Chastreix-Sancy is a small

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

situated above the village of Chastreix in central

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, Pac ...

. The resort is the smallest of the three main resorts situated in the

Monts Dore The Monts Dore () are the remnant peaks of a volcanic massif situated near the center of the Massif Central, in the Auvergne region of France. They form a picturesque mountainous region, dotted with lakes, thermal springs and romanesque churches. ...

and has no skiable link to the other two resorts. The main activities offered at the resort are

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

ski touring Ski touring is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas. Touring is typically done off-piste and outside of ski resorts, and may extend over a period of more than one day. It is similar to backcountry skiing but excludes the u ...

dog sledding Mushing is a sport or transport method powered by dogs. It includes carting, pulka, dog scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled, most commonly ...

and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

. It is a calm resort popular with families and locals, as it boasts gentle runs, panoramic views and short queues.

Geography

The resort is situated at an altitude of 1400m in the

mountain range within the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,00 ...

, built on and between the Puy de Chabane and Mont Redon, on the west side of the

Puy de Sancy Puy de Sancy (, ; oc, label=Auvergnat, Puèi de la Crotz , ) is the highest mountain in the Massif Central. It is part of an ancient stratovolcano which has been inactive for about 220,000 years. The northern and southern slopes are used fo ...

, which is part of an ancient

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

which has been dormant for 220,000 years. It is within the Parc naturel régional des volcans d'Auvergne and the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

of Chastreix in the

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; oc, label=Auvergnat, lo Puèi de Doma or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2019, it had a population of 662,152.département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'' of the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...

région France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (french: régions, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collect ...

''. It is about 40 km south west of the ''

préfecture In France, a prefecture (french: préfecture) may be: * the ''chef-lieu de département'', the commune in which the administration of a department is located; * the ''chef-lieu de région'', the commune in which the administration of a region is l ...

'' of the

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; oc, label=Auvergnat, lo Puèi de Doma or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2019, it had a population of 662,152.Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat (dialect), Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population ...

, also capital of the Auvergne. The resort is sandwiched between the Cirque de la Fontaine Salée to the south-east and the Val d'Enfer, or Valley of Hell in English, to the north-east. Both of these have left the resort with no formal links to the other two resorts in the

Massif du Sancy In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's Crust (geology), crust that is demarcated by geologic fault, faults or Lithospheric flexure, flexures. In the Plate tectonics, movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal s ...

ski area.

Climate

Lift system

Les Carrières 1 & 2

Les Carrières 1 & 2 are a pair of green

button lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

s used primarily by beginners to access the two green runs, Les Carrières and Les Marmottes, that start from their top stations during the winter season. They were built by

Gimar Montaz Mautino Gimar Montaz Mautino (GMM) is a French manufacturer that was created by the merger of Gimar (founded in 1980 by Jean-Claude Giraud and Dominique Marceau, two former executives at Weber) and Montaz-Mautino (founded in 1952 by Pierre Montaz and Vict ...

with a gap of 16 years between their respective constructions, with Les Carrières 1 being built first in 1969 and Les Carrières 2 being built afterwards in 1985. They both follow the same route with their pylons similarly spaced along the lines, and both have the motor placed at the bottom station, at an elevation of 1406m, and the tension applied at the top station, at an elevation of 1466m, with a vertical gain of 60m and a length of 402m. However their differences are that, due to the terrain, Les Carrières 2 has a slightly steeper maximum slope at 22% rather than the 20% of Les Carrières 1. In addition, with Les Carrières 2 being newer, it is faster. Les Carrières 2 has an operating speed of 3.6 m/s and a throughput of 900 people per hour, compared with the slower 3.5 m/s operating speed and 600 people per hour throughput of Les Carrières 1. Both the motors spin so that the passengers travel to the right of the pylons on their upwards journey.

L'École

Les Chalets

La Chambasse

Le Vallon

Le Redon

Le Baby Pingouin

References

{{Reflist
http://www.sancy.comhttp://www.ign.fr

External links

Official websiteWebcam
Ski stations in France Tourist attractions in Puy-de-Dôme Sports venues in Puy-de-Dôme