The Ski Blog

Meribel kicks off the ski party season

If you're heading out to Meribel in the Three Valleys over the next couple of weeks, don't forget to pack your party shoes.

Tomorrow, 13th March, sees the start of the Little World Festival, a new event masterminded by The Feeling, which runs until the 19th March.

The 20th-26th sees the return of Meribel's Altitude Festival, combining comedy and music, and with a great line up for 2010, including Al Murray, Rufus Hound and music from Newton Faulkner.

It's the first time for Little World and third time for the Altitude and both events promise to be fun, frenetic and fairly unique. Set in the magnificent Three Valleys with excellent skiing, both festivals are packed with  afternoon piste performances, apres ski parties and evening entertainments.

It's a Little World

The Little World Festival has been organised by The Feeling who played their earliest gigs in Meribel, performing three sets a day in the resort's bars. In 2008 the band made a triumphant return to the resort, giving a free concert to around 6000 fans. That  trip formed the basis of a live DVD, 'Come Home', featuring narration by friend-of-the-band Kiefer Sutherland.

'We organised that trip ourselves and it really opened our eyes to the possibilities,' says bass player Richard Jones. 'More bands should try doing things for themselves. This whole event is exactly the way we want it. We've really enjoyed pulling it together alongside recording the new album.'

Over the six days there are some 30 events taking place including concerts from Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Glenn Tillbrook and Graham Gouldman. The week culminates in a free concert on the slopes headlined by The Feeling and with numerous special guests. For more information, prices and full programme take a look at the Little World website.

Say it with Altitude

Now in it's 3rd year the Altitude Festival, in its own words, is "a festival packed with hilarious comedy talent performing in a fantastic skiers paradise. They will be joined by the best DJ’s and musicians both home grown and internationally renowned. Altitude is the only bilingual comedy event in Europe."

The event takes places at various venues throughout the resort, from small intimate bars to the Meribel Auditorium. Artists include Four Poofs and a Piano, Rich Hall, Al Murray, Rufus Hound and of course Altitude regular and co-founder Marcus Brigstocke.

The Altitude Festival has also partnered with mountain riders with the aim of making the festival carbon neutral and raising awareness of global warming. For full details of events, venues and prices can be found at www.altitudefestival.com.

If you're looking for somewhere to stay to enjoy the festivities take a look at our Meribel section on Chalets Direct. Some of the current deals on offer include; Chalet Madeleine - free tickets for the Altitude Festival when you book your holiday there; 5 nights catered in La Grange a Charlotte from 22nd - 27th March, with free airport transfers; luxury catered chalet discounts for 21st - 28th March. For more Meribel offers look at our Promotions page.

Verbier ski and snowboard breaks - cool with a touch of class!

Verbier has been a popular resort with the Brits, and of course the Swiss, for many years now.

Since the late 1950's, when the first Attelas cable car was installed giving easier access to the mountain, it has become a favourite weekend destination for high-flying City types and wealthy Swiss bankers. Now with excellent road and rail links from Geneva airport and the rise and rise of low cost flying, more people can get to Verbier to see if its twin reputations for serious skiing and just as serious partying are deserved.

Firstly the skiing.
The area is known as the 4 Valleys, with Verbier as the jewel. Whilst not quite as well linked as the French 3 Valleys, the Swiss 4 Valleys offers a massive choice of terrain, with over 400km of groomed pistes, a range of challenging itinerary runs - marked trails which are neither maintained nor patrolled - and enough dizzying pitches, couloirs and off piste opportunites to keep the most seasoned skiers and boarders out of their comfort zones.

It's not by chance that Verbier is the venue for the annual Extreme competition, taking place this year on March 20th, when the best and boldest riders in the world take on the unforgiving Bec des Rosses - and try to negotiate their way down its cliffs and crags.

