Four decades ago the existing Jandri Express opened its doors in Les Deux Alpes and heralded a sea change in access for the French high altitude resort. In a mere 40 minutes skiers could access the mountain at 3,200 metres and enjoy some of the longest ski runs Europe had to offer all the way down to resort level at 1,600 metres.
However times have changed however and, forty years later, Les Deux Alpes has undergone another revolution. Earlier this month the new Jandri 3S lift began operations and can whisk skiers the 2,000 metres up to glacier level in only 17 minutes.
As I arrive at the base of the ski lift to collect my ski pass the generational shift in technology and investment becomes obvious. Rather than some glorified portacabin the entrance looks like a Westfield. Three classic cabins are strung across its glass facade.
SATA the lift company which operates Les Deux Alpes, Alpe d-Huez and La Grave have invested €139m into the Jandri 3S lift, with a long-term loan that will be repaid over the next 22 years.
SATA chief executive Fabrice Boutet says the loan is akin to a mortgage
“Financially it was two years of negotiations to have a term of contract,” he says, adding that a consortium of French banks have backed the new lift. The lift is a core part of SATA’s development plan, and was included in their proposal to take on the operation of Les Deux Alpes in 2020 from previous operator CDA in 2020.
“Our raison d-etre is to take the social approach, and the economic approach to this area. So we don’t want to go to Savoir [region] or everywhere we want to focus on this territory, we are a territory company.
“Our company is a mix between the public shareholders and private. The public is the majority owner of the company, with 54% of the capital of the company with the [public] shareholders, the 46% is from private shareholders.”
The new lift serves three purposes. The first is building capacity by over doubling the number of skiers from 1,300 per hour to 3,000 who can gain access to the upper slopes, the second reason is to cut down on mounting maintenance costs of keeping the Jandri Express lift operations and build a lift which can operate in poor weather conditions, the third is resilience against climate change.
Les Deux Alpes is preparing for a warmer climate by reshaping some of the ski runs, building beginner areas higher up the piste such as the one planned at 2,600 metres, and taking a look at what the mountain can offer in terms of skiing variety.
How this will play out remains to be seen, however the region looks to be building resilience and capacity into their offer in advance of changes to the Alps, and anticipating the possible closure of lower altitude ski resorts in the years to come.
Jandri 3S has done away with ten of the pylons needed for the Jandri Express. Seven giant towers take the weight of the cabins compared to a previous 17. A series of elaborate steel contraptions act effectively as cable ties in-between the spans to allow less impact on the ground.
Above the gondola station is where the real engineering happens. A series of wheels each turning at a slightly different speed slows the cabins from their cruising speed of 8 metres a second to only one metre per second as they arrive, or speed them up to then eject them up the mountain. The giant coil of cable acts as an anchor, relying on friction of the cable against itself to take the load.
Having stepped aboard, it’s fair to say it is fast. According to our guides from SATA, with a top speed of eight metres per second, or 28.8km per hour, the Jandri lift is apparently fastest a ski lift can go, legally, anywhere in the world. I ask if it can go faster
“No, it’s the law.” they add firmly.
The cabins sway slightly as they arrive at the mid-station, like a ride at Chessington World of Adventures. Skiers disembark and head off to explore the piste.
Fifty yards away the old Jandri Express is still running, chugging away with its careworn cabins. SATA have kept the lower half of the lift operating as an insurance policy against teething problems in the new system. Jandri Express will be dismantled in May at the end of the winter season.
The new lift forms the centre of a transformation plan for the three resorts operated by SATA which will be complete by the 2026/27 season. One new ski lift that the ski company has categorically ruled out is the link between Les Deux Aples and Alpe d’Huez. Boutet signalling that is not part of their plans. Similarly, SATA are keen to stress that the ski adventurer’s playground of La Grave will stay relatively untouched for the foreseeable future.
“We want to keep the DNA of La Grave as it is,” Boutet adds.
According to Boutet the major new lift schemes are now completed, however in Les Deux Alpes they are working on improving the lower slopes and adding some snow cannons strategically across the resort in areas where the wind or slopes mean snow cover is scant. Only about 20% of the runs are currently covered with snow cannons, the aim is to increase that to 40%.
In Alpe d’Huez the lift company is looking to improve access and guide skiers onto less crowded slopes, taking the strain off of the main runs. According to ABC, 80% of skiers use only 20% of runs. By fanning them out more efficiently, the resorts can keep congestion down
The development project rumbles on, however as skiers clambering out of the the Jandri 3S can attest, the hard work has been done.