VAL THORENS Cosy Mountain UK Hiver 2013-2014 by Presse Val Thorens

D é c o | D e s i g n | A r c h i t e c t u r e | T e n da n c e s

VAL THORENS When the mountain way of life reaches new

heights

Snow in Colors • gastronomy • hotels and residences • well-being • portrait

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

1972-2013: for Val Thorens, life continues after 40.

VAL THORENS COSY

Val Thorens

21 century ski resort st

The result of an inspired vision in the late 1960s, Europe’s highest ski resort cultivates a go-getting attitude its rivals can’t match. By Antoine Grospiron-Jaccoux et Claude Trinidad

rowned France’s best ski resort at the 2013 World Ski Awards and hailed Most improved European resort at the 2013 World Snow Awards, Val Thorens would appear to have reached its peak. But ask any local and they’ll tell you the resort is only just reaching maturity and

the future’s wide open. It should not be forgotten that before it received all this praise and adulation, over the forty years of its existence Europe’s highest resort has continually battled to establish its visionary concept of what a ski resort should be. Thanks to the pioneering spirit of those who first believed in it, this high mountain pasture where once the wise feared to tread has never stopped evolving, becoming a ski resort unlike any other of its kind. So no trophy, even one as prestigious and gratifying as this, is in danger of making the locals lose their commitment. Here, at an altitude of 2,300 metres, we call it the ‘Far Up’ as opposed to the ‘Far West’… In other words, you can’t get any higher than Val T.

Val Thorens Cosy, the overview • Val Thorens, 21st century ski resort, has been elected best ski resort in the world.

• Snow in colors : The Val Thorens signature

• Gastronomy and bistronomy, the new shelter for the gourmets

• Hotels and residences : the stars rain down !

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• Well-being at 2,300 metres

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• The mountains according to... Camille Rey

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>> Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

VAL THORENS COSY

The 150 km of pistes in the Val Thorens-Orelle ski area include the highest part of the 3 Vallées, the largest ski area in the world.

Ahead of the rest

A carefully developed vision

How, at such a high altitude and on land untouched by civilisation, did

«Building a new ski resort is firstly about having a vision… But this was no

this resort manage to earn its place as one of the world’s top ski resorts?

shot in the dark; our plan wasn’t like others,» explains Pierre Josserand, the

Perhaps Oscar Wilde had the answer when he wrote, «Progress is the

former managing director and now chairman of the board of SETAM (Société

realisation of Utopias.» Val Thorens buys into this idea completely and turns

d’Exploitation des Téléphériques de Tarentaise-Maurienne) who has worked

it on its head. It is itself the result of a utopia, albeit a carefully conceived

tirelessly to develop the resort. Indeed, the success of Val Thorens is not

one, a utopia that has led to the realisation of progress. To build a ski resort

down to chance. Designed to occupy a site with an exceptional snow record,

in such a wild place, coping with the altitude, lack of trees and exposure to

it has compensated for the problems arising from its altitude by offering

the wind, called for ingenuity, imagination and tenacity. No surprise then

something different, and it is this ‘something different’ that has created its

that the ski lift company SETAM has patented a number of technological

customer loyalty. Accordingly, SETAM has played a predominant role in the

innovations: the Cime Caron cable car (1981, at the time, the biggest cable

development of the resort. Partly because the conception of the ski area and

car in the world), the Funitel (1990, a highly wind-resistant twin track-rope/

positioning of the ski lifts were central to the resort design, but also because

haul-rope design) and a twin-queue chairlift boarding system (1995). But

it successfully kick-started hotel investment by concluding several financial

it is also responsible for various commercial innovations such as the first

partnerships. This was key to elements such as the construction of a number

central booking system in 1987 and a new accommodation offering in an

of trail-blazing hotels like the Fitz Roy, Val Thorens, Sherpa, Aquarius and Bel

ambitious hotel development programme and setting up the travel agent

Horizon. It was this involvement in the conceptualisation of the resort, despite

Val Thorens Tour to organise group holidays and promote the resort to tour

the centralised decision-making that this implies, that allowed for a carefully

operators all over the world.

developed vision and a harmonious development process. Today, SETAM continues to work hard to guarantee this connection between the exterior,

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

The new Pionniers chairlift

The new Pionniers chairlift pays tribute to the past This year, the old ‘3 Vallées 1’ 4-seater fixed chairlift that used to take skiers over to the south-facing side of the mountain has been replaced by a 6-seater detachable chairlift called ‘Pionniers’. The name is no accident, and the lift has a little surprise in store thanks to the ski lift company SETAM, which has added four vintage cabins inspired directly by the resort’s first gondola lift, the Péclet, built in 1973. To make its tribute to the past, SETAM ordered four modern 4-seater cabins painted in the colours of the old gondola lift (two yellow ones and two red ones).

