"My neighbourhood, my village" France Bleu Isère radio programme in Chamrousse
Presentation
Chamrousse radio programme
Discover the resort village of Chamrousse through the eyes of those who live and work there every day. Because the mountains aren't just a magnificent playground for outdoor and nature sports enthusiasts, they're also a place where people live and work all year round...From Monday to Friday at 7.35am, "France Bleu Isère" and the programme "Mon quartier, mon village" (My neighbourhood, my village) with Alain Salomon, will introduce you to the treasures of our communes in the Isère department and close to Grenoble, capital of the Alps, by meeting their inhabitants, their history, their heritage, their culture and the great things they do. Welcome to Chamrousse, a dynamic resort, and discover the life of the resort, the mountain community, from the inside thanks to its inhabitants, with all the subjectivity that implies, because many Chamroussiens are proud and happy to live here.
Let us (re)tell you about the life of our resort village through its inhabitants and economic players, who you can meet in Chamrousse during your skiing holiday or your day in the mountains!
We're taking you on a subjective and more intimate discovery of our ski and mountain resort, thanks to some of its inhabitants and professionals who love the area:
On the heights of Recoin (Chamrousse 1650) in the "Roches Vertes" area, Émilie opens the doors of her workshop nestled in her mountain chalet and main residence, surrounded by wooden trail markers and the scent of local chestnut wood. "Living here is an opportunity" she says, "because of its proximity to Grenoble, and because Chamrousse is a place where you can live and work. The local market was created to give holiday-makers the truth about the products, because whoever is present at the market is the producer, who talks about it with passion.
What's your favourite time of year in Chamrousse? Autumn. Above the sea of clouds with the sun, the light and its orange colours, with the red of Chamrousse (field and red, for the sunset on the blueberry fields).
- Émilie Garcin, founding member of the "Association des Artisans Créateurs Investis en Montagne (LAACIM)" for the Chamrousse and Belledonne market of eco-responsible artisans and producers (with Laurie Hernandez, Ketty and Cécile Masson and Carol Ricci) + "Graveur de souvenirs" craftswoman
On the heights of Recoin (Chamrousse 1650) in the "Roches Vertes" area, Émilie opens the doors of her workshop nestled in her mountain chalet and main residence, surrounded by wooden trail markers and the scent of local chestnut wood. "Living here is an opportunity" she says, "because of its proximity to Grenoble, and because Chamrousse is a place where you can live and work. The local market was created to give holiday-makers the truth about the products, because whoever is present at the market is the producer, who talks about it with passion.
What's your favourite time of year in Chamrousse? Autumn. Above the sea of clouds with the sun, the light and its orange colours, with the red of Chamrousse (field and red, for the sunset on the blueberry fields).
- Stéphane l'Homme, co-founder of Chamrousse Oxygène (with Eric Le Risbe), for supervising and organising sports activities in a friendly atmosphere: waterski lift, paddle, archery, snack bar in summer (but also in winter with the yooner and toboggan).
Still at Chamrousse 1650 - Recoin, this time at Grenouillère lake near the Vernon, with young people wakeboarding, local authority employees coming for lunch, a team-building company and Stéphane perfecting his Chamroussien tan, an exceptional setting: lake, sunshine far from the Grenoble heatwave and water at just the right temperature. I arrived in Grenoble at the Bois Français for water skiing, then moved to the mountains and chose Chamrousse, a small village with 400 year-round inhabitants, but with a soul and people who are proud to live and stay here.
What's your favourite part of Chamrousse? It's the entrance to Chamrousse 1750, an area with chalets, like a little Canada, with a magnificent view that makes you want to pitch your tent and settle there. But there are plenty of magnificent places, like the view from the Croix de Chamrousse, the Robert lakes from the breach in the Rocher de l'Homme...
- Phillipe Halot, a pillar of the resort who also wears many hats: owner of Alté Chamrousse for the accrobranche (treetop adventure), president of the Bureau des guides de Chamrousse (mountain guides office) and in winter responsible for safety at the Régie des Remontées Mécaniques (ski lift).
