in the Alps Accommodation office something else has got the team abuzz.
Just recently I had the pleasure of meeting the general director of the Grand Massif Resort, Mr Pascal Tournier. Mr Tournier and I discussed some of the future plans for the resort, and I must say there’s a good reason why it’s called the Grand Massif. While some plans are merely in their beginning stages, others are almost complete. Either way, Mr Tournier and his committed team are going to be very busy ensuring the bright future of our resort.
A large majority of the work and investments made last summer went into improving the quality of the pistes and longevity of the snow. Snow canons were installed, reservoirs were expanded, and of course many of the slopes were covered in rich topsoil to encourage growth, which in turn ensures what snow there is will last. In keeping with this theme Mr Tournier confirmed that by next season 2015 more snow canons will be installed, further boosting the resort’s snow-making capacity. The main focus will be on Morillon, specifically the two runs that return down to village level. Just think! Guaranteed ski-in ski-out! That’s fabulous news for Alps Accommodation guests staying in Morillon.
The slopes of Vercland are also tipped as priority for snow canons, again ensuring ski-in ski-out capability. This is actually just a small part of a much grander plan for the area. Not only will there be snow canons on the runs down to Vercland, but at altitude there will be another water reservoir to ensure their supply. And most importantly these new, perfectly snow-covered runs will be winding their way back down to the brand new chairlift that would have replaced the ancient red bubble of bygone years! Great news for guests at Alps Accommodations’ Chalet Maya just 100m away. As much as the “M&Ms” as I like to call them have great character, it is definitely time for them to go and Mr Tournier said that by season 2016 the plan should be complete. Mr Tournier also confirmed that the rumours you may have heard, about pistes that continue all the way back down the mountain to L’Etelly where a new telecabine would be situated along with a large car parking facility, are not actually rumours. While the immediate focus is on replacing the Vercland telecabine at its current location, the L’Etelly plan is in the pipeline and may come into fruition before too long. Just imagine - queues at the GME during peak holiday times halved!
Two other ideas in their basic stages of developmental planning are a mechanical link between Sixt and Flaine, and a new link between Morillon and Samoens. The Sixt-Flaine link really does seem to be just an idea at this stage. Mr Tournier did say however, that should it go ahead then Sixt would be looking at getting its very own telecabine with a further one or two chairlifts linking up to Flaine. The Samoens-Morillon link would involve development of the Combe de Coulouvrier under the current Lanche lift and addition of two new chairlifts linking the two stations.
And finally – yes, it’s hard to believe but there is more – probably one of the most talked about points of late is the “FuniFlaine” sky tramway that would link Magland in the neigbouring Arve Valley to Les Carroz and Flaine. The 6.4km long system with its four individual entry/exit points would climb a total of 1350m between Magland and Flaine and transport 2000 people per hour one way. While this seems enormous and perhaps a little daunting for those of us in the tourism industry in the Giffre Valley, the project does have its benefits. The “FuniFlaine” would definitely become the starting point of choice for skiers and snowboarders further down the valley, and I daresay it would for the Swiss crowd travelling up from Geneva each weekend too. I don’t know about you, but personally I like the idea of deflecting some of that traffic away. And if it means leaving the slopes here just to the locals and holidaymakers to our valley, then no complaints from me! The financial decision on this project is being made in July of this year and should everything go ahead the funicular is set to be in place by season 2018.
And so Mr Tournier and his team at the Grand Massif have a number of busy years ahead of them. Improvements have already been made, soon others will be started, and then even more will follow but speaking with the general director he certainly seemed quietly calm and confident. All in a day’s work I guess. Here’s to a bright and grand future!!
By Barbara Allan
It’s been a cool start to the week here in Samoëns and temperatures are set to get even colder in the next few days. In fact, local weather forecasters are predicting snow before the week is out. Woohoo! Winter is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to see what the 2014 season has in store. Whilst we can only make predictions (in typical village-local style!) about the snowfalls that are heading our way, we can tell you for sure that there have been some great changes up on the slopes of the Grand Massif.
Over the summer months a whopping 3m Euros was spent on developments to the Samoëns, Sixt and Morillon ski domains. Further enhancements have also been made to Les Carroz and Flaine. Compagnie des Alpes and Senior Management from the Grand Massif office in Samoëns recently gave a few lucky locals a first-hand look at these new and exciting developments. Alps Accommodation team member, Paul McLean, was one of those lucky few. Here’s his rundown of what awaits you this winter season.
The first port of call on Paul’s exciting day discovering what’s new in the Grand Massif was Sixt. Here, marked improvements have been made to the snow making facilities on the famous Cascade run. This must-do, 14km long run that links Flaine with Sixt has had new and higher volume snow canons installed on the lower sections of the piste. Previously these sections of the piste could get a little ‘patchy’ in places, however, the new snow canons, which will be serviced by a new and more powerful water pump, should assure more snow production and better conditions in general this season.
There has also been some impressive work done in Samoëns to ensure greater snow conditions throughout the season. More snow canons have been added and the capacity of Lac Gouilles, which provides the water to those canons, has been increased immensely. Drainage from the areas surrounding the lake has also been improved, ensuring greater water supply which means greater capacity to make snow! On an environmental note, the fertile soil that was dug out of the lake will be reused on the mountain to encourage grass and vegetation growth on the pistes. This in turn means those pistes will be open and skiable for longer.