United decoration «These are compact cabins that are small enough to pass through the terminals and haven’t required any modification to the chairlift technology. They will be positioned symmetrically at the two ends of the cable so the speed can be dropped as they arrive at the terminal, enabling skiers to board,» explains Jean-François Piard, SETAM’s operations director. This lovely splash of colour not only brings hybrid technology to the lift but also illustrates how the resort’s economic players are part of its willingness to embrace its past.

the ski area, and the interior, the resort. Fulfilling the role of both partner and

as cosmopolitan. «Val Thorens reflects the diversity of its clientele, providing

initiator, among other things it is involved in the renewal of the accommodation

a host of offerings that makes it a very eclectic ski resort. As a result it has

stock, investing in the construction of the Altapura Hotel, now managed by the

managed to avoid being regarded as a resort of a particular ‘type’. Young,

Sibuet group, the modernisation of the four-star Fitz Roy and the construction

family-friendly, top-of-the-range, accessible, relaxing and vibrant: Val T is

of the future Club Méditerranée. «We have a major responsibility towards

all these things... This cosmopolitan customer base is undoubtedly down to

our customers and future customers. We can’t let them down,» says Jean

the attitude of the resort’s pioneers and their successors, whose audacious

Bourcet, SETAM’s managing director. True to the resort mentality, SETAM

gamble could not be restricted to a lowest common denominator.» What’s

continues to lead by example, constantly improving the quality of the offering.

more, unlike most of the large ski resorts built in the 1960s and 70s, it has

Moonbase Alpha Locals and regulars think of Val Thorens as a cocoon that protects them and

managed to hold on to its village feel. Its manageable size, a world away from the frenzied tentacular spread of similar resorts, means that new arrivals can quickly find their way around and get their bearings, even if only staying a short

keeps them warm in a hostile climate. At this altitude, where all you have to

while. So Val Thorens functions like a little town capable of being entirely self-

do is walk through the (well insulated) door and you’re on your skis in the

sufficient, with a hugely varied offering and all amenities within walking distance.

high mountains, quality accommodation and comfort are paramount. A bit

The result is a unique atmosphere that resort regulars can’t get enough of.

like a moon base, the resort initially consisted of apartment blocks built for holidaymakers. Then, little by little, with its increasing size and success, these

A certain way of thinking

were joined by a number of chalets, holiday residences and hotels. Today, this

The Val Thorens way of thinking is gaining followers of all kinds. Encouraged

semi-pedestrianised village boasts a wide variety of accommodation. Grégory

by the resort’s dynamic approach, many entrepreneurs are putting their

Guzzo, director of the Tourist Office and booking centre, describes the resort

money into this rather unusual destination. On the piste, skiers can take

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

©Folie Douce

VAL THORENS COSY

Val Thorens successfully combines partying and activities in the mountains. Two examples of this are the daytime party atmosphere you get at the famous La Folie Douce outdoor dance venue and the morning excursions organised by Dynafit Snow Leopard Track. Below: Val Thorens in 1973: the start of a wonderful story.

their pick of out-of-the-ordinary establishments

like Le Montana, Le Chalet de Thorens, Le Chalet de la Marine, La Folie Douce, Le Caron Freeride Café, Le Face West and Chez Pépé Nicolas. In their own way, each of these mountain restaurants and bars is inventing a new means of enjoying leisure time up in the mountains. Wild après-ski partying at La Folie Douce, local cuisine at La Fruitière restaurant, a brasserie feel with a sushi master at Le Chalet de Thorens, the art of ‘bistronomy’ at Le Chalet de la Marine, traditional dishes at Chez Pépé Nicolas and even Swedish specialities and White Doctor ski tests at Le Caron Freeride Café... Up in the mountains, ideas come thick and fast. In

Onward and upward

this cosmopolitan place, founded on an entrepreneurial spirit and sense of

A visionary resort when it was built, Val Thorens has successfully made the

hospitality, modernist and traditional identity exist side by side in harmony,

transition to 21st century ski destination. Blessed with an exceptional snow

forging a culture specific to Val Thorens.

record and natural light, its strength is that it has continued to innovate

And there’s plenty on offer in the village too, with a host of celebrated

without ever losing momentum. Today Val T is an international award-winner,

restaurants and unusual activities. The couple Jean and Magali Sulpice,

but there’s no danger of it resting on its laurels. Indeed, it has already set

respectively chef and sommelière of the restaurant known simply as ‘Jean

itself new developmental and architectural challenges by embarking on

Sulpice’, has succeeded in clinching first one then two Michelin stars to

the process of adding to and modernising its hotel stock. In this respect it

become the highest Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe. Mention must

has been moving upmarket, with new four- and five-star hotels including le

also be made of L’Épicurien and the highly inventive cuisine of its chef

Val Thorens, Altapura, Fitz Roy and Koh-I Nor – each of which features a

Jérémy Gillon, and the arrival of Michelin-starred chef Yoann Conte, who has

stunning spa in partnership with a famous cosmetics brand: Pure Altitude

come to titillate the taste buds of the diners at the new Hôtel Koh-I Nor. But

(Altapura Hotel), Valmont (Koh-I Nor Hotel) and Thémaé (the Val Thorens)

if Val Thorens’ aura is attracting talent, this is also down to the buzz created

– and a new Club Méditerranée set to open in 2014 plus a luxury hotel, the

by the activities on offer. Out on the piste, Val T is not content merely to have

