The Ski Blog

Why a Christmas Ski Holiday is a Great Idea!

Chestnuts roasting, sleigh bells, snow glistening - you'll find all those traditional Christmas trimmings and more on a ski holiday!

With only four months to go before the first of the keen skiers heads out to get a taste of the white stuff, we take a look at the first of the popular holiday weeks – Christmas – and ask Heather from Ice and Fire about spending Christmas in the Alps.

What’s it like spending Christmas in a chalet?

Having the Christmas cake made, the turkey cooked and the washing up all done for you is probably the main reason why guests return to Christmas chalet holidays year after year. There is so much work involved in organising a family Christmas at home, but in a chalet all you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy yourselves.

Isn’t everything closed on Christmas day?

Everything that you’d normally use in a ski resort is open on Christmas day. Lifts, hire companies, mountain restaurants and ski schools operate as normal, albeit often with a Santa hat and a few carols!

I like to go to midnight mass - can I do that in a ski resort?

Most ski resort churches are open to visitors and are extremely welcoming but you should check with your chalet hosts before you go. Midnight mass is a popular service across France and it’s a great opportunity to sample a bit of real French life. Be prepared for a long service though – most Christmas services incorporate carols, nativity plays or sometimes even both.

What if the whole family doesn’t ski?

Christmas is a great time for non-skiers in the Alps with lots of things like Christmas markets and carol concerts as well as the skiing. Granny coming with you could be a win-win situation as she gets quality time with the kids, whilst you go up the hill!

My top tip if you’ve got non skiers would be to think carefully about what you are going to do on Christmas day before you go. If younger children are in crèche or ski school during the week, you might want to consider a family activity for Christmas day instead. You could book a husky ride or a snow shoe walk, have a snowman building competition or sledging races, or ski together as a family for the day.

What about packing all the presents?

Plan your present buying before you go as there often isn’t a great selection of shops in resort. Pick small, packable items and wrap them up before you travel so that no-one can take a sneaky peak! Once in resort pick up one or two ski themed items to bulk out the pile – sledges go down a treat especially if you can let the kids use them straight away!

Christmas falls on a weekend this year – will the travel be difficult?

No, most chalets are running an alternative schedule over the festive season. Typically you’ll arrive on the 19^th or 20^th and depart on the 26^th or 27^th.

Isn’t a Christmas ski holiday really expensive?

If you’re normally constrained to school holidays, I think that you’ll find Christmas prices a nice surprise cost wise as they usually work out as a cheaper alternative to New Year or Half Term. You get plenty included for your money too with many chalet companies like us also offering a whole selection of extras from decorated trees to complimentary champagne included in the price.

Ice and Fire are offering a £100 per person reduction on all their Christmas holidays – check out this offer at Chalet Campanules in La Plagne, Paradiski for more details.

 

Top tips for family ski holidays!

From the emails and enquiries we're getting, it looks like quite a few of you are looking at booking your family ski holiday for next winter. We've looked back at our archives and this blog might help! Some useful advice to make your family ski trip a success

Click the link for the full article: Top Tips for Family Ski Holidays

Try the Solutions Room - a great way to find your next holiday in the mountains

We're always banging on about our legendary Solutions Room.

It's as old as Chalets Direct - and back when we first started, when people used dial-up to get online, and Facebook wasn't even a glimmer in Mark Zuckerberg's eye, we thought the Solutions Room would be a great way for us to find our ski holidays.

We felt that there had to be loads of chalet owners and companies out there with the kind of holiday we wanted - but it was finding them that was the problem. So the Solutions Room was born.

It's simple. Just say what you're looking for, post it in the Solutions Room and let the replies come back to you.

So if you suddenly hear that there's a big dump of snow in January and you can manage a long weekend, you could put it up there - and holiday offers and options will be posted back to you - usually within a few hours, often within minutes!

Or if you've got to organise the family holiday for next half term, and it's already July and you still don't have a clue, then putting it up in the Solutions Room is a shortcut to finding all the places that would suit your needs.

We know it works because now with well over 16 000 requests for ski holidays, over 225 000 solutions have come back.

It's worked so well that we expanded it and now you can look for summer holidays, seasonaire jobs, long term lets and even property to buy in our range of Solutions Rooms.

