FRENCH MOUNTAINS #WINTER2018/2019 PRESS KIT 2018/2019 FRENCH MOUNTAINS, HIT THE HEIGHTS! WWW.FRANCE-MONTAGNES.COM #WINTER2018/2019 04 THE FRENCH MOUNTAINS IN FIGURES & FAMILLE PLUS 05 A WINTER OF NEW EXPERIENCES 06 MORE WAYS TO STAY ON THE MOUNTAIN 09 MOUNTAIN FOOD GETS A MAKEOVER 10 SKI AREA IMPROVEMENTS 12 CHRISTMAS IN THE MOUNTAINS IS MAGICAL 13 SKIING INTO SPRING 14 12 EPIC EVENTS Coordination & printing Edition 2018-19: France Montagnes [email protected] Photos: Agence Urope / Agence Zoom / Thomas Hytte / Valetin Studio / Daria-I Nor / Cimalpes OT St Martin de Belleville / Wild Beets Kitchen / istock / M.Studio.fotolia.com / Kiboka.fotolia.com / Nacho-Grey-Outdoor / Sushi Fumi / OT Val d’Arly / KuzminSemen / klip.fr Grey Hytte / JB Bieuville / Vincent Piccerelle / B. Longo 2 #WINTER2018/2019 EDITORIAL WELCOME TO THE FRENCH MOUNTAINS What a year! A World Cup, a young President, a resurgent economy and – to top it all – record-breaking snowfall: the last 12 months have been good to France and its mountains. Now, as we approach the ski season, the sense of optimism is palpable. So too is the spirit of renewal in our There’s a similar sense of variety when resorts. For several years now, new it comes to accommodation. In France, investment, new technology and new skiing is a mass-participation sport. ideas have brought changes at every Alongside some of the world’s most level of the holiday experience – and luxurious ski chalets and hotels, there this winter is no different. Skiers can are hostels, B&Bs and self-catering look forward to everything from a brand apartments that make the mountains new lift-serviced mountain to sushi-style affordable for almost everyone. The Savoyard cuisine, and everything in same goes for food. You can sit down between. Faster lifts, chic chalets, hipster in a Michelin-starred restaurant for the hostels and ground-breaking mountain- kind of multi-course lunch that lasts top hotels are all on the menu, along all afternoon. Or you can stop off at an with an irresistible programme of special artisan bakery and have a sandwich made events. Get your timing right, and you to order, complete with creamy Beaufort could enjoy an international firework cheese and unsalted butter. Standards competition, a giant music festival, or a are high no matter how much you spend: free ski test, featuring 5,000 products. and they’re constantly evolving to take account of the changing tastes and needs Of course, amidst all this innovation, of our visitors. many of the essentials remain unchanged. First and foremost is our So why not come and join us this winter? miraculous geography. We have not one With state-of-the-art snow-making but five mountain ranges – the Alps, systems in many of resorts, the white Pyrenees, Massif Central, Vosges and Jura. stuff is all but guaranteed. Meanwhile, Each has its own special character, but the highly-trained instructors of the they all share the same love of snow and École du Ski Français are standing by, winter sports, and they work tirelessly to whether you want to learn the beginner’s improve their infrastructure. snowplough or the perfect powder turn. Families, friends, skiers, non-skiers: all In fact, we have more ski lifts than any are welcome. other nation, and our ski areas come in an unrivalled range of sizes. France may be A bientôt ! home to the biggest properly-integrated lift system in the world, but it also JEAN-MARC SILVA, DIRECTOR shelters many charming villages, where the pace of life hasn’t changed much for 50 years. Ski one of them midweek and it can feel like your own private ski resort. If you don’t want any lifts at all, there’s also a growing ski-touring infrastructure of routes and guides. So you can walk up your mountains as well as ski down. 3 #WINTER2018/2019 THE FRENCH FAMILLE PLUS 44 French mountain resorts have the Famille Plus Label. Famille Plus is a label that was created to help identify MOUNTAINS the most family-friendly holiday destinations in France, and allow the whole family to make the very most of their holidays when there. It is awarded only to the villages and IN FIGURES resorts of France which meet the needs of families with children from the age of 18 months and up. This pioneering 23% initiative is endorsed by the French Ministry of Tourism. Proportion of France covered by mountains €81 Average price per day per person of a ski holiday in France €429 Average ski holiday budget, per person To qualify for this label, mountain resorts €25.90 must meet 110 criteria regarding: Average daily price • Infrastructure and information of a lift pass in 2017 • Resort entertainment • Activities • Environmental and mountain