Weather
A break in the clouds and partial sunshine is found locally this morning with a storm rolling in across the afternoon. Currently up on Pisaillas, it is gusting up to 15 km/hr.
It is a frosty start to the day, at 9 o’clock temperatures are -12°C in the village, and -11°C at the top of Bellevarde, and -13°C up at Pisaillas. Today we are looking towards a maximum temperature of -4°C in the village.
Roads
Snowy, winter conditions can be found both around town and on the sidewalks today. During the winter either snow chains or winter tyres are mandatory for all vehicles in Savoie.
On the roads, the first Christmas holiday rush today will affect the Savoie road network between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. today. Tomorrow, despite smooth traffic on forecast, weather conditions could disrupt the road with 40 - 50 centimeters of snow expected above1,500 meters.
Local News
After 8 months of construction, the new ten-seater Vallon gondola welcomed its first skiers yesterday. Sitting at 2,790 metres in altitude at the foot of the Iseran, it has replaced the old six-seater gondola, which has served our mountains over the last 42 years.
A gondola ride taking less than seven minutes, compared to the previous 20 minutes, going from the Maison Cantonnière to the foot of the Pisaillas Glacier. Under construction since last April, this new-generation gondola was built by the Val d'Isère Téléphériques and the POMA company to make the 2,800-metre lift smoother in terms of access, more comfortable and faster, but above all more resistant to weather hazards.
By dismantling the old gondola and two ski lifts at the Col de l'Iseran, the STVI has removed 32 pylons from the landscape and replanted several protected floral species to strengthen the site's biodiversity, costing a total of 25 million euros. The old six-seater cabins were sold off earlier this year and the proceeds of 30,000 euros were allocated to three local associations.
The Val d'Isère bookstore opened its doors for the first time yesterday afternoon and welcomed many literature enthusiasts. You will now be able to discover a wide selection of French, English, Hispanic and Italian literature, including thrillers, comics, science fiction and children's books. After a few years without a bookstore, customers are delighted with this new arrival. A great opportunity for this book enthusiast to share the different works of literature, and a new cultural place for the town.
The bookseller also has other projects on the cards; such as meetings with authors, a poetry section and an exhibition of 80 paintings for sale, curated by the artist Blackpeuf.
The end-of-year holiday season begins today and looks charged with an occupancy rate of 90.7%, as reported by Cécile Ferrando, Director of Communication and Marketing at Val d'Isère Tourisme.
For this second morning of competition by the International Ski Federation, 75 slalom skiers took the start on the Face de Bellevarde yesterday morning for the Ski Chrono SAMSE Tour Technique. These were the same participants as on Thursday morning. Local skiers Rouslan Zaysser Lacroix and Anthony Moris did not finish the first round. Augustin Berthet took part in the second round, but was unable to qualify due to withdrawal.
Among the 31 to take the start for the second round, it was Baptiste Sambuis, representing CS Saint François Longchamp, who won this elite race in 1 minute and 34 seconds, followed by Jonas Skabar from the Méribel Sports Club, and Jules LLorach from the Alpe d'Huez Ski Club.
- The Tourism Office is open from 8:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- The Aqua Leisure complex is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- The Bookings centre is open from 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- The Red Shuttle will be circulating between La Daille and the Fornet every 5 minutes from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and then every 10 minutes until 2:30 a.m.
- A free shuttle runs between the Pont St Charles and the Fornet, every half hour, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- The Yellow shuttle, up to the Manchet Valley, leaves every 20 minutes between 8:30 a.m. and 11:20 p.m.
- The Blue shuttle going up to the Legattaz is every 15 minutes between 8:30 a.m and 11 p.m.
- The free shuttle between Tignes and Val d'Isère runs 6 times a day :
Departures from La Daille at 7:55 a.m. 8:35 a.m. 10:50 a.m. 4:25 p.m. 5:25 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.
Departure from Tignes 1800 at 8:05 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 11 a.m. 4:35 p.m. 5:35 p.m. 6:30 p.m.