Draft:Chalmazel station

Chalmazel or Chalmazel - Pierre-sur-Haute. is a winter sports resort in the Massif Central located in the commune of Chalmazel-Jeansagnière, in the Loire department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Its alpine ski area stretches from 1,109 to 1,600 meters above sea level on the slopes of Pierre-sur-Haute, the highest point of the Monts du Forez (1,634 meters), between the forest and the wild high moors (les hautes Chaumes).

The first pistes were laid out in the 1930s, and the first lift built in 1953 on the initiative of the local ski club. Today, the site boasts 12 kilometers of downhill ski runs served by 1 detachable bubble chairlift, 7 drag lifts and equipped with 90 snow guns. There's also cross-country skiing on the Haut Forez Nordic ski area at Col de la Loge, and snowkiting on the high altitude bare plateaus. The resort also offers a range of summer activities (downhill karts and scooters, mountain bike trails with acrobatic modules, hiking from the resort or from the chairlift arrival point).

Chalmazel mainly attracts daily visitors from the Forez plain and the Roanne and St. Etienne conurbations less than 80 kilometers away, but also, to a lesser extent, from Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon.

Situation
The ski resort of the commune of Chalmazel-Jeansagnière is located at an altitude of 1,120 meters, at a place called Les Bois, 4 kilometers as the crow flies from the village 250 meters below. The station is linked to the village by the 6 kilometer-long route départementale no. 632, and is served by line 112 of the Transports interurbains de la Loire (TIL) from Montbrison. It is a 1-hour, 15-minute drive from Saint-Étienne, Clermont-Ferrand and Roanne and, since the opening of the A89 autoroute, a 1-hour, 30-minute drive from Lyon.

It is the only downhill ski resort in the Monts du Forez, a mountain range in the Massif Central to the northwest of Saint-Étienne. The range overlooks the Forez plain (to the east) and the Dore valley (to the west), and marks the boundary between the departments of Loire (formerly Rhône-Alpes) and Puy-de-Dôme (formerly Auvergne), both now part of the same Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

At an altitude of 1,634 metres, Pierre-sur-Haute, the highest point in the ski area, is the summit of the massif and of the Loire department. Its summit is home to a military radio station, civil aviation radar and civilian communications facilities, visible from the surrounding plains and valleys. On a clear day, you can see Mont Blanc in the distance, the Plomb du Cantal, the Monts Dore and the Puy de Dôme.

The Lignon, a 58.1 kilometer-long left-bank tributary of the Loire River, flows through the estate. The river rises on the estate, between Pierre-sur-Haute and the Signal de Procher (1,544 m), below the Col de la Chamboîte.

Fauna and flora
The area around Chalmazel is a diverse natural environment, with a marked layering of different biotopes. The lower, montane level is made up of relatively dense pine, beech and fir forests, which give way, above 1,400 meters, to vast high plateaus: the hautes Chaumes. This sub-alpine heath is made up of moorland dotted with peat bogs. Some of these herbaceous plateaus are grazed, allowing a mixture of grasses, wavy hair-grass, fescues and shrubs (callune, bilberry, hairy broom, lycopods). Peat bogs offer a floristic diversity of particular interest, with polium-leaved andromeda mingling with sphagnum moss, cranberry and marsh cinquefoil. Carnivorous plants such as large-flowered butterwort and sedges are also present.

Like pastoral activities, the resort's trails and their upkeep help to maintain biodiversity. A small population of Diphasiastrum tristachyum, a rare species protected at national level and listed in France's Red Book of Threatened Flora, has developed on Couzan's slopes. The maintenance of the ski slopes is adapted (avoiding ground-level grinding) and helps to preserve the host habitat, in particular by stopping the progression of the callune.

The Couzan and Chapouilloux woods are home to the black woodpecker, Europe's largest woodpecker at 45 centimetres long. They are also home to the common raven and, to a lesser extent, the woodcock.

Because of this diversity, the areas surrounding the resort are classified as a natural zone of ecological, faunistic and floristic interest, and the hautes Chaumes as a Natura 2000 site, which limits the size of the ski area.

Weather
The climate of the Monts du Forez is characterized by the presence of the burle, a northerly wind that forms large snowdrifts and explains the absence of vegetation on the summit plateaus, as well as frequent fog (132 days a year) that causes frost. The resort of Chalmazel has dealt with this situation by developing its ski area mainly in the forest, which provides natural protection against the weather, and by installing snow barriers on exposed summits. The vehicles on the Jasseries chairlift are equipped with a liquid shock absorber system to limit the effects of wind.