Verbier skiing is certainly varied. For piste skiers the network of blue and red runs, particularly down to Les Ruinettes, are perfectly groomed and offer wide motorways to practice your turns. Venture further afield and you'll find scenic gentle runs through the trees heading down to La Tzoumaz, sunny cruisey runs at Savoleyres heading back into Verbier, and lots more to keep you occupied in the other valleys - from high altitude steeps to gentle tree-lined runs down to a welcoming restaurant.

The itinerary trails are sort of semi off-piste areas. Marked by yellow poles, they take you off the beaten track and provide a few heart stopping challenges for the more experienced skier and snowboarder. The slopes down from the Col des Gentianes for example, or the Tortin run, offer wide unpisted steep pitches which would be perfect in powder and great for testing your agility in the bumps the rest of the time.

Head for the Vallon d'Arby and you ski along a narrow trail hollowed out of the mountainside by a small single track machine - which is permanently parked at one of the hairpins. With steep walls of snow on either side, it's like skiing down a bobsleigh run with narrow twists and turns, and requires excellent control of speed. The trail eventually widens and you'll find yourself in the wooded Vallon d'Arby. Once you get to the valley floor it's a pretty ski alongside a stream to La Tzoumaz.

The off piste possibilities are truly endless. Book a guide and he or she will help you to scratch the surface of the terrain. Discover wide powder fields, steep descents from Mont-Fort,  the highest of Verbier's peaks, the gullies of Mont-Gele, and gasp at the top of Plan du Fou. All this and more is why Verbier has a reputation as one of the best skiing destinations in Europe.

And the apres-ski?
Well again there is enough variety to keep everyone happy. In the heart of the town the Farinet is one of the most popular apres-ski haunts and attracts revellers of all ages. You can dance to the live music on the terrace bar or enjoy a quieter atmosphere in the lounge area. Go upmarket with the Farm Club or keep it real with the Pub Mont Fort. Whichever you try there's healthy competition between the bars to make sure they offer the partygoer a good time.

Verbier manages to strike a unique balance. It's got the street cred of a Chamonix, combined with the glamour of a Courchevel 1850 and the kudos of a Val d'Isere. It's also got Swiss efficiency and service. All in all it's an excellent destination for your next ski or snowboard holiday!

We stayed with Ski With Julia in the traditional Chalet Pic Vert, which is just a few minutes walk to the Medran cable car, and well placed for enjoying all that Verbier has to offer. The chalet is available for long or short breaks and has some great offers for March and April - so get out there and discover Verbier for yourself!
And for more accommodation in Verbier and the Swiss 4 Valleys, take a look at our various resort sections: Verbier, Nendaz, Veysonnaz, and Thyon.  

Chalets Direct and The Ski Blog recommended on Simonseeks.com

We're extremely pleased to have been recommended on the travel guide site simonseeks.com as one of the most useful sites to visit before booking a ski trip.

Simonseeks is a website where a community of travellers, journalists and celebrities can share their advice and their enthusiasms - giving you the inside story on their favourite destinations. Amongst the celebrity articles you can read are Graham Bell's guide to Val d'Isere and Tara Palmer-Tompkinson's take on Klosters. Other celebrity guides include Cliff Richard on Barbados, Raymond Blanc on Provence and Dolly Parton on Tennessee. The site is the brainchild of Simon Nixon, founder of Moneysupermarket and Travelsupermarket.

As well as finding reviews on hundred of destinations you can also use the site to write your own travel guides and share your knowledge with travellers everywhere. So whether it's cheap hotels in Paris to the best hotels in London you can upload your guide and help other travellers along the way!

All Mountain Performance / Tips for skiing bumps

This month's 4 top tips are to help you ski the bumps with better control, painless knees and a feeling that you are in charge, not the bumps!

Rotate your legs and feet to twist your skis on the snow. The effect is like scraping the snow into the bump. This will check your speed and set you up for absorbing the bump.

Absorb the bump by allowing the legs to feel soft enough for your knees to be pushed towards your chest. This will stop you from being pushed off balance by the bump

Push your tips down, This will give you the time needed to push the skis into the next hollow, rotating and scraping the snow with the skis again to check the speed and direction.

