UPDATE (July 2020)
After €40m of work and eighteen months of construction so far, the opening date for the new gondolas linking Orelle to Cime de Caron in Val Thorens has been delayed to the 2021/22 season.
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Doppelmayr has released their first images for how the new Les 3 Vallées Express from Orelle to Val Thorens will look.
The lift company in Orelle, the Société des Téléphérique d’Orelle (STOR), has been looking at upgrading their main link to the rest of Les 3 Vallées since the Peyron chairlift was installed in 2013.
The lift can face queues in peak season, but the cost meant that the idea never progressed.
Landslide led to new plans
However, in 2015, a landslide cut off Les Menuires and Val Thorens from Moutiers and the valley. That meant the only way for some skiers to leave the resort and catch their flights was via the gondola to Orelle.
Realising the potential and strategic importance of the lift tipped the design project into action.
Lift capacity will double
The new gondola has three key objectives:
- To double the existing capacity
- To improve the speed of the existing gondola
- To ensure Orelle is a gateway to Les 3 Vallées
The new lift will be a single cable gondola starting at the existing base station. The first section will be almost 5km long and ascend 1500m.
2500 skiers per hour
Cabins will be 10-seaters and capacity will increase to 2500 skiers per hour from a maximum of 1250 today.
It’s likely that the new lift will be a ‘D-Line’ gondola, similar to their new lift installed in Sölden, Austria.
Summer access to Cime de Caron
There are bonuses for Orelle in summer as it means tourists will be able to access the Cime de Caron.
A possible development for the future is a new restaurant at the top station.
Accommodation in Les 3 Vallées
For impartial advice on catered chalets in any of the resorts in Les 3 Vallées, please contact the Chaletline team on 01822 617716
