InTheSnow Issue 32 - October 2013

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October 2013 | inthesnow.com

fter quite a few decades pondering the fact, I believe that it’s around mid-September that you can officially start to get excited about the coming ski season.

In fact, anticipation started to build up in August this year, as we’ve had pictures arriving from the Rockies of ”the first snowfalls of winter 2013–14”, and news from New Zealand that current British World Cup champion (I’ve never been able to write that before) James ”Woodsy” Woods has won his first international freeskiing slopestyle competition in the ”build-up to the Sochi Olympics”. A metre of snow falling in 24 hours at Las Leñas also had pulses racing faster too, even if it is located on the other side of the world in Argentina. But then the southern hemisphere’s 2013 ski season is just winding down, which means the northern one is getting underway!

Indeed you can already ski at several top resorts – Hintertux in Austria, Saas-Fee or Zermatt in Switzerland, and depending on whether the snow arrives or not between my writing this and you reading it, there could be a dozen or so more glacier choices by early October. The first of the high-latitude, but nonglacial, resorts is Lapland, and the high altitude resorts in Colorado are next in mid-October.

Just how good a start this Olympic year gets off to is however, as it always is, down to the snow, and we’re all hoping for a third successive year of epic conditions in the Alps.

Besides the Olympics in February, there’s lots to look forward to in 2013–14, with new lifts extending the Austrian Arlberg from 280km to 340km, and Breckenridge in Colorado set to expand onto a fifth peak, to name but a few. You’ll find all the latest in the next few pages, or for the very latest check out our website at inthesnow.com, or our Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Have a good one!

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Olympic Season Is Go! PATRICK THORNE

he countdown to winter 2013–14 and the Sochi Olympics in Russia is on, with the first of the season’s world-class competitions having taken place in New Zealand last month, and glacier resorts in the Alps already open for skiers and boarders.

Team GB freeskier James ”Woodsy” Woods from Sheffield, the reigning slopestyle skiing World Cup champion from last season, got things off to a great start with gold in the first competition of the Winter Games New Zealand, he was followed 48 hours later by fellow Brit Jenny Jones, who took silver in the ladies snowboarding slopestyle event.

It’s now just 4 months until the Games get underway in the mountains above the Black Sea city of Sochi where, all being well, the frantic construction of four world-class ski areas is due to be largely completed in time for the competition.

The longest ever Olympic torch relay, which will see the torch go to the North Pole, to the bottom of the world’s deepest freshwater lake (it’s 1637m deep and in Siberia), and even go on a spacewalk.

Woods’ and Jones’ competitive success in New Zealand also comes after a summer when resorts, including Alpe d’Huez, Cortina and Verbier, re-opened their slopes to skiers and boarders due to so much late-season snow. To complete the positive picture, the UK’s biggest tour operator, Crystal, published their Annual Industry Report that showed more people had booked ski holidays last winter than

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Publisher

DOMINIC KILLINGER dom@inthesnow.com Production Director

MATT NICHOLSON matt@inthesnow.com

the previous winter, reversing a four The company reported 99% customer season decline – albeit the growth was satisfaction rates (“We’re working on the modest at +1%.

1% who gave us fair”).

"The decline in the ski market has now Crystal’s report showed the main area of bottomed out and we are starting to see signs concern is the number of children going of recovery and growth. However, we cannot away on school ski trips, which continues rest on our laurels and need to continue to deliver exceptional value, innovation and great service if we are to see the market return to pre-recession levels” said Crystal’s Managing Director, Simon Cross.

Other tour operators are upbeat about the coming season too, with many reporting that sales are up, Crystal: Crystalski.com in part due to the slowly GoSkiGoBoard: goskigoboard.org.uk improving economy, but James Woods: facebook.com/JamesWoodsyWoods perhaps equally if not more, Jenny Jones: jennyjonessnowboarder.com thanks to the recent run of Le Ski: leski.com excellent snowfall seasons.

Ski Supertravel: supertravel.co.uk/ski “Following a successful Sochi: sochi2014.com/en 2012/13 winter season we have already seen an increase in early bookings, particularly in peak dates” said Paul Markham, General Manager at Supertravel Ski. “We to decline and is now at a 20-year low. It are seven per cent up on last year and is not known if more children are skiing ten per cent up on the 2011/12 season. with their families to offset the decline, if Christmas is proving especially busy with not this could be bad news for the future.

100 per cent sold in Zermatt already. There In any case a campaign has just been is a lot of confidence in the early season, launched in England, GoSkiGoBoard, to due to two years of fantastic snow.” try to get people to try skiing or boarding Le Ski’s Managing Director, Nick Morgan, for the first time at one of the region’s dry was also feeling positive, “The snow was slopes or indoor snow centres, first with a unbelievable all season and there are still taster session then with 6 hours of lessons.

All that’s needed now to make 2013–14 areas of Courchevel, where I am currently, which have remnants of snow which it live up to expectations is the same as every certainly wouldn't normally. Incredible.” other good season – a lot of snow.

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inthesnow.com | OCTOBER 2013

C Giuseppe Ghedina

Arlberg

Ski Three Countries On One Luxury Safari

A new funitel lift with 10 giant gondola cabins will extend the ski slopes in the Arlberg by some 64km and connect in several more resorts to the Lech sector for 2013–14. The 2km long, €12m Doppelayrbuilt Auenfeldjet cable-car, will cross the Auenfeld pass to the Geissbühel Alpe creating a link between Lech-Zürs and the resorts of Warth-Schröcken. With 340km the Arlberg will be one of the world’s seven largest lift and piste linked ski areas, and

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pecialist ski tour operator Dolomite Mountains (dolomitemountains.com) has announced their winter 2013–14 programme, with a new twist on the theme of safaris. Instead of scouting for wildlife, these safaris are all about putting the kilometres under your skis.

Dolomites Ski Safaris last 4–10 days, and encompass the vast Dolomiti Superski region that links a dozen different valleys,

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between them offering approximately 1200km of pistes; all within an area of stunning natural beauty declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Different from classic resort skiing, Dolomites Ski Safaris also encourage skiers to ski from valley to valley in the day, and enjoy the hospitality of a rifugio (Alpine inn) in the evening. Here guests savour cuisines and cultures unique to each valley region.

The programme began last winter with two itineraries; the trips this winter expand to six new routes, including a

gourmet-focused trip featuring meals from Michelin-starred chefs in the huts, and a family-friendly option.

The new 3-Country Ski Safari includes the exclusive slopes of St Moritz in Switzerland, Lech in Austria, and Alta Badia in Italy, with a private English-speaking mountain guide, 5 accommodation and gourmet dining. Transfers are possible between each resort by helicopter. Prices start from £2180pp (minimum four people), for 4, 7 or 10 days.

the largest in Austria. However, the links are slightly tenuous with the connection between the St Anton and Lech sectors only skiable over fairly extreme terrain, and the new connection being lift-only.

Alpe d’Huez Having started improvements aimed at first time skiers in its Les Bergers area, Alpe d’Huez has announced further improvements for 2013–14 in the Les Jeux sector. Three draglifts will be replaced by a “chondola” which contains a mix of gondola cabins and chairlift seats on one cable. With a high capacity of 4000 persons per hour, they will make the resort more efficient and user friendly for beginners.

Plešivec The internationally unknown ski area of Plešivec in the Czech Republic is to be

Alone In Antarctica – London Presentation

dramatically transformed this coming winter. Previously a small ski hill with a 90 metre vertical, 400 metres of skiing terrain and a couple of elderly drag lifts, Plešivec is set to see the installation of three Leitner quad chairlifts as well as half a dozen drag lifts and carpet lifts with a combined uplift of more than 13,000 skiers per hour. Nine ski runs are being created, seven of them easy, the longest a 4.2km decent.

n November 2011, Felicity Aston set off from the coast of Antarctica on the Ross Ice Shelf to cross the entire continent on skis by herself.

Ahead of her was a 1744km journey through the Transantarctic Mountains, across the Polar Plateau to the South Pole then onto the far coast of Antarctica. The physical challenges of the 59-day journey are astonishing, but it is the mental hardships that Aston describes that are the most memorable.

The crushing solitude and emotional turmoil that she experienced on a daily basis resulted in an appreciation of the details of the environment around her, and a rather strange relationship with the sun!

In a presentation on 21 October at 7.30pm in the Ellis Brigham store at Covent Garden in London, Aston will talk about the mental toughness required, and the physical challenges that she endured to realise her goal of becoming the first woman in the world to ski across Antarctica alone.

Aston’s book, Alone In Antarctica, is out now, and she will be signing copies on the night of the presentation.

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The Ultimate Ski Luggage Solution If you’ve ever been torn between taking a rucksack and a wheeled case on your ski holiday – one being better in the UK and at the airport, the other more use if you have to get over snow to your final destination – then luggage manufacturer Osprey may have the solution, with their new Ozone 70 convertible case.

For ease of handling and keeping baggage costs down, the bag has an ultralight HighRoad LT chassis, smooth rolling action, innovative storage solutions, and retractable handle. There is even a detachable 15L daypack, capable of holding a laptop, and the choice to deploy a back system and convert the case into a backpack. The bag costs £180 – more details from ospreyeurope.com.

