Earlier this month the 7e Chasseurs Alpins left Bourg St Maurice.
This marks the end of an era for the town. For some background click here.
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Showing posts with label Chasseurs Alpins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chasseurs Alpins. Show all posts
Monday, 23 July 2012
AU REVOIR: Les Chasseurs Alpins leave Bourg St Maurice
Earlier this month the 7e Chasseurs Alpins left Bourg St Maurice.
This marks the end of an era for the town. For some background click here.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
L'ARMEE ET LA VALLEE: The Chasseurs Alpins Leave Town
This summer sees one of the bedrocks of Bourg St Maurice leaving town. The 7th Brigade of the Chasseurs Alpins (7e BCA) are moving to the Grenoble area. They are the French army's elite mountain troops, with many currently in Afghanistan.
The departure of the BCA caused quite a stir when first announced - the impact on the local community and economy of several hundred families moving on, the loss of an emergency service in case of disasters, etc. And it remains high up the list of concerns at the start of 2012 - they are one of the anchors of the local economy, and with the ski industry flat, there is much to think about. The French government have sweetened the pill slightly by awarding the new national advanced ski training centre to Bourg St Maurice rather than Chamonix, but it certainly makes initiatives like Bourg St Maurice 2020 all the more relevant.
So this will be the last season you will see the chasseurs on the local pistes. They have guarded my hire car at Les Ecudets (below La Rosiere), and at Les Brevieres (below Tignes). And they have scared me, with their "we do not stop for civilians" armoured car convoys on the Cormet de Roselend. You will still see them training - for example on the Les Granges piste below Arc 1800:
Here's the local news coverage where they talk about the departure from BSM:
More on the background, history etc in the Wikipedia entries, in English and (with much more detail) in French.
The departure of the BCA caused quite a stir when first announced - the impact on the local community and economy of several hundred families moving on, the loss of an emergency service in case of disasters, etc. And it remains high up the list of concerns at the start of 2012 - they are one of the anchors of the local economy, and with the ski industry flat, there is much to think about. The French government have sweetened the pill slightly by awarding the new national advanced ski training centre to Bourg St Maurice rather than Chamonix, but it certainly makes initiatives like Bourg St Maurice 2020 all the more relevant.
So this will be the last season you will see the chasseurs on the local pistes. They have guarded my hire car at Les Ecudets (below La Rosiere), and at Les Brevieres (below Tignes). And they have scared me, with their "we do not stop for civilians" armoured car convoys on the Cormet de Roselend. You will still see them training - for example on the Les Granges piste below Arc 1800:
Here's the local news coverage where they talk about the departure from BSM:
More on the background, history etc in the Wikipedia entries, in English and (with much more detail) in French.
Sunday, 16 October 2011
BOURG ST MAURICE: A Rough Guide
Bourg St Maurice rightly markets itself as the gateway to the local mountains, summer and winter. Although it has some picturesque parts, it is unlikely to satisfy anyone looking for a cute town to base themselves in. However, it does have a number of things going for it - Les Arcs, La Plagne, La Rosiere, Ste-Foy, Val d'Isere and Tignes are all within easy reach, and it's not too far to Valmorel, the 3 Vallees, or indeed the resorts near Albertville (eg Crest Voland and Areches Beaufort).
The town itself has seen its population rise in recent years - from 6750 in 1999 to around 8000 now (more facts and figures here). It does face some "challenges" though, as the local army base, home to the Chasseurs Alpins, will shortly be closing, with the troops moving to Grenoble. The town beat off competition from Chamonix to be the site of the new National Ski Training Centre for young skiers coming through the ranks, but the net effect on the local economy will clearly be negative.
