“It’s a first tranche which prepares the future”: Isola 2000 launches its season with a brand new snow front

2023-12-09 18:45:00

There are some winter season launches that matter more than others. This seems to be one of them for the Isola 2000 station.

This Saturday morning, skiers were able to discover, under a beautiful white coat, the resort’s brand new snow front. Inaugurated by the president of the Joint Syndicate of Mercantour Stations, Christian Estrosi, the two new covered carpets intended for all audiences were taken by storm as soon as the area opened. “We are delivering a project that has been awaited for years, this snow front has been transformed, there are no longer all these cables [ceux des téléskis] between. It is a first tranche which prepares the future”announces the man who is also president of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis.

A 190 meter long covered conveyor belt allows 3000 people to pass through per hour. (Photo A. Mi.) (Photo A. Mi.).

At his side, many elected officials, officials and managers of the station, including the mayor of Isola, Mylène Agnelli, all smiles: “These carpets are part of the renewal of the station. It is a great pleasure to inaugurate them today.”

“Developing four-season lifts”

The president of the joint union, Christian Estrosi, inaugurated the new snow front and the two covered carpets this Saturday, at Isola 2000. (Photo A. Mi.) (Photo A. Mi.).

Under a sun barely veiled at times, with snow that many no longer expected so soon, Christian Estrosi is jubilant: “Once once more, we start skiing at Auron and Isola 2000 at the beginning of December.”

It connects and rolls out the investments planned for the years to come: “We will continue, in Auron [où un projet de télécabine entre le Riou et Sauma Longue a été lancé] and Isola 2000, to develop these four-season lifts. Everywhere we think regarding 20 or 30 years, so that whatever the climatic conditions, the equipment is multi-use, like these mats.” He notably recalled the replacement, “within four years”, of the aging Pelevos cable car, with a more modern one (and no longer with a detachable chairlift as initially announced this summer) and the creation of a multi-rail toboggan “for summer and winter use”.

Olympic Games 2030: “Look what we are doing”

Isola 2000 brought joy to skiers this Saturday. (Photo A. Mi.).

Then came the time of the announcement, applauded by the people gathered on the snow front at the time of the inauguration: “We are going to develop the “Grand ski” offer in the Sistron sector. It is the most beautiful panorama but, with the current lifts, it is not used as we would like. A ten-seater cable car per cabin will be created to replace two chairlifts (Sistron and Merlier) and the Saint-Sauveur ski lift.”

Or a total investment in Isola 2000 of “more than 40 million euros” within three to four years. With the 2030 Winter Olympics in sight (1). “It’s also a way of saying [au comité international olympique]: ”Look at what we do, what we guarantee.” We hope to have the Grail, here and in Auron. I’m working on it.”

1. Two days following the IOC’s announcement which offered the 2030 Winter Games to the French Alps on a plateau, L’Equipe.fr announced that the Isola 2000 resort had been removed from the map of Olympic sites. Just like Val d’Isère. “The IOC [souhaitant] minimize the number of stations used.”

The two mats: “A complicated challenge to take up”

Two covered mats were put in place on the snow front of Isola 2000 to replace “the telekit” and “the short snow front ski lift”.

Easier to use, they are covered so practical to open in all weather without needing to clear snow, pleasant to use even in the snow and they offer a greater flow than a ski lift. The first, with a length of 190 meters, has, with its two conveyor belts, a throughput of 3000 people per hour. The second, 50 meters long and dedicated to ski lessons, has a throughput of 1000 people per hour. They are topped with photovoltaic panels “with an average production power of 90 kW,” explains the president of the Mercantour stations’ joint union, Christian Estrosi. Production takes place all year round with reinjection into the local electricity network. »

The cost of this work is 3.2 million euros financed by the joint union (Metropole and Department), the Region and the State.
“The deadlines were very short and the challenge complicated to meet, particularly with storm Aline [le 20 octobre] which caused damage, confides the chairman of the board of directors of the Ficap company, Jérôme Besnard, manufacturer of the carpets. But it went very well with all the service providers and it’s a pleasure to be here, without the mud and with snow and sun, to see the carpets come to life. » Specialized in this type of construction, “number 1 in France”, Ficap has notably equipped the Valberg station and “all those selected for the 2030 Olympics”, proudly summarizes its boss.

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