Orelle, is a young ski-resort, only twenty years old! So young and already so experienced... Orelle, a small Savoyard resort with 450 residents, has taken advantage of the expansion of the 3 Valleys ski area to become an exceptional destination in its own right. It will satisfy lovers of wild and beautiful landscapes, winter sports enthusiasts, and hiking or mountain biking fans... The construction of the gondola giving access to the Three Valleys opened Orelle up as an independent tourist destination 20 years ago. It is one of the few access points between the Maurienne and Tarentaise Valleys and it is also the gateway allowing Italian skiers to access the Trois Vallées. 1 / Tradition & modernity Whether it’s winter or summer, you will love this village which has become a real ski resort thanks to the construction of a gondola twenty years ago. This allowed the Maurienne valley to connect to the largest ski area of the world: the 3 valleys. Combining tradition and modernity: is the exceptional achievement managed by Orelle,a resort nestled 880 meters above sea level, in the heart of the Maurienne Valley. The area has managed to preserve its rural character. It remains a charming traditional mountain village of 450 inhabitants. A picture postcard setting. Whilst preserving its atmosphere, Orelle has been able to add modern infrastructures: in winter, 15 minutes by gondola take you to the Orelle-Val Thorens ski slopes and open up the whole of the 3 Vallées ski area! In summer, hiking or cycling gives the days a soft and magic rhythm. In winter: In 1996, Orelle was transformed. It acquired a gondola allowing, in only 15 min from Francoz (the lowest part of Orelle), access to Val Thorens and Les Trois Vallees area. With a length of 5 km in a single section, it is the longest gondola in the world. With an Orelle-Val Thorens ski pass, skiers of all levels have 150 km of slopes at altitudes between 2300 m and 3230 m. With a 3 Valleys lift pass, they multiply the number of possible runs by four! 600 km of runs, 85% above 1800 m, ensure an optimal snow level. Between Orelle and Val Thorens, La Tyrolienne, the highest mega-zipline in the world, was launched in midFebruary 2014 and lets you fly over the fabulous Vallée de Lory. A 1,300-meter-long line, with over 250 meters above a glacier, enables you to fly like an eagle…You’ll just love it In summer: Situated in the heart of the world largest cycling area, Orelle is the ideal base to tour around or test your performance on the great alpine passes: Galibier, Gladon, Iseran, Mont-Cenis…. In addition, Orelle will delight walking enthusiasts – and also less dedicated walkers. The chemin des Moulins, Wolf Lake, the Col de Rosael... A thousand and one routes are possible, regardless of your proficiency as a hiker. Do not hesitate to go to meet the flora and fauna of Orelle: they are waiting for you. 2/ It can match its bigger rivals The story of a quiet, traditional and authentic village, which, due to the influence of the 3 valleys, received high-power lifts and incredible innovations that have changed its destiny... A bit of history: Orelle was formerly called Aurelle, from the Latin aurum, meaning gold, probably because of its exceptional sunshine. Last winter, it received 352 hours of sun against 331 hours for the national average. The village is made up of 10 authentic hamlets nestled a few kilometres from Italy and at the foot of La Vanoise National park: Bonvillard, Chef-Lieu, Francoz, La Fusine, Le Noiray, Le Pousset, Le Teppey, Les Eaux d’Orelle and Orelette. Everywhere, you‘ll enjoy stone houses with slate rooves lining the narrow streets. Many recent buildings complete the charm of the village. Originally, the inhabitants, mostly farmers and artisans, lived of agriculture and farming and the sale of wood. There also were slate and mineral mines scattered on both mountainsides of Orelle. The remains of the old mills, old forges and other tanneries still reflect this diversity of businesses that helped the village to survive historically. A great evolution in a century In 1893 that the construction of the electrochemical factory of Prémont disrupted the status quo. Many inhabitants became peasant-workers, the factory hooter now governed the life of the inhabitants. For these workers, after the shift work finished another day started, in the fields and the cattle sheds. The construction of the Bissorte’s dam