PolyPlay S and LigaTurf Cross in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, France

Sports at the Foot of Mont Blanc

The French spa town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is located west of the Mont Blanc massif at an altitude of nearly 1,000 meters. This small community of only 5,500 residents is shaped by tourism, with attractions including nearby winter sports and ski resorts, the Mont Blanc Tramway cog railway, and the historic thermal baths in the center of town. In addition to winter sports, school sports also play an important role in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. As early as 1968, the Mont-Blanc René Dayve high school received a sports center. Initially, it consisted solely of a swimming pool and a sports hall. The steadily growing number of students later led to the gradual expansion of the Centre Sportif du Fayet, which presented a constant challenge due to its geographical location in the middle of the local thermal park, squeezed into a narrow valley. A major renovation eventually proved to be the best solution. After several months of work, the intercommunal sports center was reopened in September 2021. Located in the heart of the spa park, it now includes two sports halls, a swimming pool, a climbing wall, and a multi-purpose athletics track in the outdoor area. Two of our surfaces have been installed in the outdoor facilities. Our durable all-around surface PolyPlay S in brick-red was applied on the circular track and the integrated sprint track. It is the perfect solution for school sports and various leisure activities. Because PolyPlay S is water-permeable, the surface dries quickly and can therefore be used all year round. Other advantages include its slip resistance, high wear protection, and minimal maintenance requirements. The construction – the PolyPlay S is always installed on a base layer – ensures consistently good values for damping and deformation. A unique feature of the Centre Sportif du Fayet is an additional track in anthracite, also finished with PolyPlay S. One of the two sectors, such as for high jump, is in anthracite as well. The opposite sector, however, along with the two adjacent volleyball courts, is equipped with our LigaTurf Cross, which combines smooth and textured filaments. This blend of both turf types makes it an ideal grass for various ball sports. Users of the LigaTurf Cross benefit from the smooth filaments LigaTurf RS+ CP, offering the aesthetics of real grass, which has already been successfully used worldwide. At the same time, thanks to the textured filaments of LigaGrass Pro CP, it offers straightforward and reduced maintenance, better stabilization of the infill, and more turf volume. The circular track encompasses a multi-purpose field, completing this now modern, environmentally friendly, and accessible sports facility. It is not only used by students of the Mont-Blanc René Dayve and Lycée du Mont-Blanc high schools but also by local sports associations and clubs.