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OCTOBER 2013 | inthesnow.com

m o u n t a i n h e a v e n heavenly skiing, at down to earth prices

Dancing On High THIS WINTER DAVID BLACK

he new Folie Douce village opening 2300m up at the top of the Marmottes 1 lift in Alpe d’Huez this winter will be very different. Along with a choice of restaurants and shops, the Folie Douce daily cabaret show on a specially-built stage will be a “high class, imaginative dance spectacular, bringing the dining show concept bang up to date, and taking it high up on the mountain,” the resort promises.

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La Folie Douce team incorporates a clubbing crew with resident DJ, a couple of singers, and a mini horn section (sax/ trumpet). There’s an outdoor bar and huge dance floor where the musical content evolves throughout the day, with lounge style during restaurant hours, transitioning through the cabaret show to a full-on dance party.

The new Alpe d’Huez Folie Douce is the fourth after Val d’Isère, Val Thorens and Méribel Vallée and will, like the others, have a La Fruitière restaurant, a Nuvo selfservice, an outside bar and a Folie Shop.

high quality catered & self catered accommodation

New Six-Passenger Chairlift For Meiringen-Hasliberg he Swiss ski area of Meiringen-Hasliberg will see a new six-passenger highspeed chairlift installed for next winter in the Hasliberg sector.

The new lift will be a replacement for the Bidmi-Käserstatt double chairlift, with the new lift following the route of the old one but ascending 10m higher and 200m to the east at the top for better run access to Käserstatt and Mägisalp.

The new lift, which will be faster as well as having a higher capacity than

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its predecessor, will feature pull-down protective weather protection hoods, and child safety locks on the safety bar.

The local lift company believe that by installing a better, faster lift on a route with better alignment with the ski slopes it will make the route more popular, and make the previously under-utilised slopes in the area more popular too.

The chairlift is for winter use by skiers and boarders only; it will not be used for pedestrians at any time of the year and will be closed outside of the ski season.

French and Swiss Alps Snow Sure Resorts On / Near Piste locations No Hidden Extras Financially Bonded

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Burrrr It’s Cold In Tremblant “Don’t worry about frostbite …” my ski instructor Jan Philips tells my group standing under the thermometer, which is reading –32°C, “your skin goes a tad white, then scabs, but it won’t scar … do look out for your friends though.”

Prior to my visit to Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada, everybody to whom I had spoken had warned me to take every pair of thermals I own. But it’s not always perishingly cold, and I was expecting it, visiting in January – often the coldest month on both sides of the Atlantic.

But it’s not a day to be standing around.

The pistes are virtually empty, and the snow hard-packed and in perfect condition. It may be bitter, but I’ve come all this way, so why waste valuable time?

Skiing in Canada varies dramatically coast-to-coast given the vastness of the country, and East Coast skiing is certainly a unique experience. Ski out of Quebec City in Le Massif Charlevoix and you’ll have a view over the St Lawrence River, yet head west to Montreal, and Tremblant is the largest settlement before the Arctic.

The views confirm this: from the north side of the mountain forests stretch as far as the eye can see, whilst the main south side offers a breathtaking vista of the frozen Lake Tremblant and distant wilderness.

Quebec is a fascinating place: bilingual and with major cultural influences from Europe and the States, it doesn’t really feel much like Canada at all.

Access to the resort’s 2.6km2 of skiing is easy, with a heated gondola whisking you

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straight from the village – usually just a short walk from your accommodation – to the top of the south side. From here it is possible to ski down to the north side pistes, or onto Versant Soleil – a third section of the ski hill (home to the casino and further lodging) – or to The Edge, which I’m told is the place to ski when the powder’s good.

The ski area is not huge, and rather surprisingly half the trails are classified black, although in reality most of those that are groomed could be considered red runs. Plenty is ideal family-friendly terrain. There are, however, a number of bump runs, with the bitter conditions ensuring a hard-packed (if not icy in places) base. For intermediates, the wide groomed trails make for excellent cruising ground, while beginners can practice within the safety of the nursery area, progressing to the easy green runs.

The resort is the soul survivor on Crystal Ski’s East Coast North America programme, and its most affordable transatlantic destination. “Tremblant is an entry-level North American resort,” Ian Davis the Product Director of TUI Ski told me. “It’s ideal for a keen, relatively experienced, skier looking to discover new resorts but also spend time in Montreal.”

Modelled in the style of a fauxQuebec-City – and purpose-built by Intrawest – the village contains vibrant colourful buildings and cobbled streets, and has been designed for maximum convenience.

If sliding downhill isn’t your thing, alternative winter activities include 80km of cross-country trails, which wind

their way in the resort. around the There is Ben Clatworthy travelled with Destination Quebec Tremblant something (quebecoriginal.com/uk) and Crystal Ski (crystalski.

National bizarrely co.uk), who offer a week’s B&B in Mount Tremblant Park, ice humorous from £877pp (based on four sharing) at the 4★ skating about sitting Marriott Residence Inn, including flights with Air Canada (aircanada.com) from London Heathrow on the lake in Italian and to Montreal and transfers. Air Canada offers or tubing, French-Savioe more daily flights from the UK to Canada or plain restaurants than any other airline (aircanada.com). old sledging approximately for free.

6400km across the Snowshoeing ocean, often paying through the forest is less and enjoying better yet another alternative, and quality food than in the Alps. one of the best ways to spot deer and CoCo Pazzo is the best in town for an moose, the latter of which, outnumber the authentic Italian meal, but if you’re population of Quebec. looking for raclette and fondue, La Once off the snow, make sure to pay Savoie serves the traditional Alpine a visit to La Diable microbrewery, an French cuisine. après-ski hotspot serving six beers So, if you’re looking for a little brewed on site. Food plays a big part transatlantic jaunt this season, and fancy in Canadian life, and much like all of something new, Tremblant (and Montreal) Quebec there’s a huge variety of choice are worthy contenders for your hit list.

Ben Clatworthy

BEN CLATWORTHY

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OCTOBER 2013 | inthesnow.com

Wide Angle Adrien Coirier Freerider

From Intermediate Piste To Off-Piste BEN CLATWORTHY

hose who have looked longingly at the powder skiing pictures and videos beloved of ski media and marketing, but who feel unable to move themselves from the safety of the onpiste plateau, have some freeride long weekends to consider this winter in the world’s freeride capital, Chamonix.

The International Academy (international-academy.com), in partnership with ski school Evolution 2, is launching a new weekend course to

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teach key off-piste skills to anyone with a good intermediate level of skiing. They will prepare participants for all aspects of the descent of the 22km Vallée Blanche, mastering the conditions off-piste at the time of the course (every day is different off-piste).

The course costs from £965, including return transfer from Geneva Airport, 4 nights accommodation in the 2 Hotel Vert, a 4-day Mont Blanc lift pass, 3 days of training (6 hours per day), and a descent of Vallée Blanche on the Monday, with departure dates on the 23 January or the 13 March 2014.

Les 2 Alpes For Autumn Half-Term Les 2 Alpes Tourist Office

es 2 Alpes (les2alpes.com) closed for summer skiing on its glacier between 3600m and 3200m on 31 August, but the resort will re-open from 26 October–3 November for an autumn snow fix, with gear testing and a carnival atmosphere. All of the hotels, residences, bars, restaurants and shops will be open.

On the opening weekend, 26–27 October, Les 2 Alpes will host the events ”Enjoy the Glacier” for boarders, and ”Ski, Tests and Rock’n’Roll” for skiers, each including contests, gear tests, guest pros, giant BBQs, gigs, movies, art exhibitions, etc.

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During the opening weekend there will be a discounted lift pass at €22 per day (£18), rising to €27.50 (£23) from 28 October–3 November. The resort also has packages from €72pp (£60), including lift pass, based on four sharing an apartment for 2 nights on 25–26 October.

ouples who have ”lofty ambitions” for their wedding ceremony now have the option of riding a beautifully decorated wedding cable car to their marriage in the Rellerli Mountain Inn, which can accommodate up to 300 guests, on Schönried ski area above Gstaad in Switzerland.

The Bergbahnen Destination Gstaad AG has created a special wedding cable car, available upon request, in which curtains and lovingly-arranged floral decorations complete the look.

“Being so far removed from normal,

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everyday life, the happy young couple float towards seventh heaven,” said a resort statement.

The bridal couple travel for free of course – normal rates apply to the remaining guests.

w w w . e i d e r. c o m

Photos credit: Sebastien SECCHI - IMAGIE SA /// Dom DAHER /// EIDER©

Wedding Gondola “To Seventh Heaven”

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THE O T t c e r i d y Fl m o r f S P L A H C FREN rts po r i a K U N FIFTEE

inthesnow.com | OCTOBER 2013

New Cable Car Has Open-Air Balcony PATRICK THORNE

ew cable car cabins installed on the existing ropeway to the Dachstein glacier, near Schladming in Austria, have the novelty of an upstairs “balcony”, where up to 10 passengers can get a fresh air view of the massive Dachstein massif as the lift climbs 1000 vertical metres to 2700m in 5.5 minutes, rising up to 210m above the south face of the mountain and requiring no support towers.