Annual rainfall at Pierre-sur-Haute is in excess of 1,500 millimetres, and remains stable throughout the year, unlike at the lower points of the massif, where winters are drier. At the summit, the average number of days per year when the temperature is negative is close to 200, with more than 100 days without thaw and an annual period of natural snow cover enabling skiing of between 70 and 80 days. Autumn remains mild, and winter generally overlaps with spring: April is harsher than November. Rainfall episodes can be intense, but remain random, particularly in the valleys. As a result, the date of the first snowfall fluctuates widely. On the other hand, the cold climate and the presence of the Lignon river enable the resort to produce artificial snow to ensure the opening of the ski area in December.

Toponimy
The resort takes its name from the former commune of Chalmazel, where it is located. This name derives directly from the former name of the highest point of the massif, now called Pierre-sur-Haute, known before the 18th century as Chal, derived from the prelatin “calma”, meaning thatch, bare plateau at altitude. Added to this is mazel, from the Latin “man(s)um” (mazet, mas, manse, maison), the substantival past participle of the verb “manere” (to dwell).

Organized skiing at Chalmazel
It dates back to the 1934-1935 winter season, when the Ski Club Roannais built the first downhill run, known as piste “A”, on the slopes of the Chapouilloux woods. In 1936, the Chalmazel school launched the first school ski days. In 1939, the Forez-Velay-Vivarais Ski Federation organized a major regional competition, with downhill, slalom, combined and jumping events, attracting over 1,500 spectators.

After the Second World War in 1946, three local ski enthusiasts, Emile Doitrand, René Morel and Fernand Bost, founded the Ski-club Chalmazellois. It was on the impetus of this association that the first lift was built in 1953: the 605-meter-long Chapouilloux cable car. In 1959, three members of the Thiers ski-club initiated the construction of the Chalmazel 1500 ski lift on the high stubble below the Signal de Procher, accessible from the Col du Béal. A training lift, La Parre (or La Part), was installed in 1964 not far from the Chapouilloux lift. All these pioneering ski lifts in the Monts du Forez have now been dismantled. It was also in 1964 that a more ambitious project took shape, under the impetus of Eloi Marcoux, president of the ski-club: the development of new downhill ski runs on the slopes of Pierre-sur-Haute, with the installation by the commune of the Granges ski lift, which to this day remains the longest ski lift in the Massif Central.

Structuring and development
The resort continued to develop in 1967, led by Eloi Marcoux, who, in addition to his role as president of the Ski-club, was now also the facilities manager, and Henri Essertel, general secretary of the commune of Montbrison and the Régie de Chalmazel. They had the support of the Conseil Général and its president, Antoine Pinay, who wanted to provide the department with a modern ski center. The lift park was developed, pistes were laid out and a snow front with reception, rental stores and apartments was built. The Pierre-sur-Haute four-seater gondola was built, forming the backbone of the resort at 2,340 meters. This lift was one of the first “egg” lines built by French manufacturer Poma. The 1964 ski school lift was installed in 1967 on the Granges flat, accessible to beginners from the gondola's intermediate station. After a few seasons, the lift was moved to its final location at the foot of the slopes, near the gondola departure station. It was then renamed the Bosquet ski lift. It was replaced in 1993 by the 400-meter-long Forestière lift, now also dismantled.

In 1980, the Couzan black run was built. A breakthrough was also made in the forest, on the slopes of the Signal de Procher, leading to the bottom of the Couzan sector, with a view to opening up a new piste. But the project was never finalized. Although naturally reforested over the years, this gap in the side of the Signal de Procher can still be seen today.

In 1983, the resort installed snow guns on the Granges piste and created a small beginners' area behind Les Épilobes restaurant, also equipped with snow guns. This area is served by the Camping ski lift and, a few seasons later, by a snow wire.

Modernization policy
In the 2000s, the Departmental Council of Loire took over management of the ski area and invested in new facilities.

In 2002, the gondola lift, now obsolete and insufficient in terms of throughput, was replaced by the Jasseries detachable bubble chairlift, at a cost of 3,600,000 euros excluding tax (excluding dismantling, civil engineering and project management). It was followed by the Pierre-sur-Haute ski lift, which extended the high-altitude runs to the summit of the massif.

Investments continued in 2004 with the renovation of the beginners' area. The Campanules slope was created, and snow guns and two new surface lifts were installed. At the same time, the operator developed summer activities by creating a climbing park and a downhill run for mountain bikes.