Yak & Yeti, in 2015. On the innovation front, Val Thorens has joined the digital

one of France’s best snowparks and a highly regarded boardercross course;

age by making a splash on the social networking sites, setting up an e-store

it is constantly innovating and offers a host of original activities, including

selling Val T merchandise and opening an extremely effective customer

mountain biking on snow and – at 6 kilometres – the longest sledging run in

relationship management department. And to that we can add the planned

France. Especially for women, the resort has come up with the Ski Thérapie

refurbishment of the sports centre and shopping arcades, which are in need

package designed to win over the female clientèle by alternating relaxation

of a spruce-up after decades of good and loyal service. So Val Thorens is

and skiing. And not forgetting the freeride clinics and weekly beginners’ ski

resolutely looking forward to the future, and its recent World Ski Award is

touring trips. So Val Thorens ensures there’s lots going on in every aspect of

confirmation that with its nonconformist approach it is definitely on the right

life here. The resort has something of a New World feel about it, as if every

track. 6

idea might find an echo and become a reality.

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

Bringing colour to the snow

Walls of colour Val Thorens’ multicultural feel, symbolised by the graphic technique of bringing a touch of colour to the snow, is celebrated on the walls of the resort car parks. In this semipedestrianised village where visitors can leave their car parked throughout their stay, new arrivals are greeted at the P1 car park by the bright and colourful work of teh famous designer Benjamin Poulanges. On the façade of this car park in the resort centre, the Paris design studio has installed a multicoloured light display that lights up randomly all through the season. Visible both day and night, this splash of rainbow colours not only brightens up a dull building and stands as a reminder of Val Thorens’ identity, but it also and above all puts a smile on the faces of holidaymakers the moment they arrive.

Car park art taking wall art to a new level Inspired by the Val Totem project, an exhibition of street art created by graffiti artists on seventeen totem poles around the resort and on the pistes, the resort car park company Valthoparc asked some of the young artists involved in that initiative to paint the walls of one of Val Thorens’ largest car parks, P0. «At Valthoparc we repaint our car parks every year. This year, rather than using a painting contractor, we asked graffiti artists to do the job instead,» explains William Wargniez, managing director of Valthoparc. «The idea was to give people something original and creative to look at, to make everyone’s mountain holiday more of an artistic experience and surprise and amaze them. After all, Val Thorens is a resort with lots of different sides to it.» Eleven graffiti artists were given a blank canvas of eleven 25m2 inter-storey walls and two 50m2 walls, with the only restrictions being a set colour code and a subject matter suitable for a family audience. «It was a deliberate artistic choice, a bit of gamble because each artist had a pretty free rein. We also wanted to add a bit of colour, create an arty atmosphere and simply liven the place up a bit,» says William Wargniez. To see the show for free and to discover the work of Ema, Kouka, Kashink and Pupa, just drive on in!

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

« A t Va l t h o p a r c w e

repaint our car

p a r k s e v e r y y e a r. T h i s y e a r, r a t h e r t h a n u s i n g a p a i n t i n g c o n t r a c t o r, w e asked graffiti artists to do the job instead » Wi l l i a m Wa r g n i e z , m a n a g i n g d i r e c t o r o f Va l t h o p a r c .

©Georges Mirande/OT Val Thorens

VAL THORENS COSY

Dining in Val Thorens

wherever the fancy takes you The resort’s culinary offering is like its diverse character: varied, inventive and bold.

he pioneering spirit of Val Thorens can be found in its food too. Top chefs taking on the challenge of

gastronomy at altitude, mountain restaurants coming up with bold menu ideas, brasseries that pay homage to France’s heritage: the resort appears to be caught in the grip of an irresistible culinary effervescence. So if you’re surprised by bad weather or want to beef up your lunchtime break or

supper with something special, there’s no shortage of taste bud-titillating options to choose from.

Haute gastronomie In the wake of Jean Sulpice, the first chef to have tried his hand at high gastronomy at high altitude (and who has come out of it very well, with first one and then a second Michelin star), another culinary virtuoso, one Yoann Conte, has taken the mountain challenge. Awarded two Michelin stars at his restaurant La Maison in Annecy, where he succeeded Marc Veyrat, this young chef has decided to take over the reins of the restaurant and brasserie at the new five-star Koh-I Nor Hotel. Like his colleague Jean Sulpice, Yoann Conte is a great nature lover who is passionate about the mountains, drawing inspiration from the alpine flora in creating recipes of extreme delicacy. With these two leading chefs in the kitchen, the spirit of gastronomic competition is set to stay in Val Thorens. The same gastronomic flair is also to be found at L’Épicurien, where chef Jérémy Gillon revisits French cuisine with his characterful and inventive creations that call on all five senses. Like his two colleagues, this great chef insists on using regional produce, authentic and locally sourced. L’Épicurien, listed as a ‘Grande Table’ in the 2014 Châteaux & Hôtels Collection Guide, is one of the three restaurants at the Montana, which was recently awarded ‘Maître Restaurateur’ status, a government distinction granted to establishments serving authentic French cuisine. >>

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

Cooking at altitude

a daily challenge Lower oxygen levels, dry air, the vagaries of the weather: cooking at high altitude is fraught with difficulties.

