Nestled in the heart of the Chablais massif, the resort of Les Gets is the result of a collective human adventure led by pioneers. For nearly 90 years, the charming village resort that Les Gets has become today has transformed its mountain pastures into a renowned resort, without ever losing its soul. Let’s take a look back at the history of this characterful region, shaped by passionate pioneers and a living mountain.
The early days of the resort: from the 1930s to the 1950s
The ski area developed at its own pace, far from the frenzy of the major resorts in the snow plan. Experimentation, DIY, crazy gambles, adventure… these are the words that come up most often in the stories of the resort’s pioneers.
Long before skiing, there were cows and pastures. It was in the 11th century that the first humans set foot on the slopes of Les Gets. In Les Gets, farmers preceded skiers by almost a millennium. Agricultural and pastoral activities breathed life into this small, fertile and sunny valley in Haute-Savoie, turning it into a village of 1,300 inhabitants. This is where the DNA of Les Gets lies: unlike the huge high-altitude resorts, the soul of the village predates the arrival of skiing, and the ski area tends to expand from this beating heart. Even today, the presence of this ancestral farming activity can be felt on the ski slopes, like an indelible watermark.
But let’s go back a little further in time. The interwar period saw the first ski tourers exploring the valley on sealskins. Armed with their large wooden skis, they warmed up their thighs on the climb, far from imagining the endless possibilities that ski lifts would offer.
The birth of the first ski lifts: the Boule de Gomme ski lift, the Charniaz chairlift…
“Who often rides the Boule de Gomme will become a skiing champion.”
One of the first detachable ski lifts was built in 1937 by Mr Maris SERVETTAZ and inaugurated by Mr Jean POMAGALSKI.
‘La Boule de Gomme’ (The Gum Ball) – nothing stimulates a child’s imagination more than giving a place the name of a sweet.
In the post-war climate, these mechanised poles quickly became a hit with local skiers and tourists alike. This marked a change in direction, from clogs to skis! Farmers began to swap their livestock for skis, and the more handy among them attempted to build ski lifts on their land. No fewer than seven ‘ski lifts’, as they were called at the time, were built in the 1930s and 1940s, including those at Les Chavannes and Mont Chéry, built by Paul Bourgeois, and La Turche, built by Georges Combépine.
Despite the progress made by these marvellous machines for climbing slopes, the most athletic continued to explore virgin territory and even ventured over to Morzine: crossing from one side to the other, which at the time was only possible on foot, but which gave rise to the idea of a link between the two resorts… This was achieved much later with the Charniaz chairlift in 1980.
The resort’s emblem, designed by Paul Broly: the colourful skier with his arm raised :
Les Gets is known for its family atmosphere, its authentic old buildings and its blessed sunny location. The ski resorts are booming and buzzing with the energy of the locals. The first person to work on Les Gets’ image was Popol, who designed the resort’s emblem at the request of Marius Servettaz. He came up with the idea of a colourful skier with his arm raised, embodying the dynamism of winter sports.
The expansion of the resort: from the 1950s to the 1970s
The 1950s saw a surge in popularity for skiing: while Courchevel was the international resort that set the tone, many others, including Les Gets, offered a different skiing experience with gentle, pleasant terrain that lent itself well to the design of the slopes, which were groomed using the means available at the time, i.e. wooden rollers from 1959 onwards.
Even back then, the slopes of Les Gets were ideal for learning to ski in a gentle and controlled manner. The ski lifts at La Turche (1946), Le Vieux-Chêne (1955), Super-Chavannes (1957) and La Turchette (1959) completed the resort’s facilities.
The Mont-Chéry chairlift, in 1960, marked the second decisive stage in the resort’s expansion. Capacity increased and the piste service improved to better accommodate skiers.
Skiing then spread beyond Les Chavannes towards Ranfoilly and La Rosta. When building the Vieux-Chênes ski lift, the resort already had plans to explore different slopes. The project to link Morzine gained momentum and in 1964, the Portes du Soleil association was created with the aim of linking two resorts with a single ski pass.
In 1969, the first piste service was created by Régis Pernollet, who contacted pisteurs from other Portes du Soleil resorts.
Winter sports entered a new phase, their golden age…
New horizons: from the 1970s to the 2020s:
In 1970, the first chairlift at Ranfoilly carried 800 people per hour. Traffic increased considerably and slope maintenance had to keep pace. With the increase in the number of visitors, the snow had to be maintained. 1973 saw the famous red eggs of Les Chavannes, the first gondola lift, take to the skies.
A great moment for Les Gets!
Every January until 1978, the world’s best skiers came to compete on the Gazelle slope in the Mont Chéry sector during the Alpine Ski World Cup stages, while summer events developed in parallel.
Les Gets has always had a curious spirit, a desire to experiment and innovate, which can be seen in its pioneering venture into mountain biking, the quality of its snowmaking equipment, the lake equipped with Wibit inflatable modules and, most recently, the Alta Lumina experience.
And it doesn’t stop there. Les Gets continues to invent new pleasures: the ice rink in 1989, a beautiful mountain golf course in 1995 and, above all, mountain biking in 1989. Two-wheelers have become the resort’s summer attraction, with specially adapted ski lifts, downhill trails and world-class competitions.
In 1990, to give itself greater scope for action and control over its future development, the municipal authority managing the ski area became SAGETS. A multi-tasking company, since it
And the future?
Les Gets was long a small Haute-Savoie village of farmers dependent on livestock breeding. Winter sports propelled it into the modern lifestyle of tourism, which they embraced with passion.
This is understandable when you look at the history of this small mountain valley that has become a major tourist destination: preserving its identity is vital. Les Gets has managed to maintain a delicate balance between constant adaptation, economic development and loyalty to the spirit of the valley. ‘Les Gets is an anchor in a rapidly changing world.’
Source: Book “A resort with character: Les Gets, 90 years of mountain sports”