In 2003, the Couzan ski lift was modernized, followed in 2006 by the Granges ski lift. This was followed in 2008 by the replacement of the Cimes lift, which serves the upper Couzan sector and the more technical runs. The lift now has a longer layout to facilitate access to the Chamboîte piste and the black runs. This work was accompanied by the installation of 20 snow guns in the Couzan sector.

Downhill skiing
The alpine ski area stretches from 1,109 meters to 1,600 meters altitude on the eastern side of Pierre-sur-Haute. Chalmazel's skiing offer is above all family-oriented. Highlights include the 2,800-metre length of the Granges piste combined with those at the foot of Pierre-sur-Haute, the more technical Couzan sector, and the presence of a dedicated beginners' sector. Even so, the ski area remains modest in size (11 kilometers of trails) due to the recent classification of certain forested areas, but the Conseil général de la Loire is banking on quality in return. Sodding, the installation of snow barriers on bare sections and 90 snow guns ensure that the slopes are always open. The slopes are served by a modern fleet of ski lifts.

Technical equipment
Since 2002, almost 90% of the ski area's lifts have been built, replaced or renovated. The resort is equipped with the Jasseries (A) detachable bubble chairlift. Built by Leitner in 2002, it is the backbone of the resort. Its four-seater chairs are fitted with a polycarbonate hood to protect passengers from the elements, and a liquid shock absorber to limit rocking, allowing operation even in poor weather conditions. They are fitted with disengageable clamps, enabling line operation at 5 meters per second and slowing down in the station to facilitate boarding. The unit also features a garage for off-season or bad-weather vehicle recycling, or for adapting the number of seats on the line to the number of passengers, thus optimizing fuel consumption. With a line length of 2,036 meters, this is the longest chairlift in the Massif Central.

There are also four surface lifts: the Pierre-sur-Haute (C), Campanules (E) and Ourson (D) lifts, installed by Doppelmayr in 2002 and 2004 respectively, and the Cimes (F) lift built by Leitner in 2008. The resort also boasts three detachable Montaz Mautino (or GMM) pole lifts: Les Granges (B) and Couzan 1 (G), renovated in 2006, and Couzan 2 (H), installed in 1986. With a line length of 1,836 meters, Les Granges is the longest ski lift in the Massif Central. A Sunkid travelator for beginners also joined the beginners' area in 2010.

The 90 snow guns are operated by two Johnson Controls snowmaking plants fed by a reservoir taken from the Lignon river. This equipment guarantees snowmaking on almost 4.3 kilometers of slopes. These are maintained by two Leitner snow groomers (one LH500 DW with winch, one LH500 W) and a Kässbohrer (PB 400 with tiller).

The tracks
The slopes are divided into three linked sectors, each with a specific ski offering: Les Granges (family skiing), Couzan (more technical skiing) and the beginners' area (learning to ski). The ski area has 15 downhill runs covering 11 kilometers, including 2 black runs, 4 reds, 3 blues and 2 greens.

Les Granges sector
The Granges piste forms a wide gap in the forest. The Granges sector is the heart of the resort's offering. It runs from the foot of the slopes to the highest point of the resort at 1,600 meters. It offers family skiing on blue and red runs, with descents over 2,800 meters long.

Discovery area
The discovery area is a small beginners' ski area at the foot of the pistes, separated from the main ski area by the Lignon river. It is linked to the main ski area by a groomed access road crossing the river.

Couzan sector
The Couzan sector is located in the northern part of the resort and runs from the peaks and the Col de la Chamboîte to the foot of the Signal de Procher, in the valley formed at the birth of the Lignon, known as the Creux de Couzan. It has more technically advanced runs (the 2 black runs in the area are in this sector).

Haut Forez Nordic ski area
Cross-country skiing is practiced on the Haut Forez Nordic ski area, starting from the Col de la Loge (1,253 meters), 11 kilometers from the village of Chalmazel, or the Col du Béal (1,390 meters), 9 kilometers from the resort. There are 119 kilometers of marked trails at altitudes of between 1,253 and 1,428 meters, between forests and clearings on the crests of the Monts du Forez. The trails are located in the communes of Chalmazel-Jeansagnière, La Chamba, La Chambonie and Saint-Jean-la-Vêtre. The site has been awarded the “Nordique France” label.

Starting from the Col de la Loge, the area offers a 1.5-kilometer green loop, a 5-kilometer blue loop, a 9-kilometer red loop and three black loops of 12, 15 and 17 kilometers. The Col du Béal departure point offers a 3-kilometer green loop, a 6-kilometer blue loop, a 9-kilometer red loop and a 17-kilometer black loop.

