New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season

New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season

Portes du Soleil will be improving its ski area and strengthen the lifts connecting the resorts. SERMA – (Avoriaz Ropeway Operating Company), is launching replacement works for the Léchère chairlift, as well as the construction of a new chairlift and a new red run on Les Cases. The chairlift manufacturer will be from the Bartholet company.

Avoriaz will open a third connection between its ski area and the Swiss resort of Champéry – Les Crosets. This will be made possible with the construction of two new lifts to facilitate the skiing opportunities throughout the Portes du Soleil ski area, composed of 12 resorts with 650 km of linked runs in France and Switzerland.

New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season. Avoriaz photo.
New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season. Avoriaz photo.

The first chairlift will replace the current triple chairlift La Léchère with a high-speed detachable sextuple alleviating the uplift of skiers and riders. The new sextuple will carry 2700 skiers per hour in comparison of the 1,800 carried by the actual triple.

The base station of the TSD6 Léchère will be built 80 meters up to liberate place for the queue. The arrival station of the new chairlift will be located 630 meters upstream than now, at a place called “Vautna” to allow better access to the Apricot run. It will have 1,785 meters supported by 17 pylons (towers)

The platform of the TSD6 Léchère top station will be joined to the departure of the TSD6 des Cases and located on the left bank. Access by bridges will be built from the Apricot run and the future Cases run to reach this intermediate platform.

The former chairlift La Léchère will be dismantled during the summer of 2019.

The replacement project of this chairlift is linked to the construction of a new chairlift, the 6-seater chairlift Les Cases, to double the Franco-Swiss connection with Les Crosets, in addition to the TSD4 Mossettes which is very exposed to the wind and close fast enough. The two new Léchère and Cases chairlifts will be operational for winter 2019-20 thus opening a third link with Champéry – Les Crosets. This will strengthen and facilitate skiing opportunities across the Portes du Soleil ski area.

The old departing station of the triple Léchère in Avoriaz. Photo: Avoriaz ski resort. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season.
The old departing station of the triple Léchère in Avoriaz. Photo: Avoriaz ski resort. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season.

The new Les Cases 6-seater chairlift, built by Leitner, will have a seated garage next to the base station. The line will consist of 18 tubular pylons. The positioning of the upstream station, at the top of Les Cases track, has been studied so that the chairlift is not visible from Les Crosets. The station will be slightly below the ridge, to allow the passage of the Apricot trail. The line will be located in France between the downstream station and pylon 13, the last 5 and the upstream station will be in Switzerland.

A new red run will be arranged up to the departure of TSD6 Les Cases in continuation of the current Les Cases trail. This will complete the ski offer with the blue Apricot trail.

Situation of the two lifts:

Situation of the two lifts. Remontees Mecaniques Forum. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season.
Situation of the two lifts. Remontees Mecaniques Forum. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season.

 

Situation at the level of the Portes du Soleil piste map:

New lifts in the Portes du Soleil ski map. Map from Remontees Mecaniques Forum. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season.
New lifts in the Portes du Soleil ski map. Map from Remontees Mecaniques Forum. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season.
  • Station: Avoriaz
  • Type of installation: 6-person detachable chairlift
  • Operator: SERMA (Avoriaz Ropeway Operating Company)
  • Builder: Bartholet
  • Supplier of the electrical part: SEMER
  • Cable provider: ArcellorMittal
  • Earthworks company:
  • Launch of the construction site: End of August 2018
  • Commissioning: December 2019

Operating Characteristic:

  • Season of operation: Winter
  • Vehicle capacity: 6 seats
  • Flow: 2700 people / h
  • Operating speed: 5.0 m / sec
Pylons number 1 and 1 Bis of the Sextuple high speed detachable lift Léchère. Avoriaz. Photo: Remontees Mecaniques Forum. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season.
Pylons number 1 and 1 Bis of the Sextuple high speed detachable lift Léchère. Avoriaz. Photo: Remontees Mecaniques Forum. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season.

Geometric Features:

  • Height downline: 1497 m
  • Upstream altitude: 1737 m
  • Altitude difference: 240 m
  • Developed length: 1785 m
  • Maximum slope:
  • Average slope:
  • Journey time: min

Technical characteristics:

  • Type of station:
  • Location of the motor: Amont
  • Voltage Location: Downstream
  • Type of voltage: Hydraulic cylinder
  • Direction of the climb:
  • Boarding: Sense of the line
  • Disembarkation: Direction of the line
  • Number of pylons: 17 Pcs
  • Diameter of the cable:

Vehicle Features:

  • Type of seats:
  • Options:
  • Number of seats:
  • Capacity: 6 places
  • Type of fasteners: Clamps K3-S4
Motor of the TSF3. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season. Avoriaz Passion Portes du Soleil. Photo Christophe B.
Motor of the TSF3. New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season. Avoriaz Passion Portes du Soleil. Photo Christophe B.

Features of TSD6 Cases

Technical Data:

  • Station: Avoriaz
  • Type of installation: 6-person detachable chairlift
  • Operator: SERMA (Avoriaz Ropeway Operating Company)
  • Manufacturer: Leitner
  • Supplier of the electrical part: SEMER
  • Cable provider: ArcellorMittal
  • Earthworks company:
  • Launch of the construction site: End of August 2018
  • Commissioning: December 2019

Operating Characteristic:

  • Season of operation: Winter
  • Vehicle capacity: 6 seats
  • Flow rate: 3000 people / h
  • Operating speed: 5.0 m / sec

Geometric Features:

  • lowest altitude: 1718 m
  • Altitude upstream: 2160 m
  • Difference in height: 442 m
  • Developed length: m
  • Horizontal length: 2017 m
  • Maximum slope:
  • Average slope:
  • Journey time: min
New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season. Picture: Avoriaz- Christophe B.
New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season. Picture: Avoriaz- Christophe B.

Technical characteristics:

Station type:

Location of the motor: Amont

Voltage Location: Downstream

Type of voltage: Hydraulic cylinder

Raise direction: Left

Boarding: Direction of the line

Landing: 90 °

Number of pylons: 18 pcs

Cable diameter:

Garage: Building

More information:

Remontees Mecaniques

Portes du Soleil

Avoriaz

SERMA

Champéry

Avoriaz 1800 had the past season the Flying Nest pop up accommodation on its base area.

We’ve written about investments for the following season in Pal Arinsal, Castle Mountain Resort, Ski Portillo and Stevens Pass.

New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season. Picture: Avoriaz-
New lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season. Picture: Avoriaz-

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Featured Image: News lifts and piste for Portes du Soleil for the 2019-20 ski season. Avoriaz photo. 

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