Les Houches at the centre of controversy again...

Following the news last week that this year's Mont Blanc Unlimited Pass from Chamonix's Compagnie du Mont Blanc no longer includes skiing in Les Houches (save for Prarion and the Tramway Mont Blanc) more news of trouble for the ski area comes.

It's all a very long story that goes back years and years, but in essence there are two families who run the ski area of Les Houches. SEPP is the Hottegindre family and they run Bellevue cable car and most of the lifts. LHSG is the Balmat family, but Compagnie du Mont Blanc is the majority owner now, and they run principally the Tramway Mont Blanc and the recently replaced Prarion lift.

Every year everyone waits with baited breath to see if, when and how the two companies will sort out the division of revenue from a single lift pass that will allow skiers to ski all of the Les Houches ski area. Last year Cie du Mont Blanc initially announced the Mont Blanc Unlimited wouldn't include skiing in Les Houches, then last minute the deal was all back on.

However, this year in anticipation of disagreements, the Cie du Mont Blanc decided to not include Les Houches on the Mont Blanc Unlimited Pass. Now there has been much speculation up and down the valley and in the local newspaper the Dauphine Libere, but Cie du Mont Blanc claims they simply want the same discount deals from SEPP as any other operator is offered by SEPP. SEPP disagrees and claims LHSG/Cie du Mont Blanc can't offer skiing in Les Houches via the TMB or Prarion as they need the agreement of SEPP to use the pistes which cross SEPP land and the lifts that SEPP owns.

This aside, a new twist of fate means that in three weeks' time a tribunal in Grenoble will decide whether a contract signed between the Commune of St Gervais and SEPP to run the domaine is valid. It was revealed in the Dauphine Libere newspaper that the government commissioner has deemed the contract NOT valid and this is the recommended finding. It seems in 90% of the cases the tribunal follows the advice of the commissioner.

So what does this mean? In effect, it means that SEPP cannot operate the ski area as it wishes this winter. There has been much talk about re-establishing the status of the operating association - very indepth complicated French beaurocracy which in essence means a shake up of how the whole domaine is operated. Combine this with the fact that LHSG/Cie du Mont Blanc only has access to Prarion and the TMB and this makes for worrying time for Les Houches.

However complicated, the worse case scenario (according to Les Houches mayor Patrick Dole) is that the operators run completely separately.

Whatever happens, it looks like the future of the administration of Les Houches, which it seems is a sought-after ski area by Cie de Mont Blanc and controlling parent company Compagie des Alpes, is set to change.

In conclusion, there is still nothing definite for this winter, but we'd just like to know that we can profit from the pistes and snow in Les Houches. We'll let you know as soon as we do.

Sources: Radio Mont Blanc and Dauphine Libere