So, Where will you be Skiing this Spring? - Chatel, France

So far, this season has bought everything you would expect from a Ski Resort, Cold temperatures (as low as -40) and lots of snow. And with Spring now just around the corner, what we tend to hear a lot of is 'from here on in - it's all about Altitude!'

Well... you couldn't be more wrong!

This week we've been enjoying the balmy temperatures of -10 (yes MINUS 10) in Resort, and even colder up the Mountain, We've got more than 20cms of new Snow arriving in the coming few days and the cold is set to continue til AT LEAST the end of March.

Chatel is at the perfect altitude - high enough to get some of the best snowfall in the alps, but low enough to stop wind exposure some if the higher resorts suffer from, plus with over 650km of pistes and practically unlimited off-piste, it's the perfect time to remind you that Spring skiing is not always about the Highest resort.

So, Where will you be Skiing this Spring?

snow wont stop cant stop falling - Nendaz - Haute Nendaz, Switzerland

An an amazing start to the season in Nendaz over a metre of snow has come in, cold temperatures and more forecast. Some pistes already open and the whole 4 vallees should be pretty much open by the 8th. Nendaz Telecabine certainly will be so enjoy the season.

Meredith Davis, ALPS4ULTD

Opening day - Fernie BC, Canada

Its opening day at Fernie , BC, Canada this coming Saturday. There is a good base and snow is forecast for the next few days. Canadian Powder Tours chalet holidays offer guiding which is great , especially on the first day of the season!! Enjoy winter everyone

Fernie powder - Fernie BC, Canada

FERNIE, CANADA, has an annual average snowfall of 35 feet plus. With its interior location it boasts a dry, light champagne powder. Not only that but you can rip it up in Fernie without the worry of any crowds , no lift queues and no one poaching your lines! Canadian Powder Tours is the only catered chalet and they offer guiding which is a total bonus with the terrain in Fernie. There are vast bowls , steep ridge lines, tree runs, natural gullies and kickers, something to suit everyone, every level. Now also Fernie boasts the new Polar Peak chair lift that takes you to the summit of the headwall looming above the resort and offers fantastic steep shoots all the way to the bottom.
AND, its all winter long..the snow is fantastic and the season is long...dont miss out, see you in Fernie!

Easter in Breckenridge 2012 - Breckenridge, USA

"We had a great time at Breckenridge. I really enjoyed the town. Visited a couple of museums lots of shops and a few restaurants. Everyone very friendly and welcoming. The weather was unusually warm as you know but as novice skiers we thought that was great. A winter holiday and summer holiday all rolled into one!

The accommodation (Beaver Run) view from the balcony was fantastic, looking over the ski-lift and run. (We saw an Elk, fox(?) and some grey squirrels).

The resort itself had everything we could have wanted and we made good use of the pool and hot tubs. The kids really enjoyed the arcade one evening when we met up with other families we knew who were holidaying at the same time as us.

The easy access to the slopes was an absolute god send for us as complete beginners we needed everything to be as easy as possible.

Likewise the ski hire package being delivered to our door was fantastic and the "service with a smile" was so refreshing.

The ski school was fantastic - the ski instructors were excellent and we were all at different levels and abilities and they accommodated us all swapping us around as they needed to making sure we were all happy at our different levels. I couldn't believe how well we progressed in such a short time.

All in all a lovely family holiday and everybody got something out of it.

Thank you for all your help in organising this holiday for us, it was completely out of our comfort zone but you made it so easy for us and we really enjoyed ourselves and we will definitely add ski-ing to our "fun things to do on holiday list" Thanks Chalets USA.

September Snow in USA ski resorts - Breckenridge, USA

First snow on the ski runs for Colorado resorts, USA

There was a dusting of snow on the peaks last weeks and this week proper snow on the tops of the ski runs in most of the resorts including Breckenridge, Vail, Winter Park & Arapahoe Basin.

Winter's coming early!!

NEW 6 Man High Speed Chair Lift - Les Deux Alpes, France

The Old red Diable 'oeufs' lift was permanently retired. After 56 years of operation, the bubbles made their last journey on the 1st of September and will be replaced this season by a brand new 6 man high speed chairlift.
This is a fabulous addition and will take skiers from this end of the village right up to 2400M to blue Cretes tp access all of the glacier skiing thus avoiding queues at the main central gondola and cable car !
Ski Power - whow are now running the Hotel Spa Farandole ( http://www.skipower.co.uk/Chalets.asp?res=9&cha=31 ) have stated that '' This couldnt be better timing for us''
There are also big plans and 9 million being spent on re shaping the lower part of the mountain to create even more runs into resort for beginners !
For details on the Farandole (300m from this this new chair !) please view www.skipower.co.uk

News for La Tania - La Tania, France

New for next Winter is the NEW TRIBU pass
A discount if 3 are more passes of the same type, dates and duration (min 6 days) are bought together. The “Tribu” discount works out around 7% for single valley passes or nearer 6% on 3 Valleys passes.