The new panorama lift will officially open in July 2014, but is already operating with access to the balcony section on a first-come, first-served basis

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Direct bus transfers timed to flight arrivals and departures available from both airports to the major ski resorts

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at the lift stations at no additional cost.

The new lift, which is 15% faster than its predecessor, carries 50 people in each cabin, has a capacity of 550 people per hour, and travels at 43kph.

A large amount of glass has been used in its construction to provide spectacular views from inside as well. There are also integral video screens providing information on the Dachstein as skiers ascend.

The lift re-opened during unprecedented summer snow conditions on the glacier, which received another 30cm of fresh snow in the last week of June, giving ”powder” conditions for skiers and boarders visiting in July.

Hotel Wins Eco Gold Award he Hotel Saint Louis in Courchevel, France, has been awarded a gold award by the international organisation Travelife (travelifecollection.com), which is a travel industry-led scheme launched in 2007, in partnership with tour operators and endorsed by ABTA. A prerequisite for this award is strict compliance with all the criteria of sustainability that helps hotels to improve the way they manage their social, as well as environmental, issues.

“We have been steadily working through a programme of renovating and improving the hotel, and delivering a more sustainable product certainly formed a significant part of this process,” said Peter Hillyard, New Business and Operations Manager for

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Flexiski (flexiski.com), which offers holidays in the Hotel Saint Louis.

The gold award means that the hotel management must show that they lead the way and have an active environmental policy, publish regular reports on their sustainability actions, treat their staff fairly and with respect, as well as helping local people.

*£18 on a Bed and Breakfast basis.

All inclusive options also available.

www.skipower.co.uk

Horizon Festival Back in Bansko he Horizon Festival, which launched last season, is one of the first of the annual crop of festivals to confirm it’ll be back in 2014, allowing those prepared to commit early to secure an early-booking deal, and take advantage of advance booking fares with airlines.

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The Festival will be staged from Saturday 8 to Friday 14 March 2014; and a special Early Bird Ticket has just been released on the website, which includes 6 nights on a B&B basis at a 4 hotel, with inclusive spa access, a 5-day lift pass, and access to the Festival all for £209 (togetherholidays.net/ booking/horizon).

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British World Champion Woodsy Wins In New Zealand ritish freeskier James “Woodsy” Woods, current slopestyle World Cup champion, got his run up to Sochi off to a great start by winning the Parklife Invitational ”best male skier” title from two-time winner Gus Kenworthy of the USA. Some of the world’s top freestyle skiers and riders pulled out their best tricks in front of thousands of spectators, at the Parklife Invitational rail jam in downtown Queenstown last month.

Competitors dropped down a specially-built 36m-long snow ramp, going head-to-head on a purposebuilt stair feature, set up by The Remarkables terrain park crew, and covered by snow trucked down from the ski area. “It was an absolutely awesome show and the standard of competition was intense,” said local ski area manager Ross Lawrence.

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Expertise Since 1965_wkg_ITS_A4_Map.pdf

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Expertise and Advice Since 1965...

Free Ski Pass & Breakfast Méribel Vallée, the ”new” name that Méribel’s marketing team would prefer for what we once called Méribel, has announced a special promotion for opening day on 7 December. Early risers should head to the Tourist Information Office in Méribel-Mottaret, where the first 100 skiers to present themselves will be rewarded with a free Méribel Vallée ski pass and breakfast. Plus, all those who ski in resort on the 7 or 8 December are invited to participate in a prize draw to win a VIP weekend for two in Méribel.

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A rare new black run will open in Austria next winter, an event so unusual that the new trail has already been given an intimidating name – the Black Mamba. ”Extreme piste” number 14, on the Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun, will plunge 290 vertical metres over its 1km length, at gradients of up to 63%. The run will begin from the valley station of the Kristallbahn lift, and finish at Langweid.

Supertravel To Offer New Chalets Supertravel Ski (supertravel. co.uk/ski) has announced it will be offering three brand-new ski chalets for the 2013–14 season in St Anton. Chalet Stratus, Chalet Cirrus and Chalet Nimbus are newly-built, designer properties with views of the Rendl mountain.

Chalet Stratus and Chalet Cirrus each sleep six, both boasting three en-suite bedrooms, working stone fireplaces, antique wooden beams and hand-picked furniture; while Chalet Nimbus is a five-bed penthouse chalet, offering the same balance of the traditional and modern.

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Snowboxx Festival Back In Andorra he Snowboxx festival is returning to Andorra this winter, after its successful launch last season.

Curated by the pioneers of music holidays Mainstage Travel, which runs summer events in Spain and Ibiza,

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Snowboxx ensures that holidaymakers experience the best of the local area by running partnerships with local bars, offering discounts at local shops, and running day trips to Grandvalira.

Snowboxx will run from 23–30 March 2014, and will be doubling the capacity

of 2013, with a still more ambitious lineup and events. The festival also offers lift passes, equipment hire, transfers, lessons, and a huge range of accommodation options through their website, with prices excluding travel starting from £199.99 for wristband, lift pass and accommodation.

September Marks Ski-Lifts 10th Anniversary Founded in Morzine, Ski-Lifts (ski-lifts.com) is this year celebrating its 10th anniversary.

It now offers transfers to over 200 ski resorts throughout Europe and North America.

So, whilst a great deal has changed for the company in the last 10 years, Morzine is still a special place for them.

Situated at the heart of the world-famous Portes Du Soleil ski area, Morzine allows access to a vast range of skiing and snowboarding.

The village itself retains its traditional Alpine atmosphere, while benefiting from all of the facilities you would expect from an international ski area.

CR 74 PRO //

Sign the best turns, brave the best slopes ! *

To celebrate its birthday, Ski-Lifts is running a competition to offer you the chance to win an unforgettable holiday for two people in Morzine this January. The lucky winners will have the chance to experience the resort, the ski area, and stay in the beautiful Chalet Carclion, courtesy of Riders Refuge.

The prize includes:

• • • •

Catered chalet accommodation in Morzine for 1 week, provided by Riders Refuge.

Return flights to Geneva airport.

Return transfers to Morzine provided by Ski-Lifts.

6-day lift pass.

Ski or snowboard hire for the week, delivered to you in the chalet by Door Step Skis

For details on how to enter simply visit ski-lifts.com/competition.

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Dynastar.com * Signez les plus belles courbes, Défiez les meilleurs spots

photos : Christophe Margot / Kalice - création graphique :

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OCTOBER 2013 | inthesnow.com

ValThorens_Tourist Office

Les 3 Vallées Offer TICKET Discounts he giant Les 3 Vallées ski region in France, which includes leading resorts such as Courchevel, Méribel Vallée, Les Menuires and Val Thorens, has announced a new lift pass price initiative for the coming season, as the cost of a 6-day lift pass for adults and children aged 13 and over 12 reaches €277 (£232).

When two people buy a ticket together, they will be offered a discount on the

individual lift ticket price. For a 6-day 2013–14 pass this means the standard rate will be €10 less at €267 for adults and children aged 13 and over.

The discount was first offered when three people bought passes together last season, and that deal, with a greater saving, is available again for 2013–14, with prices reduced further to €262pp.

A family price, when two parents and two to seven children aged 5–18 years buy a pass together, is further reduced to €221.60 each.

anadian company BRP has produced its three-millionth Ski-Doo snowmobile – the 2014 Ski-Doo Summit X E-TEC 800R model – in its Valcourt, Quebec, manufacturing facility, 54 years after the Ski-Doo snowmobile was conceived in 1959. Such is the global recognition of Ski-Doo, many people still refer to all snowmobiles as ”Ski-doos” – just as many people refer to all sticky tapes as Sellotape.

It was also exactly 40 years, day for day, since the millionth snowmobile, a 1974 Ski-Doo T’NT Everest 440 model, was produced, and 20 years since the second millionth, a 1994 Ski-Doo Summit snowmobile was introduced.

“From design to engineering, to the

assembly line via marketing, sales and many more, BRP employees have made this milestone possible by striving for quality, innovative and industry leading products that continually reinvent the sport,” said José Boisjoli, President and CEO. “I want to thank all of them for their hard work, commitment and dedication over the years, without them, this accomplishment would not have been possible.”

BEN CLATWORTHY

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News The Three-Millionth Ski-Doo C

Free Electric Car Charging Stations rive an electric car to Squaw Valley by Lake Tahoe in California (if you can find one to rent at the airport) and you can now charge it up free of charge, at one of four new electric car chargers installed there for guests to use.

“We are committed to making Squaw an environmental pacesetter for the Lake Tahoe region,” said Andy Wirth, President and CEO of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. “We know the region’s success is dependent on our dedication to protecting the special mountain environment.”

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The charging stations will be open to guests 7 days a week – however Squaw says guests are asked not to leave their cars at the charging stations for more than 10 hours at a time.

Discover our Autumn/Winter collection of soft, warm and highly breathable base layers.

