Isola 2000
Encyclopedia
Isola 2000 is a ski resort
in the southern French Alps
. It is located on the territory of the commune of Isola, Alpes-Maritimes
. It is one of the Stations du Mercantour, along with Auron
and St. Dalmas, and is operated by the council of the Alpes-Maritimes. It is located next to the Mercantour National Park
, and is about 90 km from Nice
, France.
first came from a British Army ex-officer, and Olympic skier, Peter Boumphrey, in the late 1960s, after he discovered a basin in the southern French Alps
on a map. The local village of Isola owned the land he wanted to build the resort on – a small town located at an altitude of 900m, with poor prospects for development as citizens were migrating to the cities. As a result of this, the local mayor was happy to allow Boumphrey, and the London based contractors he persuaded to help him, to build a ski resort above Isola, as the land required was of little value as farmland.
The regional government was concerned not too much about the resort itself, but about the road that was required to access it. Before the resort existed there was a small dirt road up the resort's location, and avalanches were constantly blocking this in the winter, as well as rockslide
s in the summer. Therefore, the government was interested in building a slightly longer, but safer road to the resort, that could serve Isola 2000, and also another proposed resort, called Azur 2000, that was never built. However, the mayor of Isola was adamant that the road pass through his town, and the British contractors did not want the resort to be any further from Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, a key aspect of the location, so the new route was scrapped, and the old road was upgraded.
In the summer of 1971 the resort officially finished, and had a capacity to sleep 6,000 people. It opened in December that year.
have been added and upgraded, such as new 6 seater and 4 seater chair lifts
, as well as a new gondola
, added in 2006. More accommodation
has been built around the original 70s structure, and many bars, restaurants and shops have been established.
The access road to the Mediterranean coast has also been constantly improved by removing corners and adding bridges and tunnels. It is now very possible to make the drive in less than an hour and a half from the nearest city of Nice
. There is also a regular bus
service from many surrounding areas, with ticket prices very low, at around €1.00, making day trips amongst locals attractive and commonplace.
The 1993 Tour de France
used Isola 2000 as a checkpoint, and the 2008 Tour de France
also passed through the resort.
On 23 March 2008, Isola hosted various slalom
stages for the Championnats de France de Ski 2008 (the 2008 French ski championships).
s, 9 chair lifts, 10 button lifts
and 1 funicular
, with a total capacity of about 20,000 pph.
Here is a general list of what lift passes cost as of the start of the 2008/2009 ski season:
Seniors, students and minors have reduced cost, as do other groups, such as local companies.
, consisting of two main ski areas. There are 7 green runs, 21 blue runs, 11 red runs, and 4 black runs. The resort is considered by ski guides to be well suited for families, beginner and intermediate level skiers.
At 2000m, the resort is one of the highest in the Alps. This, with a favourable micro-climate, ensures fairly reliable snow cover, and in December 2007, Isola 2000 was the resort with the most snow cover in France. However, when required, there are over 210 snow cannons to guarantee skiable conditions.
The resort also has a snow park, including jumps and rails, 3 km of cross-country ski piste and downhill racing facilities.
style. As the resort is very high compared to other resorts, there are very few trees at the station altitude and above.
– Isola 2000's neighbour ski resort, part of the Sations du Mercantour group.
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
in the southern French Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. It is located on the territory of the commune of Isola, Alpes-Maritimes
Isola, Alpes-Maritimes
Isola is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. By April 2010 Isola is officially twinned with Castiglione di Garfagnana....
. It is one of the Stations du Mercantour, along with Auron
Auron (ski resort)
Auron is a ski resort with 135 km of ski runs, at an elevation of 1600m to 2450m, in the French alps in the Alpes-Maritimes department. It is located above the Tinée Valley near the town of Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée. It is situated 90 km/60miles north of Nice. The resort is part of the...
and St. Dalmas, and is operated by the council of the Alpes-Maritimes. It is located next to the Mercantour National Park
Mercantour National Park
Mercantour National Park is one of the nine national parks of France. Since it was created in 1979, the Mercantour Park has proven popular, with 800,000 visitors every year enjoying the 600 km of marked footpaths and visiting its villages.-Extent:...
, and is about 90 km from Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, France.
Origins
The idea of a ski resort near the small town of IsolaIsola, Alpes-Maritimes
Isola is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. By April 2010 Isola is officially twinned with Castiglione di Garfagnana....
first came from a British Army ex-officer, and Olympic skier, Peter Boumphrey, in the late 1960s, after he discovered a basin in the southern French Alps
French Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
on a map. The local village of Isola owned the land he wanted to build the resort on – a small town located at an altitude of 900m, with poor prospects for development as citizens were migrating to the cities. As a result of this, the local mayor was happy to allow Boumphrey, and the London based contractors he persuaded to help him, to build a ski resort above Isola, as the land required was of little value as farmland.