So if you want to find next winter's ski holiday or are looking for a summer break in the mountains right now then why not give it a whirl!

Summer Holidays in the Mountains - so much to see, do and enjoy

Winter 2010-11 is almost officially over and we know that it's been a lean snow year in Europe. Whilst the snow didn't come in bucketloads this season, the majority of holidaymakers we spoke to have had great ski holidays - pistes were very well maintained, sub zero temperatures in January allowed snow cannons to be on at full blast, and late falls of snow higher up provided some nice spring skiing conditions.

Now as the last of the snow disappears, the resorts have the opportunity to get ready for summer. We asked our Chalets Direct members to tell us what kind of holidays they operated over the summer months, and we were amazed at the choice and variety of options that came back! Everything from wine-tasting to triathlon training weeks, from yoga retreats to climbing Mont Blanc, painting courses, cookery classes, cycling tours, white water rafting - it's all available. So if you fancy doing something different this summer and seeing the spectacular mountain scenery in all its dazzling summer beauty, then try the Alps and Pyrenees. Here's a selection of just some of the things you can do.

Push Yourself to the Limit

The mountains provide lots of opportunities to get fit, stay fit and increase your fitness levels. National football and rugby teams will usually head to the hills a few weeks prior to important competitions to train at higher altitudes where the body works harder than at sea level. So why not follow their lead.

Triathlon training: Chalet 365, run by Chris and Allie Hodgson, offer triathlon training camps and holidays in Samoens in the beautiful Giffre valley, just an hour from Geneva.

Chris tells us: "I am a keen novice Triathlete myself and we provide training guidance as well as offering access to qualified training specialists in disciplines such as swimming. For a Triathlon Training holiday in the French Alps it is rare to find such a great mix of Triathlon training terrain in such a close environment."

The chalet has both a 25m pool and a 400m open water lake close by. Cycling routes include many of the Tour de France cols, as well as flat valley roads. Running trails can provide good hill training and flat road, river or park trails - all within 5 minutes of the chalet. The training camps include structured training, technical coaching and advice on areas such as training schedules, race plans and dietary intake. Depending on the time of year you book, you could even do a triathlon whilst on "holiday" -  with one of Europe's most spectacular triathlons taking place in the area at the end of August. More details of what's available can be found on their website.

Mountain Biking: Mountain biking is of course an obvious choice of activity when in the mountains. Resorts will open up the lifts for bikers over the summer, and trails are graded according to difficulty - in the same way that ski pistes are graded. The Portes du Soleil and the Chamonix area have long been considered mountain bike meccas - so there is great choice of holidays available.

Mountain Base in Chamonix offer guided mountain bike holidays with qualified guides and vehicle support - come for a week or a long weekend. If you're experienced and want to strike out on your own, PRG MTB provide a great base in Morzine with all the facilities you require. Run by Rob and Zeb, (PRGSKi in the winter), keen mountain bikers themselves, they can also give you all the pointers you'll need.

Road Biking: Road biking has been a popular sport in the mountains for years - with quiet roads, glorious scenery and fresh mountain air what could be more inspiring? This year Bluebird Days, based in the picturesque village of Nancroix in the Tarentaise, are offering summer cycling tours.

Jane, owner of Chalet Myrtille - the base for the tours, explains: "Following a very successful 10 days last year with a group of Australian road cyclists we are offering tailor made holidays this year from June to September for groups of 6 to 8 people. Basically we plan a holiday based on a wish list of routes to cycle, providing a back up vehicle and a real ‘French’ experience of a combination of cycling, food and sightseeing." It's a great opportunity for cyclists to test themselves on some of the most famous mountain roads in the world - such as the 21 hairpins leading up to Alpe d'Huez and the Col de la Madeleine - regular stages of the Tour de France. So you choose your routes and they deal with all the praticalities.

Breathe Bike, in Chamonix, run supported cycling holidays for keen cyclists. The base for the holidays is the luxurious Chalet Annabelle - with hot tub to ease the pain at the end of a good day. As keen cyclists themselves, who "live, eat and breathe bikes", Mike, one half of the powerhouse behind Breathe Bike is hoping to complete at least one of the major cycling competitions this summer - either the Etape or the Marmotte or both - and you can follow the ups and downs of his training on his blog, Etape 2011.

