SkiColor is one of the most-awaited event this Winter to celebrate the 50th birthday of Les Portes du Soleil.
Thanks to a unique linked ski area, one will be able to come to participate to SkiColor with skis on from each and every Portes du Soleil resort.
A unique place in Alpine history
Skiing took off here in the 1950s as farming villages in the Abondance, Aulps and Illiez valleys started developing into ski resorts. It’s thanks to a handful of people on both sides of the French-Swiss border that linking resorts happened. One of these early pioneers was Jean Vuarnet, legendary Olympic downhill ski champion. During a trip to the United States, he realised how skiers’ aspirations were changing and the huge opportunity this presented for resorts. He returned home convinced that it was in everyone’s interest to link resorts together. Thanks to the determination of Vuarnet and his partners, the dream became a reality; it was christened the “Haute-Route des familles” (“The Families’ Highway”). Press reports of the day immediately embraced the novel idea of linked ski villages.
It wasn’t until 1964 at Lausanne’s Grand Exhibition that plans were unveiled for the linked network that we know today as the Portes du Soleil. The name takes its inspiration from the “Col des Portes du Soleil”, a mountain pass at the heart of our shared ski area. Once the project was officially presented to the public in Lausanne, the French-Swiss adventure began. All the ski links shown in the original plans have been built. Villages, tourist offices and ski lift companies all worked together to create ski links, walking routes and promotional offers for France’s first linked network of resorts. As such, the Portes du Soleil played a pioneering role in major projects of this kind.
The Portes du Soleil: a pioneering and futuristic destination
– The first major cross-border ski area
– The first ski area to use “hands-free” ski pass technology
– The first ski area to offer an international ski pass
– The first ski area to offer all-inclusive ski deals for adult beginners: Youcanski
– The first ski area to offer a GPS app that tells you when it’s time to head home before the ski lifts close.
– The first music festival on the ski slopes: Rock the Pistes
Managing the French-Swiss ski area: a daily challenge
It’s no simple thing running a ski area across two countries where there are two currencies and two sets of rules, where one country is a member of the EU but the other isn’t. In reality, the Portes du Soleil’s smooth-running relies on a very close working relationship between its French and Swiss partners. If the ski area has managed to evolve and maintain such strong links over half a century, it’s thanks to the solidarity and enthusiasm shown by our resorts and those committed to the Portes du Soleil!
Celebrating our 50th birthday
On 17 January 2015, come and celebrate our ski area’s 50th birthday!
Have fun exploring the ski area as you hunt for markers dotted around the slopes… try to win a Portes du Soleil liftpass just by coming to the Col des Portes du Soleil to toast our French-Swiss friendship…take part in Morzine’s attempt to beat the world record for the biggest torchlit descent!
You’re not free on 17 January?
Don’t worry, there’s all winter to celebrate our 50th birthday! Download the free Portes du Soleil app on your smartphone and get ready for a fun ski experience (or something harder) with our “Challenge 50 ” game that could help you win your next ski holiday in 2016, as well as lots of other prizes!
Details at www.portesdusoleil.com