The Col de la Loge also offers 25.5 kilometers of marked snowshoe trails, divided into 4 itineraries ranging from 4 to 11 kilometers. The Col du Béal offers three trails (4, 6 and 8 kilometers).

Snowshoeing
At the resort, four trails (squirrel, deer and the two fox trails) of 2.5 to 6 kilometers are marked for snowshoeing.

Snowpark
From the February school vacations onwards, weather conditions permitting, the resort builds a snowpark. This is usually located next to the Pierre-sur-Haute ski lift. The Chalmazel snowpark was initiated in 1999 by the Chalmazel Freestyle Crew association. Since 2012, it has been managed by the Forez SnowRide association.

Snowkite
The exposed plateaus on the Chalmazel heights are ideal for snowkiting, thanks to their open, vegetation-free terrain and their exposure to the burle, a northerly wind that blows in winter in central France to the east of the Massif Central.

Snowkiting is the winter sport equivalent of kitesurfing, in which the surfboard is replaced by a snowboard or skis. The crests of the Monts du Forez, from Prabouré to the Col de la Loge, are ideal spots for enthusiasts. Particularly noteworthy is the Col du Béal, located at an altitude of 1,390 meters on the border between the communes of Chalmazel and Saint-Pierre-la-Bourlhonne, on the border between the Loire (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region) and the Puy-de-Dôme (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region). It is accessible by road, and there is a gîte-auberge at the summit.

Snowscoot
The resort also promotes snowscooting, a winter sport born in the 1990s, inspired by BMX and practiced by gliding over the snow using handlebars on a board, likened to a snow scooter. There has been a club in the Loire since 2007, and all the ski area's lifts and runs are accessible to these machines. In 2013, Chalmazel is one of two French resorts to host the International Snowscoot Open.

Hiking, trail walking and mountain biking
The Jasseries chairlift also operates from mid-June to the end of August. It takes walkers and mountain bikers up to an altitude of 1,463 m, to the Plat des granges, from where a number of signposted footpaths allow you to stroll or hike, in particular to Pierre-sur-Haute, the highest point of the massif, from where you can join the GR 3 footpath, France's first signposted long-distance hiking trail, which follows the ridge line from the summit to the Col du Béal and Col de la Loge, offering panoramic views over the Auvergne region to the west and the Rhône-Alpes region to the east. The trail also allows you to discover the jasseries, age-old stone farmhouses with thatched roofs and red tiles where the Fourme de Montbrison were made.

The resort also offers nine circuits ranging from 2.5 kilometers to 17 kilometers in length, with varying levels of difficulty, specifically designed for mountain biking, as well as a 2.5-kilometer freeride run with a 360-meter vertical drop, approved for competitions. At the bottom of the Granges slope, the operator is also building a bike park with several wooden modules for jumping or balancing.

Several trail circuits have been marked out, and a race called Chalmatrail has been held every July since 2013.

Go-kart and downhill scooter track
In summer, the Campanules ski lift serves up a downhill track for non-motorized karts and downhill scooters, almost 500 meters long.

Road cycling
The climb up to Chalmazel from the Forez plain is a 21-kilometer course with several downhill sections, including the côte de Sait-Georges-sous-Couzan (2nd category, 7.5 km at 5.6%) and the ascent to Chalmazel itself (3rd category, 6.8 km at 3.7%). In 2016, this route was used by stage 2 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, with a finish at the foot of the slopes, won by Spaniard Jesús Herrada ahead of Frenchman Tony Gallopin.

From the resort of Chalmazel, cyclists climb the Col du Béal at 1,390 meters, via the D6 departmental road, which offers a steady gradient of around 5% over 10 kilometers. The ascent can also be made from the low point, at Leigneux, via a route offering 27 kilometers of ascent at 3.6% for 975 meters of vertical drop. It can be extended to the summit of Pierre-sur-Haute by taking the 4.5-kilometre military road, bringing the total ascent to 1,200 metres.

The ascent can also be made on the Auvergne side, in particular from Vertolaye, via Saint-Pierre-la-Bourlhonne, via a circuit classified as hors catégorie in 2014, with a vertical drop of 895 meters over 13 km, using the D268A, D268 and D40 departmental roads. The gradient here is around 7% on the whole climb

The pass hosted the finish of the third stage of the 2010 Tour de l'Avenir, won by Belgian rider Yannick Eijssen, as well as the second stage of the 2014 Critérium du Dauphiné, won by Christopher Froome, just ahead of Alberto Contador.

