The classic French ski and spa resort of Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, in the Haute Savoie Mont Blanc region, is making great strides towards increasing sustainable mountain tourism, with no less than three ground-breaking transport innovations.
First up, this winter Saint-Gervais will become one of the few French mountain resorts to offer direct gondola access from major European railway lines, marking a significant step forward in eco-friendly mountain mobility.
The newly-opened Le Valléen Gondola connects the SNCF train station at Le Fayet to Saint-Gervais village in just five minutes – twice as fast as by car – with travel to Le Fayet from Paris taking only 4h25m by TGV during the main holiday period.
Another gondola, L’Alpin, heading up the mountain, opens this December. It will seamlessly connect with Le Valléen gondola and has a capacity of 2,800 people per hour. It means skiers can be high on the slopes just seven minutes after getting off the train!
Then next August the resort is due to unveil France’s first wastewater-powered funicular the Ascenseur des Thermes. It will offer an innovative hydraulic system and techniques have been designed by French company POMA. The lift has a Brityish connection though, using technology devised by Michael Farmer, a British engineer living in Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. Free to use, It will link the thermal baths to town centre in just three minutes.
“This isn’t just about transport – it’s about reimagining mountain access for future generations. We’re proving that innovation and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand,” commented Jean-Marc Peillex, Mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains.
The Le Valléen Gondola connection is expected to reduce daily road traffic by 25%, and three new lifts combined should deliver a 15% reduction in CO2 emissions, taking approximately 15,000 cars annually from the local mountain roads and wider area.
The new lifts are in a long tradition of green mobility at Saint-Gervais with the Mont-Blanc Tramway, in operation since 1909, fully green electrically powered.
Saint-Gervais offers two ski areas to choose from: Évasion Mont-Blanc (France’s third-largest ski area with over 400km of ski runs) and Saint-Gervais/Les Houches. Off the Slopes its attractions include a thermal spa featuring 39°C natural springs.
Holiday companies have not been slow to notice the upgrades and what they mean for an improved ski holiday experience at St Gervais.
“Le Valléen shows the commitment French ski resorts have to protecting the environment and improving eco-friendly accessibility. It’s a unique project that will remove traffic congestion in the town and add another element to the overall experience for visitors,” said Chris Thompson, director of chalet holiday company OVO Network, which only operates in authentic mountain resorts, who adds, “We’ve been expanding our range of properties in St Gervais over the last couple of years and now have some fabulous properties such as Chalet Woodman, which is very popular with guests, and Chalet Mussol – new for this year. The addition of Le Valléen will add to St Gervais’ appeal year-round, and we believe a growing number of British holidaymakers will choose to discover it for themselves.”
