Purchasing Ski Resorts

(c) 2003 WPS Russ ian Media Monitoring Agency. All Rights Reserved.

The Times reported that Roman Abramovich attempted to buy several
fashionable resorts in the Alps having offered more than 150 million
pounds for them.

The Russian businessman paid attention to one of the most prestigious
French resorts Courchevel 1,830 named so because the resort was
located at a height of 1,850 meters. Representatives of the noblest
European families like British prince Michael of Kent or Spanish king
Juan Carlos usually stay there. In the last few years, the resort has
been very popular among Russian businessmen too.

The Times writes, "Three weeks ago Abramovich arrived to the resort in
a nine-seat Dauphin helicopter with his wife Irina and three
bodyguards to attempt to organize a longer stay for himself. After the
arrival he wanted to look at 20 best resort bases belong to very
respectable European families and requested the managers of the resort
to offer beneficial deals to them on his behalf. Speaking over the
mobile telephone of Abramovich the manager sometimes offered a price
being 200% bigger than the real market price."

After neither of these proposals was accepted, Abramovich allegedly
booked up right 40 suites worth 1,300 pounds each for seven weeks at
once, which amounted almost to 2 million pounds. As a result, Alpine
hotels started printing menus in Russian and broadened the menu
offering beluga caviar and Chateau Petrus wine worth a few thousand
pounds a bottle.

According to some estimates, the wealth of Abramovich, 37 years old,
amounts to $10 billion.

--

Abramovich could ensure his immortality, indeed sainthood, by
purchasing resorts such as Val Thorens, Les Arc and Tignes and then
blowing them off the face of the earth.


- funk - 'pass the detonator' - raum

Abramovich could ensure his immortality, indeed sainthood, by
purchasing resorts such as Val Thorens, Les Arc and Tignes and then
blowing them off the face of the earth.

Wouldn't make him a saint in my book (especially if he did it while I
was there). While the abve resorts are not examples of the finest
archetechture they offer excellent skiing right on the doorstep. No
purpose built resort is dripping in alpine charm and while an
improvement could be made if they were starting from scratch no doubt
the prices would be increased to cover all the building costs
(assuming the op wants them to be rebuilt).

I go on skiing holidays to ski not to admire the buildings let them
be.

PP The concrete carbuncles appreciation society

In message , Carl_M
writes
Abramovich could ensure his immortality, indeed sainthood, by
purchasing resorts such as Val Thorens, Les Arc and Tignes and then
blowing them off the face of the earth.

PP The concrete carbuncles appreciation society

Which would you say is the ugliest carbuncle in the Alps?
--
Sue ];(

On Thu, 20 Nov 2003 20:09:36 +0000, funkraum
wrote:





(c) 2003 WPS Russ ian Media Monitoring Agency. All Rights Reserved.

The Times reported that Roman Abramovich attempted to buy several
fashionable resorts in the Alps having offered more than 150 million
pounds for them.

The Russian businessman
Yeah right..

funkraum wrote:

(c) 2003 WPS Russ ian Media Monitoring Agency. All Rights Reserved.

Having read the original article, The Times said the man was trying to
buy *chalets* in the resort(s), not the bloody resorts themselves.


--
Trophy 1200 750SS CB400F CD200 ST70 YTC#3
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 IHABWTJ#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06
BOF#30 WUSS#5 "Worse than Timo" - Official

The Older Gentleman wrote:
funkraum wrote:


(c) 2003 WPS Russ ian Media Monitoring Agency. All Rights Reserved.


Having read the original article, The Times said the man was trying to
buy *chalets* in the resort(s), not the bloody resorts themselves.

According to the usually well informed Dauphine Liberé he wants to
'invest' 420 million Euros in 20 chalets in Courchevel. Although
according to the Tourist Office he has simply rented an 800 sq. m. chalet.

Courchevel, as with most of the top league French ski resorts is owned
indirectly by the French state (in Courchevel's case the commune of St
Bon owns the resort). I'm talking about pistes and ski lifts, there are
obviously a lot of private chalets and hotels.

Serre Chevalier is for sale though.

