Courchevel Children’s Ski School Equipped with New Magic Carpets

(eap) At the children’s ESF ski school in the French winter sports resort of Courchevel (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region), young ski enthusiasts are to be introduced to skiing step by step and in a playful manner according to the standardized “Club Piou Piou” learning system of the French ski school organization École du Ski Français (ESF). To ensure age- and skill-appropriate conditions as well as safe access at all times to the four different learning areas on the slopes, a new, comfortable infrastructure has been implemented: Three “Magic Carpets” from the Austrian supplier Sunkid – represented in France by its sales partner Caratech – now transport children onto the slopes and replace a previous lift solution.

Including one additional conveyor belt that was already in place, a total of four transport belts are now in operation at the ski school. They bear the playful names “Nemo”, “Balou”, “Olaf” and “Simba” and take the young ski students to their respective learning areas. This clear structure enables targeted supervision of the children as well as a systematically organized learning progression. Child-friendly theming of the individual learning areas and conveyor belts further supports orientation, conveys a sense of safety and creates an overall playful experience.

The new conveyor belts are protected against wind and weather and feature comprehensive technological equipment. Among other things, they are equipped with modern LED lighting, integrated audio technology and a camera monitoring system. These components are complemented by an efficient control system for the three new installations, which is centrally bundled in one lift station and is designed to be intuitive to operate.

Etienne Perron, sales responsible at Caratech, commented on the project, the initial planning of which dates back ten years: “The actual implementation phase began in 2025 in the form of a public tender by the Société des 3 Vallées [S3V]. Numerous partners were involved in the realization. […] One of the biggest challenges was certainly the construction of a ski slope bridge over the Balou conveyor belt, with a gondola lift also running above it. Compared to the former basket lift solution, the new transportation system with several Moving Carpets offers a much higher capacity as well as simplified individual access to all learning areas […].” ■