Le HIBOU Chalet...

Chalet des Epylobes – 5 chemin de la Séa- Les Deux Alpes

"
The history of the chalet – It is also my history, that of my family and, to some extent, that of the resort:

In 1960, I was 18 years old and my mother signed me up for a week-long winter scout camp. It took place in Les Deux Alpes. There were about fifteen of us and we stayed in an old barn in the village of Mont de Lans.
When I got back to Paris, I told my family all about how wonderful the week had been for me. Just imagine, in six days I had earned my second star... I was so happy.
The following year, I went back, and my little family—by which I mean my mother, brother and sister—followed me, but by car and staying in a hotel in Bons.

The car was very useful for commuting every day from Bons to the resort. My mother didn't ski, but she never tired of sitting in the Edelweiss restaurant drinking tea and watching what she called "all those little ants" climbing up and down the mountains in single file.
She was so amazed that at the end of the week, she suggested the possibility of buying some land to build a small chalet. Very excited by this idea, that same evening I found the perfect plot in the next housing development that Mr Téssa was preparing. I would have preferred the one above, but it had already been reserved by two sisters, Paulette and Babette, who built Les Armaillis there, just before ours.

Back in Paris, the whole family pored over the plans to prepare a building permit application. I went to bed at 3 a.m. more than once. On 15 March 1962, the application was submitted to the town hall and we received the permit on 16 May 1962.

This period had consequences that turned my life upside down. Previously focused on a career in engineering, I switched to architecture. This chalet was the indirect cause.

We did not have the capacity to oversee the construction project. We therefore entrusted it to Jacques Flandrin, a project manager in Grenoble. I remained in constant contact with him and made numerous visits to the site.

However, winter took us by surprise and we were only able to inaugurate it during the Christmas holidays of 1963.

There were so few buildings that our postal address was simply: "Chalet Légeron – Alpes de Mont de Lans – Isère".

Two observations about that time:

• Firstly, this was the era when we would take the coach and then the train from Grenoble station to return to Paris. Early in the morning, after protecting the chalet from frost, securing our suitcases on the balcony and locking the doors, we would wait patiently in the cool of the night and the dim light of dawn for the bus to arrive. We could see it with its headlights on, leaving the Place de l'Alpe de Vénosc two kilometers ahead of us, and we could follow it as it wound its way along the small road that led to the Place de l'Alpe de Mont de Lans. We had just enough time to grab our suitcases and walk down without rushing to arrive at the same time as the bus at its first stop. It was a magical moment. The image of the valley in shadow between the foothills and the ridges has remained etched in my mind for more than 55 years.
• Furthermore, at that time, there were only three ski lifts: La Vallée Blanche, Le Pied-Moutet with its balls, and Côte-Brune, plus the Diable gondola lift. But once the chalet was completed, the resort developed thanks to the presence of many Italians who were particularly attracted by the efforts of the municipalities of the two communes. The number of ski lifts increased: La Belle Étoile, Champamé, Les Crêtes, then Le Fioc, etc. I remember the special atmosphere and the shuttle service provided by old Parisian buses with open platforms at the rear, which traveled free of charge between Les Deux Alpes. To go skiing, we just had to put on our skis at the foot of the chalet and glide down to the center of the resort, the ski school, or the Belle Étoile ski lift to set off across the entire eastern side of the resort.

It was a wonderful time for us. The whole family enjoyed it, my younger siblings, mentioned at the beginning of my memoirs, but also our two older sisters and their children.

I forgot to mention that this cottage had a bedroom with four beds, a dormitory with five beds, and a living room with a sofa bed. That made a total of 11 beds, but there was only one bathroom, and the heating was provided by one, then two oil stoves. Everyone pitched in. Some helped decorate, others built a cupboard, and often we would stain the balcony or the shutters.

Needless to say, it was very spartan, but let's say it had a very family-oriented spirit. Proof of this is the number of classmates, then friends, and even associates who lived there, sometimes for several vacations. For 30 years, this was its function: family summer vacations, with hikes, families, and friends. And in winter, skiing, skiing to excess. But that's not all... For some, there were also nightclubs, and that's how my brother met the woman of his life... at L'Etable... a predestined place, you might say, for someone who has since become a farmer.

I even made a little sketch for those who had never been there and were going to stay there without us.

But things change, and everything is going to change. The town halls have left the two villages and moved to the center of the resort. Many streets have been developed and named. Our address quickly became: "Chalet Légeron – 5 chemin de la Séa – Les Deux Alpes."

The former mayor, Mr. Faure, who knew me well, greeted me with, “Ah! . . .the Légeron son,” and informed me that the land use plan had changed and that if we built a gabled roof, the floor area ratio would increase. That's interesting.

Another change: this chalet was assigned to me as part of our inheritance in full ownership. Since becoming an architect, I am no longer satisfied with its aesthetics. Finally, the comfort level deemed sufficient at the time of its construction is no longer adequate. Everything needs to be renovated, so I set to work.

A new permit was submitted to the town hall on December 2, 1993. It was granted on February 16, 1994, and it is no longer the same. It now comprises two separate apartments and has a total of around twenty beds. I converted the garage into two bedrooms and installed six bathrooms or washrooms. But I live in La Rochelle, and my job and the distance mean that I can no longer look after it. I entrusted its management to the agency “Deux Alpes Locations” with the mandate to rent it out on a weekly basis. It became the Chalet des Epilobes – 5 chemin de la séa.

This commercial lease took effect during the Christmas holidays in 1994. We had clearly specified that we reserved the first floor for our personal use during Christmas week and for two weeks in the summer.

After nine years, in 2003, everything had gone very well, so we renewed the contract. And then disaster struck: the manager, Mr. Charton, went bankrupt, resulting in loss of payments, lease termination proceedings, lawyers, and lawsuits.

Change in rental type. After renovating it... a few repairs, plus the floors and some painting, I decided to rent it out on a yearly basis. That's what happened in the summer of 2009.

Neither I nor my family could go there anymore, and it was the beginning of an emotional breakup. Three changes of tenants until 2018. And then new problems arose... the tenant on the first floor left his apartment and the one on the ground floor was ordered by the court to pay me arrears.

My morale is at an all-time low. I haven't told you about the continued growth of Les Deux Alpes, nor about my family life, which has gone through some very difficult times.

I decide to come in October 2017 to proceed with the bailiff to evict this bad payer.

The operation went smoothly, I got the keys back and arranged for my properties to be rented out through the community housing service, at least for the coming winter season, i.e. 2017-2018. Faced with all these mounting problems, I became determined to put the chalet up for sale.

I mentioned it to an agency, which informed me the next day that it had an interested client. That same day, I had to return to La Rochelle. Before leaving, I went back to the restaurant where I had eaten the night before and mentioned the possibility of selling. SURPRISE... he was the interested client. I am very happy about this, as this surprise eases my pain, because I can see what he wants to do with it.

What will become of the memories of all the families who lived there? But the wheel turns.

"
Jacques Légeron, June 6, 2018

You may also participate in the adventure of this Chalet...