The ski lift system at Les Arcs is changing over to a "hands-free" system this winter. This system, increasingly popular across Europe, offers skiers greater comfort and rapidity as you will no longer need to get out your ski pass to enter the lifts, thanks to the new electronic microchip in a card which can be read from a distance by special machines, even when the card is inside a pocket, automatically opening the access gates to the lift systems.

This system requires the purchase of a special card, for which skiers will be asked to pay a deposit of 3 euros and will be refunded on returning the card. Alternatively, the cards can be kept and re-used in following years. The introduction of the hands-free ski lift system will cost 2.5 million euros. Installation work will be spread over a period of 2 years, 80 electronic readers will be in place from this winter. Eventually, the system will involve the use of 15km of underground fibre optic cables.

The "ski card" will also be available. This is a non-transferable card which is credited for 10 days of non-consecutive skiing and gives access to the Les Arcs ski area during this winter.

Also new for this year, all skiers who buy a full Paradiski pass for a minimum of 6 days will receive one day's free access to the Savoie Olympic Ski area, which means access to the Espace Killy area, the Three Valleys, Les Saisies and Pralognan La Vanoise.

The ski pass office at La Pagode Arc 1800 will also be renovated in order to offer a better service to clients. The ski pass offices at Arc 2000 are scheduled for renovation for winter 2006.

www.lesarcs.com