There are endless arguments up the mountain about the management of Les Arcs, and indeed the local politics can be a bit tasty. Bourg St Maurice council put its foot down and put an end to free parking at 1800 a couple of years ago, given that it was cositng several hundred thousand euros a year to maintain. This did not go down too well with the locals and proprieteres. Like Macot and Aime down the road, there are lots of discussions around long-term plans (Bourg St Maurice 2020); it's clear that Les Arcs is the "anchor brand" which will be at the centre of the area's PR and marketing.
On to more practical things. You are likely to pass through if you are visiting the Haute Tarentaise, so here are a few tips:
1. If renting a car from a French airport, you can do one-way hires and leave the car/collect at Europcar in the main street (opposite the cinema). You may find you can save money by doing this if you are staying for a week or so. The downside, if hiring from Geneva Airport, is that you have to fiddle around going through customs to the French side, won't have a vignette for the Swiss motorways (cost is about 40 Euros), and will have feeble summer tyres rather than Swiss winter ones!
2. Parking at the funicular is free - they tried to introduce charges a few years ago, but the locals took the payment barrier down.
3. If you are passing through, stop for a French lunch at Le Tonneau on the roundabout by the bus station, or indeed for an American lunch at McDo's just a bit further on. There is a v large sports shop by McD's, as well as Intermarche, Super U etc over the roundabout.
4. There are loads of buses of course to Tignes and Val d'Isere. But there is also a free bus to La Rosiere which leaves from the funicular 2 or 3 times a day. It drops you off at Les Ecudets lift - click here for more about La Rosiere.
5. If arriving/leaving on a Saturday, a quick tour of the market (from 8am) and coffee in one of the bars on the main street provides a reasonable interlude.
Bourg St Maurice is online here.
Also, one of the locals has set up a "TV station" which will give you a feel for the area, including summer activities. There's also more about the area once the skiers have left here.
The town itself has seen its population rise in recent years - from 6750 in 1999 to around 8000 now (more facts and figures here). It does face some "challenges" though, as the local army base, home to the Chasseurs Alpins, will shortly be closing, with the troops moving to Grenoble. The town beat off competition from Chamonix to be the site of the new National Ski Training Centre for young skiers coming through the ranks, but the net effect on the local economy will clearly be negative.
There are endless arguments up the mountain about the management of Les Arcs, and indeed the local politics can be a bit tasty. Bourg St Maurice council put its foot down and put an end to free parking at 1800 a couple of years ago, given that it was cositng several hundred thousand euros a year to maintain. This did not go down too well with the locals and proprieteres. Like Macot and Aime down the road, there are lots of discussions around long-term plans (Bourg St Maurice 2020); it's clear that Les Arcs is the "anchor brand" which will be at the centre of the area's PR and marketing.
On to more practical things. You are likely to pass through if you are visiting the Haute Tarentaise, so here are a few tips:
1. If renting a car from a French airport, you can do one-way hires and leave the car/collect at Europcar in the main street (opposite the cinema). You may find you can save money by doing this if you are staying for a week or so. The downside, if hiring from Geneva Airport, is that you have to fiddle around going through customs to the French side, won't have a vignette for the Swiss motorways (cost is about 40 Euros), and will have feeble summer tyres rather than Swiss winter ones!
2. Parking at the funicular is free - they tried to introduce charges a few years ago, but the locals took the payment barrier down.
3. If you are passing through, stop for a French lunch at Le Tonneau on the roundabout by the bus station, or indeed for an American lunch at McDo's just a bit further on. There is a v large sports shop by McD's, as well as Intermarche, Super U etc over the roundabout.
4. There are loads of buses of course to Tignes and Val d'Isere. But there is also a free bus to La Rosiere which leaves from the funicular 2 or 3 times a day. It drops you off at Les Ecudets lift - click here for more about La Rosiere.
5. If arriving/leaving on a Saturday, a quick tour of the market (from 8am) and coffee in one of the bars on the main street provides a reasonable interlude.
Bourg St Maurice is online here.
Also, one of the locals has set up a "TV station" which will give you a feel for the area, including summer activities. There's also more about the area once the skiers have left here.
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