heritage • Accommodation and restaurant facilities 90% • Amenities, transport and safety Percentage of holidaymakers recommending For the mountain resorts, being awarded the Famille Plus label is evidence of their strong commitment to ensure the or rebooking a winter sports holiday highest level of quality in terms of infrastructure and the holiday experience they offer for families and children. The resorts’ commitments: In the Famille Plus mountain resorts you will receive a very 350 warm welcome. Seven commitments that the resorts must Ski areas in France, of which adhere to in order to play host to both children and adults: 99 are members of the ANMSM* 1 A tailor-made infrastructure for families 2 Entertainment and activities to suit all ages 3 A price to suit everyone: from the youngest to the oldest 4 Activities for adults and children to enjoy, together or separately 44 5 Professionals that are trained to take great care of children Number of ski resorts 6 The highest level of care by professionals 7 A commitment to take your suggestions on board awarded the “Famille Plus” label as they strive to improve their services. Survey by *ANMSM (Association Nationale des Maires des Stations de To find out which resorts have been Montagne) / DSF (Domaines Skiables de France) / Atout France awarded the Famille Plus label, please see www.france-montagnes.com 4 #WINTER2018/2019 A WINTER OF NEW EXPERIENCES From sushi-style cuisine to a whole new mountain of skiing, French innovation comes in every shape and form. A new mountain to ski The last word in fondue In La Rosière, two high-speed 6-seater chairlifts (and This winter, Vaujany is serving fondue in a ski lift. Following €15million of investment) are bringing lift-serviced skiing the renewal of the Télécabine de l’Enversin for the 2017- to Mont Valaisan for the first time this winter. Five new red 8 season, the rapidly-expanding resort is now offering pistes are planned, and the lifts will open up large areas fondue nights in some of the lift’s sleek new Porsche Design of off-piste terrain too – significantly boosting La Rosière’s gondolas. appeal to more confident skiers. It’s all part of a dramatic transformation of this once-sleepy resort, which is busy adding new hotels and apartments to its two base areas. Last Not cold enough for you? season, the Hyatt Centric hotel was the most high-profile Then head to GoCryo’s whole-body cryotherapy centre in opening. This winter, it’s the Alparena & Spa. Serre Chevalier. Designed to help your muscles recover from vigorous exercise, as well as treating the symptoms of neurological diseases and joint inflammation, the centre’s The highest hotel in France cold chamber has a temperature of -80 to -100C. Maximum The round-topped peak of La Solaise towers over Val d’Isère, exposure is just three minutes. and this winter a new hotel opens at the top - at the dizzy altitude of 2551m. La Refuge du Solaise occupies the site of a former cable car station and mountain restaurant, and everyone is invited. Alongside upmarket bedrooms and three A Dance Party in Alpe d’Huez luxury apartments, there’s a traditional refuge dormitory Tomorrowland is coming to Alpe d’Huez. The giant, DJ-led with 14 beds, a 300-seater restaurant, and a 23-metre pool festival - which draws 400,000 revellers to Belgium each that’s open to the public. summer – will be holding its first winter edition in the resort from March 13-15. Expect big-name acts, an exuberant and fantastical stage, and an events programme that spreads Where sushi goes for a ski holiday right across the ski area. It’s thought 30,000 dance fans will Mountain food is changing – and there’s no clearer sign than attend. Sushi Fumi in La Clusaz. Here, alongside California rolls and tuna sashimi, you’ll find combinations of Beaufort cheese, nuts and blueberries, and foie gras with fig gingerbread. These light, innovative bites are available as a takeaway, too. Arc 1600 Reborn Could this be the perfect skier’s picnic? Arc 1600 was the original village in the Les Arcs ski area, but it’s long been overshadowed by its more modern neighbours. This December, it’s back in the spotlight, thanks Why ski back to the resort, when you can fly? to the opening of a brand-new, all-inclusive Club Med resort. Val Thorens already has the world’s highest zipline. This In preparation for the opening, snow-making facilities in winter it opens a new high-wire route that offers the ultimate the village have been improved and the old Comborcière home run for skiers: from the top of the Moutière chairlift chairlift replaced, to speed up the return journey from the to the Place Caron in the heart of the village.