THE NEW SEASON

A number of results, such as Tignes and Val d'Isere have now opened their doors for the season.

For Les Arcs, the grand opening will be in a couple of weeks' time.  As usual, the first week of the season is the week of the Les Arcs' Film Festival, which this year includes a focus on Norwegian Cinema.  There's also a section dedicated to the mountains, of which La Melancholie des Telesieges looks like a highlight.

In other news:

1.  There is snow - as witnessed in this picture from local skier Jules Bonnaire's Facebook page.

2.   The Cachette piste has been remodelled, primarily to boost its status as a racing/training piste (slalom, GS etc).  The resort has invested in 82 new snow cannons: more via Le Dauphiné.

3.   The new Carrelley lift will provide a direct link to Arc 2000 from Chantel/Edenarc apartments - with the sad consequence of this being the demise of our much-loved Renard lift (over by the Transarc).   More on new lifts in the Paradiski area and elsewhere here.

BORDER CONTROL

Following the attacks on Paris, the border crossing at the Col du Petit Saint Bernard is now closed, reports Le Dauphiné.  Concrete blocks were being added today (Saturday) to mark the frontier. UPDATE 15/11/15: Today's Le Dauphiné reports that the pass is now closed to road traffic for the winter

The heart of the Espace San Bernadino ski area

Further south, here is the even more remote Col du Larche, high above Barcelonnette in the Hautes-Alpes.

PARADISE POSTPONED: No Tour in the Tarentaise (again)

There are loads of good things about the 2016 Tour de France route:

• The opening days in La Manche will be beautiful - weather permitting
• The stage finish at the obscure Massif Central ski resort that is Le Lioran
• A more imaginative few days in the Pyrenees.  No Plateau de Beille. Hurrah!
• Mont Ventoux, itself an unlikely ski resort
• The excursion into Switzerland
• The three-week caravan follows a nice arc, Normandy to the Alps, with no long transfers (until the final day)

The only sad point is that (yet again) there is no racing in the Tarentaise.  Unless you count the stage start in Albertville.  Bourg St Maurice, Les Arcs, La Rosiere and Tignes can all claim some Tour heritage.  But it's been some time since the race went beyond Moutiers.  At least we haven't lost out to our friends in the Maurienne, which has been the usual scenario in recent years.  Roll on, 2017.....

The Miguel Indurain era ended
on the road to Les Arcs, 1986