The Bellevarde Slope
The "face de Bellevarde"
Its pedigree can be traced as far back as the French National Championships in 1952. It shot to fame in 1992 by hosting the Olympic Games Men's events; today the legend of the "Face de Bellevarde" remains intact. It is to be put to the test once again in February 2009 ... With its vertical drop of 1000m, almost entirely visible from the village centre, the "Face" is the venue for spectacular race viewing. As in 1992, the vertiginous start gate will be set at 2800 m on the "Mur de Bellevarde" with a breathtaking view of the finish area to the left. The skier must immediately master the passage in between the Olympic cable car and Funival top stations followed by a steeply sloped incline and hairpin bend preceding the wide curve of the Bellevarde "Face". Further down racers must negotiate the famous "Passage de l'Ancolie", a narrow gully between two rock faces. Now they head for the "Vasque Olympique" and the final compression before the finish line. The entire course in just over 2 minutes...
| Downhill | Combine | Super-G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start altitude | 2 807 m | 2 687 m | 2 365 m |
| Arrivals altitude | 1 848 m | 1 848 m | 1 848 m |
| Slope length | 2 988 m | 2 671 m | 1 405 m |
| Vertical drop | 959 m | 839 m | 517 m |
| Max. gradient | 71 % | 63 % | 56 % |
| Min. gradient | 5 % | 5 % | 15 m |
