The world’s largest ski resort operator, the Compagnie des Alpes (CDA), is looking to add one of the remaining major French resorts not yet under its ownership to its portfolio.

The company has announced it in negotiations to acquire a majority stake in Deux-Alpes Loisirs thanks to exclusive negotiations with a group of shareholders who together hold almost 90% of the company, which is the operator of Les 2 Alpes.

With more than 1.3 million skier days in winter 2008-2009, and projected consolidated sales of approximately 40 million Euros for 2009, Les 2 Alpes is the kind of resort that fits CDA’s operating model, according to a company statement.

Its size — 430 hectares (1.7 square miles), 225 km (140 milies) of ski runs, 55 ski lifts — makes it comparable to other large Group ski areas, such as Les Menuires and Serre Chevalier.

Thanks to the site’s altitude and infrastructure, skiing quality is up to the highest standards; skiers can enjoy skiing at altitudes of up to 3,600 meters (11,800 ft.), on Europe’s largest skiable glacier. The resort has nearly 30,000 rental beds, and attracts nearly 50% international clientele.

Compagnie des Alpes already operates 16 leading ski areas in the Alps including Tignes, Val d’Isère, Les Arcs, La Plagne, Les Menuires, Méribel, and Chamonix. Consolidated sales were 579 million Euros for the financial year ending September 30, 2008.

www.compagniedesalpes.com

The cost of a six day lift ticket at Andorra’s largest ski centre, Grandvalira, is dropping for next season – albeit by just half a Euro for a six day pass, other tickets will cost the same as last winter 08-09.

However the change is significant as the resort’s lift ticket price had increased at a percentage rate faster than most other resorts over the past five or so years as huge investment in state-of-the-art lifts and many other improvements moved the resort from a collection of small provincial ski centres in to the world top 50 by size.

The cost of a Grandvalira high-season, six day, adult lift ticket drops from 213.5 Euros to 213 Euros.

In another new development, both Grandvalira and the other Andorran ski region VallNord have introduced a ‘teen’ price range from age 12 to 17, during which time children in that age bracket receive about 10% off the full adult price, which was previously payable from age 12 up. in common with most French and Spanish resorts.

Both Grandvalira and VallNord also offer a ‘low season’ when prices are discounted by about 15% on the full ticket price. Low season dates in Grandvalira include December 9 – 18, January 11 – 24 and March 27 to the end of the season. Vallnord has more extensive low season periods.

www.skiandorra.ad

One of the ski world’s largest summer construction projects this summer is at the leading Slovak resort of Jasna where a major new gondola project is under construction.

The new Grand Brhliska gondola is nearly 2km long and rises 320 vertical metres between 1100 and 1420m. It replaces an older four-passengers-per-cabin lift, the new eight passenger cabins give the lift a maximum capacity of 2,400 skiers per hour – double that of the lift it replaces. It is also 328m longer than the previous lift.

Work on the new 13 million Euro lift began in May and will be complete for the coming winter. It’s base station is close to the grand hotel and the lift has a stylish modern design with orange window panes and black frames creating a unique colour combination.

As part of the construction project, Jasna is also lengthening of the ski slope Nr 10 Vrbicka (350m) to 2,3km long, with full snow making cover, so that the ski slope will end at the bottom station of the cableway. The access road to hotels will now lead under the ski slope through a new tunnel and the resorts Biela Pú? and Otupné will be linked by the lower parts of the ski slopes Biela Pú? and Vrbická.

There will also be a completely new 700m long ski slope in the Otupné sector, which will be located to the east of the ski run Vrbická. The new run will provide a bypass to a steep part of the Vrbická piste.

The upgrading project will continue for 2010-11 too.

www.jasna.sk