Breathe Bike can also arrange climbing holidays with fully qualified guides - aimed at getting you to the summit of Western Europe's highest peak - see here for more details.

Multi-Activity Breaks: Of course you don't need to limit your adrenaline rush to just one sport. That's the good thing about a mountain break - there's enough excitement available in lots of different environments - land, water and air.

Savoie Faire, based in Chatel, are offering special 4 day multi-activity breaks. The 4 day package includes 1 day mountain biking with bike hire included, a half day white water rafting, a day hike and another half day at the aerial adventure park. The package price also includes half board accommodation, and can be extended to a week. There's certainly no need to to rack your brains on how to entertain the kids on this break!

Watch Others Push Themselves to the Limit

One of the biggest events over the summer in France is the Tour de France. Over a period of 3 weeks, world class athletes come to compete in one of the most challenging competitions in their sport.

If you're in an area where the Tour is passing through it's very hard not to get caught up in the atmosphere.Thousands of people descend on the host towns to see the start and finish of stages, and preparations and celebrations begin way in advance.

The Ecrins Lodge between Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes is in a great position to catch three of the latter stages this year - which could prove to be crucial in determining the victor. These are:

21^st July Pinerolo > Col du Galibier

22^nd July Modane Valfréjus > Alpe-d’Huez

23^rd July Time Trial Grenoble

The Lodge is within cycling distance of all three areas - so why not join in the fun, and take in the atmosphere.

Or just Chillax

Mountain holidays don't have to be about white knuckle rides or training to the max. You can also take the time to relax, enjoy the surroundings or learn something new. 

Learn something new, improve your skills, collect your thoughts:

Over the summer Chalet La Savoyarde, situated in lovely Morzine, becomes the venue for Painting in the Alps. Run by artist Steve King, all artist materials are supplied and there are sessions both outdoors and in the studio. Tuition is friendly and informal and Steve can guide you through techniques, provide demonstrations and help you to cultivate your own skills.

Powder n Shine, located in the Belleville Valley, has an array of summer activities and courses available over the summer 2011 period. If you're hoping to do a winter season for example, you could get some great insights on their chalet host cookery course. The course is over 5 days and covers everything from recipes, keeping to budgets, cooking at altitude to how to maximise your time on the slopes! Essential advice for any aspiring chalet host and a good stepping stone to finding a job later. They also offer wine tasting trips in the Savoie and activity holidays.

The Alps also provide the perfect backdrop for more gentle activities and are an ideal environment to work on both mind and body. Michelle Willmott of Cosy Ski Chalets and Inspired 4 Life is a qualified life coach, yoga and meditation leader and during the summer she runs a number of retreats and workshops in lovely chalets in the Haute Savoie. These breaks are "an opportunity for people to get away from the hustle and bustle of their hectic lives at home and recharge their batteries, relax in beautiful surroundings and achieve a real sense of renewal and rejuvenation" she tells us. Her retreats offer morning and evening classes in beautiful, relaxing surroundings and there is plenty of opportunity to explore and enjoy the magic of the local area.

So as the snow retreats the mountains become a perfect playground for a great choice of things to do - to find more ideas of summer holidays and special packages take a look at the Promotions on Chalets Direct - just search for the dates you're interested in and see what comes up. We've just scatched the surface here but there a golf courses, spectacular hiking trails, wonderful lakes, fabulous driving routes - amazing places to see and lots of things to enjoy!

Fresh Snow in the Alps and Pyrenees

This week most resorts have seen very welcome dumps of snow and there's more to come over the weekend it seems.

Quantities vary from around 30cms in the French Northern Alps to a metre in the Pyrenees. In some places it's meant that off piste areas are now viable. We'd like to just point you to the off piste snow report on Henry's Avalanche Talk blog - it's a good round up, and and a good reminder that the new snow on top of old snow brings a few risks with it.

See today's round up of off piste conditions here!

Skiing this Half-Term

It's no secret that the Alps has not had any real snowfall for a few weeks. Skies have generally been blue and cloudless, and most of the snow that people have been skiing on fell way back in late December/early January.

Despite this however pisteurs have been working overtime to maintain the pistes and from reports we've received from around the Alps, the snow conditions have been very good. There may be less terrain available to ski, but what is there has been very carefully managed. Low temperatures for most of January have meant that resorts could also make lots of the artificial stuff to top up what Mother Nature had supplied.