For stockists information telephone 01572 772437

NEW RANGE INSTORE NOW

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Prince Dies Months After Avalanche Prince Friso of The Netherlands was laid to rest last month after dying ”from complications” apparently unexpectedly. He had been in a coma for 18 months, since he was buried by an avalanche at the Austrian resort of Lech in February 2012.

Aged 44 years, Prince Friso had been skiing with friends when the avalanche struck and he was buried for approximately 15 minutes, suffering severe brain damage and never regaining consciousness.

inthesnow.com | OCTOBER 2013

World’s Most Expensive Ski Chalet Rental Hits €450K P/Week BEN CLATWORTHY

he most expensive ski chalet rental for 2013–14 is believed to be the €450,000 being asked for a 10-night stay at the start of January, over the crucial Russian New Year holiday period, at Chalet Edelweiss in Courchevel 1850. That is the price according to The Luxury Chalet Collection (luxurychaletcollection.

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com), which has released its annual selection of the world’s 20 finest chalets.

“The Edelweiss is officially the largest and most luxurious chalet in Courchevel,” said Rupert Longsdon, Founder and Director of The Oxford Ski Company, which compiles The Luxury Chalet Collection.

The chalet sleeps 16, and has a similar number of staff including two chefs, two butlers,

a chauffeur, concierge, several housekeepers, a massage therapist, and a ski instructor.

At low-season dates you can access all this, and its extensive luxury facilities, for 80% less – €80,000 – and it’s still available to rent, even though the peak period has now been booked.

It’s available at that lowest rate for the end-of-season week, from 20 April 2014, with the 2 weeks before only a little

higher at €100,000. Most other remaining weeks of the season are in the €200,000–280,000 bracket per week.

New Season. New Ski Guides. New Website.

Order the latest copy of our luxury ski hotels guide at PowderRetreats.com

Check out our new website on your PC, Mac, Tablet, or Smart Phone at InTheSnow.com

Order the 2014 Ultimate Accommodation Guide at SkiAccommodationGuide.com

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OCTOBER 2013 | inthesnow.com

AMANDA MEGAN MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Sochi Olympic Torch Set To Space Walk PATRICK THORNE

he Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) has become an Honoured Partner of the Sochi 2014 Olympic torch relay, which is sponsored by Coca-Cola – long associated with the Olympics since 1928 and now has a $3bn (business in Russia. The Agency has agreed to take the Sochi 2014 Olympic torch to the International Space Station (ISS) and on a spacewalk.

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Although the flame has made it into space before, ahead of the 1996 Atlanta and Sydney 2000 Games, this is thought to be the first time that the Olympic torch will be carried in open space.

The Olympic torch will travel to the ISS on the Soyuz TMA11M manned spaceship in the beginning of November. Once in space, Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryazansky and Oleg Kotov will take the Olympic torch on a spacewalk. The cosmonauts have already started their training at the Yu. A. Gagarin Research and

Test Cosmonaut Training Centre.

For health and safety reasons, it is not planned to light the torch.

The Olympic torch will return to Earth with cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, who is currently based on the ISS. While based on the ISS in 2007, Yurchikhin and his colleague, Oleg Kotov, supported the Olympic bid presentation that was made in Guatemala, following which Sochi was elected as the host city of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The 4-month torch relay, which starts in Sochi on 7 October, will

be the longest Olympic torch relay in Winter Games history, covering more than 65,000km with 134,000 torch bearers travelling through 83 Russian regions. Methods of transport will include car, train, plane, troika, spaceship and reindeer sleigh.

It is also planned that the torch will make it to the bottom of Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest at 1637m.

The relay will end with the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi on 7 February 2014.

Aspen Gay Ski Week Ceremony The organisers of the longestablished Gay Ski Week in Aspen, one of the world’s oldest gay ski celebrations, as well as one of Aspen’s biggest annual events, have unveiled plans to stage a mass civil union of gay couples at 11am on 18 January as part of next winter’s event. The plan follows the decision by the Colorado state government to recognise civil unions involving gay couples in law last May; and the organisers hope it will be one of the biggest mass gay civil union ceremonies.

InTheSnow.com

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PATRICK THORNE

he past two winters have seen fantastic early-season snowfalls in the Alps, with those lucky enough to be on the slopes in the weeks before Christmas enjoying powder-filled slopes, often all to themselves.

Apart from stealing a march on winter 2013–14 and being among the first to try out the new season’s ski equipment and new facilities in resorts, there are other advantages to being one of the early birds in the Alps. Not least are the price incentives on lift passes, accommodation and other resort services that most ski areas offer in the weeks before Christmas.

With some high glacier ski areas opening as early as September, and many of the big name resorts open from the end of November, the good news is you can find snow-sure ski resorts

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before Christmas too, so long as you’re careful where you book.

Here are some recommendations: Lech and St Anton Lech in the Austrian Arlberg begins snowmaking as early as 1 October to ensure its pistes have good snow cover in time for its season start – the 6 December this year. The pistes go right up to 2811m, making snow cover (almost!) a certainty.

One of the biggest news stories in world skiing for the coming winter is the expansion of the Arlberg ski area with the lift connection to the neighbouring ski areas of Warth and Schrocken, thus creating a 340km ski region.

Neighbouring St Anton is also a snowsure early season bet, although it does not share the new direct lift connection (but it is included in the lift pass) – instead you’ll need to get a bus connection to Lech to ski it. The best flight connection

for either resort is to Friedrichshafen only 90 minutes away. Monarch operates two flights per week from London Gatwick, and up to four from Manchester.

Davos and Klosters Davos and Klosters, only a little further away from Friedrichshafen (2 hours and 1 hour 5 minutes, respectively), are another pair of early-openers, in this case from mid-November, thanks to glacier skiing on the upper slopes.

Although it may not all be open from day one, a sizeable chunk of the area’s 320km of pistes will be operational by mid-December.

Alpe d’Huez And Les Deux Alpes Two of the largest ski areas in France are both only 75 minutes away from Grenoble Airport, which you can reach quickly with Monarch from Leeds Bradford, which operates two flights

per week, or from London Gatwick with up to four flights per week. Both areas have high glacier ski areas above 3000m, topping off vertical descents of more than 2000m – each above the world’s top 20 greatest lift-served verts.

Both have big ski areas of 200km of piste or more, and are also so snowsure they offered summer skiing and snowboarding in 2013.

Sölden and Obergurgl Sölden has twin glaciers and is one of the first resorts in the world to open each season usually by September, prior to staging World Cup competitions by the end of October, the first in the northern hemisphere each season. Its Otztal regional neighbour Obergurgl has a reputation as being the first nonglacier ski area in the Alps to open, this year on 14 November. As you can read in our Tirol feature this month,

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Sölden will be unveiling a spectacular new mountain restaurant, 3048m up on Gaislachkogel, which you could be one of the first to visit along with those freshly-groomed pistes. The resorts are an easy 3-hour drive down the autobahn from Munich (two flights per week from Leeds and Manchester, and up to four per week from Luton, all with Monarch), or only 98km from Innsbruck (up to three flights per week from Manchester, again with Monarch).

Passo Tonale Passo Tonale is one of four Italian ski areas (from more than 300) that is open into June each year, and which re-opens in early October, thanks to its glacier ski slopes above 3000m.

Located just over 2 hours from Verona airport, served by Monarch flights from Manchester, it is at the heart of the Adamello ski area, which links 100km

of slopes, including a superb descent 11km-long over 1861m of vertical. Passo Tonale is a great choice if you like guaranteed snow, a better than average chance of winter sunshine, better prices than further north, and a relaxed Italian attitude.

Tignes & Val d’Isère Tignes has a longer ski season than any other French resort, and is the only one (except for an October half-term opening of Les Deux Alpes) that’s open right through the autumn. So by the time December rolls around, Tignes will have already clocked up around 10 weeks of its 8-month-long 2013–14 ski season (and that’s without the 2 months more it re-opens for in the summer!).

Its neighbour in the giant Espace Killy (300km of pistes), Val d’Isère, joins it at the start of December to offer one of the largest ski areas open in the world.

Alpe d’Huez: alpedhuez.com Davos: davos.ch Klosters: klosters.ch Lech: lech-zuers.at Les Deux Alpes: les2alpes.com Obergurgl: obergurgl.com Passo Tonale: adamelloski.com St Anton: stantonamarlberg.com Sölden: soelden.com Tignes: tignes.net Val d’Isère: valdisere.com

Monarch Flights Season Start Dates

Friday 13 December Leeds Bradford to Munich Saturday 14 December Leeds Bradford to Grenoble London Gatwick to Friedrichshafen and Grenoble Luton to Munich Manchester to Friedrichshafen, Munich and Verona

Sunday 15 December Manchester to Innsbruck Year-round London Gatwick to Barcelona, for ski areas in Andorra and Spanish Pyrenean resorts like Baqueira – open from lateNovember Manchester to Venice for the worldfamous resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo, so snow-sure it re-opened in the summer as there was still so much snow left.

