The list of ‘other’ activities you can enjoy in a ski resort, other than skiing and snowboarding, seems to grow longer every year. Last season Skier & Snowboarder editor Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin witnessed two of the more unusual ones in Les 2 Alpes
Resort News & Reports
La Rosière celebrates opening of the Mont Valaisan sector which includes five new runs and off piste freeride area
by Skier & Snowboarder editor Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin
RESORTS have many different names for it – fresh tracks, first tracks, first lift, early birds – the list is fairly extensive. But what they all have in common is that getting up with the lark to hit the slopes while they are empty and untracked is really rather special.
Airport transfers made easy with Whiterides
PROMOTION
If you are looking for an airport transfer this season, Whiterides can help. The company offers a very competitive, friendly and professional transfer service.
With over 10 years’ experience in the industry and a huge return client base, Whiterides says you can rest assured you will be in safe hands on route to your ski holiday.
Magical Morzine – Spend Christmas on the slopes from £755pp
Morzine has something for everyone, from miles of tree-lined slopes for beginner and intermediate skiers to more technical for the advanced.
Alpine Elements has a wide selection of accommodation: From the Hotel Les Dents Blanches, a charming little hotel in a great location, to the Premium Plus Chalet Austin, a new luxury chalet with elegant interior, hot tub and incredible views. All their Christmas holidays include festive meals with all the trimmings!
No matter what you’re looking for from your next ski holiday Morzine ticks all the boxes, be sure to book early for the best price. For more info click here
Chalet 1066 staff will ensure your holiday runs smoothly
The French resort of Les Gets provides excellent skiing in a traditional, friendly and welcoming environment.
Chalet 1066 manages 33 chalets and apartments, from economy to luxury, in the village which forms part of the massive Franco/Swiss Portes du Soleil ski area.
Save on lift passes in Tignes & Val d’Isere with Ski Collection
Ski Collection (023 9289 0960) is offering clients a buy one get one free deal on Tignes Val d’Isere lift passes when skiers book to stay in Tignes for the week commencing 8 Dec or 15 Dec 2018. It’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy some early season skiing in this vast ski area.
Chalets1066 has a great choice of accommodation in the traditional French village of Les Gets
LES GETS, which forms part of the huge Franco Swiss Portes du Soleil ski area is a wonderful and traditional French ski resort and the village itself dates back to the 11th century.
It has won four awards for the world’s best family ski resort, is high enough for good snow, yet not too high for high winds and regular lift closures.
Up to 20% discounts offered by French specialists Lagrange Holidays
ARE you thinking about what to do for your Ski 2018/2019 holiday? Look no further! Lagrange Holidays provides self-catering accommodation in the Alps and Pyrenees.
As a French Ski specialist, we also arrange everything you need for your ski holiday including ski hire, lift passes, and lessons at your selected resorts.
The Eagle goes busking in Austria
IF you happened to be in Salzburg recently you may have been surprised to see me busking in one of the city squares!
Fortunately, this is not because I have fallen on hard times. I was actually in the city doing some filming for the Austrian National Tourist Board and one of the things they asked me to do was pretend to be a busker with a cap to collect the money out in front of me.
Five reasons why Cauterets in the French Pyrenees is perfect for spring skiing
by Iain Martin
IF YOU are thinking about taking a late season ski break, then maybe it’s time to try somewhere different and head to the French Pyrenees.
With the resort open until April 22, Cauterets is the perfect solution if you are looking to get away from it all and enjoy some great spring skiing. There are many great reasons to choose this captivating resort, but let’s start with these five:
Hollywood stars appear at Crans Montana film festival
by Amy Borrett
THE RECENT Les Rencontres du 7ème Art Lausanne Film Festival First Edition attracted a host of Hollywood celebrities and shone a spotlight on the Crans-Montana ski area in Switzerland.
And there was more good news this week when it was announced the ongoing dispute which had led to the indefinite closure of the ski lifts had been resolved for the time being. Day tickets are now on sale at a vastly reduced price, and Crans-Montana’s slopes will now stay open until 17 April.
Stay all night on the slopes of Cortina – in luxury!
AS THE season in Cortina d’Ampezzo draws to a close, skiers and snowboarders can still make the most of the fresh snowfalls which have created fabulous spring skiing conditions.
Anyone making last minute bookings to the Queen of the Dolomites, which claims to be Italy’s most fashionable resort, will be well rewarded.
Val Gardena welcomes the sunny season of mountain lunches
DID you know that virtually all the mountain restaurants in Val Gardena offer visitors waiter service?
Try a bit of speck mit glas on the slopes of Val Gardena.
The sight of skiers and snowboarders trying to find a table while balancing a tray of self-service food and drink is very rare in this Italian resort located in the heart of the Italian Dolomites and Christina Demetz, from the tourist office says: “It’s a remarkable feature of the Val Gardena slopes. All our wonderful mountain huts have table service, which we believe somehow reflects our philosophy of giving our guests the most relaxing and enjoyable experience possible.
Modern luxury in an ‘old school’ chalet in Les Arcs 2000
by Rob Rees
If you still haven’t decided where to go to enjoy this bumper ski season, and you’ve just about recovered from ‘The Beast from the East’, Les Arcs is a perfect venue. The gorgeous boutique Chalet des Cascades above Les Arcs 2000 still has some spaces left, at cracking prices through Flexiski (www.flexiski.com).
What’s new in Austria 2017/18
ZELL AN SEE-KAPRUN: The refurbishment of Zell am See’s Areitbahn ropeway, which now includes free wifi, will help bring skiers and snowboarders to the Schmittenhöhe even faster thanks to a 50% increase in passenger capacity.
Everything big in America… especially in Park City and Deer Valley
There were some amazing ski properties on show when NEIL ENGLISH visited the Utah resorts of Deer Valley and Park City, which now claims to be the biggest ski area in America. But one well-heeled owner of a slopeside mansion is now having to eat a slice of humble pie…
New ski area unveiled in the French Pyrenees
FOUR Pyrenean ski resorts have combined to create a new ski area – the Pyrenees 2 Vallées.
PHOTO: Peyragudes
Saint-Lary, Peyragudes, Piau-Engaly and Val Louron will be linked by shuttle bus and between them offer 247 km of skiable terrain with 166 pistes and 66 lifts.
What’s new in France 2017/18
Future of La Grave secured
AFTER a period of uncertainty for La Grave, the future of the legendary off piste area in Les Hautes Alpes has been secured by SATA, the lift company associated with Alpe d’Huez.
SATA has taken on the lease to operate the lift system in La Grave and has pledged to maintain the unique off-piste atmosphere of the area.
Crystal adds hidden gem to its winter programme
Nassfeld is the largest resort in the Southern Austrian region of Carinthia, yet it remains relatively unknown to British holidaymakers.
Located close to the Italian and Slovenian borders, the ski area itself is surprisingly expansive and has everything we come to expect from a resort nowadays – terrain parks, a snow cross track, a half pipe and over 100km of pistes ranging from beginner nursery type slopes through to the ‘Carnia’, a piste that is over 7km long.
A new 007 mystery in Sölden
There are some clandestine activities going on in Sölden that would be worthy of a spy thriller story.
But then that’s not surprising as the ski area, located in the Austrian Tyrol, found itself in the media spotlight in 2015 when it was used as one of the locations for the James Bond film Spectre.