Paradiski is a unique and limitless playground for mountain and ski enthusiasts.
It’s a fast, modern facility with ultra-efficient lifts and guaranteed snow, with over 70% of pistes at altitudes of over 2,000 metres.
It’s also an area that offers unique experiences.
As you know, 2020 is a complicated year for ski resorts… That’s why we interviewed Thomas Saison to find out more about his vision for the sector now and in the months ahead.
A fresh interview from December 8, live from the ski area, currently without a lift.
Can you introduce yourself and your role at Paradiski?
Thomas Saison, I’m Marketing and Sales Director for Société d’aménagement de La Plagne (a subsidiary of Compagnie des Alpes), which runs the lifts and ski area of La Plagne, linked to Les Arcs by the Vanoise Express: the Paradiski area.
Can you explain what the domain includes?
Paradiski is the second largest ski area in the world, comprising the 3 resorts of Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne, with a total of 425 km of pistes, a veritable playground for all snow sports enthusiasts.
The area is accessible to families and skiers of all levels.
Can you come to Paradiski for the holidays without skiing?
Today, we’re still awaiting government decisions, but in all likelihood, the resorts will open on December 15 or 19, each offering a range of hiking, snowshoeing and ski touring activities.
There’s a list of activities that will be published by the Tourist Offices once they’ve counted everything that will remain open between now and the opening date.
But it should be easy to find: cinemas, swimming pools, aqualudic areas and the outdoor activities I’ve just listed.
Also, the activities of the service providers, who also offer snowshoe outings and snowmobile rides, all subject to a possible change in the government’s decision.
The Conseil d’Etat’s summary judgement on the ski lifts will be handed down today.
Does it make sense to come to Paradiski without the lifts?
Yes, there’s a whole host of activities!
Even if we remain a very ski-oriented resort (90% of our customers come exclusively to ski), there are enough activities to keep young and old and all families busy.
I should point out that the TGV schedule from December 15 has not changed.
All TGVs arriving in Bourg-Saint-Maurice or Aime will continue to operate, and will be intensified as in a normal vacation period.
Who are the typical ski resort customers?
Our typical Christmas clientele is mainly French, and tends to be families.
Of course, these are very busy times for families, including New Year’s Eve.
Even so, 90% of our customers are skiers, taking advantage of a high-altitude ski area.
Remember that 60% of the Paradiski ski area is above 2,000 metres, so we’re dealing more with skiers than hikers.
Can you tell us a bit about the 2021 events that will keep Paradiski busy even in this more complicated Covid situation?
Quite honestly, today, all animation programs for the end-of-year period or even the beginning of 2021 have been cancelled, including a recent decision to ban fireworks.
So, today, animation programs are at a standstill.
Since it is strictly forbidden to bring more than 10 people together in the ski area, all measures have been taken to ensure that the events will not take place.
What sets Paradiski apart from other ski resorts?
Today, Paradiski is above all the second largest ski area in the world, with 425 km of pistes, so the possibilities for skiing and walking in the area are absolutely immense.
There are two mythical peaks, L’Aiguille Route and the Glacier de Bellecôte: two fabulous features at over 3,000 meters.
Not many Tarentaise resorts have glaciers.
Today, along with Tignes, we’re the only two resorts with a glacier that can take you up to 3,000 metres.
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There’s a real diversity here, as all the resorts start from villages at an altitude of 1,200 metres and end at 3,000 metres.
So you can ski in the forest, in the fir trees at very high altitude, or even ski off-piste on our various north faces, both at La Plagne and Les Arcs.
And then, particularly at Paradiski, a major effort has been made over the last few years to create all kinds of fun areas.
I’m thinking of the beginners’ zones for learning to ski, the fun zones for children: the funslope, the cowboys’ slope, Buffalo Park on La Plagne, and we’ll have an Indian carpet this winter which will be a beginners’ carpet, entirely dedicated to children.
On the same theme, cowboys and Indians.
Paradiski means a diversity of landscapes, a diversity of skiing and a diversity of play areas.
The Yuge application is one of the most popular mobile applications on the market today, with just over 700,000 subscribers. It lets you take full advantage of the ski area, meet up with friends, geolocate your children, challenge yourself on sporting courses, and also have your photo taken on a dozen selfie spots on chairlifts and other remarkable points in the ski area.
What are the advantages for tourism professionals of working with Paradiski?
So, for tourism professionals, I’m going to call it a resale safe haven, because at Paradiski, in total, we’re talking about just over 80,000 or 90,000 market beds.
So that’s an absolutely enormous tourist capacity.
La Plagne alone is already the world’s leading ski resort in terms of capacity, with 57,000 market beds.
That makes it the most popular ski resort in the world!
So, for all the operators and professionals who want to come to La Plagne or sell La Plagne, there’s an absolutely undeniable stock guarantee when it comes to reselling us.
And then there’s the snow guarantee, because by being open from the beginning of December to the end of April, with a range of very high peaks from 2,000 to 3,000 meters, it’s a snow guarantee, a stock guarantee and a price guarantee.
Because even if there are a few 4 and 5 star hotels in the Paradiski area, overall, the resort is made up of tourist residences: Pierre et Vacances in particular, MMV, Belambra and Village Club du Soleil.
I could talk about relatively good-value accommodation, at least of a good standard, without falling solely into the 5-star, luxury or “too premium” hotel category.
That’s what makes it so easy for us to sell Paradiski today.
What’s your leitmotiv for the new season?
Taking the hit… The 2020 season ended abruptly on March 14 due to the first confinement.
Summer was a very, very good indicator.
We really saw a very significant increase in summer visitor numbers for the whole of Paradiski, obviously from a Franco-French clientele who couldn’t go very far from home.
So we benefited from this effect on vacations in France, from the rather clement weather, and from a diversification of all activities in the ski area, which is not skiable at this time of year, but which nonetheless offered cycling, trail, hiking and map activities.
That was a key factor.
How are we approaching the 2020-2021 season?
We wanted to start the season with a bang, with the aim of getting off to a fast start after this premature halt.
For the moment, it’s a bit delayed, but we’re putting everything in place for the opening.
We’re ready, in any case.
We said we’d be ready within 48 hours maximum, as soon as the decisions allow us to open.
Some of our teams, even if they’re on short-time working, are maintaining and preparing the ski area.
There is snowfall.
The weather is fine, but it’s very cold.
The idea is to be ready as soon as possible for a rapid opening of the entire ski area.
The final word?
We can’t wait to get back on our skis, and we can’t wait to meet up with our regular clientele who, I think, are very keen to see us again, and whom we’re looking forward to seeing again very, very soon too.
