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| Super Besse | |
|---|---|
 The station and the foot of the ski slopes | |
  Super BesseLocation within France | |
| Location | Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise |
| Nearest major city | Clermont-Ferrand |
| Coordinates | 45°30′38.52″N 2°51′24.30″E / 45.5107000°N 2.8567500°E / 45.5107000; 2.8567500 |
| Top elevation | 1,800 m (5,900 ft) |
| Base elevation | 1,350 m (4,430 ft) |
| Trails | 27 |
| Total length | 43 km (27 mi) |
| Lift system | 23 |
| Lift capacity | 24,000 people/hour |
| Website | www |
Super Besse is a winter sports resort located in Massif Central, France.
Geography
Super Besse located in the commune of Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise (Parc naturel régional des volcans d'Auvergne in the department of Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne). Situated approximately 50 km (31 mi) from Clermont-Ferrand, it is located at an altitude of 1,350 m (4,430 ft) on the slopes of Puy de Sancy, Puy de la Perdrix and Puy Ferrand.
Climate
| Climate data for Superbesse, 1,287 m (4,222 ft) (1981−2010 normals, 1976−2022 extremes) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.0 (62.6) |
19.1 (66.4) |
19.3 (66.7) |
20.9 (69.6) |
25.7 (78.3) |
33.7 (92.7) |
32.0 (89.6) |
30.6 (87.1) |
27.0 (80.6) |
23.6 (74.5) |
20.6 (69.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
33.7 (92.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.8 (37.0) |
3.0 (37.4) |
5.2 (41.4) |
7.6 (45.7) |
12.1 (53.8) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
14.8 (58.6) |
11.3 (52.3) |
5.9 (42.6) |
3.8 (38.8) |
9.9 (49.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.1 (31.8) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
1.9 (35.4) |
4.1 (39.4) |
8.3 (46.9) |
11.8 (53.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
14.1 (57.4) |
10.9 (51.6) |
7.8 (46.0) |
3.0 (37.4) |
0.9 (33.6) |
6.4 (43.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.1 (26.4) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
0.6 (33.1) |
4.6 (40.3) |
7.8 (46.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
7.1 (44.8) |
4.4 (39.9) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
2.9 (37.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −22.0 (−7.6) |
−20.5 (−4.9) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
2.0 (35.6) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−16.6 (2.1) |
−22.0 (−7.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 202.7 (7.98) |
197.5 (7.78) |
178.6 (7.03) |
166.7 (6.56) |
164.2 (6.46) |
152.0 (5.98) |
130.6 (5.14) |
124.2 (4.89) |
159.4 (6.28) |
206.4 (8.13) |
219.6 (8.65) |
221.7 (8.73) |
2,123.6 (83.61) |
| Source: Meteociel | |||||||||||||
History
Super Besse was opened on 21 December 1961, under the impetus of mayor Alfred Pipet. The idea for the ski resort came from Germain Gauthier, a cross-country skiing champion from Picherande.
Facilities
The on piste skiing consists of 43 km (27 mi) distributed on 27 tracks (5 green, 9 blue, 9 red and 4 black) between 1,300 and 1,840 m (4,270 and 6,040 ft) altitude, on the south-eastern slope of Puy de Sancy. It contains 21 ski lifts. It also includes 125 km (78 mi) of cross-country skiing.
The resort includes:
- 1 funitel with 20 places (new in 2008)
- 4 chair-lifts
- 16 ski-lifts.
Other facilities
In July 2013, Super Besse opened the Fantasticable, a 1.6-kilometre-long (0.99 mi) zip line. By 2015, this attraction had been used by 30,000 people. The construction of a new 2.6-kilometre-long (1.6 mi) adventure course began in April 2018. Named the X'Trem Aventure de la Biche, it was scheduled to open for the Christmas holidays in 2018 and cost €350,000 to build. The course includes twenty zip lines along its length, as well as tunnels, jumps, suspension bridges and via ferrata. The diversification of facilities is intended to attract more summer visitors.
Andros Trophy
Since 1994 and excepting 2021, Super Besse has hosted an annual race within the Andros Trophy championship, an international ice racing challenge run on frozen tracks.
Tour de France
Super Besse hosted the first mountain finish of the 2008 Tour de France. The finish was at an altitude of 1,289 m (4,229 ft), whereas in previous years the finish was at 1,350 m (4,430 ft).
Tour de France stage finishes
| Year | Stage | Start of stage | Distance | Category of climb | Stage winner | Yellow jersey | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 8 | Aigurande | 189 km (117 mi) | 3 |  Rui Costa (POR)
|
 Thor Hushovd (NOR)
|
|
| 2008 | 6 | Aigurande | 195.5 km (121.5 mi) | 2 |  Alejandro Valverde (ESP)
|
 Kim Kirchen (LUX)
|
|
| 1996 | 13 | Le Puy-en-Velay | 177 km (110 mi) | 3 |  Rolf Sørensen (DEN)
|
Bjarne Riis (DEN)
|
|
| 1978 | 13 | Figeac | 221.5 km (137.6 mi) | 3 |  Paul Wellens (BEL)
|
Joseph Bruyère (BEL)
|
Details of climb
Starting from Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise (1,040 m (3,410 ft)), the climb to Super Besse (1,325 m (4,347 ft)) is 7.2 km (4.5 mi) long. Over this distance, the climb is 285 m (935 ft) (an average of 3.95%). The maximum gradient is 8.4%.
From the valley at Lomprat the total climb is 11 km (6.8 mi) at 4.7%.
Notes
- Alejandro Valverde is listed as the winner for the 2008 stage. Riccardo Riccò initially won the stage, but was removed from the classification after testing positive for the banned performance enhancer CERA.
References
- "Normales et records pour Superbesse (63)". Meteociel. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- Barbot, Christophe; Agostinho, Lucie; Pocheveux, Valérie (24 February 2022). "Le baladeur à Super-Besse dans le Puy de Dôme" [The podcast in Super-Besse in the Puy de Dôme]. France Bleu (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- "Trois stations, trois histoires et un même défi à relever pour les stations de ski du Sancy" [Three resorts, three stories and the same challenge for the ski resorts of Sancy]. La Montagne (in French). 3 March 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- "À 120 km/h dans le ciel de Super-Besse" [At 120 km/h in the sky of Super-Besse]. La Montagne (in French). 12 February 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- "Un nouveau parcours aventure à la station de Super-Besse dans le Sancy" [A new adventure course at the resort of Super-Besse in the Sancy]. La Montagne (in French). 9 November 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- "Trophee sites". e-Trophée Andros. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- Cossins, Peter (9 July 2011). "Costa claims Movistar's first Tour stage". Cycling News. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- "Riccò delivers on promise ahead of maillot jaune scuffle". Cycling News. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- "Riccò fails doping test - Saunier Duval out of Tour". Cycling News. 17 July 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- Birnie, Lionel (26 July 2008). "Tour de France 2008: Day-by-day summary". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- "83ème Tour de France 1996". Memoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 2 January 2012.
- "65ème Tour de France 1978". Memoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012.