Sainte Foy Tarentaise : 14 December 2020
It’s been snowing again in Sainte Foy! The lead photo was taken yesterday from half way up the Charmettes piste.
There’s nothing like a fresh fall of snow to entice people out onto the mountain. It must be the playful child in all of us! But things aren’t normal at the moment. So what can we do? and what can’t we do?
A lot of discussions are taking place, and decisions are being made about dates for when decisions will be made!
Word on the street, (with the usual caveat that this is not confirmed) is that this weekend, 19 December, the lift company will groom and open the Charmettes piste for ‘randonneurs’ (hikers) and those wanting to go up to Plan Bois on skins or snowshoes. Strictly speaking, the ski area above this will be closed, but you will have access to the forest tracks below and around Sainte Foy.
The lift company will also be carrying out avalanche prevention measures to secure the safety of the Charmettes piste, and the Arpettaz piste, which will be used for ski race training by the Sainte Foy Ski Club.
This is a view from the balcony of La Niche, taken on Saturday 12 December 2020. If it wasn’t for all the snow in the air, the view would stretch for several kilometres and you would see the picturesque village of Villaroger across the valley, and the towering Mount Pourri up and over to the left.
The latest decree coming out of the French government is that ski resorts ‘may’ be able to open on 07 January 2021. We say ‘may’ be able to open, because they are hedging their bets by saying that it depends on the Covid figures. Obviously this will be too late for the Christmas and New Year holidays, and therefore to open in the traditionally lowest demand week of the season is an easy give, should they in fact decide to let the lifts open.
‘Open’ in this sense, is the lifts being allowed to open. Accommodation is available to rent over the holiday period and takeaway food and drink services will be available, notably from 1580m and MattyG Cooks.
There will however be a curfew in place, which from Tuesday 15 December, dictates that you need to be tucked up in your chalet by 8pm, and mustn’t leave until 6am the next morning. The first baguettes will be rolling off the production line in Sainte Foy’s bakery this week, and this season, because Serge has knocked a big hole in the wall, you will be able to see Valentin hard at work and covered in flour!
If you fancy coming to Sainte Foy and would be sampling its charm for the first time, the Tourist Office is open every day and can provide you with maps of the forest trails and other useful information.
This is a view from the balcony of Chalet Nido dell’Aquila, also taken on a very snowy Saturday 12 December 2020.
The big question now, is whether the lifts will be allowed to open on 07 January 2021. Gossip on the grapevine thinks that this is likely, but as mentioned above, by 07 January the busy holiday period and thus the main covid risk will have passed, and thus less political risk if the government allow lifts to open.
This would then leave the dilemma that as from 07 January each ski station in France would be able to choose whether or not they want to open. Some will think it is not profitable to open straight away, and some will open. The 07 January date is being discussed as it coincides with the opening of cinemas, theatres and spectacular events.
We are meeting with the lift company on Wednesday this week to find out about their opening plans, and we will update you again after the meeting.
If however, you are already in Sainte Foy, and are planning a trip up the mountain, please be extra careful at the moment. The piste bashers are preparing the pistes during the daytime and may be connected to cables, which you will want to avoid. Also, the pisteurs are triggering avalanches to secure the ski area, again worth avoiding!
Given all that is happening, and as crazy as the world seems to be at the moment, here at Time to Ski we think the snowman talking about this Christmas in Sainte Foy has a point. It just could be!
Read other articles about Sainte Foy on the Time to Ski blog page
p.s. Due to the lifts not being open, Time to Ski still has some availability, and we have reduced our prices to reflect the unusual circumstances. You can see the current availability calendar here.
