English Weather, News, and Events - February 16th, 2025

Weather 

The sky is going to start off a little overcast this morning, but clearing around coffee time where skies will be blue again for the rest of the day, so another spring like day on the cards, good news if you are heading up the mountain but undoubtably frustating if you are an asssisting hand in changeover day!
Temperatures will reach a maximum of 1 degree today around 1 o clock, and wind will start of south westerly this morning, shifting around to the north west in the afternoon, light all day but gusting up tp 30km per hour in the mountains.
Temperatures at 09:00hrs were sitting at -8 in town, -3 on Bellevarde and -6 on pissaillas

In Le Fornet, everything is open except the piste tunnel

On the Pissaillas glacier everything is open with no exceptions

Up in Solaise everything is open except, you guessed it, the 3000 drag lift which remains closed
Similarly on Bellevarde, everything is open including both Liasons with Tignes, chairs  Tommeuse and Borsat.

All walking and ski touring trails are also open, of which we have two in Val D'Isere, Brinzei in La Daille and Ecureuil up solaise.
 as is the beginners area, including the tobogganing area. Lastly, the expert border corss area is also open.
The avalanche risk is 2/5 today.
I am sure you are all itching to enjoy the powder under the blue sky, and may be thinking about heading off piste. But dont let your excitement overcome your sense, following the sad news we received yesterday about the avalanche I must reiterate the fact that even when all safety precautions have been taken, the mountains are an unpredictable place where real danger occurs. Signs and warnings must be respected. It goes without saying but If you are heading off piste be sure to take the right equipment with you, including a transiever, shovel and probe.It is also so important to have experienced people with you as nothing is more valuable than knowledge.

Roads

Roads are clear if you are on wheels, but as per usual take care when walking around on pavements. Traffic is due to flow smoothly both up and down the mountain, but keep your eyes peeled for updates as this can change rapidly.

News

/// Avalanches
An avalanche occurred yesterday afternoon near the Col de l'Iseran, on the Maurienne side, in the commune of Bonneval-sur-Arc. A group of five friends set out from Val d'Isère to reach the Fond des Fours refuge. After passing the Col de l'Iseran and heading toward the Pont des Neiges, the French hikers triggered a large snow slab. Four of them were swept away, and two were buried and died. Thanks to their avalanche beacons (DVA), the three survivors began the search and were able to alert the rescue services. Since this is a mountain area, the CRS Alpes rescue teams from Modane and Courchevel intervened with two helicopters, including the Courchevel SAF. The piste team was also called in, alerted by a mountain guide who witnessed the scene and helped them locate the avalanche using photos. The two victims, a woman and a man in their thirties, were found under the avalanche in cardiac arrest. Despite rescue efforts, they could not be revived and were declared dead. The entire group was equipped for off-piste skiing, including their transievers. The avalanche risk was rated 3/5. This is the second fatal avalanche in the Val d'Isère ski area this year.
I can’t put into simple words how humbling this news is, and iterate the fact that even when all safety precautions have been taken, the mountains are unpredictable and a place where real danger occurs and can catch you unawares.

/// History
In other news,
The Funival at La Daille was inaugurated in 1988 after two years of construction. At that time, STVI negotiated its construction in exchange for a residential development, namely Pierre et Vacances, near the lift to boost tourism. The Funival was designed to protect against weather conditions with a 1750m long tunnel, making it a safe and reliable transportation system for users. Initially commissioned to the Creissels and Gimar companies, the lift was ultimately built by Montaval, a subsidiary of STVI, using Waagner-Biró technology. It was the third such device to be built at a ski resort in France. Benoît Rebuffel, Director of Operations at STVI, explains its unique design: He said, "It's a lift with two cabins: one going down and the other going up. Inside the tunnel, there is a walkway where the cabins pass each other. It's all pulled and held by a cable, depending on the direction the cabin is going. It’s powered by electricity, and all doors are pneumatic. The regulations require fire extinguishing systems, so everything can be controlled remotely to put out a fire, and all our staff are trained with firefighters for respiratory protection devices. In case of evacuation from the tunnel, these devices are used, and we can evacuate customers from the upper section."

/// Technical Capacity
For reminder, the Funival connects the hamlet of La Daille to the Bellevarde Rock, giving skiers access to all the slopes of this area. The lower station, located near the parking lots and the La Daille gondola, is an outdoor structure with large stepped platforms. The line is 2,300 meters long, divided into two sections: 600 meters outdoors and 1,700 meters underground. The upper station, which houses the motor, is positioned at the top of Bellevarde, near the arrivals of the Olympic cable car from the town of Val d'Isère, and the Fontaine Froide and Marmottes chairlifts. Despite the low capacity and a speed of 43 km/h, the funicular operates daily, even in bad weather. Last year, the Funival had 410,000 passengers, compared to 740,000 for the La Daille gondola. The lift has been renovated since its construction and now features two cabins supplied by, with a capacity of 272 people, compared to the previous 220 seats.
/// Maintenance
Maintaining the Funival involves 3,500 hours of work over six months. Maintenance includes checking brakes, cables, rollers, rails, vehicles, and motors. These various maintenance tasks are crucial to ensure the longevity and stability of the funicular. Studies are also conducted, as Benoît Rebuffel explains: "We carry out geological monitoring to ensure the tunnel doesn’t collapse. It also helps us anticipate repairs and make necessary restoration work to guarantee the system's durability." Several repairs have already been made to the tunnel and viaduct.

/// Regulations
The Funival is unique in that it is not subject to specific regulations, and each funicular has its own standards, as Benoît Rebuffel explains: "Our organization, STRMTG (Technical Service for Ski Lifts and Guided Transport), which is part of the Ministry of Transport, doesn't have much experience with these types of devices, as they are rare in France, so the feedback is hard to come by. For example, the Tignes funicular has different regulations from ours: they have a closed station, which we don't; they are categorized as ERP, and so on. For systems like braking, we don’t have set standards that specify a certain range. For a standard gondola lift, we know the braking times, and there’s a defined rule to follow; here, we don’t have that. Each year, we justify that our braking tests are correct, the resistance is good, and we present data from calculations. These are studies and works that have been ongoing for over 10 years with certified organizations, and every time, it has to be revalidated to be sure." Since there is no specific regulation, STVI has annual checks and implements safety systems, similar to those found on other devices, like pulleys. "We’ve had experience in Spain with the arrival pulley of a chairlift that broke. So, we created systems to secure the pulleys: if the axle breaks, the system will hold them. We developed this internally at STVI, worked with our engineering office, and got it validated by a control agency, which was then accepted by STRMTG. These are unseen improvements, but they are now essential to ensure the system's longevity."
If you are an electro music fan, head to the bar diling diling this evening, attached to the poya restaurant which you may know of.

Fun Stuff:
Tonight and every Sunday, Diling Diling is your new unmissable electro night in Val-d'Isère. Deep house and tech house with DJ Loulou Ferrari for an exceptional set.
Happy Hour from 5:30 PM to 8 PM. Get ready for an extraordinary evening at Diling Diling!