Nearby
Climbing is practiced in Chalmazel, on the Rocher de l'Olme, on level 5 routes 35 to 40 meters high. The site offers unobstructed views over the resort and the Forez plain. . Level 6 and 7 climbs can be found at Rory rock, in the neighboring commune of Saint-Georges-en-Couzan, with 25 climbing

Summer tourism can also be extended with visits to nearby sites and monuments, in particular the Château de Chalmazel, whose construction began in 1231 at the instigation of the Marcilly family and was continued by the Talaru family from 1372. Part of the Forez domain, this feudal castle controlled the road to Auvergne via the Béal pass. Medieval in appearance, it retains elements of the fortified house dating from 1231, but with all the successive modifications and additions made by the Talaru family over the centuries: loopholes, base of the walls, keep, machicolated parapet walk. It also features Renaissance elements: facade, inner courtyard, galleries and chapel.

Reception facilities
The resort boasts a number of tourist facilities. Directly at the foot of the slopes is the French Ski School, where eight instructors give ski lessons, and, since 2012, the International Ski School. There are also three stores selling and renting winter sports and hiking equipment. In total, including seasonal workers, the Conseil général de la Loire employs up to 36 people during the winter season for the direct operation of the site.

The catering offer covers a wide range of needs: the Les Granges farmhouse inn serves regional cuisine using produce from the farm, the Les Épilobes cafeteria offers a choice of self-service dishes with a terrace overlooking the slopes, two hot-spots, one with a terrace, offer take-away sales, and a picnic room welcomes picnickers. These facilities are complemented by restaurants in the surrounding area or directly in the village.

Accommodation at the resort remains limited. The vacation village, built in the 1980s, suffers from its distance of almost 1 kilometer from the foot of the slopes, and has been unused since 2005. At the resort itself, only four apartments, converted by the Conseil Général in 2009 and awarded the 3 Clévacances label, are available for rental (representing 23 tourist beds). There is also the Chalet des Roannais, offering group accommodation (45 tourist beds), and the Granges motorhome park. The hotel offer is based on a single establishment with 44 tourist beds, located between the resort and the village at Les Pinasses.

There are also a number of bed & breakfasts, both at the village chateau and in the 15 or so surrounding gîtes.

Finally, the range of accommodation for day visitors is relatively complete, unlike that for overnight guests.

Visitor numbers
For the 2009-2010 winter season, Chalmazel recorded 80,694 skier days for sales of 884,070 euros. Total sales for all activities combined came to 921,236 euros.

Since the Conseil Général de la Loire took over direct management of the resort on November 1, 2003, average annual attendance for the following 8 winter seasons has been 72,086 skier days, for average annual sales of 884,070 euros, with a peak of 100,739 skier days for average annual sales of 1,144,086 euros in the 2008-2009 season. These financial revenues enable the resort to self-manage its operating expenses, but do not cover major investments, which remain the responsibility of the local authority.

Chalmazel saw a significant drop in visitor numbers for the 2006-2007 season (33,720 skier days). due to low snowfall during the winter. Since then, investments in additional snow guns and slope treatment (grassing and snow barriers) have enabled the operator to reliably open a large part of the ski area for the Christmas vacations (which, since the 2002-2003 season and for the following 8 winter seasons, have accounted for just over 20% of sales), and to keep it open at least until the end of the winter holidays. With nearly 50% of average annual sales between 2002 and 2010, the latter represent the bulk of Chalmazel's revenue

With 65,420 skier days in winter 2012, and 3,460 and 2,500 tickets sold respectively for the Jasseries chairlift and Les Écureuils acrobranche park in summer 2011, Chalmazel is the Loire department's second-largest paying tourist site in terms of visitor numbers, after the Saint-Martin-la-Plaine zoological park, ahead of the Saint-Etienne museums (mining, modern art, art and industry) and the Château de Bouthéon.

The resort's clientele remains essentially local: 58% of skiers come from the Loire department and 26% from neighbouring departments, in particular the Puy-de-Dôme, and to a lesser extent the Rhône. These figures can be explained by the size of the ski area, limited to 12 kilometers of runs, which also means that there is little accommodation directly at the foot of the slopes. Nevertheless, thanks to the diverse natural setting of the Forez mountains, the modernity of its lift park, and its status as the only downhill ski resort in the Loire department, Chalmazel is well positioned as a local resort for the daily clientele from the Forez plain and the Roanne and Saint-Etienne conurbations.