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Avoriaz
Avoriaz (, ) is a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. It is located in the territory of the commune of Morzine. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses station on the A40 motorway between Geneva and Chamonix. Either way one follows the D902, Route des Grandes Alpes, to Morzine and then the D338 running from Morzine to Avoriaz. Snow chains are often necessary. Avoriaz is built on a shelf high above the town of Morzine, which is among the pioneering towns of skiing with its first lifts dating back to the early 1930s. Today Avoriaz is one of the major French ski destinations catering for all standards of skiing and ranks among the top snowboarding destinations of the world. Apart from snow-based pursuits, Avoriaz is also a centre for trekking, golf, VTT (mountain biking) and other outdoor activities during the summer. Cars are forbidden in Avoriaz. The resort is designed to be fully skiable. Other transport around the resort ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Portes Du Soleil
Les Portes du Soleil (literally "The Doors of the Sun") is a major skisports destination in the Alps, encompassing thirteen resorts between Mont Blanc in France and Lake Geneva in Switzerland. With more than 650 km of marked pistes (claimed by the lift companies; an independent expert measured about 426 km ) and about 200 lifts in total, spread over 14 valleys and about , Portes du Soleil ranks among the two largest ski areas in the world (the other being Les Trois Vallées). Almost all of the pistes are connected by lifts – a few marginal towns can be reached only by the free bus services in the area. The highest elevation accessible on skis is 2260 m (Pointe de Mossettes) and the lowest is 930 m (Abondance Village). As with many other Alpine ski resorts, the lower slopes of the Portes du Soleil have snow-making facilities to extend the ski season by keeping the lower slopes open during the warmer months. The name ''Portes du Soleil'' originates from the 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morzine
Morzine (; frp, Morzena) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-eastern France. A traditional market town in the heart of the Portes du Soleil, Morzine is dominated by chalets spread across a river gorge, bordered by partially wooded slopes allowing skiing in poor weather conditions. Situated at an altitude of 1000 m, it is one of the most northerly of the French Alpine resorts, and weatherwise benefits from the Mont Blanc microclimate. The locality enjoys panoramic mountain views and modern ski facilities, as well as hotels and restaurants in the town itself. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune. History In 1181, Morzine ( la, Morgenes, or "border area") was a grange of Aulps Abbey, a Cistercian monastery 7 km away. In the Middle Ages, granges were agricultural centres from which the monks exploited their landscape and co-ordinated farming and industrial work. The grange was fundamental to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pierre & Vacances
Groupe Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs () specializes in tourism services, providing holiday and entertainment ''villages'', leisure activity residences and hotels under the brands Pierre & Vacances, Maeva, Center Parcs, Sunparks, and Adagio (the last in partnership with Accor). The headquarters of the company is in France and the core area of the company's activities is France, but it also has facilities in Belgium, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain. History First years In 1967, Gérard Brémond (the future developer and main owner of Pierre et Vacances) and Jean Vuarnet (a French Olympic ski champion) entered partnership to open a skiing "village" and resort, called Avoriaz, which adopted innovative concepts. Vehicles were forbidden inside the village and children had their own sectors. The style of the buildings was designed to harmonize with the surrounding landscape. Interest in the resort increased in 1973, when Brémond (a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean Vuarnet
Jean Vuarnet (18 January 1933 – 1 January 2017) was an Alpine skiing, alpine ski racer from France. An Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics, Olympic gold medalist, he was born in Le Bardo, Tunisia. Career The high point of Vuarnet's racing career came at age 27 at the Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics, 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley Ski Resort, Squaw Valley, where he won the gold medal in the Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill, downhill. Previously, he had won bronze in the same event at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, World Championships in FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1958, 1958 at Bad Gastein. From 1957 to 1959, Vuarnet achieved seven titles as a French skiing champion: twice in the downhill (1958, 1959), slalom (1957, 1958) and alpine combined, and in the giant slalom (1957). He had placed third in the slalom and the alpine combined in the "Kandahar" at Sestriere in 1956. He was not selected for the Olympic team ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Chavanette
Le Pas de Chavanette, also known as the "Mur Suisse" or "Swiss Wall", is a particularly steep and difficult piste in the Portes du Soleil ski area, on the border between France and Switzerland. It can be reached from the French resort of Avoriaz and from the Swiss towns of Les Crosets and Champéry Champéry (; frp, Champérié) is a municipality in the district of Monthey in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Champéry is first mentioned in 1286 as ''Champery'' The Hotel Dent-du-Midi opened in 1857. In 1969, Champéry becam .... Effectively, one starts the run standing on the Swiss-French border, plunging down the Swiss side of the mountain towards Les Crosets. Statistics The slope is classified in the Swiss/French difficulty rating as orange, which means that it is rated as too difficult to fit in the standard classification of green (very easy), blue (easy), red (intermediate) and black (difficult). It has a length of 1 kilometre and a vertical drop of 331 m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Les Crosets
