Val Pelouse
An abandoned French ski resort above Arvillard in the Belledonne massif, dismantled in the mid-1980s and now a paragliding launch site.
- Region
- Savoie
- Country
- France
- Status
- abandoned
- Year opened
- 1970
- Year closed
- mid-1980s
- Reason for closure
- Commercial failure at low altitude; lifts were dismantled and resold
History
In 1969 councillors from Arvillard and La Rochette decided to create a winter sports resort above their villages in the Belledonne massif, and the access road was laid out that year. From 1970 a small number of drag lifts served four slopes around a chalet-restaurant, at an elevation of about 1,728 metres. The resort was completely dismantled in the mid-1980s: the lifts were quickly taken down and resold, and the Signal 2000 building was dismantled and moved to Aiton to become a restaurant. The site is now used as a free-flight paragliding take-off point and as a trailhead for walks toward the Grande Montagne d'Arvillard. NOTE: contrary to some accounts, Val Pelouse never had a chairlift and no large concrete apartment blocks remain.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drag lifts | Surface lift | A small number of drag lifts served four slopes from 1970; dismantled and resold |
Sources and further reading
More in France
Location
45.4000, 6.1500