For more information, latest deals and to book visit: monarch.co.uk/ski

Mixed Media: Monarch / Laurent SALINO ALPE D’HUEZ TOURISME

Official Resort Information For Early Season Offers

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New Boots Have Omni-Heat American skiwear company Columbia has released new versions of their tried and tested footwear for 2013–14. The Bugaboot is fully waterproof with a Techlite shell, and 200g insulation combined with full Omni-Heat reflective lining, which keeps your toes toasty right down to –32°C outdoor temperatures. For maximum snugness a heated electric version is available.

The boots also feature a Techlite lightweight cushioned midsole, and have exceptional grip thanks to the Omni-Grip non-marking rubber sole. So all in all a boot that does everything you need to stay warm and upright in the snow, without weighing you down (columbia.com).

inthesnow.com | OCTOBER 2013

The Season Ahead & The Impact Of The Currency Markets BEN CLATWORTHY

wning and running a chalet can be an interesting proposition, but as in all aspects of tourism it can sometimes be a slalom race of its own.

In the pre-crunch years fuelled by cheap credit and mushrooming property values, chalet ownership offered the temptation of annual price gains

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and lucrative rental income as well, of course, as an investment in a ski resort. In particular, with the rise of budget airlines – quick and regular flights to European ski resorts – came huge demand for luxury chalets, and a never-ending stream of willing skiers keen to rent out for holidays.

However, when the credit crunch began to bite hard for the second time, many owners who had bought a winter retreat

as an investment began to panic and put their properties on the market. As global stock markets began to wobble and confidence in the financial system stuttered, chalet prices began to slide perilously, along with almost all property types.

In Europe, prices slumped by up to 25% in many French Alps resorts, 15% in Italy and 12% in Austria according to analysis, while the falling value of the pound heightened the financial pain.

With foreign exchange, many ski chalet owners buy ahead or purchase for the season at a costed level. This is fine if you are fully booked and cash-rich with deposits; however, for many this is not an option. MoneyMoFX (moneymofx.com) has an online system that allows any registered client to deal online from £1000 upwards free of charge.

MoneyMoFX also has the facility to deal over the telephone.

Free Ski Pass Under Your Pillow The Swiss resort of CransMontana (crans-montana.ch ) has an enticing offer for anyone who books direct with one of 25 hotels in the town during the final 6 weeks of the ski season – a lift pass will be waiting for you under your pillow! The offer is valid from 17 March–27 April 2014, and one night stay/client = one free day ski pass. The offer is subject to the ski area being open, but with slopes extending up to 3000m above sea level and crowned by a glacier, that shouldn’t normally be an issue.

The Ski Trade Launched We’re pleased to present The Ski Trade, a new publication that does exactly what it says on the tin – reports on all matters related to the ski industry from a trade perspective. We’ll be publishing The Ski Trade within our pages every issue from now on. If you’re in the ski industry and want to receive your free copy direct every month, then go to theskitrade.com and register. You can also follow the new publication on Twitter @theskitrade.

Seeing The Northern Lights Tops Travellers’ Wish List eeing the Northern Lights is the experience most travellers would like to have according to Lonely Planet Traveller (lonelyplanet.com).

Of 1563 respondents to a survey for the magazine, to celebrate Lonely Planet’s 40th anniversary, 58% said they’d like to see the aurora borealis. This was the only experience in the top 10 that you can do on a regular skiing holiday. Eight of the other pursuits, receiving 11–30% of the popularity votes, were all warm weather destination activities, apart from ”meeting penguins in the Antarctic”, which came in at number five with 22% of the votes.

“I’ve had the chance to consider just how accessible, original and imaginative travel

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experiences have become over the past 40 years,” said Lonely Planet Traveller’s Editor Peter Grunert, “… seeing the Northern Lights is one experience so many travellers would realistically love to have at some point during their lifetime.”

Several of the UK’s leading ski tour operators, including Crystal (crystalski. co.uk), Inghams (inghams.co.uk/northernlights) and Ski World (skiworld.co.uk), offer ski holidays to Lapland.

Ski Safari also offer a special Northern Lights and skiing trip to Western Canada, incorporating a week spent in Whistler before heading to Whitehorse, where viewing the aurora runs from 9.30pm– 1.30am each evening, skisafari.com/ Northern-Lights-Experience-Details.aspx.

New 4 Resort For Tignes The new 4 Kalinda Village in Tignes 1800 Les Boisses, complete with spa and leisure facilities, is one of the big new French accommodation options of winter 2013–14.

“Kalinda Village will be the perfect base for a family at 1800m, ideally located with a new beginners area near the residence, and close to the eight-seater Boisses gondola for those who wish to explore/ski further and higher,” said a statement from Peak Retreats (peakretreats.co.uk), one of the first operators to offer the resort, with prices from £259pp based on five sharing.

The traffic used to run through Tignes 1800 les Boisses, but is now diverted via a by-pass leaving it virtually traffic-free. The Kalinda Village spreads out around the historic church at Boisses. Built in the 1950s, it is a replica of the one that was destroyed in the old village when the dam (barrage de Tignes) was opened.

Ski holidays

475

from

£

SKI IN ALL THE TOP PLACES Put yourself at the heart of the action with our snow sure locations high in the Alps. Our carefully chosen chalet hotels are in resorts that enjoy an enviable reputation for snow and there’s access to many kilometres of skiing that will satisfy the experienced, intermediates and beginners alike.

Mark Warner ski holidays include: Direct Flights | Resort Transfers | Accommodation Welcome Drinks & Canapés | Breakfast | Afternoon Tea | 3 Course Dinner with Wine Evening Childcare | Ski Hosting | Lift Pass Collection Service

markwarner.co.uk | 0844 273 6825 Val d’Isère | Tignes | Les Deux Alpes | La Plagne | Courchevel 1850 | Méribel | Courmayeur | St Anton

We’ give y mor e a day Follow us on

ATOL1176 protected. Prices shown are per person based on two people sharing, apply to 7 nights at Chalet Hotel Moris, Val d’Isère departing 20/04/14, are subject to availability, cannot be combined or offered in retrospect and can be withdrawn at any time. Facilities and inclusives vary between resorts. See website for Mark Warner Limited’s full terms and conditions.

InTheSnow.com

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GLORI

PATRICK THORNE

here’s something special about skiing, or indeed snowboarding, in Gstaad.

It’s not so much the 250km of piste, which stretch right up to the snow-sure Glacier 3000 slopes on the road over to neighbouring Les Diablerets, although that’s very impressive. It’s not even the pedestrianised village centre, lined with designer shops and welcoming bars and restaurants, although they’re very nice too. It’s something about the ambience of the place; you can feel the ski history oozing out of it.

One of the world’s most famous ski resorts for almost a century, Gstaad really got on the map from 1917 when the exclusive school “Le Rosey” decided

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to open an annual winter campus for the children of royalty, politicians, showbusiness stars, and leading figures of business and industry, with the Palace Hotel catering for the parents of these illustrious offspring.

As these children became adults, and remained attached to the resort, they returned and the resort thrived in the post-war decades.

To do Gstaad right you need to arrive by train. Only 2 hours from Geneva this is one of the easiest Swiss resorts to get to, and as you come up the valley you’ll pass several of the smaller ski areas above Château-d’Oex and Rougemont – the former being where the famous actor David Niven set up home, and also the starting point of the successful circumnavigation of the globe in 1999 by the Breitling Orbiter balloon. Pass

these and you depart French-speaking Switzerland and enter the Germanspeaking Bernese Oberland, reaching your destination of Gstaad.

The railway continues on along the valley floor passing more ski areas – all now interlinked together by lifts and runs on the slopes too, creating Gstaad’s largest skiing sector above Schönried, Saanenmöser and Zweisimmen. Although there are bus services, this really is the way to ski Gstaad each day – jump on the train, included on your lift pass, travel to whichever sector you fancy, jump off and it’s a short walk to the ski lifts at each station.

The local Wispile area has some village level nursery slopes, and an easy run at the top of the mountain accessed by a two-stage gondola.

There's a long intermediate and a long black run from the top station back to the valley. Most of the rest of the terrain at all the other ski areas is graded either easy (60%) or intermediate (30%), and most of it takes place on wide open trails cut through thin woodland on north-facing slopes, and meadows on the lower slopes.

The advanced ski runs are dotted around the area, with most of the individual areas having at least one good long black to try. There are good off-piste opportunities to tackle with a guide, and heli-skiing is also available.

From Glacier 3000, the only skiable glacier in Bernese Oberland, there's a wonderfully long run down to the valley, with one short chairlift link enroute down to make the full 1650m vertical, it’s a must ski during your stay.

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Although mountain tourism took hold more than a century ago with the coming of the Montreux-Oberland (MOB) railway in 1905, the Saanenland still has an active agricultural life and, alongside the fur coats, 7000 cows – one for every local – and 90 Alp cheese farms.

Although there are plenty of excellent hotels in Gstaad, for the full experience it has to be the Palace, which is 100-years-old this year. Since the early years of winter sports travel this has been one of the world’s classic ski hotels. Let’s face it, if the visitor book includes Joan Crawford, Henry Ford III, Danny de Vito, Jimmy Carter, William Shatner and Bob Hope it has to be good.

