Compagnie Des Alpes And Poma Sign Contract For 5 Lifts
The Compagnie des Alpes, world leader in ski area operation, and POMA, ropeway manufacturer, signed a €38 million contract to build five ropeways in the Val d’Isère, Tignes, Méribel, La Plagne, and Serre Chevalier ski areas. The Compagnie des Alpes is continuing their investments in building these new state-of-the-art ropeways that are designed to become the backbone of the ski resorts they are in. Opening is planned for December 2018.
Ropeways Made in France
The five ropeways will be produced and assembled in the French Alps. The cabins will be manufactured by Sigma, a POMA group subsidiary. The ropeway systems will be produced at POMA’s new industrial site spanning 70,000 m² in Gilly-sur-Isère, where POMA invested €20 million in 2016 to develop and strengthen its industrial facilities.
State-of-the-art ropeways and two French premiers
“The Compagnie des Alpes awarded POMA the opportunity to build these high-quality, premium ropeways which provide the best in technology, availability, and user comfort. Two of the sites will be premiers for the French market, with the new Symphony 10-passenger cabin at Val d’Isère and the Premium heated bubble chairlift at Meribel. At La Plagne and Serre Chevalier, high-capacity chairlifts with low-impact, silent motorizations will be installed, and at Tignes there will be a gondola lift without attendant at the bottom station. These five installations and their innovations showcase our shared expertise that will determine what the future holds for our French and international clients,” said Jean Souchal, president of the POMA executive board.
€38M in investments in France and strong international collaborations
“We invest in France at our ski areas to increase their appeal and meet our guests’ expectations. For 2018 installations, we chose the French manufacturer POMA for their expertise and state-of-the-art technology, as well as for our long-standing, successful international partnerships. The alliance created by the Compagnie des Alpes and POMA combines the expertise and experience of both entities and will boost French excellence on the international playing field. It’s the case for the Caucasus region in Georgia and Russia, but also China for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, where we are working together on several sites being developed,” said David Ponson, director of ski area management at the CDA.
At Val d’Isère, the La Daille gondola lift, gliding above Oreiller Killy, legendary piste for the Alpine Skiing World Cup competition “Criterium de la Première Neige”, will be replaced by a new high-performance gondola with a capacity of 2,800 pers/hour. It will be the first in France to be equipped with 50 Premium Symphony 10-passengercabins and one VIP cabin. These latest generation cabins were designed by the Italian designer Pininfarina. They are very bright, and the heated seats ensure comfort for everyone.
At Tignes, a new gondola lift will connect Brévières to the Boisses area. The lift is part of the program to completely overhaul the foot of the slopes and will replace three lifts that will be dismantled. Thanks to the OWA (Operation Without Attendant), this new gondola lift will run without operating staff in the bottom station from 5PM to midnight. This equipment is part of the plan to modernize and optimize skier departures at Brévières.
At Méribel, a new, high-capacity detachable chairlift carrying 3,600 pers/hour will replace the current POMA Plan de l’Homme DCL6 located at the foot of the slopes. Skiers will be able to reach the World Cup piste at the top of the mountain. For the first time in France, the lift will be equipped with 104 Premium bubble chairs, with heated seats, head rests, and a clear, retractable hood to protect guests from the elements. The bottom station will be equipped with a high-capacity 45° transversal boarding system to relieve congestion at the foot of the slopes and provide skiers with easier access to the ski pass ticket counters and ski schools.
At la Plagne, a new high-capacity, 6-seater detachable chairlift will replace the 4-seater POMA Inversens fixed chairlift installed in 1987. It will be able to transport 3,600 passengers per hour at 5.5 m/s. The bottom station will be equipped with a high-capacity 90° transversal boarding system. This new chairlift will be equipped with a clean and silent DirectDrive motor, a major innovation which reduces power consumption by 5% and noise by 15 decibels. The bottom station will be located inside a building to protect the chairlift departure station from snowslides.
At Serre Chevalier, the 6-seater Côte Chevalier detachable chairlift with DirectDrive motor will replace the two existing surface and fixed chairlifts. It will connect two major sectors of the ski area. With its 106 six-seater chairs and a transport capacity of 3,000 passengers per hour, it will bring high-performance to this area. Guests will enjoy increased accessibility, fluidity, and safety.