At 2,300 metres water boils at about 90 degrees centigrade, 10 degrees lower than in the lowlands. As a result, it takes twice as long to boil an egg. And what about a soft-boiled egg? The humidity level of 17% dries out foods, calling on all our ingenuity to avoid ending up with prematurely stale bread. These challenges may not be particularly significant if you’re just frying sausages, but the same can certainly not be said if you’re trying to run a gastronomic restaurant. Two-Michelin-star chef Jean Sulpice frequently wrestled with a problem before finding the solution. “When I baked rolls for the table, they dried out far too quickly and our customers would complain. It was then I remembered how we used to bake bread the Savoyard way when I was a child, in a big cob loaf placed in a very hot oven and baked slowly by steadily reducing the temperature. What you get is delicious bread with a thick crust and a dense crumb, but more importantly, bread that dries out much less quickly.»

The alchemists Similarly, restaurateurs have to cope with packaging that explodes in the low air pressure, produce that freezes if delivered too early, wines that age more quickly, champagne with overexcitable bubbles and late deliveries when fresh snow turns the roads into skating rinks… And not to mention restaurants that are deserted when the weather doesn’t play ball. All problems that the chefs of Val Thorens face on a daily basis, forcing them to become alchemists of altitude to survive.

1/ Yoann Conte may originally be from Brittany but he has chosen to live in Val Thorens to run the restaurant at the Koh-I Nor. 2/ Busy cooking in the kitchens at L’Epicurien... 3/ The ‘planche’, the three-course meal served all together on a wooden slab, at the famous Aiguilles du Péclet restaurant at 3,000 metres altitude. 4/ The new décor of the Jean Sulpice’s restaurant. 5/ Architect’s drawing of one of the dining rooms at the Koh-I Nor. 6/ The Chalet de la Marine is an unforgettable dining experience, and not just because of its scrumptious desserts. You simply have to try it! 7/ The sunny terrace of La Fruitière.

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

VAL THORENS COSY Jean Sulpice has successfully risen to the challenge of creating gastronomy at altitude.

‘Bistronomie’ attitude

In Val Thorens the locals have come up with a new name for the fusion of the relaxed friendliness of the bistro with the flavours of fine cuisine: ‘snow bistronomie’. This unfamiliar term, a contraction of bistro and gastronomie, really comes into its own on the pistes, where mountain restaurateurs are vying to outdo each other in the imagination stakes. Starting at the bottom end of the resort and heading in the direction of Les Menuires, Chez Pépé Nicolas is a magical place. Behind this rather fanciful name lies an old mountain chalet, the only building you can see on the old sepia-tinted photographs taken before the resort was built. Eric, Bruno and Thierry Suchet, grandsons of the famous Nicolas, cook up a refined mountain cuisine just a few short turns from the piste. Continuing towards the top end of the ski area, the next culinary surprise to greet you comes at the aptly named Chalet de la Marine, the first mountain restaurant to be awarded a fork in the Michelin Guide. This restaurant, which has a yurt tacked onto the side, includes among its ranks a pâtissier who was runner-up in the French Dessert Championships. Diners are given a range of options for personalising his scrumptious treats. If it’s exotic food you’re after, Les Chalets du Thorens will not disappoint, calling on the services of a sushi master and a Neapolitan pizzaiolo (a long way from home!). This popular skiers’ hangout also offers traditional cuisine for those who prefer regional dishes. And for something a bit different, the Caron Freeride Café is not content to be the highest mountain restaurant in the 3 Vallées, it also boasts an igloo, a test centre for the White Doctor ski brand and, most importantly, a great reputation for serving highly inventive world cuisine. Lastly, for those who like to dance after lunch, La Fruitière is an elegant restaurant serving local dishes which just happens to be right next door to the buzzing La Folie Douce with its famous après-ski concerts.

An eclectic choice in the heart of the village The many restaurants down in the resort serve up an extensive selection of culinary choices which, influenced by Val Thorens’ taste for the unusual, have chosen to offer some original décors and dining options. They include La Laiterie, Les Enfants Terribles and the 2Mille3, the three restaurants forming a very lively triptych at the five-star Altapura Hotel. La Laiterie specialises in fondues, reinventing the famous Swiss speciality with some brand new ideas like a champagne fondue. Les Enfants Terribles is a ‘smart brasserie with a mountain

feel’ where enfant terrible Laurent Arnoux revisits traditional cuisine in highly stylised surroundings. As for the 2Mille3, it serves a cuisine that is both traditional and inventive and best enjoyed on the lovely terrace facing the mountains. And if lunch in the sun is your thing, La Maison Blanche has one of the most famous terraces in the resort. The new owners of this legendary restaurant, two young restaurateurs from the South of France who fell in love with Val Thorens, serve up ‘home-made’ brasserie-style dishes in a warmly welcoming atmosphere and a décor combining the traditional with the modern. When it comes to après-ski, we should also mention the Face West Café and its terrace, particularly popular in the late afternoon. And not forgetting the happening Steak Club, loved in equal measure for its juicy steaks, hand-cut frites and inventive cocktails. Lastly, for diners looking for good old Savoyard fare, Le Vieux Chalet and its chef Alexandre Gautreau bring a breath of fresh air to the local cuisine in sociable, authentic surroundings.

