VAL D’ISÈRE: New lifts

From this December, a brand new 10-person Poma gondola costing €10m will bring skiers from La Daille up to the Folie Douce. The new lift, with 51 cabins and heated seats, replaces the old four-person télécabine that opened in 1966 and which was renovated in 1994. The new lift increases uphill capacity from 933 to 2,800 passengers per hour and halves the journey time to just 4min 30sec. The spacious Symphony 10 cabins, the first of their type in France, were created by an Italian designer who works for Ferrari and Maserati.

Some 40 bulky electricity-style pylons have been removed from the mountainside and any replacements are in sleek minimalist style.

One of Val d’Isère’s iconic ski lifts, which has been closed for the past six years, has been renovated and is to reopen for the coming season. Téléski des 3000 on Solaise permits advanced skiers to reach the Leissières ridge that separates Solaise from the Le Fornet ski area and the Pissaillas glacier. The drag lift goes up to a lofty 2960m and the 76% slope here is only suitable for accomplished skiers.