It’s not hard to see why. The snow services are seamless, with a shuttle

to slopes, lift pass printed in the hotel, feel and, indeed, revels in the flavour latest gear supplied by the Silver Sport of the 70s, taking you straight back shop on site, and all adventures are to the classic Euro-cinema-stylised available, including spectacular heliflicks of 40 years ago. In this case that ski experiences if you like. ambience is the real thing, not a There is a phenomenal retro recreation. Resident DJ 1858m2 spa beneath “Jim LeBlanc” (no relation to the hotel and half Matt) spins the discs (or at a dozen bars and least, flips the switches) restaurants to for the GreenGo’s peruse, the best, illustrious clientele.

Piste: in terms of its If you have a few 250km / 100 runs / 62 lifts 16 Gault Millau thousand Swiss francs www.gstaad.ch www.palace.ch gourmet guide in spare change then points, the intimate the legendary Penthouse Le Grill Rôtisserie, Suite, located on the roof seating 35, where chefs of the hotel, is widely regarded cook meals to order in an open as the best in the Alps. Accessed show kitchen. by a personal lift, the Suite sprawls To end the day the hotel’s GreenGo luxuriantly across more than 232m2, and then there’s the huge private nightclub is not ashamed of its retro

terrace, which provides 270° views of the spectacular majesty that is the Swiss Alps. Along with three bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom and a steam bath, a dining room, and a living room with a real fireplace, there is also a Jacuzzi and a sauna inside the tower.

“What makes the Palace special?” asks Mr Andrea Scherz, the hotel’s General Manager since 2001 and also its owner. “Well, you see our hotel from very far off. The Gstaad Palace provides a relaxing atmosphere and its spirit is influenced both by our guests from all over the world and our long-standing employees. We try to be different from other luxury hotels in the world by deliberately being a bit resistant to trends. Instead, we adapt to our environment and this beautiful vacation region.”

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Ski Sales Hit New 5-Year High Amer Sports Oyj (AMEAS), the Finnish-based world-leading seller of ski equipment and owner of brands Salomon and Atomic, reports sales are at a 5-year high due to a reported rebound in winter sports equipment demand. The company’s stock price hit its highest level since January 2008.

Amer’s sales hit a record €2.06bn in 2012, and the company says it expects the figure to increase in 2013 after last year’s “mild” winter.

inthesnow.com | OCTOBER 2013

New Courchevel 5 Will Take Resort’s Tally to EIGHTEEN! BEN CLATWORTHY

nother 5 hotel under construction in Courchevel will take the resort’s total to 18 for winter 2013–14, including 16 ”regular” 5 hotels and two with the higher Palace rating, of which France has only 12.

The 5 rating was only introduced in France in 2010, where 4 was the previous

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maximum, and since then Courchevel has rapidly added hotels in that category, more than any other destination in the country except Paris.

Outside France, the most 5 hotels in a single resort are to be found in Seefeld, Austria, which has seven. St Moritz has five, although all are graded 5 superior.

The new L’Apogée Courchevel, with 33 suites, 20 double rooms, and a spectacular penthouse

with its own jacuzzi and private terrace, is situated at the heart of the Jardin Alpin in Courchevel 1850 at the foot of the ski slopes, and is scheduled to open on 11 December. The hotel will also offer a private chalet, which will feature five bedrooms, a spa, and its own home cinema.

A signature restaurant, under the supervision of two Michelin-starred chef Yannick Franques, will also offer the

hotel guests a grand terrace for relaxing, and there will also be a champagne bar .

L’Apogée Courchevel will also have a spa with four treatment rooms and a suite for the traditional Russian ritual "Banïya”, as well as an indoor pool and a state-ofthe-art fitness centre. The two existing Palace graded hotels in Courchevel are the Cheval Blanc and Les Airelles.

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BY Lorna

kiing is a strange thing.

All year ski enthusiasts look forward to that one week when they can throw ourselves off steep cliff-edges, twist their bodies into awkward, unnatural shapes and generally try to avoid any kind of collision with either a tree or a fellow skier. They moan about the bitter UK winters, yet flock to the Alps where the snow falls and the temperature slips way below zero. You either love the sport or hate it, but those of us who enjoy skidding around at breakneck speeds find ourselves being pulled back to the mountains year after year.

Lorna’s the name. My first experience of skiing was on a school trip at 15 years of age, and I have become a typical ski obsessive ever since. Aside from my cat, my twin tips are the most precious possession I own, and at Christmas and on birthdays I simply ask for the latest accessories to replace the battered gear I’ve ruined during my spectacular wipeouts. When I ran the snow sports

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Seasonaire

[see-zuhn-air]

One who works a seas on in the Alps in order to ski or board a lot

club at university members spent half of the academic year counting down to the annual alpine trip, and the other half discussing where they wanted go the following year. So it came as no surprise to my friends and family when in summer 2012 I announced that I was planning to leave the dreary British winter behind later that year for the lure of the fluffy white pow.

Val Thorens was the resort of choice for that first winter due to its fantastic après scene, world-class ski area and varied international crowd. The biggest worry that us seasonaires had was how the quality of the snow would

McGachie

turn out. You may remember the winter of 2011 when the rain replaced the snow, and wet slush adorned the once-white slopes. The thought of a 5-month season without decent snow sent shivers down the spine of every seasonaire venturing out for the entire winter. But to me the weather was

kind. I was greeted in early December by a winter wonderland with deep powder already covering everything.

The first few days on the slopes were spent battling the blizzards, and the white-outs meant that you could barely see the person centimetres in front of you. A wrong turning was almost guaranteed, but every marked slope was like skiing off-piste, and every crash was cushioned by the deep, cottonsoft snow. This was pretty much how it remained for the entire season.

But as every seasonaire will know, spending such a long period of time surrounded by the beauty of the mountains, breathing in the pure, crisp air, and having the opportunity to practise the sport you love every single day is something that never leaves you.

One of the first things I was told when I moved to Val Thorens was that I’d do another season. And that person was absolutely right. In December I plan to move to Tignes for another alpine adventure. The apartment has been sorted, and a job is close to being sorted for the winter, so I’m now counting down the days until I can make the mountains my home once more.

For stockists information call: 01572 770900

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InTheSnow.com

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PATRICK THORNE

he Austrian Tirol region has been one of the most famous in the world for skiing, ever since the early years of winter sports more than a century ago.

But in recent years, along with its longstanding reputation for atmospheric, traditional buildings (no high-rise concrete monstrosities here!) and friendly welcome, the Tirol has also been leading the world with innovation and on-mountain comfort, with the latest high-speed, high-comfort lifts, stylish mountain restaurants, and many more attractions opening up on its slopes.

Brits have been responding positively to this investment; and last winter, the Tirol region achieved some of its best results to date, with UK visitor numbers up 5%, making a significant contribution to

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the almost 5.4m arrivals during 2012–13 recorded in the region (Brits are the third biggest market after the Germans and the Dutch). This 5% growth was beaten only by the rapidly-expanding visiting Russian contingent, which was up by 8%, but from a smaller numbers base.

St Anton remains the most popular resort for UK visitors, followed by Obergurgl/ Sölden, Mayrhofen, Söll and Kitzbühel, but the resorts that enjoyed the highest overall increase in arrivals last season included Seefeld (+25.7%), Alpbach (+23.3%) and Wildschönau (+17%), the latter two as a result of their interconnection in the new Ski Jewel area.

New Season News Rather than rest on its laurels, there’s another long list of new attractions and upgrades across the Tirol for the coming winter.

For tip-top dining you can’t get much higher, or much better, than the new stateof-the-art restaurant and design statement being built at the top of the Gaislachkogel above Sölden (soelden.com), at 3048m.

The new innovatively-designed restaurant features impressive modern architecture, the glass exterior creates a transparent feeling making visitors feel up close and personal with the spectacular Ötztal’s panoramic mountain scenery.

The technical mastery goes one step further, as the roof terrace is connected to the Gaislachkogel mountain peak via a suspension bridge.

To complete the gourmet experience, one of the highlights will be a new signature wine ”Pino3000”, a cross-border wine project, which has selected three top wine growers from Austria, South Tyrol and Germany to bring their best Pinot Noir to mature in a special wine cellar at the Gaislachkogel.

For lots of new lifts this season the Zillertal region leads the way with lift expansions, in addition to accommodation upgrades and new mountain huts and restaurants.

The Ski Optimal Hochzillertal/Kaltenbach ski area, with access to 88km of pistes, will welcome two new chairlifts, a new eightseater heated chairlift, the Kristall-Express, and a heated six-seater chairlift, Mizun, which replaces the old T-bar.

Regarded as one of the best mountain huts in the Alps, the luxurious Kristallhütte will be enhanced by four new twostorey Panorama suites, with private spa and open views of the Zillertal Alps.

In Hochfügen, a new alpine hut called Holzalm will open, serving specialities from the Tirol and Zillertal region.