Jean and Magali Sulpice

taking fine food to new heights

Owners of the highest Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe, this young couple has successfully brought haute gastronomie to the unforgiving world of the high mountains.

She’s from Brittany and is the sommelière. He’s from Savoie and is the chef. They met when they were both working for the famous restaurateur Marc Veyrat, and together they opened Val Thorens’ first gastronomic restaurant. However, the road to success has been a rocky one, and along the way they have had to cling on and overcome significant moments of doubt before seeing their efforts rewarded. With a first Michelin star in 2006, four years after they opened, and a second in 2010, now they’ve done it, bringing together high skiing and high gastronomy.

Gastronomic through and through! For these two adventurers who set out to climb the peaks of culinary excellence, gastronomic cuisine is first and foremost about sophistication and elegance. To enhance the perfect balance between a cuisine that comes from the heart and a wine list crafted to match the menu to perfection, the dining room is run and staffed by women. «It goes against accepted restaurant practice, but I find it’s more subtle and more welcoming to have only female staff waiting on,» admits Jean Sulpice. In this foodies’ heaven with an uninterrupted view of the surrounding arc of mountains, everything comes from the heart. And if their restaurant has made its mark in the world of fine dining, that is first and foremost because they have created their dining experience in a place unlike any other in the world. «My cuisine is a product of the surroundings and geographical situation of my restaurant,» explains Jean Sulpice. «One doesn’t cook in the same way at 2,300 metres, and I have had to adapt, observing and analysing the culinary tradition of the mountains.» Skiers everywhere, now you know where to go for lunch.

In short, if you can’t find something to please your palate among Val Thorens’ vast culinary diversity, then you’ll just have to cook your own! 6

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

ANOTHER BEST DAY *

SUPER 7

SQUAD 7

SOUL 7

Le freeride en mode fusion. La nouvelle SéRiE 7, c’est toutes les glisses, tous les terrains : freeride, randonnée, piste… Stables et ludiques, ces skis montent et descendent avec la même virtuosité. La technologie AirTip, avec de l’air dans les extrémités, les rend particulièrement légers, accrocheurs et performants sur piste. SéRiE 7, LE fUTUR DU fREERiDE. Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

VAL THORENS COSY

Planet Chic Hotels and holiday residences In recent years, Val Thorens has been putting its appeal to good use to diversify its offering.

al Thorens is currently undergoing its third architectural metamorphosis. After the pioneering boom years of the 1970s and the building that took place then, the new building quality standards introduced led to a change in direction at the turn of the millennium. Today, this stage is bearing fruit with the development of an upmarket hotel and holiday residence offering. Val Thorens’ guarantee of consistent snow cover, an open, well-lit site and skiing that integrates so well into the 3 Valleys

ski area all make it a very attractive proposition to investors. However, in keeping with the resort’s character, the renovations and new builds have steered away from ostentation, inventing their own unique approach to the luxury end of the market. True to its pioneering spirit and the diversity of its customers, Val Thorens has managed to turn its quality up a notch or two to create a new centre of attraction. This has enabled the resort to begin a new era in its development while retaining its diverse character.

The third real estate revolution In the early days, because of its location Val Thorens was a little-known, elitist ski resort. Only risk-takers dared invest in this resort on the edge of the world. This gave a baroque feel to the place, with each developer using his own imagination and ingenuity to adapt to the hostile high-altitude environment. In the 1980s the resort’s expansion required an increase in visitor numbers, leading to an extension of the ski lift system and the building of more accommodation. This increase in the number of beds at the time concerned a rather young clientèle that cared mostly about the skiing. Later, in the 2000s, as the customer base broadened, it started to demand better levels of comfort. A consequence of this was that lots of studio apartments were bought up with a view to turning them into bigger apartments. However, when a Schéma de Cohérence Territorial – an urban development document aimed at coordinating local policy in all areas of land use, including housing – was drawn up in the mid 2000s, it revealed a worrying drop in the number of ‘warm beds’. The fewer ‘warm beds’, in other words occupied beds, the lower the visitor numbers. It was this observation that enabled the resort to expand the area of land where building is permitted, resulting in the resort’s third real estate revolution.

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

MY HOME

& CHALET TIME New in Val Thorens, My Home & Chalet Time have created a new bespoke rental offering, in other words holiday lets with a personalised concierge service. Let’s say you’ve rented an apartment for a week and you want to do some ski touring while you’re here: they will find you a high mountain guide. This makes pre-planning your holiday from home a doddle! And once you’re here you can enjoy it to the full; these companies will take care of everything, providing a service tailored to you.