brought another important change for the village. This gigantic and majestic work was carried out between 1931 and 1935, at an altitude of 2000 meters. Thanks to a storage basin of 40 million cubic meters and to a forced water pipe of more than one thousand meters in height, the energy created is distributed and exported. Towards the end of the Sixties, the wages of workmen became sufficient to provide for their families without having to do additional agricultural work. Agriculture ceased to be carried out as an economic activity. The decline of the electrochemical factory, at the beginning of the Seventies, generated a rapid population drop which reached an all-time low in 1991 when the factory closed down completely. It was only in 1996, thanks to the construction of the gondola to Val-Thorens, that the population started to grow and that the villages were rejuvenated and began to increase in size again. The commune and its inhabitants then turned towards the development of tourism - whilst always having respect for nature and tradition. That was twenty years ago... Cap on tourism Orelle has continued to grow to meet the expectations of tourists, who succumb to its charm in greater and greater numbers. Last year, the capacity of the resort was estimated at 1200 beds, distributed in nearly 200 institutions These include a three star residence l’Hameau des Eaux d’Orelle which comprises eight buildings with apartments for 2 to 8 persons. It is five minutes from the gondola (with a regular bus service), and has a beauty, spa and pool complex as well as parking. There is also a camp site which is open all year with 17 very comfortable pitches (one kilometer from the gondola station) and self-catering apartment rentals. A dozen shops and a 200 m2 beauty, spa and pool area cater for the daily needs of tourists. The ski pass now offers the choice to buy a full 3 Vallées pass (600 km), an Orelle-Val Thorens pass (150 km) or an Orelle/Val Thorens and Les Menuires/ Vallée des Belleville pass (300 km), all of them benefiting from high performance lifts, and high quality snow. There are various discounts for families and groups of friends. In February 2014, Orelle added a top-flight attraction: the highest Zipline in the world! Between Orelle - offering its culmination in the 3 valleys, at 3230 m and Val Thorens, it promises 1 minute and 45 seconds of unique pleasure, flying over the glacier, like an eagle, with speeds at up to 100 km / h. Thrills guaranteed! This Zipline was also elected best innovation transport 2014 at the World Snow Award. About gastronomy Orelle was once rich in vineyards. It is even rumored that the first French wine was produced here... coming from Italy! Today, you can taste many specialities : in addition to the tartiflette and fondue savoyarde, try tasting Mont Corbier (Alpine herbal liquor), genepi, matouille (potato dipped in a Tome des Bauges cheese baked with garlic and wine), polenta, Alpine Lamb, serac (fresh cow’s milk cheese, Goat’s cheese or ewe’s cheese), Modane bread (brioche with candied fruit), rioute (dry biscuit with anise), rissole (small dumplings stuffed with jam or compote)... Don’t forget also the famous traditional savoyard specialities like beaufort, crozets, diot or emmental de Savoie! Your taste buds will thank you! 3/ Orelle celebrates its anniversary on six dates Who says birthday says cake, but also music, shows, dances and Fireworks... Ask for the program! Orelle is ready to blow out its 20 candles. Sunday, December 20... «Here comes winter»: festive and friendly day at plan Bouchet, with a snow theme. Performances, workshops, animations, games and snow slide, decoration of the site. > Giant cake at the restaurant Chinal Donat. > Monumental sculpture with sculpture workshop for the public. > Official party at the village from 4 pm: • VIP area available from 16:30. • Public welcome with hot wine or hot chocolate. • Screening of a short film on the history of the resort, illuminations, light show amongst the audience and Fireworks. • 6:30 pm, on the terrace of the bar-restaurant of the Residence, dancing with DJ accompanied by light show. Four illuminations evenings will take place on Monday 28 December 2015, and on Wednesdays, 10, 17 and 24 February 2016 4/ Orelle, closest to you Orelle is an ultra-accessible destination: two train stations and two motorway exits are located less than 10 minutes away by car, and