Light up, light up with the Ski Patrol
Just what goes into getting the slopes ready for us to take on our favourite run?
THE French resort of Les Deux Alpes is best known for group-friendly nightlife, a diverse range of events, glacier skiing in summer and easy access to the off-piste mecca of La Grave.
But what does it take to make a popular resort run like clockwork?
I went behind the scenes in LDA to find out what makes the place tick.
Or should I say tick tock? My alarm went off very early one morning as I prepared to ski ‘first tracks’ with Laurent, a member of the resort’s ski patrol team.
Hitting the slopes at 8am – before the lifts have opened for the day – is worth the early start. As the sun rises, you blast down empty groomed runs before enjoying breakfast in a mountain hut. It’s like having your own private mountain and afterwards, you still have a full day of skiing to enjoy.
Experiencing first tracks with a patroller like Laurent is a privilege as he shares his knowledge of the mountains. He’s part of a 45strong team in Les Deux Alpes which makes the slopes safe for skiers and boarders.
Ski patrol teams are the heart of every resort. On a daily basis, it’s the ski patrol chief who decides if and when the slopes will open. Patrollers like Laurent are each assigned a sector of the mountain to check for safety; removing rocks or debris from the pistes, checking that safety netting and pylon mattresses are in place on runs, reporting back to HQ on snow conditions and basically opening the slopes.
AFTER a heavy fall of snow, patrollers must also blast the slopes to protect skiers from avalanche danger. Then, throughout the day, they respond to accidents and take injured skiers off the mountain. According to Laurent, up to 1,500 accidents – mainly involving head and knee injuries – can occur on the pistes during the season, keeping him and his team mates very busy.
As an experienced patroller, Laurent gets to see the effects of climate change first hand. This winter, snow conditions have been excellent and with its highest skiing at a whopping 3,600 metres, Les Deux Alpes will retain good snow cover through to summer but recent weather patterns are a concern.
“In the past three or four years, the weather has been so erratic that as patrollers, we worry that we are losing our knowledge” he says. Erratic patterns have included rain to higher levels, stronger storms and high temperatures following snow falls, a risk factor for avalanche activity.
From 3,600m above sea level to 130m below ice; I wave goodbye to Laurent and drop in to the control room of the resort’s funicular railway, a must-visit if you’re passionate about machines and railway systems.
Built in 1989, the funicular track is over a mile long with a 3,000m elevation. It travels 10m a second and carries 106 passengers every four minutes, all at 130m below ground.
Visiting the funicular control room is part of a behind-thescenes tour that culminates with a stop-off in the nerve centre of the resort operation – a snowmaking facility run by snow engineer and avalanche expert Thierry Gandon.
The hand of Thierry is an expert one and he carefully explains to fascinated visitors how snow is made and how much it costs to produce. While piste grooming accounts for 10% of your lift pass price, snow-making made up 3.5 per cent of it in LDA last season.
Thierry’s job is a complex and wide-ranging one. Following less than ideal snow conditions on the glacier last summer (temperatures were too high) the resort decided to install snow cannons at 3,000m – a challenging feat.
Thierry’s team also has to ensure that snow cannons produce excellent snow cover on the 10km Jandri run which was opened a couple of winters ago.
Jandri, which cost €10 million to construct and offers intermediate skiers an easy blue run back to the resort, has an almost 2,000m vertical drop from top to bottom.
Speaking of vertical; here’s some more insider info about Les Deux Alpes.
While many ski resorts are spread out across different mountains, the terrain at LDA is contained in one area with easiest slopes at the top of the mountain and more difficult runs near the bottom. Toura (2,600m), Cretes (2,100m) and Diable (2,400m) are where much of the skiing takes place.
This design means it’s difficult to get lost on the mountain. It also means it’s easy for groups to meet up for lunch or après and easier still to follow the sun throughout a full ski day. 60% of LDA’s visitors are aged between 25 and 44. So while a few youthful holidaymakers may end up horizontal on the dance floor after partying hard, Les Deux Alpes is definitely best known for its massive vertical drop – 2,300m in total if you ski all the way from 3,600m to Mont de Lans village at 1,300m.
What does such high level of organisation mean for skiers? It means that Les Deux Alpes can offer something for everyone. By French standards, prices are reasonable – many restaurants offer menus for less than €15 – and the resort has a Famille Plus rating with children accepted in ski school from the age of three.
Families will enjoy staying at the Cote Brune hotel with its lovely ski artefacts and very easy access to nursery slopes. There’s a lively après ski bar next door but it begins while families are out exploring resort activities and fin- ishes before dinner time.
The resort itself is a 2km long strip of bars, restaurants and shops (over 36 restaurants and 52 bars last time I counted). But my advice is to get out of the bars to enjoy everything else on offer.
The Belvedere des Ecrins SkyWalk at 3,400m may be one of the shorter ski resort skywalks I’ve seen but offers great views of Vallee de la Selle and the Ecrins mountain range.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, take a tandem paragliding flight – on a sunny day, it can be magical as snow crystals glisten in the air and the sun develops a halo.
There’s a fat bike practice zone, a dedicated slope for ski touring, free avalanche training at the top of Bellecombe for off-piste fans and a 10km patrolled ‘slow zone’ piste where beginners and families can feel safe as they learn to ski.
You can take a heli ride to ski the slopes of nearby Alpe d’Huez for €70pp, learn to ski tour at night with just a head lamp and the stars lighting your way, take a piste basher ride at sunset to enjoy champagne and panoramic views or indulge in Michelin star food at Le P’tit Polyte restaurant in the four star Chalet Mouniere.
Spend the day exploring the old village of Venosc, film yourself skiing the Lutins run using the 2 Alpes app or simply venture behind the scenes in one of our favourite resorts in Europe.