Abondance Announces Its Grand Reopening

The small-scale French ski resort of Abondance has announced its reopening for Dec. 2009. After having been closed for two years for lack of profitability, American entrepreneurs are going to relaunch the Haut-Savoyard resort.

After negotiations and an agreement between a Public Service Delegation of Abondance and the American company Alpine Association, the resort should be up and running in time for the 2009/2010 ski season. A French subsidiary of the American firm will directly manage the lifts, but the municipal government will continue to hold the deeds to some of the resort's property.

Abondance's network-eight lifts for just over a dozen pistes-is part of the Franco-Swiss ski area Les Portes de Soleil, even if Abondance is not directly linked to it.

Besides the opening of the lifts, other works will have been carried out in order to welcome new clients in the best conditions possible. The altitude restaurant is being completely renovated and new snow canons are being installed. The Ecuelle chairlift will be operational starting in Feb. 2010.

A new zone has also been specially created for child skiers. The Luddoffaz will be a central feature of the new resort and to make room for this snowy playground, the Auffaz farm will be entirely torn down.

Prices and a map of the pistes are still being determined. This information should be available starting in Nov. 2009 from the Abondance Tourism Office.

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