The Ski Blog

It ain't over till it's over.....more snow on the way!

According to the latest weather reports it looks like spring will be temporarily put on hold next week as some areas could get up to 50cms of fresh snow.

For the resorts that will still be open it's a fitting end to what has been, after all, an exceptional snow season. Snow is forecast across Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France - so for all die-hards the last ski of the season could well be in fresh powder.

Whilst a lot of ski resorts are closed or closing this weekend, those that are left have a few fun things up their sleeves to entertain visitors.

The highlight of Ischgl's last weekend is the Top of the Mountain party at lunchtime on 2nd May, starring Kylie Minogue, and is free if you have a lift pass.

Chamonix's lifts are open until 10th May - buy a 2 day Mont Blanc Unlimited pass and get the second day for just 1€.

Tignes ski area is open until 5th May, and the glacier continues until 11th May. The weekend of 2nd -3rd May sees the traditional Black Shoes, a telemark event, with live music in the evening.

Other resorts which continue into May include Saas Fee and Obergurgl. It looks like winter 2008-9 will go out with a bang!

Spring Avalanche on Mont Blanc

This morning we've been having a Chalets Direct meeting in Chamonix.

It was a beautiful blue sky morning, the sun shining over Mont Blanc. During the coffee break we were admiring the views of Mont Blanc when one of the directors suddenly noticed what looked like a low cloud on Mont Blanc. The cloud grew and moved - it was an avalanche happening before us coming down just below Mont Blanc towards the Cascade de Glace. Approximately 11.40 French time.

There have been no sirens going off, no helicopters been scrambled, so it appears that there are no casualties.

It was one of nature's amazing spectacles - and luckily we were able to catch it on camera.

 

 

 

Tour de France 2009 - Alps, Pyrenees, Spain, Andorra, Switzerland, and Italy!

The 2009 Tour de France will kick off in Monaco on Saturday 4th July and over the following three weeks covers a total distance of 3500 km, crossing into Spain, Andorra, Switzerland and Italy.

This year's route includes 7 high mountain stages, including a climb on the penultimate day to Mont Ventoux at 1912m. It's the first time ever that a mountain stage has taken place the day before the ride to the Champs Elysees.

The Pyrenees:

The first entrance into the mountains on July 10th sees the competitors starting from Barcelona and finishing at the ski resort of Arcalis in Andorra, a mighty climb up to 2240m. The next day's Pyrenean stage starts for the first time in the principality's capital, Andorra La Vella, and heads through the mountains to St Girons in the Ariege area.
(Find accommdation in the Pyrenees)

The Alps:

When the Tour gets to the Alps the first stop is Verbier, again a new stopping point for the event, although it has passed through several times before.

From Switzerland, the Tour then winds up through the Great St Bernard Pass (the highest peak of this year's event), down into the Aosta Valley in Italy, and then heads up through the Petit St Bernard pass back into France to finish that stage at Bourg St Maurice.

These two passes, one either side of Mont Blanc, have provided the two main routes across the Alps for centuries.

Once back in France, this year's Tour concentrates on the northern section of the French Alps and stage 17, on 22nd July, is a gruelling ride over 5 mountain passes.

Five peaks in one day: Starting at Bourg St Maurice, at 870m, the riders will head up to the Cormet de Roseland at 1968m and down into the village of Beaufort. Next peak is the Col des Saisies at 1650m, then down through Megeve to Sallanches on the valley floor. They head back up into the hills, taking the Les Carroz-Flaine road as far as Cote d'Araches (964m), then dipping back down again to Cluses.

The two final peaks on this ride are the Col de Romme followed by the daunting Col de la Colombiere, before finishing at Le Grand Bornand ski resort near La Clusaz.
(Find accommodation - Verbier, Megeve, La Clusaz)

Annecy Time Trial: Next stage is a 40km time trial around Lake Annecy. Annecy, the principal town of Haute Savoie, is mounting a major PR offensive in a bid to win the 2018 Winter Olmypics, so it promises to a be an action packed day with loads of atmosphere when the Tour de France rolls into town.

Lance Armstrong: At the time of writing it has not yet been confirmed whether Lance Armstrong will be competing in this year's Tour de France. The seven time winner is currently embroiled in a controversy over drugs test procedure which could well exclude him from the event - despite being the most tested ahtlete on the planet he has never tested positive. It will be a great shame for the event if he is not allowed to compete.

Tour Fever:

If you're in the mountains when the Tour de France comes through you will be part of one of the highlights of the summer. The Tour de France captures the imagination of French of all ages, and being part of it is a major accolade for the villages and towns chosen to be at the start or end of a stage. The excitement and atmosphere is almost palpable, and Tour fever can take hold of everyone.

So if you're planning a summer trip to the mountains remember that July is Tour de France month - why not come and experience the excitement for yourself! 

