On the terrace, the sun’s rays warm the faces. 2:30 p.m., the time for high mass has come. The first saxophone notes resonate like a call to join the dance and join the party. Perched on a balcony, the DJ of the day passes behind the turntables, raising his arms to encourage holidaymakers to climb onto the tables or leave their chairs. The atmosphere goes up a notch, while at the entrance, skiers gather to enter the site. Walkers, too. Welcome to the “Folie Douce”, nestled at an altitude of 2,300 meters in the heart of the Alpe d’Huez ski area, in Isère.
The “Sweet Madness”? “We adooooore”, loose in the euphoria Stéphanie, 49 years old. So when asked what inspires her so much, this mother of a family enumerates without hesitation: “The atmosphere, the music that takes you to the guts. It’s magical, atypical, the setting is extraordinary. “You have to see it or experience it to understand,” the followers immediately reply. More than a regular, 18-year-old Aldric defines himself with a laugh as a “subscriber”. Since the start of the holidays, the boy observes the same ritual daily. He skis until 2 p.m. and joins his group of friends there to eat and celebrate all afternoon. “There are few places like this to dance outdoors. And you don’t need to drink too much to have fun because there is really good music,” he argues.
“A different way of experiencing the holidays”
“It’s a way of experiencing the holidays differently, of celebrating differently,” adds Stéphanie, who came especially from Saint-Etienne. Faithful to the station “for 40 years”, the mother of the family savors the music, moving in her chair to the rhythm of electro. “We kind of feel like we’re part of the jet-set,” she laughs. In Paris, people experience a lot of things, a bit exceptional, which are not given to everyone. Things that are not accessible to those who live in small towns. »
“Things are very different from a nightclub. Here, we are on outdoor clubbing with artists, whether singer, DJ, saxophonist, guitarist, ”says Magaly Blanc, the director of the establishment. When she discovered the concept in the resort of Val-d’Isère, she had a revelation: “It was the hallu, I wondered where I had fallen. It was really great “. So surprising and unique that she decided to embark on the project and open a branch in Alpe d’Huez. For 9 years, she has not been unemployed. “15,000 steps on average every day” to ensure that everything works, to watch for the slightest overflow, to welcome the 2,000 to 3,000 customers. The watchword: that everything is clean so as not to spoil the party.
The increasingly sought-after “next to skiing”
“Today, whether it’s snowing, raining or sunny, people are there. The weather does not change anything, ”she observes. The lack of snow, too. “The concept has taken off well in a dozen large French resorts. Skiing alone is no longer enough, people come to look for a “ski side”, analyzes François Badjily the director of the Tourist Office. The proof ? “On Saturdays, a third of customers don’t have ski boots on. The concept had the merit of “bringing in a new clientele”, of “boosting high-altitude restaurants” forced to improve their menus to compete and of “creating emulation” throughout the resort. But also to “change the image of the brand”.
However, the event that made Alpe d’Huez take off again remains unquestionably the long-awaited arrival of the electronic music festival “Tomorrowland Winter”, the first edition of which was held in 2019. “The coup of the century”, sums up François Badjily. “We were looking for an event that does not take place in the summer and that is not sporty,” he explains. An appointment likely to fill the station at the end of the season, to “rejuvenate the clientele” and to attract foreign tourists because until then, the station fed a small complex compared to its neighbors.
“Clearly, the objective was to create an attraction by reaching young people so that they come to ensure the practice of skiing in the future”, explains Anthony Guzman, marketing director at Sata (ski lift company). The man, who aspired to “replace Alpe d’Huez on the world map”, had a flair. Three years of negotiations and preparation were necessary for the festival – for which the resort is entirely privatized – to settle in Isère. But the result was “beyond expectations”. 26,000 festival-goers registered during the first edition, 18,000 during the second in 2022 (due to a limited gauge after two years of covid) and 22,000 planned for this year, from March 18 to 25. The average age of the participants: 32 years old.
Skiing, the unbeatable “a major asset”
“We have the same occupancy rate as during a week of school holidays in February,” reveals François Badjily. No need to look for a bed. The station is full to bursting, while 18,000 people are on the waiting list. “But unlike February, this time, the sums spent are much higher”, specifies the director of the Tourist Office. 1,000 euros on average per participant. French, British, Americans, Belgians, Chinese, young working people from all over the world… Tour operators, who hitherto shunned the Isère resort, are now queuing up to curry favor with them.
The event clearly benefited “the whole ecosystem”, observes Anthony Guzman. The effect has been undeniable on the real estate market. Sales are on the rise again. Sliding lessons are sold out at the end of the season. Restaurant owners make the “same figure as an evening of December 31” every day. But “we cannot replace skiing” which remains despite everything “the major asset of festival-goers”, slice François Badjily. “More than 80% of them have opted for a ski pass… And they ski (on average 4 hours a day), notes Anthony Guzman. In satisfaction surveys, most respond that discipline remains the high point of the stay. »