As I think Jorg was implying, Roman Abramovich is a crook who pilfored
state assets after the collapse of the Soviet Union. I've recently been
working with a Russian firm and it is a real eye-opener, there is a
virtually no middle class in Moscow, just a few hyper-rich and the
majority of people living close to poverty. Jobs that in the West might
afford a reasonable standard of living hardly cover the basics needed to
survive in Moscow. I'm told it is worse outside of the capital. I don't
think people like Abramovich should really be welcomed. Having bumped
into Viktor Chernomyrdin in Davos I can tell you these people are to be
given a wide berth.


For more information this is the news report from the 2nd French state
television station

http://www.france2.fr/view-video.php3?videoUrl=/contents/Video/00043F2E.ram

David Off wrote:

The Older Gentleman wrote:
funkraum wrote:


(c) 2003 WPS Russ ian Media Monitoring Agency. All Rights Reserved.


Having read the original article, The Times said the man was trying to
buy *chalets* in the resort(s), not the bloody resorts themselves.

According to the usually well informed Dauphine Liberé he wants to
'invest' 420 million Euros in 20 chalets in Courchevel. Although
according to the Tourist Office he has simply rented an 800 sq. m. chalet.

I'm amused at the way the Russian Media Monitoring Agency twisted the
original report!

Courchevel, as with most of the top league French ski resorts is owned
indirectly by the French state (in Courchevel's case the commune of St
Bon owns the resort). I'm talking about pistes and ski lifts, there are
obviously a lot of private chalets and hotels.

Serre Chevalier is for sale though.

Long term, with global warming, I wonder if investing in ski resorts is
a good idea at all?

As I think Jorg was implying, Roman Abramovich is a crook who pilfored
state assets after the collapse of the Soviet Union. I've recently been
working with a Russian firm and it is a real eye-opener, there is a
virtually no middle class in Moscow, just a few hyper-rich and the
majority of people living close to poverty. Jobs that in the West might
afford a reasonable standard of living hardly cover the basics needed to
survive in Moscow. I'm told it is worse outside of the capital. I don't
think people like Abramovich should really be welcomed. Having bumped
into Viktor Chernomyrdin in Davos I can tell you these people are to be
given a wide berth.


**** 'em. Uncultured baboons, all of 'em.

--
Trophy 1200 750SS CB400F CD200 ST70 YTC#3
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 IHABWTJ#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06
BOF#30 WUSS#5 "Worse than Timo" - Official

David Off a écrit :
[...]
Courchevel, as with most of the top league French ski resorts is owned
indirectly by the French state (in Courchevel's case the commune of St
Bon owns the resort). I'm talking about pistes and ski lifts, there are
obviously a lot of private chalets and hotels.

Courchevel ski lift company (societe des 3 vallees) belongs to the
departement de Savoie, not to the commune de St Bon or to the French state.

"David Off" a écrit dans le message news:
...

Yes you are correct, control of the resort was transferred back to St
Bon in 1971 from the department but this did not include the lifts, my
error.

However the Savoie department is part of the French state.... Savoie
lost its independence around 1878.

The Savoie department being a local community ("collectivité locale") is
not part of the French state, even though it is part of France.

JPh

J-Ph wrote:
"David Off" a écrit dans le message news:
...


Yes you are correct, control of the resort was transferred back to St
Bon in 1971 from the department but this did not include the lifts, my
error.

However the Savoie department is part of the French state.... Savoie
lost its independence around 1878.


The Savoie department being a local community ("collectivité locale") is
not part of the French state, even though it is part of France.

Certes, depuis la reforme de la decentralisation de 1982, les
collectivites locales ont acquis une certaine forme d'independance par
rapport a l'Etat francais mais font toujours partie de la France.
D'ailleurs, par exemple, le Prefet de chaque departement peut exercer
diverses formes de controle sur les maires.

Pour en revenir a la question et a ce que je disais, est-ce que la
commune de St Bon et le departement de Savoie pourraient vendre la
station de Courchevel 1850 a un bussinessman sans demander l'aval du
conseil general? Je peux t'assurer que le 1er ministre, par
l'intermediaire de son representant dans le departement, le Prefet,
serait amene a donner son avis sur la question.