Change of sector, this time to Chamrousse 1700 on the tree course with the smell of conifers. As a high mountain guide, this wasn't really a favourite environment for those who like to climb mountains and was more an activity for tourists, but in fact it's developed into a great place to get together and discover the life of trees.
Born here, a baby during the Olympic Games in Chamrousse, father a trainer and mother a kindergarten teacher, the resort was booming. It has evolved from a sleepy place into its teenage years, and in recent years it has become more dynamic and, above all, the focal point of the Alps. From the Croix de Chamrousse, there's a view to the south of Mont Ventoux (when the weather's fine) and above all Mont Aiguille (the first trace of mountaineering), and a view to the east of La Meije (the last summit to be conquered in the Alps), and a test of the first skis in France at Chamrousse with M. Duhamel.
Question: "Is there such a thing as 'mountain talk' in Chamrousse? The answer is no. But living conditions are more difficult, so we often look people in the eye and say what we think, because the mountains don't cheat.
- Jonathan Perret, nature wikipedia and mountain guide with Expérience Nature
Back to Chamrousse 1650 - Recoin, on the terrace of the Grillon bar in the resort centre, but not for long, because (unfortunately) it's not always sunny in Chamrousse. It's a special and different atmosphere, which adds to the charm, and it's where you're most likely to come across a chamois or a roe deer while strolling through the forest, with the mountains at your side.
Special vegetation, ski slopes in the middle of the most westerly cembra forest in the Alps, cembro pine forest, a special kind of pine that grows slowly and produces beautiful trees, linked to the bird that is the speckled nutcracker with a specific call (like the jay). It's an unusual environment, not to be found elsewhere in Isère, or even in the Alps.
Question "How did a man from Haute Savoie department settle in Chamrousse (Isere department) ? Originally to work with sled dogs, he settled here with his partner Laurie (Hernandez), a soap-maker from the Doux Voyage soap factory, which also runs a local designer boutique at Le Vernon.
- Bernadette Belmont-Chastagnol, historical memory of the resort and retired head of the cultural department at the Town Hall
"Bernie" to the locals, in love with Chamrousse even though she wasn't born here, is passionate about history, not just that of the resort (which was built in the 50s, then the commune in the 90s), but going back to ancient times with medals dating back to Nero found at the foot of the Croix de Chamrousse. The history of the pastures goes back to the Middle Ages with the Chartreuse de Prémol, because this is a land of pastoralism, before it was a land of skiing. Bernadette is the author of books on the town and art, and is still a guide on the guided tour of the works of Arcabas and Székely in the Church of the Holy Spirit, formerly an ecumenical centre (a meeting place for several currents of Christianity).
Why is Chamrousse so dear to our hearts? Because of its rich history and above all its exceptional environment (mountains and lakes).
In conclusion, life in Chamrousse follows the rhythm of the seasons: autumn (or shoulder season) with the preparations for the snow, winter with the holidaymakers who are warmly welcomed and the children skiing with the school or at weekends with the family, spring (or shoulder season too) with the time to rest and summer with the lakes and activities. Almost everyone knows everyone else, whether through the children at school in Chamrousse, through work, or through meetings in the shops and restaurants, some of which are open all year round. There is a little rivalry between the centres of the resort village, Chamrousse 1750 - Roche Béranger and Chamrousse 1700 - Bachat Bouloud (the former children's village), but this has calmed down and there is a desire to balance local life, because Chamrousse is first and foremost Chamrousse.
There's a real mutual aid network in Chamrousse, made up of neighbours, friends and colleagues, who can lend each other tools, look after children... There's even a Facebook group with the same name, a digital version of what happens in real life.
A new dynamism has developed in Chamrousse, after the sleepy period that followed the 1968 Olympic Games, with more and more activities and events, property renovation, investment...
Vote for the most beautiful district or village in Isère! Until the end of December 2023, you can vote among the 15 selected places.
Long live Chamrousse, so vote... Chamrousse, of course!
