A new page is being turned and a new era is beginning for the Crest-Voland Cohennoz. From next winter, skiers and walkers will be using a brand new gondola lift to replace the venerable Logère chairlift, which was installed in 1976 and modernised in 1986.
The project, which has been eagerly awaited for several years, is part of the resort's commitment to speeding up its modernisation while meeting environmental challenges and the growing expectations of visitors in both summer and winter.
With an investment of almost 13 million euros excluding taxes, this new gondola lift - supported by the commune of Crest-Voland in cooperation with Cohennoz within the Espace Diamant - aims to become a pillar of year-round tourism development.
It will replace the initial telemixte project, which was abandoned in favour of a 100 % cabin lift, deemed safer, more comfortable and better suited to the municipality's Flocon Vert label. Made up of nine pylons instead of fifteen, the line will have a reduced impact on the landscape, while providing easy access to the summit of Mont Lachat.
A lever for rethinking the sector as a whole
Earthworks began on 19 May, and the line will be installed by September. The manufacturer Poma is at the helm of this major project, with some parts of the old chairlift already sold to neighbouring municipalities.
The aim is twofold: to improve the user experience while at the same time initiating an overall restructuring of the estate. Because beyond simply replacing the equipment, this installation is seen as the foundation of a wider project.
The resort is planning to create a ski lift with reels called "Les Petits Champions", which will complete the offer at the bottom of the piste for beginner skiers. Eventually, the snow front will also be redeveloped and the customer trail improved.
The SPL that runs the resort will even be changing its name to SPL Domaine de Loisirs, to better reflect this ongoing diversification towards all-season tourism. The backdrop is the ambition to make Crest-Voland Cohennoz a more fluid, accessible and sustainable resort, one that thrives on much more than just downhill skiing.
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