Keep your upper body facing down the fall line. This will help you keep to the line and help agile quick movements. One other extra tip is to keep the skis quite flat on the snow ( not too much edge) this will help the pivoting of the skis and enable a more direct descent.

Watch the video

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By Mark Gear and Simon Halliwell from All Mountain Performance in Chamonix. BASI LEVEL 4 ISTD.

More snow!

Half term week in Europe is going out with a bang - as many resorts from west to east and north to south are getting some heavy snowfalls today and tomorrow. Alpe d'Huez is getting lots of snow as we write - take a look at the webcam - and snow will be spreading from France to Switzerland and Austria.

So whilst skiing out there today might not be the best, the fresh snow is a gift for everyone heading out tomorrow! Conditions now are excellent so why not escape the February greyness in the UK for the great outdoors, some fresh air and gluhwein.

We'll be publishing our next newsletter sometime next week with lots of juicy holiday ideas for the rest of the season - so watch this space.

If you'd like to make sure you get a copy make sure you sign up on our Promotions page.

Vancouver 2010 and how the Olympic flame may shine a light for British skiing

 

Countdown to Vancouver

The crowds are gathering for the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games which takes place at 6pm Vancouver-time on Friday 12th Feb.

Over the next two weeks athletes from all over the world will be tested in various sports and disciplines on snow and ice. For all of these individuals it is the culmination of years of training and dedication - and Olympic medal glory could be decided in a matter of minutes, even seconds.

The Team GB skiers and snowboarders may be breathing a sigh of relief that they are even there. Snowsport GB, the governing body for the two sports, went into administration just last week, amid tales of mismanagement and loss of funding. Coaches had not been paid, athletes have had to pay for their own travel and training for several months, some have only been able to get a fraction of on-snow training they would hope for when preparing for an Olympic year.  

Luckily for our athletes in Vancouver the British Olympic Association has stepped in to ensure they can compete, and have made sure that adminstrative and financial requirements will be met. The skiers and snowboarders of Team GB, and their support teams, can now concentrate on the Games and their performance.

A Future for British Skiing & Snowboarding

Now, following a statement issued yesterday by the BOA, the future for British skiing and snowboarding may be looking a little brighter. A new national governing body, British Skiing and Snowboarding, has been formed, chaired by Colin Moynihan of the BOA. Post-Vancouver this new body is planning a "comprehensive consultation process", where athletes and all other bodies involved will be able to voice their opinions.

"The skiers, clubs, academies, volunteers, stakeholders and Home Nations will all continue to have an important role to play in the future," Moynihan said. "Their voices will be heard to ensure that British Ski & Snowboarding takes its place alongside the leading National Governing Bodies for sport and never again goes into bankruptcy."

It's a hopeful move not just for the athletes in Vancouver, but for the scores of British children who are trying their utmost now to reach international level and to get selected for the national team in years to come. The new body's first job is to find more funding for wintersports - as the chairman has said "We have spent £6.5 million over a four-year period for winter and £400 million for summer sports. That's unacceptable to the BOA. We have to sit down with the Government and all the stakeholders and ask the athletes what they want. I don't think funding for winter sports has been adequate in recent years. There has been a lack of focus on the requirements of the athletes. This really is a new dawn as far as I am concerned."

Why it matters

You might say that sports funding in the UK is finite. With the gold medal glow of Beijing behind us, and London 2012 coming up, why should a non-alpine nation spend time and money on sports that only a small minority will do, and that a much smaller minority will ever be any good at? The same could be said for a lot of Olympic sports - rowing, sailing, equestrianism - not exactly mainstream sports, requiring as they do specific conditions and equipment.

Becoming world class in any sport requires an extraordinary level of commitment and strength of character, and in sports such as skiing and snowboarding, that commitment has to start at a young age. Chemmy Alcott started skiing aged 18 months, she's now 27 and Vancouver will be her third Olympic Games. Ed Drake took part in his first international race at the age of ten - since then his family has borne most of the cost of his training, travelling and competing. To compete with the French, Swiss, Austrians, Italians, Canadians et al these guys need tremendous determination - to get to the standard where they can compete is already a massive achievement.

