Before opening non-stop from 13 December to 11 April, the Savoyard resort of Foreclosures This weekend (6-7 December), the pre-opening event is reminiscent of the great winters of yesteryear, with an area that is already largely skiable and a very «early season» atmosphere where excitement mingles with surprise at so much snow.
December has barely begun and the resort of Les Saisies is already living in a picture-postcard setting. Nearly a metre of fresh snow fell at the end of November, covering the fir forests and slopes of the Beaufortain in a dense, luminous white.
«Winter looks set to be as good as or better than last year, with occupancy rates already on the up».» Raphaël Barnasson, Deputy Director of the Tourist Office, points out in a press release.
This trend is confirmed both in the accommodation sector and on the snow front, where there has even been an increase of more than five points over the pre-season.
In the ski area, the piste team didn't waste a minute. «We've been on the skis for several days now preparing for a great pre-opening event».» explains Michaël Tessard, Director of Ski Areas, who insists on this early winter «like we haven't seen in a long time».
The figures bear him out: 80 centimetres of snow already measured at the bottom of the resort, more than a metre at the summit, and a Nordic area that was able to open 52 kilometres of pistes from 11 November. A sure sign that the season is shaping up to be exceptional.
A single package at €25
To give everyone a chance to get back in touch with the pleasures of the slopes, the resort is offering a single pass for 25 euros a day, a rarity in Savoie, valid only for this pre-opening period.
A number of lifts are accessible, including the Bisanne, Covetan, Chamois, Légette and Chard du Beurre chairlifts, which open the way to great panoramic balconies facing Mont Blanc.
And because good things never come alone, this first weekend in December also coincides with the Trail de Noël, now in its fifteenth year.
Around a thousand participants are expected at the start on Sunday morning, ready to tackle 10 or 20 kilometres of groomed pistes or powder snow in a Great North atmosphere. A sporting way to celebrate the return of winter before the traditional Savoyard meal served at the finish.
At Les Saisies, the season always starts a little earlier than elsewhere, but this year it's off to the best possible start.