What is SATA ?

All informations about SATA

History

The Society of Tourist development of Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine ( S.A.T.A) is a semipublic company serving the local tourist development of the massifs of the Grandes Rousses and of Grand Serre.

In the 30s, the first ” lifts ” were built in ALPE D’HUEZ by Jean POMAGALSKI.

In 1958, some business men and private owners founded a company made up of share holders by buyng all the existing lifts which  belonged to individual owners

In 1961, the Municipality of Huez acquired 15 % of the share capital of the company to become the majority share holder in 1989.

Today, the SATA is a limited company of mixed economy the majority of the share capital is owned by the municipality of Huez. The rest of the shares are divided between some banking institutions and small holders.

The SATA has the concession for the exploitation of the ski lifts and the pistes of 7 municipalities. Since winter 2001/2002 the SATA has also taken responsibility for the exploitation of The Grand Serre area.

SATA : 3 Certifications

For several years, the SATA has been ISO-certified 9001 in terms of Quality. Since 2010, the SATA is also certified for Environment (ISO 14001) and Safety (OHSAS 18001).
These certifications assure each of its customers satisfaction and continued improvement, they assure the security of clients and personnel and also regard is the environnement and the control of pollution.

SATA : Organisation, professions

The SATA appoints at the height of the season approximately 550 employees among whom more than 100 are permanent employees. It is the biggest employer of the canton of Bourg d’ Oisans.

The general coordination

It is assured by the supervision of the SATA. During the ski season , the operational Management is in charge of assuring the coordination between the pistes and skilifts.

Exploitation and maintenance of the ski lifts

Exploitation of ski lifts

Atthe head of each of the 7 geographical sectors which make up the Grande Rousse and Grand Serre ski areas. There is a Decentralised Unit Manager (RUD) assisted by one or several mechanics and electricians. They assure the coordination of the exploitation and the emergency interventions on the ski lifts.
The exploitation of the ski lifts of each sector is assured by drivers of ski lifts, chairlifts, cablecars and cableways.
Based in Alpe d’Huez is a central technical office which assures the liason and regulation between the various sectors. It takes note of every issue concerning the ski lifts and different sectors, looks after any technical problem with the lifts and passes on the problems to be dealt with to the person concerned.

The control of the ski passes is assured automatically by  the  ” Hands Free ” system and is supplemented by staff asked to advise the customers during their passage on the main skilifts, and by a team of  controllers in charge of spot checks of passes and informing the clients in case of incidents on ski lifts.

Maintenance of the ski lifts

Under the general responsibility of the technical director, the R.U.D. and their teams assure, from the start of the winter season, the maintenance and up keep of the standard of the skilifts. A central electric service supports them. In complement some big operations are under treaties.

Diverse services also participate in the maintenance of the skilifts as   :
· Les ateliers d’entretien et de révision des pinces et des perches d’appareils débrayables,
· The store (management of the supplies of the stocks ).

Security and maintenance of the slopes

The professionals that deal with  the safety and rescue

Each of the 7 geographical sectors are placed under the responsibility of a supervisor  who supervises a team of ski patrolmen each holders of a diploma for first-aid (alpine or cross country).
This team consists of ski patrolmen and certain patrol patrollers of these agents having one or several specialisations (pyrotechnician, meteorological observer, dog avalanche handler).
Their missions are multiple and concern the assuring of the information on the slopes the marking of tracks, the safety and the reliability of the ski area.

The professions were connected to the regulation

Based to the slope service of Alpe d’Huez, they assure the functions of regulator, operator, ambulance driver and secretary.
Addressees of all the messages stemming from the skiable domain and moreover, they are in charge of echoing them in the interested: opening of tracks, help….
They also have in responsibility the seizure and the check of the index cards of evacuation.

The jobs in relation with the slopes grooming

It concerns the workers driving grooming caterpillars. They are under the responsability of the grooming leader and the slope service director; they attend to the grooming with their very technical and modern track vehicles.
This job is done when the slopes are closed for the tourists, and the schedules are different from the other services of SATA. They are used to working by night.
SATA is a company which works 24 hours. Some mechanics check the vehicles and are ready to intervene just in case.

The jobs in relation with the snow making

Six employees are in charge of  producing snow during the winter season, and to check the snow making factory all the year. One more time, the schedules are different, they are used to working by night.

The sales office and the ski pass offices

The sales service is in charge of selling the SATA products. They have clients all over the world.

More than 45 cashiers under the responsability of a leader work in 12 ski pass offices all over the massif. They are managed by the Sales Director.

The general services

Charged with the maintenance of buildings and outsides, this service employs very numerous corporate bodies: joiners, masons, painters, workers of maintenance. It is also the general services which manage the clothing and the equipment of the agents.

A workshop of maintenance of vehicles completes the device.

Administrative services

Administrative and accounting services

All the persons affected in these services assure the pay of the staff, the accounting management, the secretarial department, the promotion, …

The computing service

It is established by a person in charge and by his assistant. They manage the numerous and complex computing equipments, assure the maintenance and the repair as well as the operated of the various software.

The Quality safety service

The functions Quality and Safety allow to assure the editorial staff, the application and the follow-up of the procedures of work and organization, to satisfy the various quality criteria but also for the safety of the staff. They also have in responsibility the works of improvement which ensue from it.

The ANIM’ALP association

It is intended to manage the night ski, the snow park and all the playful events of the skiable domain. The summer it also manages 200 km of track MOUNTAIN BIKE of the Grandes Rousses Massif.

It manages the animations on tracks for the seminaries.