Les Crosets is a village and ski resort in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is part of the Val-d'Illiez municipality, and Portes du Soleil ski area. Location and access At , Les Crosets is the highest altitude of any resort of the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil. It is, however, one of the smallest as well. It is easily reached by skis from Champery, Châtel and Avoriaz. It has a sunny, snowy microclimate and allows splendid views of the Dents Du Midi. Les Crosets is approximately two hours by car from Geneva airport. The final approach to the village is a winding, unmarked road, which is open year-round. There is no public transport within the village, however, a Post Bus connects to the cogwheel train in Val-d'Illiez. Population Around 60 people live in Les Crosets year-round. This number swells significantly during the winter ski season, as the village hosts as many as 650 visitors. There are a number of hotels in the village, and some private apartments ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Châtel, Haute-Savoie
Châtel (; frp, Châtél) is a commune on the Swiss border in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,246. Situated in the northern part of the French Alps, Châtel is part of the French-Swiss ski domain known as Portes du Soleil. Despite its development into a major ski resort, the village still retains many of its traditional alpine characteristics. Geography Nearby French towns include La Chapelle-d'Abondance, Abondance, Morzine and Avoriaz. The Swiss town of Morgins in the canton of Valais is just across the border. Ski Châtel has an extensive ski area with runs to suit skiers and boarders of all abilities. The whole village is served by a free ski-bus which gives easy access to ski lifts. The resort is part of the vast Portes du Soleil domain, the largest international linked ski area in the world with over 650 km (403 mi) of varied terrain spread across eight French and four Sw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duel (1971 Film)
''Duel'' is a 1971 American action thriller film, action-thriller television film directed by Steven Spielberg. It centers on a business commuter, played by Dennis Weaver, driving his car through California to meet a client. However, he finds himself chased and terrorized by the unseen character, mostly-unseen driver of a semi-truck. The screenplay by Richard Matheson adapts his own short story of the same name. Produced by Universal Television, ''Duel o''riginally aired as a part of the ''ABC Movie of the Week'' series on November 13, 1971. It later received an international theatrical release in an extended version featuring scenes shot after the film's original broadcast. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Spielberg's direction being singled out for praise. It has since been recognized as an influential Cult film, cult classic, and one of the greatest made-for-television films ever made. Plot David Mann, a middle-aged salesman driving on a busines ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930. His career spanned five decades, and he designed buildings in Europe, Japan, India, and North and South America. Dedicated to providing better living conditions for the residents of crowded cities, Le Corbusier was influential in urban planning, and was a founding member of the (CIAM). Le Corbusier prepared the master plan for the city of Chandigarh in India, and contributed specific designs for several buildings there, especially the government buildings. On 17 July 2016, seventeen projects by Le Corbusier in seven countries were inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Académie Des Beaux Arts
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. Etymology The word comes from the ''Academy'' in ancient Greece, which derives from the Athenian hero, ''Akademos''. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning. The sacred space, dedicated to the goddess of wisdom, Athena, had formerly been an olive grove, hence the expression "the groves of Academe". In these gardens, the philosopher Plato conversed with followers. Plato developed his sessions into a method of teaching philosophy and in 387 BC, established what is known today as the Old Academy. By extension, ''academia'' has come to mean the accumulation, dev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its Metropolitan France, metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Due to its several coastal territories, France has the largest exclusive economic zone in the world. France borders Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Andorra, and Spain in continental Europe, as well as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Netherlands, Suriname, and Brazil in the Americas via its overseas territories in French Guiana and Saint Martin (island), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Downhill Mountain Biking
Downhill mountain biking (DH) is a style of mountain biking practiced on steep, rough terrain that often features jumps, drops, rock gardens and other obstacles. Jumps can be up to and including , and drops can be greater than . The rider commonly travels to the point of descent a ski lift or automobile, since the weight of the downhill mountain bike often precludes any serious climbing. In this context, the use of a motorized vehicle or device does not make DH a motorized sport. Riders must possess a unique combination of total body strength, aerobic and anaerobic fitness, and the acceptance of a relatively high risk of incurring serious permanent injuries. Downhill bikes are heavier and stronger than other mountain bikes and feature front and rear suspension with over 8 inches (20 cm) of travel, to glide quickly over rocks and tree roots. In competitive races, a continuous course is defined on each side by a strip of tape. Depending on the format, riders have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