Another great improvement which will be seen throughout the Grand Massif this season is the resort’s general accessibility, in particular for beginners. In Sixt, the exit to the lower nursery slope’s drag lift has been reshaped to ensure much easier first attempts. At Samoëns 1600 the nursery slope has been completely remodeled to work more effectively with the magic carpet that was installed last year. An earth barrier has also been created to protect this slope from the shorter but steeper piste above. And in Morillon, beginners will be able to enjoy a brand new green run, the Marveline! In fact Morillon’s debutante area has been increased to include the Les Esserts lift, giving beginners access to more of the mountain but in far more progressive steps. Marveline runs through the forest from the top of the Les Esserts chairlift down on to the existing Marvel run. The 700m or so of additional piste created by the Marveline provides beginners with a shorter, less intimidating descent.
It’s not just beginners, however, who will benefit from some of the remodeling that’s been going on across the resort. General circulation onto lifts should improve, especially in Morillon where new barriers have been installed to speed up passenger flow onto the Les Esserts lift. Annoying bottlenecks and crowding on certain pistes should also become a thing of the past with wider access points to a number of pistes, including the Char and Stade runs in Morillon. The Verosse run in Samoëns has also had some work done, which better opens up the traversing piste that runs under the Chariande lift towards the Marmotte. Widening this previously little used run will encourage people to use it, not only dispersing crowds, but offering an alternate run back down into Samoëns.
Finally, you’ll be seeing a splash of colour on the mountain this season, other than that of the latest trend of jackets. Bright red seats, designated especially to children, have been installed on the Les Esserts lift in Morillon and also the Damoiseux lift in Samoëns. These padded, red cushions raise the seat level slightly and extra security is also provided by a safety bar which goes between the legs. Although priority will be given to children, the design of the seats does still allow for their use by adults.
And so, there are some exciting new changes to look forward to this season, all of which should improve your skiing and boarding experience in the Grand Massif. All there is to do now is to book your holiday and wait for the snow to come. And looking out my window this very moment at the cold, grey blanket of clouds covering the mountains, I’m pretty sure it won’t be a long wait. Woohoo! Winter is coming!
During the summer of 2012 Compagnie des Alpes, who manage the lift network in the Grand Massif have spent in the region of 10 million Euros improving the ski areas of Flaine, Samoens, Morillon and Sixt. The main improvements are as follows:
The simplest, yet probably the most efficient improvement has been to cover the rocky and new slopes with top soil and grass seed. This means the piste can be skied on with less snow and kept open longer. Simple but very effective!
Beginners and children –
1. A moving carpet! Skiing just got safer and easier at Samoens 1600 with the new fantastic moving carpet lift covered in a large clear tube which takes you back up the beginners run. You simply walk on with your skis on and it takes you to the top of the piste. Excellent for children and beginners as it keeps you dry if snowing and out of the wind. It’s also so much simpler and safer to use than the existing drag lifts. The ski instructors are over the moon as it will significantly reduce waiting time on the beginners run and make their lives a lot easier!
2. ESF have also built a second smaller carpet in their Jardin des Neiges for the very small children.
3. Redirection of an underground river to reduce melting of the snow on the green runs of Morillon.
4. Enlarging of the Marvel run in Morillon. Plus new signs all the way down detailing information about the local wildlife with the occasional wooden cut out hiding in the woods along the run for the kids to spot.
Intermediates -
1. An increase in size of the area at the top of the Grand Massif Express. Plus widening at the start of the descents back to Samoens.
2. The creation of a new piste ‘Chalet’ at Morillon just to the side of the Sairon lift. Nice and wide sweeping run from the top to mid way down. Cleverly built by removing the top soil, then carrying out the excavation work, then placing the soil back on and sowing seed.
3. Morillon’s Stade run has improved connection back to the Sairon so no more walking!
4. Increased size of the Cascades run down to Sixt.
5. Increased size of the Crete run in Morillon
Advanced -
1. A new red run ‘Parements’ out to the left of the Samoens ski domain. The new piste cuts across the existing Aigle Noir black run high above the lake and re joins with the Dahu blue run. A beautiful part of the ski domain now much more accessible.
2. The entrance to the Lanche black run just off the Perce-Neige has been moved back towards the top of the Les Molliets lift. The entrance is now in a much safer position, giving much better access to a lovely un-pisted bowl of powder!
One of the biggest investments has been the Aup Deveran lift in Flaine, which has been replaced with an 8 seater high speed lift, almost doubling the capacity!!
There have been dozens of other smaller improvements over the summer from renovating the station of Chariande 2 to improving the area for the piste security staff to have lunch (Happy staff, makes safer pistes!).
All this talk of skiing is getting me in the mood. Think i'll get my skis out and give them a wax - bring on the winter!!
Is Samoens a ski in, ski out village? It's a question we're asking a lot- find out in this article, including Morillon, Morillon 1100 and the Grand Massif ski area.
Find out everything you need to know about the Grand Massif ski area - facts, snow record, piste overview. Make sure you visit Samoens, Morillon or Sixt soon!
Vercland telecabine - The hamlet of Vercland, Samoens is getting a brand new telecabine! The new vercland ski lift will offer a quick and efficient link into the Grand Massif ski area.
Here's our guide to a cheaper ski holiday in Samoens and the Grand Massif. If you normally ski in the big name resorts such as Courchevel or Val d'Isere, you could save significantly in the Grand Massif, and have just as much fun!
What do I need to pack for a ski holiday?? Take the stress out of packing for your next ski holiday in Samoens and the Grand Massif by following our packing list!
The histroy of Samoens and the Grand Massif's skiing. Over 100 years of skiing and winter sports and details on how skiing in Samoens has developed.
Alps Accommodation were recently invited along on an excellent morning exploring the numerous works carried out in Samoens, Morillon and the Grand Massif, including the fantastic new Coulouvrier chairlift in the Combe de Coulouvrier, and dramatic changes to the Tete des Saix summit.