All Go in Avoriaz!
When we last counted there were 15 ginormous cranes towering over Avoriaz and we've seen the huge holes in the ground with our own eyes. Avoriaz is 50 years old next year and we wanted to find out exactly what is being built and when it might be ready.
Back in the 1950's Avoriaz was a hamlet with just a few chalets. Farmers from Morzine would take their cattle to graze on the high altitude plateaus during the summer months. As soon as the snow started to fall Avoriaz became almost deserted except for extreme ski trekkers such as Jean Vuarnet. Vuarnet went on to win an Olympic medal for downhill skiing and became something of a local legend. In 1960 he was appointed as the Director of Avoriaz, and his aim was to develop the potential of the hamlet into a world class ski resort. In 1963 the Prodains Telepherique was built and the resort welcomed its first visitors for Christmas week, 1966.
Many people might argue at this point that Avoriaz doesn't look like it's changed much since then. Whether you have an appreciation for the architectural design of this purpose built ski resort or not, Avoriaz was the first fully pedestrianised resort and has since been recognised as a "Great Achievement in 20th Century Heritage".
Avoriaz is the highest resort in the Portes du Soleil by some distance and massive changes to the resort's infrastructure and facilities are underway. Here's what's new for this winter and what's to come as part of this huge €200 million project...
3 New Holiday Residences
Three, four and five star, ski-in ski-out apartment blocks have been constructed and will be operated by Pierre & Vacances and Maeva. In total there will be 396 new apartments in 3 new buildings, each of which continues the traditional Avoriaz architectural style - steeped roofs to retain the snow and staggered balconies to give maximum exposure to sunlight. All three will open for the first time in December 2011.
2 New Spas
The new Deep Nature Spa will be operated by the luxury spa brand ‘Algotherm’ and will include saunas, steam baths, single and double treatment rooms, a relaxation room, a gym and an outdoor hot tub. The spa is open to all and will offer packages such as 5 treatments over 3 or 5 days for €270. At the same time the new Mon Premier Spa will offer treatments exclusively for children aged 6 and over. Both open in December 2011.
New Skating Rink
Right in the centre of Avoriaz will be a 450m2 skating rink, opening for the start of this winter season. The rink will be floodlit and also include viewing terraces serving refreshments. The skating rink will be open until 8pm each evening.
Aquariaz
This is the largest water park ever to be built in the mountains and has been designed by the people at Centre Parcs. It’s like an aquatic paradise with vegetation and rocks, but with loads of water features too. There will be a lazy river, a sidewinder (a kind of aquatic halfpipe), a water playhouse, a paddling pool, a large pool with climbing walls, massage benches and an open air spa heated pool. Aquariaz opens in July 2012.
The New Prodains Gondola
Construction has already begun on the new ‘3 S’ cable car, which will replace the existing Prodains gondola lift. It will have 12 cabins, each with a capacity of 35 and will be capable of carrying between 2000 and 2400 people per hour, compared to current lift capacity of 400 per hour. The top terminal in Avoriaz will be buried so that skiers can access the piste more easily. The new cable car will open in December 2012.
