Val Thorens, Europe's highest resort, has broken the usual French rule of not announcing it's news for next season before the autumn and has already let it be known that two nice new hotels will be open next December, as well as the resort's fourth funitel lift.
Funitels are sort of half-gondola, half cable-car – running on two parallel wires instead of one like a cable car for maximum stability, but with multiple cabins going around in a loop, rather than back and fourth, like a gondola.
The extra stability is particularly useful at high altitudes where windy conditions can be a problem for regular lifts, which could be why Val Thorens is so keen on them.
The lift will serve two new runs, a red (les Asters) and a blue (le Chocard).
The new Swiss-built lift has cabins each capable of carrying up to 33 passengers and overall can lift up to 1500 people per hour on its short two minute ascent between 2780 and 3000m.