The family pass is re-worked so all pay the same price from 2 to 7 children skiing with 2 parents. Again they must be of the same type, dates and duration (min 6 days) and bought together. Note that kids in this instance are under 18 rather than under 13 for a “normal” kids pass.

So 2 adults with four kids who are 13 and buying 6-day 3 Valleys passes pay €1248 with a family pass rather than €1560 – a saving of €312.

Adult Trib pass - 6 Days 3 Valleys pass is 245 euros pp x Min of 3

Creche and Ski lockers
The public building and crèche is also completed (with secure outdoor area too) and the showers / changing room with left luggage lockers will be in operation next season – very useful for early and late departures when you wish to go skiing and have no accommodation, especially for Eurostar travelers getting in those “free” extra days skiing.

Ski Power operate 5 chalets in La Tania - www.skipower.co.uk

Ste Foy one of the best ski areas in the world... - Sainte Foy, France

Thanks to its superb powder, the profile of this secluded resort is rising, but it shuns the crowds and turns its back on consumerist booty. It feels timeless and tranquil, with no hotels, high-rises or high-octane nightlife. In its place are bijou apartments, several rustic-style spa residences and, above all, beguiling chalets. Think: cowbells, pitched slate roofs and piping hot woodstoves.
Ah, the skiing: as well as 32km of pistes, served by 7 lifts, the resort is an off-piste paradise, where powder lasts for days thanks to the north-facing slopes. Serious skiers lap up the off-piste run to the pretty hamlet of Le Monal or tackle the Foglietta, a steep vertical descent of 1700 metres. Black runs are rarely groomed, or groomed only for moguls. Given the back country’s popularity with Alpha-males, the smug B-team can then luxuriate in the emptiness of the pistes, with sweeping green runs through the trees.
The resort itself feels ravishingly aloof but for any mileage merchants in your party it is within easy reach of Val d’Isere, Les Arcs and La Rosière/La Thuile. If exhilarating descents weren’t enough, the hard-core set can opt for heli-skiing just over the Italian border, where skiers are rewarded with a view of both the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc – before the superb skiing back to France.
Sainte Foy offers the most convivial dining in the Tarantaise. Peckish skiers meet at Les Brevettes, a barn-like inn on the slopes, where the pistes converge. Warmed by a wood-fired stove, tuck into a traditional Savoyard lunch of raclette and fondue at La Maison a Colonnes. Sunbathe on the terrace or get snug in the wood-and-stone interior, decorated with defunct skis and kitsch cowbells.

What Chatel and the PDS can do for you.... - Chatel, France

Laid out between 1000m and 2466m over 400km2, is an area of the Northern Alps that catches some VERY heavy snowfall on a regular basis. What makes it particularly worthy of your attention is that this deep powder nature reserve is all unlocked with a single liftpass!

'The Gateway to the sun'

This literal translation for 'Les Portes du Soleil' is the Franco-Swiss area which falls between Lake Geneva, in Switzerland, and Mont Blanc, in France. It is home to 12 resorts, most Importantly CHATEL and 650km of slopes, making up arguably the largest ski area in the world.

Back in the 1960s, spearheaded by ski racing legend Jean Vuarnet decided to create the cross-border ski area. Today, their efforts mean that you can explore the 650km of high altitude piste, linking 14 villages on either side of the French-Swiss border, all with one, reasonably priced liftpass.

The immensity of the Portes du Soleil (PDS) – a succession of valleys in a wild nature reserve – makes it a haven for skiers. If you want to ski new runs every day for a fortnight; or if you want to switch from freestyle park fun to big mountain backcountry exploration – then this is the place for you.

Village-wise, PDS has a bit for everything, from the purpose-built, functional Avoriaz to the postcard-perfect Village of CHATEL. The 12 resorts making up the area: Avoriaz, Châtel, Les Gets, Morzine, Abondance, Chapelle d'Abondance, St Jean d'Aulps & Montriond on the French side; on the Swiss side lie Champéry, Champoussin, Les Crosets, Morgins, Torgon & Val d'Illiez. With CHATEL in Heart of this Hive of activity, Where will you Ski to tomorrow?

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