So if somebody has taken the time to get so good, how can we not acknowledge that level of commitment? And how can we pull the rug on their ambitions by cutting off access to coaching and expertise which could make all the difference?

If we are to produce champions in any sport we need to provide the pathway for young talent. We need to be able to find that talent, then train, encourage and nurture it. This is precisely what happened in British cycling from 1997, when a large influx of lottery funding provided the impetus for a massive improvement in facilities and training. Until then the sport was in almost the same state as GB skiing is today. Look what's happened since.

Having sporting champions is good for a country. It provides good role models and gives us all something to aspire to and admire. In a quick-fix TV nation, where the X Factor dominates, we should be applauding anyone who achieves greatness through years of hard work and dedication rather than a telephone vote.

On a more practical level sporting success brings a higher level of expertise and professionalism into the sport. Success breeds sucess as they say - or if your coach has been on the World Cup circuit then he/she will have a better understanding of it to pass on to you.

So let's hope that this pathway remains open for Britain's young skiers and snowboarders, who, contrary to popular belief, are not all over-privileged kids with rich parents. They may have been lucky enough to start learning to ski or board young, but the drive, dedication and passion they have for their sport is something that money can't buy.

Good luck to all Team GB's Olympic hopefuls. Coverage starts on the BBC from Saturday 13th Feb with the men's downhill one of the first events. See profiles of all the athletes on the Team GB website .

How and why to do a course inspection with Chemmy Alcott:

Great snow for half term ski holidays

This weekend sees the biggest exodus for the ski slopes since the Christmas/New Year holidays. February half term is upon us already, and resorts across the Alps and Pyrenees will be gearing up.

Fortunately a cold and snowy January means that conditions are now excellent, with many resorts receiving a hefty snow top up as recently as last weekend, and smaller showers during this week. So if you're heading to the mountains for a family half term you can expect good snow, cold temperatures at the start of the week, and  the possibility of more snowfall towards the end of it. Take a look at Netweather for a detailed weather forecast for your resort.

As next week coincides with Mardi Gras you may also find a carnival atmosphere in town with some fun events taking place during your stay.

If you haven't booked anything but have made a last minute decision to find a ski holiday take a look at our Promotions page and do a search by date - there are some last minute cancellations so there are a few beds available.

The February holiday weeks are the turning point in the season - and by the end of the month the days are getting longer, temperatures are rising, and spring is in the air. Keep an eye out for some excellent March offers we'll be posting - why not subscribe to our Latest and Greatest newsletter to get the greatest offers direct to your inbox.

The Nissan Freeride World Tour

Billed as the ”The Best Riders on the Best Mountains in the Ultimate Freeride Competition” the Nissan Freeride World Tour is an iconic competition consisting this year of 4 events.

We are already halfway through - Sochi in Russia, venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics, and Chamonix, had their stages in January, leaving just Squaw Valley on the Feb 27th and the grand finale at Verbier on March 20th.

The Verbier Xtreme competition has actually been going since 1996, with different sponsors throughout it's history. It is considered the most prestigious event in the freeride calendar and attracts riders and spectators from all over the world. The competitors have to tackle the north face of the Bec des Rosses, a steep and jagged 500m rock face, which in some places has a 55 degree slope.

Running alongside the main tour is the Freeride World Qualifier, which allows lesser known riders to earn valuable points and maybe get a chance to qualify for the Verbier competition.

One of the most recent qualifiers took place in Flaine in the Grand Massif, organised by Serge Cornillat, a former extreme snowboarder and veteran of Verbier Xtreme, who has featured in the top five on more than one occasion. Serge explained some of the technical details for a qualifier course:

"The qualifier courses have to pose a number of challenges to the riders - couloirs, cliffs, certainly off the beaten track with ideally virgin powder and variable conditions, and a minimum of 300 vertical metres.

There is no right or wrong way down the mountain - but points are awarded for control, technique, confidence and the line taken by the competitor."

