Drouzin-le-Mont
A Chablais station at the Col du Corbier that ran from 1966 to 2012 and lost up to 150,000 euros a year; its chairlifts came down in 2014 and the site has since become one of France's model conversions away from alpine skiing.
- Region
- Haute-Savoie
- Country
- France
- Status
- closed
- Year opened
- 1966
- Year closed
- 2012
- Reason for closure
- Chronic deficits of 120,000 to 150,000 euros a year on unreliable snow at 1,237 m, with the giant Portes du Soleil next door. The operator Michel Vivien announced in April 2012 that he was giving up the concession, with projected annual losses reaching 450,000 euros. Money troubles went back much further - the electricity was cut off in February 1994 over bills unpaid since 1986.
History
Drouzin-le-Mont sat at the Col du Corbier, 1,237 m, on the boundary of the communes of Le Biot and Bonnevaux in the Chablais, on the pass between the Vallée d'Aulps and the Val d'Abondance. A first drag lift went in during 1966 and the station traded under the name Col du Corbier until 1975 before being renamed; its first full season was 1971-72. Montagner drag lifts filled out the domain from 1970 and two Gimar fixed-grip quads, the Drouzin and the Carrés, were added in 1990 to open up the higher ground, giving around twenty pistes at the peak. It never made money. The power was cut off in February 1994 over bills unpaid since 1986, and by the end the station was losing 120,000 to 150,000 euros a year with projections running to 450,000; sitting a few kilometres from the Portes du Soleil, it had no answer. The operator gave up in April 2012 and the two chairlifts were taken down in 2014. What happened next is why Drouzin-le-Mont is cited across the French Alps: instead of leaving a ruin, Le Biot bought up the lifts and infrastructure and rebuilt the site around a montagne douce model - the La Covagne bar-restaurant opened in October 2017, the Outdoor Expériences multi-activity centre followed in June 2019 in partnership with Rossignol, the snowmaking reservoir became a recreational lake, and the col now runs sledging, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, archery, fishing and trail running year-round. Its 1,800 residential units, once holiday lets, are largely occupied by permanent residents and by seasonal staff working the bigger resorts nearby. Individual piste names are not recorded.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Télésiège du Drouzin | Chairlift - Quad - Fixed | Gimar | 1,411 m long with 232 m of vertical; in service 1990 to 2012 and dismantled in 2014 |
| Télésiège des Carrés | Chairlift - Quad - Fixed | Gimar | 820 m long with 208 m of vertical; in service 1990 to 2012 and dismantled in 2014 |
| Téléski du Muret | Platter | Montagner | 925 m long, 176 m of vertical; 1970 to 2012 |
| Téléski de la Frasse | Platter | Montagner | 288 m long, 66 m of vertical; 1970 to 2012 |
| Téléski de Lajoux | Platter | Montagner | 257 m long, 27 m of vertical; 1970 to 2012 |
| Téléski du Col du Corbier | Platter | Montagner | 220 m long, 53 m of vertical; 1970 to 2012 |
| Télécorde de la Droline | Surface lift | Montagner | 150 m rope tow, 17 m of vertical; 1999 to 2012 |
| Télécorde de l'Ourson | Surface lift | Pellat-Finet | 80 m beginner rope tow, 7 m of vertical; 2002 to 2012 |
Sources and further reading
More in France
Location
46.2841, 6.6452