Châtel in the giant French-Swiss Portes dui Soleil ski region has replaced its Linga 2 chairlift ready for the new season, which began in the resort this weekend.

The old Linga 2 chairlift which takes skiers up to Col du Linga at 2050m has been replaced by a new six-searer detachable chairlift, ascending from 1550m, at a departure point next to the Leiche ski lift, and it’s name will be Echo Alpin lift.

The 1580m long lift with a vertical rise 525m can carry 2400 people per hour initially, but this capacity is due to be increased to 2700 people per hour after a trial period.

The new chair is one of the fastest lifts of the Portes du Soleil area as it can carry skiers at a speed of 5.5 metres per second taking them to the top in just five minutes.

Châtel is also increasing the area it can cover with machine made snow thanks to the addition of a new reservoir. For winter 2009-2010 the resort has 180 snow guns and the Combes and Linga 2 runs now have snowmaking.

Finally the resort has launched a new ‘any 4 hours’ hands-free Liberty ski pass.

Many of the world’s leading ski resorts have opened for the 2009-10 ski season this weekend following heavy snowfall in the Alps, Dolomites, Pyrenees and lower temperatures in Eastern North America allowing for snowmaking.

In the French Alps, Courchevel and Meribel joined Val Thorens opening in the Three Valleys and in Austria the Arlberg opened a week later than planned after a spell of warm weather ended with falls of several feet of snow.

In the Pyrenees most of the leading resorts in Andorra, France and Spain all opened on Friday or Saturday after several feet on new snow fell. Baqueira Beret and Formigal, Spain’s two largest resorts were among those opening.

In New England resorts opening thanks to improved conditions include Sugarloaf in Maine, and further north in Quebec, Mont Ste Anne has opened after several postponed dates.

Over on the West, Fernie and Revelstoke in British Columbia have also opened.