Now as February half-term season begins, resorts are likely to be more crowded - with more people on fewer pistes. So if you're heading out tomorrow, it's a good time to brush up on basic piste etiquette for your own and everyone else's safety.

Take a look at the FIS rules for skiers and snowboarders which will give you a good grounding of what you should and should not be doing. Whether you're a two or twenty week skier/boarder, one of the main things to remember is to always control your speed - you never know what might be just over the brow of the hill that you're careering towards- a children's ski school group snaking across slowly, a bunch of snowboarders sitting in the middle, someone that's fallen over and is having problems getting up - if you're going too fast to avoid these hazards then you're not in control. Be aware of what's going on around you and give other slope-users space. Remember to adapt your speed to the slope and conditions too - a well pisted, empty red slope at 9.00am will allow you to let rip and ski as if you own the mountain, a beginners blue slope at 11.30am will be very different.

Whilst there hasn't been much snow, there has been lots of fantastic sunshine which looks set to continue for a few more days at least, and longer term forecasts are hinting at snow for next week, and a drop in the recent spring-like temperatures. So if you're heading to the mountains for half-term have a wonderful, safe holiday!

  
Top of the Grande Motte at Tignes yesterday, 10th Feb - good snow, fantastic sunshine - Happy Holidays!

Skiing with Children

Heather Morison of Ice and Fire Holidays in Les Coches, La Plagne gives us her top tips for taking younger children away for a ski holiday.

Many skiers, from professionals, like Chalets Direct-sponsored Sam Clissold, to amateurs with more enthusiasm than technique like myself, can trace their love of skiing to childhood memories of the sport.

Taking young children skiing for the first time is neither cheap nor easy, but get it right and you’ll hopefully have a brood of enthusiastic ski buddies to share your passion with . . . .at least until they can out-ski you that is!

Choose your accommodation carefully and make sure that it is suitable for the children. There are plenty of tour operators out there with “child friendly” written on their website but take the time to ask specific questions to see if they will suit your children. Alternatively why not post your requirements up in the solutions room and let the responses come to you.

For younger children check if there are there stair gates, cots, highchairs and baby monitors. For older children ask about a tv/dvd/games console/selection of books and games and whether there is a playground or sledging area nearby. In catered chalets or hotels, check if it is possible to serve an earlier dinner for the children.

Book the children ski lessons. It doesn’t matter if you are the most experienced skier in the world, your children will listen more carefully to a ski instructor telling them to bend their knees than to their dad. The ESF will take children from the age of three, and most other ski schools from the age of four. Make sure that you choose a ski school with a good reputation and meet the instructor on the first day.

Pack for the cold. Although it sounds obvious, make sure that they have as much warm clothing as they need – I’ve lost track of the number of times I’m seen a crying child on the slopes with no gloves on! All-in-one ski suits, mittens and hats which you can tie on are especially good for younger children and snow boots are a must for any age.

Don’t expect too much. Very few under 6s will manage more than two hours on the slopes, and for the majority of older children a morning or an afternoon at a time will be enough. Most ski companies can arrange a crèche place or private nanny to look after the children for half days. Alternatively, why not spend some time as a family – an afternoon spent sledging is a surprising amount of fun!

Ice and Fire offer family friendly ski holidays in the alpine village of Les Coches, Paradiski.

January Skiing...by Heather Morison, Ice and Fire Ski Holidays

Heather of Ice and Fire in La Plagne, Paradiski, shares her top tips for January skiing!

January often gets a bad press among British skiers because the weather is colder, and it falls completely outside of the school holidays. But among seasonaires, January is a firm favourite and guests who try it often come back year after year.

Our number one favourite thing about January is that it is typically quieter on the pistes than the rest of the season so you get to spend longer on your skis and less time in lift queues. If you’re into the park skiing it’s a must as well with many of the pros using the quieter snow parks to get some practise in.

For anyone who is a fan of fluffy powder snow a January ski holiday is hard to beat. According to the ski club of Great Britain for the last three years La Plagne has consistently had more than a meter of slope depth on the lower slopes and nearly two meters on the upper slopes for the whole of January – that’s a lot of snow falling!

January is a great time to get some extra tuition in too as being outside all of the school holidays there is often plenty of space in the ski schools. Less demand for lessons means more one-to-one time in group lessons, and your pick of instructors for private tuition.

