Skiing resort of FLAINE - Old Ascenseur hunt!

December 2018 we went skiing in Flaine.
Flaine is in the French Alps and is often called 'big snowy bowl' due to it having one of the best snow records in the alps. It was opened in the late 60s as a ski resort.
I chose it as it has lots of green runs for us to use, minutes walk away from our accommodation AND OF COURSE, there's lots of interesting old brutalist concrete buildings to explore for old Ascenseur's, ahhem, lifts!!
From a resort opened in 1969, you'd expect to find one or two old ones?
If you've come here looking for details about FLAINE as a holiday destination, then here is some info for you: (From our holiday in Dec 2018)...
INTERESTED IN FLAINE FOR A SKIING DESTINATION?
READ HERE:
We attended 5x dry-slope lessons before arriving, else you'd spend your whole holiday learning! It had been 30 years since I last went on a ski slope!
We chose Flaine due to the number of Green slopes available and the quick and easy access to the slopes.
In fact, from our apartment it was only a 5 minute walk!
The whole town is a car-free zone, unless you have a permit.
Flaine contains everything you need all in one village. It's not the most modern looking place with lots of concrete apartment blocks (see: • Skiing resort of FLAIN... ) but this town dates back to the 1960s where it was converted to a skiing resort. Personally, I like brutalist concrete structures!
THE AREA:
There are two parts to Flaine, top and bottom. Top part contains mostly apartments and has a small shopping centre with bakery, and Spar shop. There is a incline lift that takes you down to the lower part of the town and I think there is also a bowling alley up here as well.
There are two lifts (featured on my channel and this video) that take you from upper to lower parts.
The lower part has a larger shopping centre, but we are not talking BIG here! Towards the lower skiing area is a much larger Spar type shop.
SKI HIRE:
These are everywhere, we received a 20% discount voucher from our accomodation reception, from the ski-hire shop next door.
SKI AREAS:
For free, you can start at the upper ski area, go up a ski-travelator, then the nursery slope back down. Or you can continue and ski for free all the way from the upper part to the lower part. To get back up, more ski-travelators and then basket lifts bring you (and your skis) to the upper part. This is all for free.
Apart from a trip to the top of the mountain in the Gondola, we were actually content with what Flaine had to offer without buying a lift pass. This is probably because we are beginners, but others may like to use ALL the runs available. Unfortunately we cannot advise here, as we didn't use them!
GETTING HERE:
Fly to Geneva, then it's about 1.5 hours using one of many transportation companies.
To start with, we were wondering (and getting slightly worried) if there was 'any' snow, until you go up and up the winding roads to Flaine, which I believe is the last town on the road.

[@therealvbw]

Our french holiday was September 2018, we only saw a single tiny modern KONE at a supermarché sadly.

[@Lighting_Desk]

Jolly good! Can't wait to see the transport incline lift video as well as the tasty motor room tour. Put of curiosity, are you still planning on doing that Chernobyl Q&A video?

[@dykodesigns]

Typical of Switzerland are those dark corridors with no windows and lights that shut off pretty quickly. It might be done for conserving energy but those pitch dark stairwell in holiday appartments have always irritated me. In netherlands we love windows, the bigger the better. It amazes me that these dark corridors don’t even seem to have emergency lightning that show the directions to the exit in case of a fire. I must say that it’s very easy to sneak inside as the doors don’t appear to be locked. No such luck in the netherlands, all the entrance doors to buildings have locks and intercoms to keep people out. Switzerland is still a great place to find nice lifts (and very small ones too). Lots of ropeways with impressive machinery to admire as well.

[@SamSitar]

sun light is nicer as well.

[@therealvbw]

Obviously excited for the next video!

[@herveherve963]

I'm French and I've been watching this video channel for some time. I just realized today that there is a video that was shot 50 km from my home!  This ski resort was created in the 70s. This design is particular to this resort, normally in the Alps there are wooden chalets. The relief of this station is made up entirely of rock, which is why the buildings are not plastered. So that it’s almost invisible in the summer! 