An ‘exclusive’ rental experience

Starting out from a simple idea, that it would be good to offer more flexibility in how rental properties are managed, Bruno Gabet decided to invent a new way for property owners and tenants to deal with each other. «We meet the customers on arrival to show them how everything works in the property. After that we are on hand throughout their stay to make it as pleasant as possible. At the end of their stay we turn up again to offer the tenants a helping hand». «In this way, not only do we offer personalised services but we are always on hand and keep showing our faces, and this is reassuring for both owners and tenants. The other advantage is that it offers something more than the standard concierge services one might normally expect. With My Home, customers rent a nicely decorated, personalised property. And that inevitably makes the whole process feel more exclusive.» And as a result the customers become ambassadors by recommending it to their family and friends.

1/ A bedroom at the Hôtel Fitz Roy, a perfect illustration of Val Thorens’ move to cosy upmarket. 2/ The swimming pool at the Val Thorens, another example of a hotel refurbishment that is inspiring the new Val Thorens. 3/ The Altapura, a luxury ski hotel that combines the might of the local ski lift company SETAM with the hospitality savoir-faire of the Sibuet group. 4/ A suite at the Koh-I Nor, the latest of the new-wave hotels to be built in Val Thorens. Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

VAL THORENS COSY

If a number of hotels, spas and top-brand sports shops have opened

The luxury ski hotel era

in recent years, this is down to this new real estate boom. By

The increased availability of building permits has also attracted

allowing not only new hotels and apartment hotels to be built but

new top-of-the-range hoteliers. This is the case for Maisons et

also well-known establishments such as La Folie Douce to come

Hôtels Sibuet, which opened the five-star Altapura in 2011. With

to Val Thorens, the resort has created a competitive market tending

88 bedrooms (16 of them suites), 3 restaurants, a ski shop and a

towards the out-of-the-ordinary. In Val Thorens you can for example

1,000m2 spa, this palatial hotel set a new standard in elegance.

stay in a well-appointed holiday residence a full half mile from the

Designed and decorated by the Sibuet family, featuring a warm and

resort, out on its own in the heart of the ski area. This amazing place,

trendy nordic interior design combining stone and wood, this hotel

a kind of fusion of a chalet and a cosy hideaway, is right up at Les

has an outstanding 360° view and has successfully combined a cosy

Chalets du Thorens, but you don’t have to walk there !

atmosphere with a vast surface area.

A new era

Another major project at the top end of the resort, the magnificent five-star Koh-I Nor hotel and holiday residence opened recently.

This progressive transformation has been accompanied by lots of

Its name means ‘mountain of light’ in Persian, a reference to the

apartment refurbishments. The old rabbit-hutch studios built in the

famous diamond in the British crown. Comprising 63 bedrooms and

1980s are gradually giving way to larger apartments with several rooms.

suites, 35 apartments, 2 restaurants, 2 swimming pools, a lounge

Space and comfort are now the watchwords of the new builds and

bar and an 800m 2 spa, this building holds its own among the world’s

modernisations the resort is seeing. The ‘cosy mountain retreat’ style has increased in popularity and a section of the clientèle has become more demanding. However, this move upmarket has not led to a mood of extreme snootiness. Glitz and comfort perhaps, but with an authentic mountain feel to it: this appears to be the new vogue in Val Thorens. All too aware of this renaissance, several hotel groups present in Val Thorens are keen to jump on the bandwagon. The Montagnettes group for example, which already had the top-end holiday residence Oxalys, opened the Hameau du Kashmir, a four-star hotel-cum-holiday residence, in 2012. With a ski shop, nursery, spa and two restaurants, this new establishment with its Himalaya-inspired décor targets a family clientèle looking for an all-in ski holiday. For their part, Les Hôtels d’En Haut have refurbished their four-star offerings at Le Val Thorens and Fitz Roy, the latter acquiring an extra star, bumping it up to five. The group has not skimped on quality, commissioning the interior design firm ID Associés to create their elegant ambiances, coming up with the ‘art at the top’ concept for Val Thorens featuring numerous paintings and Cassina furniture, and instigating a ‘return-to-the-classics’ trend at the Fitz Roy with Max Alto and B&B Italia designer furniture. This new dynamism has also inspired local entrepreneurs like Marc Gorini, owner of the Hôtel des 3 Vallées and La Marine restaurant, who has begun construction of a five-star hotel, the Yak & Yéti (45 bedrooms), due to open in 2015. «With this project we are trying to stand out by creating a personalised offering. Our perception of luxury is not to the extreme; we are putting the emphasis on space and high-tech facilities, with bedrooms starting at 36 m2 and equipped with the full range of modern technology. But above all, we treat our customers like friends. That’s important in Val Thorens where you have to be particularly attentive, ensuring you keep them happy when the weather

François Wenger

the whole kit and caboodle From concept to completion, this joiner-cum-ski instructor who transforms apartments from top to bottom has become a big hit around the resort. François Wenger has earned a reputation for the great care he takes when renovating apartments. His USP is that he takes on the whole project, from conception to fitting out the entire apartment. Working with tradesmen across the board, he supervises the renovation down to the smallest detail. «I tailor the project to the customer’s preferences, then I work with various craftsmen to make it as good as new,» he explains. We are not a formal set-up, just a group of people used to working together. As each job is customised, I don’t work with large volumes. When you’re providing a quality product, it takes time.» Combining his flair for interior design with his tradesman’s no-nonsense attitude enables François to offer his customers innovative solutions. «People tend to like aged timber because it has a mountain feel, but I always suggest they combine it with modern materials like steel, glass and LED lighting.»

