The international biathlon site
A year-round biathlon stadium
The Bessans international biathlon stadium is located in the heart of the resort, opposite the Carreley reception building and right next to the Barmettes site for ice climbing in winter.
The stadium has 30 targets and is accessible in winter and summer. In summer, asphalt tracks are available for wheel-skiing and roller-skating. Professional biathlon teams come to train year-round at Bessans to take advantage of the resort's natural assets: altitude, a plateau that allows you to work on your skiing technique, the Iseran pass accessible by wheel skis or bike in summer, and a wide range of activities to vary your training (mountain biking at the Chantelouve area, hiking in the Vanoise National Park or towards Avérole...). Bessans is also the first Nordic ski resort in France to open every year. Thanks to the snowfarming technique, a piste is accessible as early as November, and every year professional teams gather in Bessans to enjoy the snow and the quality of the international biathlon stadium.
France's 1st international stadium
The Bessans International Biathlon Stadium was created in 1998. A logical project in view of Bessans' natural assets (high plateau and excellent natural snow cover), it was spearheaded by the Communauté de Communes Haute Maurienne and supported by medal-winning athlete Hervé Flandin, a native of the valley.
Although biathlon had already come to the fore thanks to the success of French athletes at the Albertville Olympics, it was not yet as popular as it is today. With this international stadium, the 1st to be created in France, Bessans was a pioneering resort in this spectacular all-round sport. The biathlon stadium also enabled Bessans to expand its vast Nordic ski area.
Discover the history of Nordic sports in Bessans as told by its inhabitants
International competitions
National and international competitions are regularly held at the biathlon stadium and on the Nordic area. Every season, Bessans opens the French Nordic competition season with the stages of the SAMSE National Tour biathlon and cross-country skiing (Coupe de France). These competitions take place at the beginning of December, thanks to Bessans' good snow conditions and its early opening every year thanks to snowfarming. A few weeks later, the big event of the winter season is the Bessans International Marathon, which welcomes over a thousand classic and skating cross-country skiers in early January.
In summer, Bessans also hosts "biathlon ski-wheel" competitions such as the Biathlon Summer Tour and the Bessans Biathlon Contest. The French biathlon teams, who also come to Bessans for their summer training camp, offer demonstrations and races on the stadium.
Finally, Bessans has already hosted the French Nordic Skiing and Biathlon Championships. This major competition will be held again in Bessans from March 31 to April 2, 2023. A great show to come on the biathlon stadium!
New projects for the site
Since its creation, the Bessans international biathlon stadium has been constantly evolving, thanks in particular to requests from the sports teams. Projects to develop and modernize the stadium and the entire Nordic area are currently under study, and are estimated to cost between 2 and 3 million euros. These include the creation of higher-difficulty runs in the Nordic area, the overhaul of the coated runs, the upgrading of the targets in the international stadium, the development of the water and electricity networks, an increase in the number of snow guns, new equipment for snowfarming... But also the diversification of the Nordic site to make it even more fun to use, and the creation of a new technical and reception building at the entrance to the stadium.
Test biathlon
In Bessans, take advantage of the international stadium to try out biathlon with the resort's professionals. Supervised trials with laser or pellet rifles for safe practice:
Label Terre d'alpinisme
Averole and hamlets of Bessans
The Bessans devil