The regional government was concerned not too much about the resort itself, but about the road that was required to access it. Before the resort existed there was a small dirt road up the resort's location, and avalanches were constantly blocking this in the winter, as well as rockslide
Rockslide
A rockslide is a type of landslide caused by rock failure in which part of the plane of failure passes through intact rock and where material collapses en masse and not in individual blocks.The mode of failure is different from that of a rock-fall....
s in the summer. Therefore, the government was interested in building a slightly longer, but safer road to the resort, that could serve Isola 2000, and also another proposed resort, called Azur 2000, that was never built. However, the mayor of Isola was adamant that the road pass through his town, and the British contractors did not want the resort to be any further from Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, a key aspect of the location, so the new route was scrapped, and the old road was upgraded.
In the summer of 1971 the resort officially finished, and had a capacity to sleep 6,000 people. It opened in December that year.
Recent developments
Over the resort's history, many new liftsSki lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
have been added and upgraded, such as new 6 seater and 4 seater chair lifts
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
, as well as a new gondola
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
, added in 2006. More accommodation
Lodging
Lodging is a type of residential accommodation. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, safety, shelter from cold temperatures or rain, storage of luggage and access to common household functions.Lodgings may be self catering in which case no...
has been built around the original 70s structure, and many bars, restaurants and shops have been established.
The access road to the Mediterranean coast has also been constantly improved by removing corners and adding bridges and tunnels. It is now very possible to make the drive in less than an hour and a half from the nearest city of Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. There is also a regular bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service from many surrounding areas, with ticket prices very low, at around €1.00, making day trips amongst locals attractive and commonplace.
The 1993 Tour de France
1993 Tour de France
The 1993 Tour de France was the 80th Tour de France, taking place July 3 to July 25, 1993. It consisted of 20 stages, over 3714.3 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.709 km/h....
used Isola 2000 as a checkpoint, and the 2008 Tour de France
2008 Tour de France
The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage...
also passed through the resort.
On 23 March 2008, Isola hosted various slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
stages for the Championnats de France de Ski 2008 (the 2008 French ski championships).
Lifts
Isola 2000 currently has 2 gondolaGondola
The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...
s, 9 chair lifts, 10 button lifts
Platter lift
A platter lift , platter pull or button lift is a surface lift, a mechanized system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope. In Europe they are also known as Poma lifts...
and 1 funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
, with a total capacity of about 20,000 pph.
Here is a general list of what lift passes cost as of the start of the 2008/2009 ski season:
| Type of pass | Cost (Euros) |
|---|---|
| Adult full-day | €28.50 |
| Adult half-day | €20.90 |
| Adult season-pass (Isola 2000) | €590.00 |
| Adult season-pass (Isola 2000 and Auron Auron (ski resort) Auron is a ski resort with 135 km of ski runs, at an elevation of 1600m to 2450m, in the French alps in the Alpes-Maritimes department. It is located above the Tinée Valley near the town of Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée. It is situated 90 km/60miles north of Nice. The resort is part of the... ) | €610.00 |
Seniors, students and minors have reduced cost, as do other groups, such as local companies.
Piste
The resort has over 120 km of pistePiste
A piste is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. The term is European, from the French for trail or track, synonymous with trail, slope, or groomed run in North America....
, consisting of two main ski areas. There are 7 green runs, 21 blue runs, 11 red runs, and 4 black runs. The resort is considered by ski guides to be well suited for families, beginner and intermediate level skiers.
At 2000m, the resort is one of the highest in the Alps. This, with a favourable micro-climate, ensures fairly reliable snow cover, and in December 2007, Isola 2000 was the resort with the most snow cover in France. However, when required, there are over 210 snow cannons to guarantee skiable conditions.
The resort also has a snow park, including jumps and rails, 3 km of cross-country ski piste and downhill racing facilities.
Architecture
The buildings in the resort are mainly clustered around the original purpose-built structure from the early seventies. This complex incorporates much concrete in its design, and is considered by many as an ugly building. However, there have been many smaller structures built around it, which are more akin to traditional wooden chaletChalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
style. As the resort is very high compared to other resorts, there are very few trees at the station altitude and above.
Dining and nightlife
The resort has a handful of bars and restaurants. It has been noted by some guides that the resort has limited night life.See also
AuronAuron (ski resort)
Auron is a ski resort with 135 km of ski runs, at an elevation of 1600m to 2450m, in the French alps in the Alpes-Maritimes department. It is located above the Tinée Valley near the town of Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée. It is situated 90 km/60miles north of Nice. The resort is part of the...
– Isola 2000's neighbour ski resort, part of the Sations du Mercantour group.
External links
- Link Piste map (JPG)
- www.isola2000.com The official resort website
- www.cc-mercantour.fr (French)
