Mountain professions

Piste grooming

When the slopes are closed from 5.30pm to 9am, thirty experienced drivers along with nineteen machines take part in a perfectly orchestrated night-time dance. Piste grooming, flatten the bumps, artificial snow cover if necessary, levelling the layer of snow, and maintaining the hardness of the underneath layer of snow.... And all with this thanks to three winches which are used when working on steep slopes, eighteen caterpillar tracked vehicles, two Turbo Fraise and a Pipe dragon for the snowpark.

The main blue and red runs are maintained daily, the black runs being groomed less often. Certain, such as the Ours, Robert Blanc, Varet or even the Génépi are never worked so as not to break up the moguls so appreciated by the good skiers.

Ski patrollers

Their primary mission is to prevent the risk of accidents on the ski area. They check that the pistes are well indicated, protecting the skiers, with the use of posts, from rocks, holes and any other possible dangers. The ski patrollers are also responsible for setting off of avalanches for preventative measures.

It is the patrollers who come to your rescue in the case of accident. In our words, we say that they have ‘effectuent un secours’ or ‘carried out a rescue’. Each ski patroller is kitted out with a radio and can be permanently contacted. They are assigned to an area and come to your aid when an accident is reported. It is important to be very precise when giving details of the place of the accident (name of the piste, the post number, and nature of the injury). The ski patroller carries in his back-pack : a first-aid kit (compresses, plasters, scissors, face mask, survival blanket...) a shovel, a probe, an arm brace, and a pump for pneumatic splints. They never go anywhere without a 1 man stretcher (2 man stretcher) which enables them to safely transport people to the nearest doctor’s surgery.

Ski patrolmen can specialise in one or several areas of expertise.

• Explosives expert : Specialising in explosives and the setting off of avalanches.
• Snow and weather conditions specialist : responsible for observing the quality of the snow and estimating the risk of avalanche (this enables the organisation of setting of avalanches for preventative measures).
• Avalanche dog-handler : he works alongside a trained dog, training regularly in avalanche rescue.
• Specialist in mountain rescue : this specialisation enables the ski patroller to intervene in difficult rescues, usually off-piste where rescue can be very difficult.

Lift operators and guards

You will often come across them during you day as they are to be found near the lifts. These men and women are responsible for the running of the lifts and ensure that you board the lifts under the best safety conditions. Don’t hesitate to ask the questions as they are there to help you during your time on the ski area. There are several different kinds of operators and guards : cable car, chairlift, funicular, gondola, chairlift and drag lift operators, and funicular and cable car guards.

The operator has technical responsibilities : He organises and carries out lift maintenance (machinery, arrival platforms, and cabins). He periodically checks mechanical parts (these parts are different according to the machinery: cable car, funicular, chairlift, draglift). Eg, de-ice the auxiliary and suspension cables, distance security sensors, wheels, cable extension, checking of battery levels...

• Responsible for the permanent functioning of the safety installations and the means of gondola evacuation and control, the gondola operator controls, in the machinery room and control board, the operating indicator gauges and all the mechanical parts : emergency switch, telephone lines, gondola spacing...

• The chairlift operator organises and prepares the departure platform, clears the snow off the chairs, levels the slope access, checks the signs, setting up of the queuing system and the protection material. He continually surveys the line-up and movement of the cabins or vehicles, intervenes in the case of technical problems, locates and resolves certain problems. He assures platform access and surveys the up-dating of information boards and signposts. He is also responsible for mechanical repairs, small electrical equipment repairs and the maintenance of his « vehicle » e.g. the chairlift operator is responsible for the cleanliness of the cabin and the approach to the chairlift.

Chairlift surveillance

She is responsible for the security of the clients while they are on the chairlift and when getting of the lift. The chairlift surveyor is responsible for the good condition of the arrival area. She controls the general state of the line (noise, position of the cable in the wheel...) during a trial run. The stop switch, barriers and telephone line need to be checked everyday. She also prepares and maintains the arrival platform, the notice boards explaining the rules, notify the operator of any irregularities, and is responsible for the cleanliness of the cable cars and approach to the chairlifts.

Ticket controllers

You will see them each time you go up in a lift. And they will check your sk-pass. Contrary to popular belief, they can charge skiers if their pass is not valid. They organise the queues for the lifts to make sure the passenger flow is regular and to it’s maximum capacity, transmit the passengers requests and to assist with mechanical tasks.