If you’re looking to bag a bargain, January is a great time to look, with prices traditionally being lower than the rest of the season. There are some super-cheap 5 day breaks going in early January, or have a search on Chalets Direct for the 16th January week which has been heavily reduced this year.

Thanks Heather for the great advice! Ice and Fire currently have some great offers running for Christmas, New Year and January - see here for more details!

Christmas Gift Ideas for Avid Skiers & Boarders

As lots of people, not just in the Alps, wake up to snow today, with sub zero temperatures and the promise of more to come, at CDHQ we can't help but feel pretty excited! Coupled with the Xmas buzz in the air we thought it might be a good idea to take a look at gift ideas for skiers and boarders - from full on presents to stocking fillers. If you're trying to think of what to get the snowbunnies and powder hounds in your family hopefully this will give you some ideas.

Extra Special for that Extra Special Someone:

If your budget is ready to stretch then there are multiple possibilities. Ski clothing doesn't come cheap - and generally you get what you pay for.

Experienced skiers and boarders will generally prefer to buy their own jackets and pants as they will be looking for gear which is hardworking and technical. However if you want to surprise them, look at the top technical brands - Kjus, Arc'teryx, North Face, Salomon, Peak Performance etc. For a good technical jacket you're probably looking at prices over £250 and for pants something similar. Garments with Gore-Tex will add a premium to the price tag, but many hardcore mountain lovers wouldn't be in anything else. A good technical garment means that it will keep you warm and dry whether you're on the chairlift or in a couloir; it will have enough pockets to stow goggles, glasses and other paraphernalia; jacket hoods will cut out the wind without restricting field of vision too much, moisture generated by exertion will be wicked away so keeping the body dry. There are a lot of features to take into consideration - so if you're not aware of the importance of these, it's best to let the "giftee" choose for themselves.  

The same could be said if you're thinking of buying hardwear - skis, boards, bindings etc. Again take them with you to the shops, or get a gift voucher.

If he or she is a backcountry enthusiast you could also consider items such as beeps, probes, shovels - again unless you know exactly what they want, it's probably better for them to choose for themselves.

Mid-Range Presents:

Skiers and boarders need a lot of other items on the mountain - so this is ideal if you're not wanting to buy big but still want to make it meaningful. Items that could come in under the £100 mark include goggles, baselayer and midlayer garments, helmets (although these should always be tried for fit and size), gloves and glasses too.

Baselayers are often overlooked by the beginner so would make a great gift. Good baselayers will keep the skin dry and so the wearer stays warm. This is particularly good for beginners, who most probably will be exerting themselves more than they expect with the effort of staying upright on unfamiliar equipment. If you get sweaty in low temperatures dampness on the skin can very quickly turn cold which will effect your enjoyment. Brands to look for include Helly Hansen, Odlo, Icebreaker - make sure that any baselayer garments you buy promise to wick moisture away from the skin.

Stocking Fillers:

There are absolutely loads of cheaper items that would make skiers and boarders happy. Socks, neckwarmers, hats, sunblock, hand warmers, hip flasks - you name it the gift is out there. The more experienced skiers and boarders will tend to shy away from novelty items - so unless you don't mind the comedy hat with the arm and axe being consigned straight to the bin, don't buy it. For the intermediate to advanced look for function as well as funky.

When buying hats it's a good idea if these aren't too bulky - so that they can be easily put in a pocket if the temperatures rise, and also look for fleece lined hats which keep heads and ears much warmer than hats without linings.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas. Over in the Alps, where the snow is welcomed with open arms, most resorts are gearing up to be opening in a week or two. It's looking like it wil be a great start to the season!

Getting the Best & Most out of Your Ski Trip

There's snow falling in the Alps, and in just a few short weeks all resorts will be dusting off the cable cars and opening their doors for winter 2010-11. Here Claire of AktivExperience in Meribel offers up her top tips for making sure that this winter's ski holiday is your best one yet!

Seeing the mountains, getting that 1st lift of your holiday, clicking in and doing that 1st run of your holiday has to be one of life's greatest feelings; the adrenaline, the breathtaking views, the freedom, in my world there is nothing better.