The photo is from the Flaine event which took place on 7th Feb - a fantastic day, with sunshine and fresh powder!

There are around 18 qualifier events taking place this winter in resorts all over the northern hemisphere - so if you're in a resort that's staging one make sure you take some time out to watch. (See the Programme for the Freeride World Qualifier events).

See a video of the Freeride World Qualifier

A ski holiday in Courchevel, Three Valleys, France

The Courchevel valley has a reputation for attracting an upmarket, well-heeled clientele. It is certainly favoured by the very rich - Russian oligarchs, Arab sheikhs et al - and the very famous, such as the Beckhams, Roman Abramovich and guests. Yet whilst it might be the place to see and to be seen in, it's not just the designer boutiques and Michelin stars of Courchevel 1850 that make it one of the best and most famous ski resorts in the world.

As part of the extensive Three Valleys system, Courchevel can offer easy access to some of the most varied skiing you'll find anywhere. The Courchevel valley itself provides around 150km of pistes, ranging from steep black couloirs, to broad motorway cruises, to picturesque runs through the trees. Look further afield and there are endless possibilities; touring, backcountry, high altitude glaciers, snowparks, legendary bumps and off-piste pitches - however you want to experience the mountains, it's all here in the Three Valleys.

Getting back to Courchevel itself and what is it exactly that makes it such a top resort? The resort is actually a group of villages, each with a different character and with something different to offer the visitor.

Courchevel - from top to bottom:

The highest is Courchevel 1850, a glitzy conurbation with top end restaurants, a selection of exclusive hotels, glamorous nightclubs and a "millionaire's row" of private piste-side chalets. Just above is the altiport, a high altitude airport with one of the shortest and steepest runways in the world, built to receive the private jets and helicopters of 1850's jet-set.

Courchevel 1850 is the main starting point to get to the best skiing to be found in the Courchevel valley. Just two lifts will take you up to the Saulire at 2700m, from where you can drop into the neighbouring Meribel valley, or admire the fantastic panorama below you and then head off to discover Courchevel. It is testament to the good planning of the whole Courchevel valley however, that wherever you stay getting to ski is quick and painless.

Just 200 metres lower is Courchevel 1650, less pricey but with a good range of accommodation, eateries and apres ski. 1650 has it's own smaller ski area, an off-shoot of the main valley, with a few quieter, picturesque pistes. This village has a large year-round population and many businesses are open for summer trade too, when bikers, walkers, golfers and mountain lovers come to visit.

Perched on the hillside at 1550m is, well, Courchevel 1550. This village has grown in recent years and is just one lift-ride away from 1850's main intersection, skiing back down at the end of the day is simple. The village is quieter than it's higher neighbours but there are still some good bars and restaurants, and getting to the livelier nightspots is easy with the regular free bus.

At 1300m is the traditional village of Courchevel Le Praz, which still has it's quaint villagey atmosphere and friendly feel. You can find hundred year old barns and typical Savoyard houses. The main landmark of Le Praz is the Olympic ski jump, built for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympic Games. Despite being a traditional village, access to the ski area is again quick and easy. One lift takes you to 1850, and another route will take you up to the Col de La Loze, again another entry point into Meribel and another viewpoint for a spectacular panorama.

So much to ski!

So part of what makes Courchevel so good is the choice it has to offer. From beginner to expert there is something to flatter or challenge you in its terrain, and lots of it. You'll never get bored with the ski area.

Coupled with that is the great choice of places to stay and the type of holiday you can have. Accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets means you can splash out on something truly luxurious or keep it cheap and simple. If this has whetted your appetite take a look at our Courchevel chalets, hotels and apartments - and if you've had a holiday in Courchevel why not post up a review of the resort and let everyone know what you think!

Well Seasoned....by Melissa Love

One of the big benefits of running The Ski Blog is that we can ask some very cool and illustrious people to contribute. In the last few months we have been able to wangle posts from mountain bike guru Clive Andrews, regular ski tips from Chamonix's All Mountain Performance, and a review of K2's wildest off piste ski, the Pontoon, by Christian Shepherd and GB junior racer Sam Clissold.