At the other end of the Zillertal, in the region of Tux-Finkenberg, there will be a complete €13m (approx. £11m) transformation by Hintertux Glacier

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For more information on the Tirol region visit visittirol. co.uk or keep updated at facebook.com/visittirol.

New HOLIDAYS To The Tirol ailor-made ski specialist Ski Safari (skisafari.com) has added Tirolean areas to its programme for the first time, featuring Innsbruck, Sölden, Obergurgl/Hochgurgl, Kitzbühel, St Anton and Galtür.

Cosmos (cosmos.co.uk) is offering ski and snowboard holidays for the first time, including ten resorts in the Tirol, with flights from sister company Monarch airlines to Innsbruck, Munich and Friedrichshafen.

Supertravel Ski (supertravel.co.uk/ski) has three newly-built, five-or-six-bed designer properties in St Anton this coming season, with prices starting from £1059pp, based on six sharing, for 7 nights on a chalet-board basis, including flights and rail transfers.

Zenith Holidays (zenithholidays.co.uk) is exclusively adding the family-friendly resort of Kappl to existing options Ischgl and Galtür in the Paznaun valley.

After unveiling the stylish Hotel Montjola in St Anton last season, VIP SKI (vip-chalets.com) will add a further two St Anton chalets for 2013– 14, with prices starting from £969pp based on two sharing, including return flights from London Gatwick, transfers, and catered chalet board.

Crystal Ski (crystalski.co.uk) has introduced a limited number of FREE first-time ski or board packages in Seefeld and St Johann, during selected weeks in January and March 2014.

Packages include tuition, equipment hire, lift pass for the week – these must be booked by 15 November.

Inghams (inghams.co.uk) has introduced the resorts of Axams and Götzens near Innsbruck, Kirchberg in the Kitzbühler Alps, and Going in Austria’s largest ski area, the SkiWelt, as well as a new flight route from Southampton to Innsbruck this winter.

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base at 2295m to the top at 2811m there are only two support towers required, and no cable trench is needed along the route. A new 3km-long intermediate piste (no.42) will be created by the new lift access, which will also open up further freeride terrain.

New Hotels There are plenty of new accommodation options in Tirol this winter. The new Fairhotel Hochfilzen (fairhotel-hochfilzen. com) in the Pillersee valley, home to Fieberbrunn, Pillersee and Leogang ski areas, will become Tirol’s first ”passive energy” hotel.

Following an environmental philosophy, the hotel minimises energy losses and maximises energy gains, through innovative heating systems.

Offering functional interior design at its best, guest comfort is ensured thanks

to Tempur mattresses on all beds, and wellbeing is taken care of with its organic farm-fresh breakfasts.

Prices start from €49pppn (£41) on a B&B basis.

At Axamer Lizum above Innsbruck, Hotel Lizum 1600 (lizum1600.at) is part of a new complex built as a training centre for ski instructors. Inghams has introduced the resort and hotel for 2013–14, with prices starting from £739pp for 7 nights

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lift company of the Tuxer Fernerhaus restaurant. Features will include a table service restaurant, sun terrace, and the stairs are to be replaced by escalators, bringing an end to the ungainly task of climbing up and down stairs in ski boots! In addition, the old Spannagelhaus will be transformed into an inviting table service restaurant with inimitable mountain hut charm – think rustic lounges, open fireplace and warm wood tones with natural stone.

Finally, the existing Lämmerbichl double chairlift will be replaced by a highly sophisticated six-seater chairlift, with full weather protection hoods and heated seats.

Meanwhile the resort of Ischgl (ischgl. com) in the Paznaun valley will open up a new ski area on the Piz Val Gronda, with the construction of a new aerial cable car to access it. Particular attention has been paid to protecting the landscape and ecosystem during the construction process. From the

half-board, including flights and transfers.

Finally, the brandnew lifestyle Hotel Adlers (deradler.com) in Innsbruck is the Tirolean capital’s tallest, with an amazing rooftop terrace and impressive restaurant. The excellent, high-value, local lift pass provides access to eight ski areas in the region and bus transport to them. Winter prices start from €135 (£114) per room, per night, for room only in a Panorama Classic.

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inthesnow.com | OCTOBER 2013

Zermatt Tourist Office

JONAS KULLMAN

Zermatt For CHF1.2bn Spend Leading Swiss ski area Zermatt has announced it plans to spend CHF1.2bn (£822m) in an initiative called Strategy 2018. Meeting on the resort’s Gornergrat, key partners of Destination ZermattMatterhorn have signed an action plan committing to an investment plan, the focus of which will be constant upgrades to the quality of the resort’s tourist attractions and infrastructure, as well as creating ”new tourist experiences and communication”. ‘‘Large and long-term investments secure our competitiveness,” said Daniel Luggen, Director of Zermatt Tourismus, who stressed that the secret of the success was everyone in the resort working together for the success of Zermatt. Full details of major capital projects resulting from the investment have not been published; however, while stressing the need for sustainable development the resort has spoken of creating a World Cup ski run, creating a ”spectacular ski jump run” over the Gornergratbahn tunnel, strengthening and securing its heli-ski business, and expanding its summer ski offering.

Three New Chairlifts For Scandinavia’s Biggest Resort BEN CLATWORTHY

ith one of the most significant investments in lifts ever made in Åre, next season will see the addition of no less than three modern four- and six-seat chairlifts (skistar.com/are).

The new lifts will boost capacity in this Swedish ski area by about 5000 people per

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hour, and further improve the skiing experience in the zone below the treeline. They will be situated at important hub areas within the ski area, and will make a big difference in terms of orientation and efficiency.

“This is one of the biggest investments ever made in ski lifts in Åre. With these new lifts, Åre will keep in step with the leading Alpine ski resorts. We will become even more attractive, not least

from an international perspective,” said Niclas Sjögren Berg, Head of Destination, SkiStar Åre.

The first new lift, a quad chairlift will replace the T-bar currently operating in Tegefjäll.

The 1.1km-long lift will double capacity on the route to 2400 people per hour, and will offer great potential for development of the excellent natural conditions in the DuvedTegefjäll part of the ski area.

The second new lift, Fjällgårdsexpressen, a six-seater chairlift, able to transport skiers swiftly from Fjällgården up on Sadeln, will run over 1.2km rising 270 vertical metres.

The third new lift, Sadelexpressen, another six-seater chairlift will take skiers from the base station of Högåsliften in Björnen to the top of Sadelliften.

The 1.6km-long lift will allow for widening of the current runs.

Snow Camp Rally Fundraiser Returns

hacky charity fundraiser the Snow Camp Rally is back in 2013, with teams racing between the five indoor

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snow centres in England to raise money for the charity Snow-Camp.

This year the 12-hour epic, described by Ed Leigh as “the closest thing you’ll get to the

Gumball Rally in the UK”, will begin at The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead, with skiing and boarding before hitting the road to the Milton Keynes Sno!Zone, then onto the Castleford Sno!Zone, and next Chill Factore, Manchester, before the final 30 minutes in the SnowDome, Tamworth.

Taking place on Friday 25 October, teams of four must ride as many runs as possible at each centre, with almost 563km of tarmac to cover between centres, and 30-minutes

maximum at each slope. Each team must commit to raising £1000 between them, and prizes are awarded in various categories.

The contest is limited to 20 teams. Information on registering can be found at snow-camp.org. uk/rally.

Snow-Camp is an innovative youth charity that uses a unique combination of skiing, snowboarding and life-skills programmes to support innercity young people.

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C hamon BEN CLATWORTHY

hamonix: there are few resorts in the world with a reputation as formidable as this Mont-Blanc resort.

When the sun shines, the lofty peak of the “White Mountain” towers above the resort in magnificent glory. But when the mountain is shrouded in cloud, and snow is falling in the village centre, the power of Europe’s highest mountain can be felt – a timely reminder that the mountains are formidable and should be respected.

It’s a resort that features prominently on the bucket list of all keen skiers, and one that has the ability to lure people back time and time again. In winter

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holidaymakers and big mountain skiers flock to the Alpine resort in search of some of the best skiing in France, whilst once the spring comes and the snow melts, Chamonix sees a huge influx – bigger than any other resort – of outdoor adventure enthusiasts, mountaineers, and sportspeople looking to test their stamina.

There are some misconceptions that people often make about Chamonix: the main one – and the most important to address – is that the resort is only for experts. Wrong. In fact, not only are there heaps of intermediate runs – 36% blue, and 32% red (although it helps to be a relatively gutsy skier to enjoy the full benefits of the resort) – but also a staggering half of all winter visitors don’t ski.

But for those who do, there are many treats at this exceptional resort. With 90% of Chamonix’s skiing located above 2000m, the resort is not only a safe choice for early- and late-season skiing, but often abundant with snow. The highest area is the Grands Montets – 3300m – which offers skiing in secondto-none conditions from December until early May. It’s no secret that the Chamonix valley is considered a mecca for freeriders, and it certainly attracts some of the world’s best skiers, although you’ll rarely meet them on a piste! But don’t be mislead; the areas of Balme and Les Houches offer wonderful family skiing – and are the most suitable areas for beginners and early intermediates – and fun

terrain parks, whilst the areas of Le Brévent and La Flégère have a variety of south-facing intermediate slopes with breathtaking panoramas.