Coming soon – a home interior store With the resort’s booming popularity and his growing reputation, François’ order book is full to bursting. «More and more people have started coming up to Val T because they realise it is still good value. Even though prices have gone up it is still accessible compared to other resorts, and they know that with the quality of snow it’s a good place to invest in.» After working away from Val Thorens for years, François recently opened a workshop on the edge of the resort near the ice-driving circuit. With the benefit of his experience, he plans to open a show room and home interior store next winter. «This is something I’ve been thinking about for eight years. I plan not only to put my suppliers’ products on show but also to provide advice to both tradesmen and individuals, and sell materials and decorations. That’s something we don’t have here yet.»

turns,» confides the real estate pioneer who was one of the first ski instructors to dare take on the challenge of Val Thorens.

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

Glitz and comfort perhaps,

an authentic m o u n t a i n f e e l to it: this but with

appears to be the new vogue in Va l T h o r e n s The Montana Plein Sud holiday residence with its tasteful contemporary décor. finest hotels. Its designers, the architecture firm Patriarche, have made extensive use of natural light, installing broad picture windows in all the bedrooms, apartments and communal areas. The décor is designed to create a mountain feel and features warm materials and careful attention to the use of light through residential automation technology. Lastly, in a crowning touch of luxury, the Koh-I Nor restaurants are run by top chef Yoann Conte, whose restaurant on the shore of Lake Annecy boasts two Michelin stars.

Certified ‘Famille Plus Montagne’, Val Thorens has a major advantage: all accommodation is ski-in, ski-out!

Club Méditerranée has also begun a major building project for a 4-trident residence due to open in 2015. The fact that Val Thorens has secured investment from this iconic tourist industry brand is testament to its growing reputation. Boasting 384 rooms (773 beds), including 361 Club rooms, 17 Deluxe rooms and 6 Suites, it will also have two restaurants, two bars with a terrace, a spa, a gym and an indoor climbing wall. Catering for the top end of the market, the new Club Med was designed by Studio Arch and its interior design is the work of the highly inventive interior designer and scenographer Sophie Jacqmin, who has worked with such luminaries as Christian Dior.

Unusually spacious Whilst many of the previous developments focused on building studios and small apartments, the new building impetus has reversed the trend, creating spacious dwellings. With bedrooms starting at 36 m2 at the Yak & Yéti,

The artist Aurélie Arnaud

decorates the Koh-I Nor Aurélie Arnaud, an ESF ski instructor whose family hails from Val Thorens, expresses her passion for the mountains through her art. For a long time Aurélie had felt drawn to painting but had never dared take the plunge, until an encounter with the artist Nanou Torc’h enabled her to «open the door.» As Aurélie developed her technique, it was only natural that her inspiration should come from the world that has always been the main influence in her life: the mountains. «Painting is above all my way of expressing the emotions that the mountains stir in me. The more I painted, the more I came to realise that I was very attracted to bare, rocky environments. Through my painting I have developed a different relationship with the elements. I have become more observant, more sensitive. I feel the vibrations of nature more keenly,» says the young mother who is also the oldest daughter of the famous high mountain guide and resort pioneer Camille Rey.

26 m2 at the Koh-I Nor and 24 m2 at the Club Med, and suites up to 68 m2, volumes are spacious and feature broad picture windows to make the most of the site’s exceptional natural light conditions. In this way, space and light have become the architectural fabric of recent constructions. Val Thorens’ adventurous and creative spirit has jumped on board this movement towards renewal. Tourism professionals, both local and recent arrivals, are vying to outdo each other’s ingenuity in offering something completely different and totally new experiences. Using architects and interior designers with original ideas, creating an assortment of ambiances inside remarkable buildings, offering carefully conceived and surprisingly different services: everything comes together to make Europe’s highest ski resort an attractive proposition that stands out among all others the world

Bedroom art The sensitivity of Aurélie’s work bowled over Laurent Roskam, the director of the new 5-star Koh-I-Nor, who commissioned her to paint 63 pictures for the hotel’s 63 bedrooms. He wanted paintings bathed in light to decorate the ‘Mountain of Light’, which is what the Persian word ‘Koh-I Nor’ means. A commission that took Aurélie six months to complete. «It was very interesting to produce such a large volume of work because that enabled me to look deep inside myself for inspiration. We agreed a size and a colour code. So I stuck with sober colours similar to those found in nature, what are known as ‘nude’ colours. Then I added touches of gold, bronze and copper to spice them up and bring out a stylish, feminine side,» admits Aurélie. Aurélie’s symphony to the mineral world can be seen in the bedrooms of the Koh-I-Nor.

over. 6

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

VAL THORENS COSY

Well-being at

2,300 metres

In keeping with the new Zeitgeist, Val Thorens has taken the plunge, providing a wide range of well-being treatments.