Now we are pleased to announce the collaboration of writer and broadcaster Melissa Love. Melissa is a ski season veteran and rose from the ranks of chalet girl to managing the whole chalet operation for a large UK tour operator. Maybe you are still pondering whether to escape to the mountains, but weighing up the pros against the cons. In which case Melissa's advice for all aspiring chalet hosts will be sure to help you make your decision.

Melissa's post follows below:

Well Seasoned

There are three questions every chalet host gets asked.

Where did you learn to cook? Answer: Practising on the hapless guests who arrived in the first weeks of the season before Christmas, with Delia Smith in one hand and a large gin and tonic in the other.

Would you like to go out for a drink on your night off? Answer: No, Bob-the-accountant-from-Kent, there are too many hot French ski instructors to work my way through and I only have one night a week to do it.

When are you going to get a proper job? Aaah, my favourite and oft-repeated question, asked by friends and relatives, guests and simply the plain jealous, who find it hard to accept that working a season is anything more than a glorified holiday. I’d be lying if I denied there was an element of that, but as a five-winter veteran, I will happily assert that working a winter season is one of those experiences that equips you for much of what life will throw at you later on.
For the unconvinced, I hereby offer up my five reasons why being a chalet host is a job for life, not just for winter.

1. You can keep a cool head in the face of any culinary disaster.

My very first week of my very first season was Christmas – a time of high expectations at the best of times. Forgetting all about my Christmas pudding steaming merrily away on the hob, it soon boiled dry and burst into flames. A rugby-style pass of pan and pudding through the open window into a snowdrift soon extinguished it. A discreet retrieval, a liberal dousing with cheap brandy and the pudding was declared a triumph.

No subsequent kitchen mishap has, or will ever, top the horror induced by the sight of that flaming pudding.

2. You can produce a veritable banquet for a mere pittance.

Living within your means is an important life skill, and in the context of working a season, absolutely vital if you are going to be able to spend a disproportionate amount of your allotted funds on cheap wine. This is a calculation you will find invaluable at many stages of your life.

3. You can politely but firmly repel amorous advances from all-comers.

There must be something about fresh air and exercise, or maybe it’s the high altitude which makes blokes on ski holidays think they are irresistible to you. Fuelled by cheap chalet wine and the misguided belief that they have become sun-bronzed ski gods after just three days in resort, there is always a week in the season which resembles a carry-on film, with the obligatory Benny Hill-style chase around the kitchen and lots of ‘accidental meetings’ in your favourite bar or mountain pit-stop.

At home, it would probably be called stalking, but on holiday, you’re fair game and actually, you’d still really like to earn that tip at the end of the week. You quickly learn the benefit of remaining sober, flirting nicely and firmly locking your bedroom door.

4. You can turn in a creditable day’s work after only 2 hours of sleep and with the mother of all hangovers.

Now, I’m not saying this is necessarily an important or particularly attractive talent, but it’s a good one to have up your sleeve. Later in life, you can simulate the experience of sleep deprivation and bleary drunkenness by having children, when the ability to drink a lot of wine (essential) and function on very little sleep (obligatory) is once more required of you.

5. You know the meaning of real job satisfaction.

It’s true that not everyone thrives on late nights, vigorous exercise, excessive drinking and being at the beck and call of strangers, but for those who do and who are able to master the demands of a winter season, it is the beginning of a love affair. It’s not so much the Alpine atmosphere and the opportunity to date hot snowboarders that gets you, though that’s a bonus. It’s the knowledge that you have discovered what it means to truly love what you do and to do it well.

In my book, that’s worth more money than any ‘proper’ job could pay you.

Melissa Love is now married, mum of two and living in Sussex. Among other projects she is editor of the glossy Village Living - so there is life after ski seasons! If you would like to get more of Melissa's take on life take a look at her blog. Thanks Melissa!