Les Gets

French commune
nomcommune=Les Gets
région=Rhône-Alpes
département=Haute-Savoie
arrondissement=Bonneville
canton=Taninges
insee=74134
cp=74260
maire=Henri Anthonioz
mandat=2008-2014
intercomm=
longitude=6.67083333333
latitude=46.1605555556
alt moy=1,172 m
alt mini=900 m
alt maxi=1,820 m
hectares=2,998
km²=29.98
sans=1,352
date-sans=1999
dens=45
date-dens=1999

Les Gets is a village and commune of the Haute-Savoie "département", in the south-east of France. The village's first single person chair lift was opened in 1938 with the first chair lift on Mont Chery in 1954.

Geography

Les Gets is situated on a plateau between Samoëns and Morzine, at the western edge of the Portes du Soleil.

Sports

Les Gets is a linked ski resort in the Portes du Soleil, with around 50 lifts across several distinct ski areas. The ski pass also covers Morzine.

The ski area consists mainly of blue and red runs (beginner and intermediate). There is an area known as "The Bowl" to which numerous ski runs and chairlifts feed into; it is sometimes dubbed 'The Toilet Bowl' as all that is in the center other than chairlift stations is a public toilet. [See Piste Map] Situated in this area are the resort's most easily accessible black runs: 'Yeti', accessed via the resort's slowest chairlift, La Rosta, and Myrtilles accessed by the Grains d'Or Express. Mt. Chery hosts the majority of black runs, also having numerous red runs, with just one blue and no green pistes. It is the "locals'" mountain, Les Chavannes being the tourist side.

There are several good spots for off-site skiing and snowboarding, the best of which are; to the sides of 'Yeti', the long black run off Mt. Chammossiere and also by taking a short hike from the top of the Ranfoilly lift. the latter has been rated as one of the best off piste powder bowls in Europe (although there is very often a high chance of avalanches).

The snowpark is located on Mt. Chery, which is on the ski area on the other side of the village. A bus connects the 2 sides however it takes just as long to walk. The snowpark has kickers, a spine, rails, boxes, a boarder cross and new for 07-08 was a large air bag. The park is fairly small and served by a 2 man chairlift.

Children's skiing - Les Gets has an area of the mountain for children only, le Grande Cry. This has 2 button lifts and several runs, all themed around trappers and indians. They hold weekly treasure hunts for children.

Ice Skating - In the winter there is an open air ice rink in the centre of the village.

In summer, Les Gets also hosts many downhill mountain biking events. There are two distinct downhill mountain bike areas, one on each side of the village. The downhill mountain bike run on Mt Chéry has been used in the Mountain Bike World Cups in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, and in the Mountain Bike World Championships in 2004.

Golf - Les Gets has a 18hole golf course 5264metres long Par70 overlooking Mont Blanc (In the winter it forms part of the pistes)

Culture

Les Gets contains a museum of Mechanical Music and hosts a festival of Mechanical Music bi-annually. This has been running for 25 years. The 13th festival was held between the 18th and 20th of July 2008 and the next will be held in July 2010. During this period the streets will be closed off and barrel organs or "orgues" will fill the streets with mechanical music. Many of the organ grinders will come from other European counries, such as Germany and Holland.

Les Gets also has a museum of skiing situated in The Belvedere Restaurant at the mid-station on Mont Chery.

Traditional Savoy dishes are central to Les Gets cuisine. These include tartiflette, a dish of potatoes "au gratin" with reblochon cheese and lardons. A traditional liquer, génépi, is also often drunk as a digestif, although the exact constitution of this medicinal drink varies as many residents produce their own.

Night Life

There are many restaurants ranging from the family friendly and reasonably priced to fairly top end. They mostly specialise in local savoyard cuisine.

Les Gets has many pubs including The Boomerang (Australian), The Black Bear (Canadian), and an Irish pub.

There is also a club, The Igloo

In the summer, there are all kinds of evening activities in the centre of town, ranging from discos to the "Pot de Bienvenue" (a welcome drink) on a Monday evening. A lot of emphasis is given to children's entertainment, such as wooden games set out in the street, street performers and a carousel. Live bands regularly perform on the semi-permanent stage in the centre of the village, attracting both locals and tourists.

References

External links

* [http://www.lesgets.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.thechaletexperience.com/lesgetswebcams.php Webcams in Les Gets]
* [http://www.skifamille.co.uk/ Family ski chalets in Les Gets]