Remodelling the Status Quo

By Aisling Donnellan

Adapt, accept, adjust… are just some of the words that spring to mind when we think of the last year. The temporary lockdown we were catapulted into last March went on a little longer than we all expected, but never has the human capacity to adapt and accept been so apparent. If we had been briefed before hand we would have snidely dismissed these current times, comparing them to a bad episode of Black Mirror. However, it was and is our reality and we had to just ride the wave.

President Macron created the scenario of ski resorts without lifts during Winter 2021, something that we all would have considered impossible 12 months ago. As an employee of La Serma, the Avoriaz lift operating company, I’m taking this opportunity to explain how the resort really stood up to the challenge.

Coming into the season there was still so much hope for a normal winter season, but alas it wasn’t to be. In head spinning speed, Avoriaz 1800 Office de Tourisme, the Mairie de Morzine-Avoriaz and La Serma combined efforts to collectively make the best out of a very bad situation. Itineraries were planned, crafted, secured and it was full speed ahead for the development of ski de rando / ski touring, snow shoeing, treasure hunts, ski de fond trails and lots more besides in Avoriaz.

The locals have been ski touring here in Avoriaz forever, but in recent years there has been a huge surge in the popularity of this mountain discipline. It’s usually associated with off-piste excursions for those who enjoy the extreme, but each year there are more and more ski-tourers heading for the pistes and this year saw that taken to the next level. In Avoriaz 1800, ski touring routes were marked out, secured and signposted to make the activity safe and accessible to all levels throughout the winter season. We couldn’t take the lifts, but we could still ski. No fewer than five itineraries were put in place; Arare by Bleu du Lac, le Crot accessed from Prodain, Parchet and Combe a Floret from Montriond and Chaux Fleurie from Lindarets.

The well-established ski de fond pistes continued to be pisted, maintained and surveyed, the snowpark at La Chapelle and areas of the Lil Stash were open and secured, all managed by the hardworking team of shapers. The centre of the resort was pisted for tobogganing and beginner ski and snowboard lessons. During the busy February school holidays, an additional touring route was established through the Stash whilst a treasure hunt for children was created in the Lil Stash. Each day families would collect their entry cards from the Office de Tourisme before hunting for clues amongst Shreddie’s playground. If successful, they were rewarded with colouring books by the Office de Tourisme, delighting adults and children alike.

Avalanche workshops were held every Sunday during the holidays by the Pisteur Secouristes whilst on the Avoriaz Up&Down app we could track and time our touring escapades. At the top of the Arare there was even a camera that you could activate through the app as you went past to get a photo of you and your group.

Winter 21 was a monumental effort from every service in the resort of Avoriaz 1800. We were operating with skeleton teams and you rarely crossed paths with your colleagues. We maintained regular online meetings to ensure things went smoothly and the well-oiled machine kept chugging. I’d say we had a somewhat successful season, despite everything. There was a lot of work involved as everything needed to be pisted, secured and controlled during the opening hours. Avoriaz ran the many activities of Winter 21 entirely free of charge and many visitors to our mountains were able to enjoy

a memorable trip to Avoriaz. Of course without the usual lift pass revenues to support this work, this meant running at a loss.

The operation of the Prodains Express was certainly a lifeline for those keen to explore up in Avoriaz this winter, in addition to those of us working up there! As a mode of public transport, its operation was originally restricted to pedestrians, but with some gentle persuasion we were given authority to transport people equipped in randonnée gear. Avoriaz and Saint Gervais were the only two resorts in France with such luck and it’s thanks to this point that we were able to have some semblance of a season.

Of course, all these huge efforts to create opportunities on the mountains for our visitors would have been in vain, had they not enjoyed them. Through visitor surveys and client feedback we have had an exceptionally good reaction to all activities launched this winter. The team were tasked with interviewing as many visitors as possible to discover their attitude towards ski touring. The feedback was very positive indeed.

In future seasons, Avoriaz 1800 and La Serma will start exploring options to make ski touring a more permanent product in the resort. It is certainly the most ideal situation for people to try randonnée skiing if they don’t have any experience or lack the confidence to go further into the wilderness. In Avoriaz 1800 they can practice in complete serenity and freedom on safe, well-managed and dedicated pistes. Likewise we touched on clients who were seasoned randonners and greatly appreciated their feedback and ideas on how to develop facilities in the future. Could the COVID-chaos of Winter 21 be the renaissance of ski touring? I did notice the euphoria and contentment in people’s reactions when they completed their routes. A sense of pride and achievement, not to mention the adrenaline from the cardio effort. People just might be hooked.

Winter 21 was an opportunity for everyone to appreciate and enjoy the mountain at a different pace; we had no choice but to slow down and drink in the environment. Alpine skiing tends to be fast and furious, with visitors racing to get as many slopes as possible during the day, yet rarely slowing down to take it all in. Powder days were magical this winter, instead of being tracked out by 10am, there were lines for days. Stress and tension were taken out of the equation and people just took their time. From a safety point of view, people had so much time to think about their runs down, they were well considered so accident risks were reduced. “Profiter de la montagne autrement”, like back in the day. No queues, no rush, no crowds, just space and time, man versus mountain. As I’m typing, I’m wondering, do I even want it to go back to how it was? Tues & Fri - DJ Elisa live Wed - 2-4-1 mojitos Thrs - Live music

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