three airports within two hours. How to get there? By road: Finally, on Sunday 3 April ... «Oh, sunny days» to celebrate the beginning of spring skiing, sample a true island atmosphere at Plan Bouchet. Shows, dance, entertainment, games, water slide and summer decorations are in the program. An evening event will take place in the centre of the village: a short speech will precede a light show and Fireworks. A team of percussionists and a burlesque troupe strolling through the crowd will add atmosphere to the day. Two concerts will take place outside: caliente atmosphere with Latin guitar by Pablo de Castro and Willy Dugarte salsa. Dont forget You are not likely to get bored in Orelle: Do check out > final of the vertical 3000 - ski touring > the 3 Vallées enduro and concerts every weekend from 4 pm on the gondola square. we are 2 hours from Lyon, Turin and Geneva, 1 h 30 from Grenoble, 1 hour from Chambery, and 6 kilometers from the nearest motorway exit. You won’t have to take a single winding mountain road, so feared by the «car sick brigade», to get to their destination. Once there, all the car parks are free. The biggest one, easy to find, is by the roadside. In addition, you can access to Orelle from two countries - France or Italy! From France, follow the A43 until Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne and the RD-1006 on 6 km. From Italy, follow the A43 to Modane then RD 1006 on 10 km. By train: Saint-Michel/Valloire or Modane stations are very close. No train changes from Paris, Brussels, Brest, Lille, and Nantes... then it’s possible to take a taxi to get to destination. The best thing about Modane train station? You get at least 3 direct TGV from Paris every day. Air: Land at Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, Chambéry, Milan and Turin airports. 5/ New this winter A new blue slope: Lory This new piste with a length of 4.1km and a vertical drop of 450 metres is accessible from the top of the Thorens funitel. In a beautiful valley at high altitude, it offers you a very easy return route to Orelle. Best price in the 3 Vallées As a celebration of Orelle’s 20th anniversary as a resort we are giving a 20% reduction! At Orelle we like to spoil people and, most importantly, to allow them to ski as cheaply as possible. For example, with the purchase of the ‘Tribu’ 6 day 3 Valleys pass (a ski pass at a special rate for small groups) in January we offer accommodation from 274 euros per person. If the ‘famille zen’ pass better suits your requirements, then we can offer you accommodation rates from 260 euros per person during the school holidays. If you want to pamper yourself the ‘offer Duo’xygene’ with unlimited access to the spa and two spa treatments as well as accommodation costs from 417 euros. All of these offers, and more, can be found at www.orelle.net. This new internet site which can be accessed anywhere and on all networks lets you follow Orelle live, on the Orelle App (a free app for news in real time), YouTube ( a new webcam has been installed at the top of the gondola), but also Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. Thanks to the free wifi network throughout Orelle and the three Valleys you won’t miss the latest updates. 600 LIFTS (51 green, 133 blue, 106 red and 32 black) 169 322 2000m the highest in the world, are at your disposal in Orelle-Val Thorens area. 2001 : Completion of Peyron and Bouchet chairlifts 85% TRACKS km of runs 1 ZIP LINE 1800m 8 RESORTS (11 green, 30 blue, 30 red and 9 black) 1988 : Opening of Rosael chairlift: a ski lift on the Maurienne side, accessible from Val Thorens. Février 1996 : Realization of an old project over twenty years with the opening of the 3 Vallées express gondola. The link between the valleys of Maurienne and Tarentaise is effective. above LIFTS 32 80 PISTES km of runs above 99% 150 Main dates Mars 2008 : Creation of the Tourist Office 2008-2009 : Construction of the residence le Hameau des Eaux D’orelle: 1000 beds are added. 2010 : Creation of the booking centre. Hiver 2013-2014 : Creation of the highest Zipline in the world. PRESS CONTACT : for the area of the 3 Vallées, the largest ski area in the world, which can be reached by cable car in 15 minutes. Laura Pagès Agence RevolutionR Ligne directe: +33 1 47 10 08 35 Portable: +33 6 43 15 88 51 E-mail: [email protected] www.revolutionr.com
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