€22 million investment in Brevent/Flegere over the next 3 years

The 3 stage plan will see the old 3-man Cornu chairlift replaced with a high speed 6-seater chair set to open by next Christmas. The piste des Praz, that runs from Flégère down to Le Praz will benefit from the installation of snow cannons for 2007/8 which should mean that the run will be skiable all season and therefore alleviate some of the congestion associated with the area during peak periods.

The largest project however will be the replacement of the Brévent gondola at a cost of €11 million. The new lift will have the capacity to carry 3000 people per hour up to Plan Praz, more than doubling the current capacity. The base station will remain in the same place at the top of La Mollard, but the top station will be built about 20m higher enabling skiers to slide straight onto the ski area by the piste behind La Bergerie Restaurant. It is currently necessary to take the 2000 chairlift or the Plan Praz – Brévent cable car in order to access the pistes.

The project will be realised over the next two years and will result in the partial closure of the lift during summer 2007. The new lift is posing certain problems to developers, namely the extent of parking available (currently 450 places). In order to alleviate potential parking issues the CMB are instead looking to develop alternative access routes to the new gondola; a new chairlift on the Savoy piste and doubling the number of buses running to the area.

Other long term projects in the pipeline for the CMB include replacing the Prarion Telecabine in Les Houches, the possible construction of a chairlift to connect Les Houches to St Gervais and a new chair linking Le Tour to Switzerland. However, the big headache in the valley, La Flégère cable car, looks set to be with us for some time to come.

Source and photo credit: Le Dauphine