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Very interesting, thanks for the comment!

[@richardjweeks]

oh my... I was looking for videos on Flaine for my upcoming ski holiday and stumbled through the rabbit hole on this one. for one, I didn't know lifts had an interest group, now I do. I watched the whole thing, and whilst I wont be adding lifts to my large list of interests, I will be looking at them with a new appreciation. thanks for posting this. BTW where's the best place for a decent beer in Flaine ?

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Thanks for the message! Although I had been skiing before when I was about 15, we all went for lessons beforehand. We picked Flaine as it had quite a lot of green runs as we were inexperienced. In the end we didn't buy a lift pass (except to take a look at the top of the mountains) for skiing as we were happy with the green run that went from top of the village to the bottom - you don't have to pay for anything to use this. Then you have this moving ramp which brings you part of the way up, then the free basket lifts that bring you up to the top. If you are an experienced then there are lots of mountain runs. Good points: Main areas are minutes walk away from the accommodation blocks, no cars allowed in village roads without permit so no traffic, 'self contained' village with everything you need. Bad points: We were personally content with everything, so no bad points. Unfortunately you are asking the wrong person about beer because I don't drink !! :) sorry about that! If you need to know anything else then I'll try and answer.

[@richardjweeks]

@@mrmattandmrchay thank you for your reply and review. I am looking forward to sampling Flaine and I love the idea of traffic restrictions.

[@TechNerdNolan]

Why in the video the screen shakes around and you see black parts? (Like in all videos)

[@mrmattandmrchay]

When I was skiing I accidentally knocked off the stabilisation option. The gitup git2 had the best stab of all action cameras at the time that's why I bought it. So I had to stabilise it in the video editing which (on the setting I used with a setting of 105% zoom in) sometimes produces the borders. Not quite the same as the action camera built in stab but better than non-stabilised footage.

[@TechNerdNolan]

mrmattandmrchay Oh, okay.

[@christopher-2000]

awesome lift video mrmatt

[@Clement-xy9iv]

As a French people, I can tell you that in France, 99.99999% lifts have been modernized.

[@Alexis_du_60]

Alas, yet there's still a gated Abel-Pifre Otis in Brest, I'm unsure if it's still working..

[@Clement-xy9iv]

​@@Alexis_du_60 In Brest you say ? It's where I live. Such a grande coincidence ! So it is (or was), one of the 0.00001% left original. EDIT : I searched on KZbin, I now know which one you are talking about... Maybe I could check it someday.

[@Alexis_du_60]

@@Clement-xy9iv yeah aside the outer door buttons it's still 99.99% original. Where I live (Oise) we still have early green Stepmodul Thyssen/Soretex, they should have been modernized ages ago but they haven't been much touched aside door obstacles deectors that were fitted

[@uzaiyaro]

They were very much doing MRL in the early 2000s, so if the buildings are only that old, and it’s a low rise building, it’s interesting to see a motor room. I think MRLs are good to something like 20 stories and then it’s a switch to motor rooms. I’m not sure on this figure so I’d love to be set straight here!

[@mrmattandmrchay]

After doing a bit of research, much of the building here in the main town (lower part) are from 1965 onwards (when the town was converted into a skiing resort)

[@uzaiyaro]

mrmattandmrchay ahh, there you go! With areas that are so heavily trafficked, I’d posit that those lifts have been modernised a few times over their lives. It’s extremely unlikely they would’ve been done just once! The standard operating procedure applies here, which I’m sure you know - if you’re faced with modern lifts in public areas, try the service lifts! There’s one hotel down in Melbourne that we stay at, one lift in one bank has a door on both sides, and only an open button on the other doors. If all the public doors open on one side, what the hell is this door for? Well, it turns out, that on the ground floor, pressing that button, opens the doors up *directly* into the kitchen! It’s little weird things like that that make things interesting. But it’s actually a fantastic design if you think about it. Because it gives the kitchen direct access to the entire hotel, you simply wheel the food trolleys in one side of the lift, and out the other.