Get full details of the itinerary

Skiing on spring snow

The Alps and Pyrenees have been enjoying glorious sunny weather for pretty much all of April - so conditions are ideal for great spring skiing.

With warm daytime temperatures snow will obviously soften up, and then re-freeze at night when the temperature drops. This means that early morning snow will be bullet-proof, gradually softening during the day as the temperature rises.

However there is a point, just as the snow is starting to transform from rock-hard concrete, but before it gets to slush, where the ground beneath your feet is like velvet, and skiing on it can be as pleasurable an experience as powder.

This is the real trick of spring skiing - capturing that brief point in time when the slope is at the perfect aspect and temperature. It will give you one or two perfect runs and then it's time to move on to a different slope with a different aspect. However for those two runs you can be experiencing real "hero snow" - where you will feel like you can do no wrong!

In North America, it's called corn snow and Mark Elling, a professional guide at Cat Ski Mt Bailey in Oregon describes the process below:

"Warm days melt the snowpack, allowing small cold grains to merge together, forming larger crystals. Clear, cold nights in the spring re-freeze these wet, larger crystals and they become slightly more angular (squarish, like a kernel of baby corn). The longer the melt-freeze cycle continues, the larger these grains become.

It may take many days of melt-freeze cycling to produce ideal corn skiing conditions. The morning following a freeze this corn layer at the top of the snowpack is solid as a rock—boilerplate, but hopefully not for long. At some point during the day either the sun’s radiation or the day’s rising ambient air temperature (or both) begins to soften the top layer of this solid melt-freeze “corn crust” and velvety, highly-edgeable corn skiing is born..." Read the full article..

If you're on a ski holiday this week, it's worth bearing this in mind. A lot of people, put off by the hard early morning conditions, will head out a bit later and miss the transformation - just getting to it 15 minutes late can make a massive difference!

The forecast for most alpine areas is for more sunshine today and tomorrow - but with a possible change in the weather later in the week.

 

Winter 2008-9 - how was it for you?

It's nearly all over. There's a definite summer time feel in the Alps and Pyrenees right now, and the snow is starting to disappear from lower altitudes. It's still not too late to get in a good week of the white stuff - the great snow conditions we've had this season mean that certainly higher up there's more than enough to play on.

Most European resorts keep their lifts open until the last weekend of April, and those with high areas, such as Chamonix, Tignes and Val Thorens can carry on into May. It's also not unusual at this time of year to get a quick cold snap - bringing some unexpected late season powder with it.

So with just a few weeks left of this ski season we'd like to find out how was it for you?

We know it's been a tough start to 2009 - there's been a lot of gloomy news reports, words like credit crunch, recession, downturn, are now part of the national vocabularies across the world - at least the snow was legendary.

So let us know your highlights - and lowlights - for this winter. What really ticked all the boxes for you? What turned you off?

My ski season highlights?

Getting more experience in skiing powder - and having lots of opportunity to practice!
Visiting different resorts - a great day in Courmayeur for example, and a good time in Les Arcs.
Sunny lunches at the Gite de Gers - possibly the best location in the Alps.
Getting great new skis which improved both performance and confidence.

There's lots more - each one worth a blog post in itself!

The lowlights?

Probably not too many - maybe paying the equivalent of £3 for a teabag in a restaurant - but then the French never could really understand tea!

Let us know what you loved and hated - we'd love to hear your comments. To make a comment click on the comments link below this post - you don't need to register. We ask for name and email address (your email address is not published) - just so we know that you are human and not a machine.

Any feedback regarding resorts and services within those resorts can be brought to the attention of the relevant people - so it's a good way to let your views be known.

If you have a Facebook account you can also leave a message on our Wall at http://facebook.chaletsdirect.com  - and if you want to write a review of a resort or place you stayed you can add a review to our Reviews section on www.chaletsdirect.com.

So get talking and tell us what you loved this winter (and what you loved a little less). We're looking forward to hearing what you think!

April and Easter ski and snowboarding? Remember to send us your Snow Snaps!

Wow - April 1st already! Season 2008-9 is on its last lap in the northern hemisphere. The forecast for the next few days in most of the European resorts is for rising temperatures, and finally a chance to work on that tan.

If you're heading off for an April ski holiday, especially with Easter round the corner, don't despair. The bumper snowfall enjoyed this year means that most places have still got plenty to go round, and spring skiing generally means that you can be more relaxed about it, with long sunny lunches enjoying the views.

So with just a few weeks left, don't forget that our Coolboard/Snow Snaps competition is on until April 26th. So post up your glorious photos from this season and the best one will win a prize. A Coolboard will be on its way to the best snapper so that he/she can stay in tip-top condition over the summer months.

We already have a good selection up there, so why not make the judges job a bit harder!

 

This pic is from the Gite de Gers, Grand Massif. Any other great places for lunch that you know of?