For a stress-busting holiday, there’s nothing better than soaking up the benefits of nature. Fresh air, rosy cheeks, exercise on skis, on foot or on snowshoes, all rounded off with lateafternoon treatments at the spa of your choice.

he resort’s future lies partly in embracing

altitude of 2,300 metres and blessed with wall-to-

Val Thorens’ sports centre has successfully

the boom in personal well-being services.

wall sunshine, Val Thorens therefore boasts an

adapted its offering to embrace this new

Most of the hotels and holiday residences

excellent ‘well-being capital’.

demand, offering various sport-and-well-being

are vying to outdo each other with their sexy new spa centres, and Val T’s famous sports centre too

The spa is in vogue

given a makeover, with Oriental-style treatment

has been modernised to keep up with this new

The resort’s new hotels and holiday residences

cubicles, and the centre’s five beauticians have

trend. Non-therapeutic massages, health and

are trying hard to outdo each other’s ingenuity

been trained to give the special treatments

beauty treatments, swimming pools, saunas and

and sumptuousness when it comes to their luxury

and massages featured in the new packages.

steam baths: the extensive range of options has

spa offering. Pure Altitude at the Hôtel Altapurna,

«Our themed treatment programmes have been

kept pace with the resort’s ambitions.

Valmont at the Koh-I Nor, Thémaé at the Val

carefully designed with Gil Amsallem, a leading

Thorens, Carita at the future Club Med: these

authority in massage techniques. They last for up

days, most spas are associated with cosmetics

to a week, enabling our customers to really make

The therapeutic benefits of natural light have been

brands in the chase for ‘quality added value’. With

the most of the complex while playing an active

known since the 19th century. Light regulates

a host of different treatments on offer, smart

part in choosing their treatments,» explains the

our body clock and invigorates us, improving the

décors and steam baths of every kind, these spas

centre director Eric Blanco. Now in a partnership

synchronisation of our biological rhythms. And the

offer customers a vast choice of ways to make the

with the Eona brand of organic essential oils and

oodles of fresh air you get in the mountains also

most of their après-ski time.

offering a range of inventive packages at very

Luminotherapy and altitude

has energy-giving properties because the oxygen

packages. The spa décor has very recently been

affordable prices, one of Val Thorens’ flagship

concentration is lower, so the body compensates

A modernised sports centre

amenities has jumped on board the well-being

by producing more red blood cells. Situated at an

France’s largest mountain-based leisure complex,

train with relish. 6

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

OFFICIAL S PARTNER

The world’s largest ski area

N.COM

REEGU WWW.F

galion Centre commercial du 73000 BASSENS

Freegun officiel Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

Freegun

news.freegun.com

@Freegun

36 rue sommeiller Passage du pré carré, 74000 ANNECY

Which mountains are your mountains? Mountains all over the world. How do the mountains make you feel? I love them with a passion. If you could eat a mountain, what would it taste like? Tarte tatin served with vanilla ice cream and covered in a mountain of whipped cream with a pretty strawberry on top. What sort of décor do you like in a mountain hotel? A reflection of its surroundings, cosy, and warm. What is your favourite memory of the mountains? Coming across the lac du lou at the age of 7 when i was looking after the sheep. I was filled with wonder to see such a vast area of water. After that, climbing my first four-thousander at the age of 17 (and lots of others besides...). What is your favourite dining experience? Tasting the bewitching feeling you get from mountaineering. Which recipe sums up the mountains best for you? Humility, courage, the effort required to keep going and climb higher, friendship and sincerity.

the mountains

according to…

Camille Rey Although no longer at the helm of the famous Aiguilles de Péclet restaurant at 3,000 metres altitude, Camille Rey is still everyone’s favourite resort ambassador in all matters relating to Val Thorens. You may bump into him on the piste because he is a guide by profession and as like as not will be out and about on his skis showing visitors these mountains he loves so much. Camille is a landmark figure in Val Thorens!

What is your favourite mountain encounter? Climbing with an ibex less than three metres away from me in the grand perron des encombres massif. Each time i climbed up a bit, he climbed up a bit too. Each time i stopped, he stopped climbing. It was magical. We kept time perfectly; it was indescribable, enchanting. Everything you need to whisk you away to another world. If you were trying to convince someone to come to the mountains, what would you say to them? Come and dream with me in the magnificent space offered by the mountains. What is your secret spot in the mountains? A place where silence reigns and the space belongs to me; somewhere my mind can wander free as a bird. What’s your top tip for the mountains? Admire, enjoy, stay safe and dream in silence. Explain what the mountains mean to you in just one word. Magnificence.

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

Crédits photos > Degré7 : Andyparant.com - Degre7 Duvillard : Arnaud Childeric Studio Kalice --- * L’esprit Degré7 --- ** Marque née à CHAMONIX, FRANCE

Born in Chamonix, FRANCE**

Val Thorens Cosy / Hiver 2014

www.valthorens.com

Réalisation : FreePresse • création et maquette / sbdesign.pro • Photos : D. André, P. Lebeau, B. Longo, OT Val Thorens, C. Cattin, JPBaralo.com, L. Di Orio, patriarche, a. cottarel, JM Favre, F. Amiand, J. Schneider, C. Brunet, T. SHU, droits réservés

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