[@battytec]

What a shame :( - What looks to be like lots of old lifts turned into the modern day tat. Not the worst kit they could of used but none the less still boring and faceless. Also is there any convenient way I could message you privately? I wanted your opinion on something regarding alarms haha

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Hiya. Yep email me [e-mail]

[@BritishLifeSafetySystems]

When are you going to upload the videos of the new Siren Hunt

[@mrmattandmrchay]

I'm not sure the exact order, might get the hershell lift video finished first, then I'll try and look at the next siren hunt - lots of people asking about it now :)

[@idl3k_elev]

Ah typical Schindler modernizations nowadays, using FI MXB fixtures. And I hate those inner doors!

[@lbsiuk]

I might have forgotten to say I actually went to Flaine! I've filmed some of the lifts and I also broke my wrist.

[@ElevatorsfromItaly]

The first one I think it has a wormdrive motor

[@steerius]

I love old elevators but it's rare to find a non modernized lift. In my apartment it's modernized so it sucks

[@liftsadventurevideosinfran7966]

There are so many old lifts withoud modernisations in ski resorts

[@liftsadventurevideosinfran7966]

Only Schindler There are amazing stations with original Otis , Schindler/RCS , Kone/Westinghouse , and modded lift with Everything : Kone , Otis , Schindler , ThyssenKrupp

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Wish Flaine was one of them haha! The buildings looked hopeful but NOPE! I've subbed to your channel. Do you have any videos of old lifts/ski resorts?

[@liftsadventurevideosinfran7966]

Do you have Whatsapp ? I can send you some links from separated videos from 2016 and 2017

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Hiya, no I don't do whatsapp. I'll have a look at your channel and find the video :)

[@mrmattandmrchay]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqrLaYV8jKlliNkm42s - nice!

[@Clement-xy9iv]

I really love how you (English speaking peoples), insert French words in your sentences. That's quite funny. Did you know, that "cul de sac" mean "a*s of bag" if we translate it.

[@LaPatateDouce]

C'était a quel moment de la vidéo?

[@SamSitar]

folding lift doors are good.

[@margolenney6032]

I was hoping he would get stuck inside, I’m waiting for the next one about watching paint dry or watching the grass grow. Making one of the best ski resorts in the Alps all about old lifts or the fact that it doesn’t have an old lift is beyond belief.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Then I suggest you read the video title next time? Just because I'm in Flaine doesn't mean that it's compulsory to upload a video about the skiing, just for you. People do have other interests and I don't consider that this gives you the right to judge others. At 30k subscribers I'm not doing too bad.

[@LaPatateDouce]

"old *Ascenseur* hunt" 😅 Im french and i dont really understand Y you insert a french word in your title XD

[@mrmattandmrchay]

I always respect the country and call them as they are known locally :)

[@LaPatateDouce]

@@mrmattandmrchay Yep, its cool, 'cause many expressions in France have'nt significations in England and "vice versa". PS: i love your videos ! You are m'y fovourite youtuber 😉 PS2 : more machines rooms please! With an explanation of how it works! I love your explanations XD

[@jameskatz3747]

It’s said like this... Flen

[@mrmattandmrchay]

ahhh brilliant! I knew I was pronouncing it wrong - I did some research into this, but didn't find the proper way of saying it. It's a bit like Pripyat, it's not pronounced "PRIP-YAT", it's pronouced "Prip-ye-ut". Your comment is a little late to change the video, but I did wonder how it's supposed to be pronounced :)

[@lbsiuk]

Is it a coincidence? I went to a resort in the French Alps in December 2017.

[@MichalM]

1st

[@fklabs6813]

2nd