For me though, I am one of the lucky ones who is a permanent resident of the mountains so instead of just managing 1 week a season I get the whole 18. But what if like the vast majority I could only manage a week a season, how would I get the most from my limited time? Having worked over 19 ski seasons between us (Claire & Ben) we have seen those prepared getting the most from their skiing and those who come unprepared that spend the first couple of days still sorting themselves out.

In an ideal world your annual ski trip should start well before you arrive in resort, unlike a summer holiday where you plan to laze around the pool or relax on white sandy beaches, your ski trip can be and generally is far from relaxing, your body is pushed to its limits and probably your patience too!

Before you head off.
Skiing or boarding, it is going to exercise parts that haven`t been used since the last trip, and if you are anything like me, the idea of hitting the gym 3 times a week all year is great in theory but in practice something more exciting like chilling on the sofa with a bar of Galaxy is more appealing, so your body maybe a little out of shape.

To ensure you don`t pull a muscle on your first day and spend the following 6 sat watching tv in your chalet some pre-ski holiday conditioning is a good idea, a few simple exercises to get the body and the muscles warmed up for the trip ahead.

The exercises are not like that last minute beach diet that you go on a week before you hit the beach, the regime should be taken up as soon as you start thinking about booking your trip, at least this way your body will be fully prepared.

Getting the Gear:
You`ve got the exercise regime sorted, your body is already preparing itself now you need to sort out what you are going to wear, good gear is a must, it protects you from the elements and buy wisely and it will last you years.

In years gone by wool and tweed was the acceptable attire but this was when we skied on wooden planks with leather straps for bindings, long before the invention of synthetic fibres which dry quick, and are used to make a warm dry barrier to protect from the cold.

The demise of C&A many years ago saw the demise in the value all in ones (shame! ha ha ha) but no need to despair, designer outlets are popping up all over the UK, and TKmax always have a good range of branded apparel, that are fashionable, trendy & smart (depending on your approach to slopes style fashion) and sufficiently technical for your ski trip.

Ok only a week to go and you will be hitting the white stuff, the week before you head out do a little pre trip “lunch hour” research into your resort, most companies are now blogging and post weekly if not daily and many keep their blogs updated with the current weather, snow conditions, and what is happening in resort while you are there.

You're in resort what more can you do? Right thats it, you`ve exercised those legs,you`re fully kitted out, you have done a bit of research and your flight is about to take off and you are on your way to the snow. Once in resort the only thing left to do is ski/board and have a wicked time. So here are my final tips to help you get the most out of your trip while you are there 

• Get organised with your ski hire the day/evening you arrive, there is nothing worse than wasting the first 2 hours of your first day faffing around in the ski shop, head there when you arrive or better still arrange for your ski hire to be done in your chalet.
• Pre order your lift passes, again another time saver, and your passes will be delivered to your chalet during your first evening or during breakfast on your first day
• Get out your ski wear the night before, especially if you have kids, get all clothes & apparel ready so that when you rise in the morning you can step into your clothing and you will also have peace of mind that you have brought everything, gloves are like socks in the wash, you are sure you put 2 in there but some how only 1 appears to come out?!
• Regarding clothing on the hill, the best thing to do layer up, better to be too hot with layers than too cold, at least with layers you can remove them, too cold and your heading home early.
• Want to get as much ski time in as humanly possible in 6 days? Then try to get to the lifts 1st thing, from experience there tends to be minimal queues for the 9am lifts but by 9,30am the queues have formed especially during peak dates, and ski till you drop last lifts tend to be 4,30pm so grab that lift and enjoy being one of the last on the snow.
• During your time on the hill you will need refueling, if you have a hearty breakfast before you set out then you should be able to last till 2,30pm which again from experience is a good time to stop off at the restaurants as most people have eaten between 12 - 2 so no waiting for a table and quick service.
• When looking for somewhere to head to after skiing check out the bars with happy hours, many offer 2 4 1 and happy hour beer jugs.
• Can`t ski or very inexperienced? The best advice is get lessons, you may have a friend with you who promises they can show you the basics but lets be honest a professional will be better qualified and there is less chance of a fall out. 
• FINALLY......... HAVE AN EXCELLENT HOLIDAY

Obviously these are just hints and tips that we suggest to our guests that we have picked up along the way, others will have their own feel free to post your own hints and tips, create a review on Chalets Direct and share your thoughts.