The most famous descent in Chamonix – and in fact, probably Europe – is the Vallée Blanche. Reached by a two-stage cable car, which scales the Aiguille du Midi (to the dizzy heights of 3842m), followed by a hike along a narrow ridge, the descent is one seldom forgotten.

For intermediates the standard 18km ”tourist route” through the Géant and Tacul glaciers, and the Mer de Glace is an unforgettable and dramatic run. There are, of course, other routes, but these require – in some cases – ice axes and crampons in order to ensure a safe ski.

Of course, with all off-piste itinerary runs

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Chamonix In Numbers Adult 6-day ski pass: €230 (£193) Altitude: 1035–3840m Lifts: 44 Pistes: 155km Green: 16% Blue: 36% Black: 16%

a guide is highly recommended.

But it’s not all about high-octane, adrenaline-fuelled descents. Pop out your bindings for an afternoon, or eschew the skiing altogether, and you won’t find yourself running out of activities and inspiration.

Ride the Montenvers cog railway up to the Mer de Glace, or ride the aforementioned Aiguille du Midi cable car – not for daredevil skiing, but to marvel at the jagged peaks that spread as far as the eye can see. Make sure to enjoy a walk one of the winter trails, or try your hand at sledding with huskies, skijoring (towed by horses), or launch yourself off the mountain paragliding.

Back in the resort, Chamonix’s excellent facilities include an ice-skating

rink, indoor climbing walls, swimming pools, a cinema – with English films – and several highly-recommended spas.

It’s also very worthwhile taking advantage of the free buses and trains within the valley, and the opportunity to discover some of the nearby villages and hamlets.

You really don’t have to be a sports fanatic to enjoy the atmosphere of the vibrant Alpine town. The pedestrianised centre is home to countless shops and attractive boutiques, as well as a myriad of outdoor adventure and mountaineering outlets.

After a busy morning – shopping, skiing, mountaineering, walking (you get the picture) – be sure to stop for coffee at one of the many street cafés, perfect for watching the world go by, or if you’re

feeling peckish one of the delightful French restaurants.

Once the sun drops behind the Mont Blanc, and après-ski is on the agenda, you have to know where to go, especially in such a large village. The bars next to the train station are the best place to head for a quick drink after a day on the mountain, or the Rhododendrons at Flégère, which has live music and an unbeatable atmosphere. The MBC brews its own beer, has jam sessions and great burgers. The Rue des Moulins (Mill Street) has a tremendous atmosphere, with a number of wine bars, pubs, restaurants and a nightclub, The White Hub. An evening at one of the three Michelin star restaurants – L’Albert 1er Le Bistrot, Flocons de Sel, and Auberge du Bois

Prin – is not to be missed. If you’re looking for something more casual and relaxed, then Chamonix offers many more restaurants than most French resorts. There are, for those a little more conscious of budget, a number of affordable pizza and pasta restaurants, most notably – and recommended – Neopolis and Poele.

Chamonix will, as it always has, remain a stalwart favourite of skiers, mountaineers and mountain lovers alike, for many years to come. There are few resorts in France – or the world, for that matter – that can rival the quality of skiing, and the off-slope activities and amenities that Chamonix provides. I just wish I could have spent more time there … a season, anyone?

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inthesnow.com | OCTOBER 2013

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One of the “secret” resorts of the Maurienne Valley, St François Longchamp, is a largely purpose-built French resort offering 160km of skiable terrain, and 86 pistes thanks to linked access to the resorts of Valmorel and Doucy Combelouviere. The resort is ideal for families – both on- and off-piste – with easy access to accommodation, a huge choice of non-ski activities, and (arguably the most important factor) plenty of easy and intermediate skiing.

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Arriving by car is straightfoward thanks to the resort’s proximity to the A43 Autoroute, from Chambéry and Albertville, just 12km from the resort. The same distance away is the train station, served by the TGV from Paris (and the Eurostar ski train), as well as the bus depot, with regular services to the resort. Geneva – the skier’s airport – is 2 hours from the resort, or 1 hour from Chambery airport if you want to be that bit closer.

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SKI, SKI, SKI With 24 green runs and 39 blue, the Grand Domaine is ideally suited to families and beginners. Intermediates can explore the 19 red trails; however, experts may find themselves limited. There are eight (largely undemanding) black runs, but also some worthwhile off-piste to explore.

Direct access to the Grand Domaine allows those a little steadier on their skis to visit the other resorts in the area.

The wider area also boasts seven snow parks. Not far from the resort, you can also ski 40km of cross-country trails.

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WELLNESS CENTER Opened in 2010, the Centre de BalnéÔthérapie is a new addition to the resort of St François Longchamp. Here you’ll find pools and hydrotherapy spas, as well as a relaxation area for massages and beauty treatments, a gym and fitness centre, a bar and bowling alley. Health and well-being professionals are available for consultation and treatments, as well as a physiotherapist and an osteopath.

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WHAT VALUE! The 1650 sector of the resort is home to most of the amenities, including a number of bars and restaurants. Here prices are considerably better value for money than in some big name French ski resorts. A pizza will cost around €12 (£10), and a beer won’t break the bank either. There are also supermarkets for those self-catering.

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Peak Retreats (peakretreats.co.uk), the French Alps specialist, has accommodation in the resort, with prices starting from £117pp per week, based on four sharing a two-bedroom apartment. The price includes a return Eurotunnel crossing for one car and passengers, with free FlexiPlus upgrade.

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OCTOBER 2013 | inthesnow.com

Doppelmayr To Deliver 35 Lifts For Sochi Olympics DAVID BLACK

ift builder Doppelmayr will have completed 35 new lifts for the Sochi Olympics by October, the Austrian-based company reports.

The company built 16 lifts for three resorts in the area between 2004 and 2010, but will have completed another 19 lifts this autumn. Most of the lifts are funitels and high-capacity, high-speed chairlifts.

A further four lifts have already been

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ordered for construction after the Games.

Almost half (17) of the lifts are for the Rosa Khutor resort, another 14 for Laura/ Psekhako (Gazprom), and the remainder for Alpika Service.

“Hundreds of contractors are simultaneously carrying out construction work for the Winter Olympics and strict security regulations have been put in place. This unusual situation has presented its particular logistical challenges,” said a Doppelmayr statement, confirming they are ”up to the challenge”.

News RudeChalets Snowboarding Weeks for 4–8-Year-Olds n what is being promoted as a first in Europe, rudechalets (rudechalets.com) is offering special ”Mini shred snowboarding weeks” for 4–8-year-olds during the first 2 weeks of April (Easter).

The holidays are being offered in response to increasing demand for children’s snowboard schools and equipment, according to the chalet company who is working with Mint Snowboarding to offer the holidays in Morzine, France.

“As the first generation to embrace snowboarding en-masse enters into parenthood there is an increasing demand for kiddies snowboard schools and equipment,” said a company statement.

“The main focus of the lessons will be fun through learning enabling the children to adopt the basics of snowboarding in an

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exciting and stimulating environment.”

Through rudechalets, children will have access to a specialised fleet of Burton Snowboards’ “Learn To Ride” equipment, which is designed specifically for youngsters under the age of 8-years-old.

Prices are from £699 per child per week, including snowboard lessons, rentals, transfers, en-suite half-board chalet accommodation, and a mini-shred video edit. Adults pay £469pp per week.

Paradiski Celebrates 10 Years With 10% Off ith the start of the ski season for most resorts now just 2 months away, most are beginning to publish their lift-pass prices for the coming winter.

Inevitably, prices are creeping up by a few Euros in most cases, but it’s noticeable that ever more resorts – particularly in France – are offering discounts if you book in advance online. So as soon as you know where

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you’re heading this winter, check the resort’s website to see if you can save by paying ahead.

Among the deals currently on offer, the Paradiski region, the world’s third largest linking La Plagne and Les Arcs and celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2013–14, is offering a discount of 10% off all ski passes purchased online before the 31 October via lesarcs.paradiski.com or skipass-laplagne.com.

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InTheSnow.com

Jon (AKA WESTY) AT ALTITUDE

Jon is one of a handful of instructors working in the Alps to hold the top qualifications from France, Switzerland and Britain. In his role as Ski School Director, Jon is on hand to manage the different parts of the Altitude company portfolio, including the ski and snowboard school, the instructor training programs, and the off-piste courses (+41 277 716 006).

ast winter Jon wrote about how to become an instructor, and explained what you could expect from a gap course like the Altitude Futures course in Verbier. Last winter was an incredible season for snow in Verbier, and as a result the gap students experienced huge transformations in their powder skiing!

Safety being a priority when skiing off-piste they not only learnt about good tactics and techniques, but also about safety.

The following gives you some useful tips regarding safety when going off-piste.

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Safety Off-Piste

Ride With Safety In Mind

• Remember to pack all the essential safety equipment and know how to use it. Especially a helmet (we encourage all gap students to wear one all the time), a transceiver, shovel and probe.

• For a long day out take food, refreshments and spare clothes.

• Check the avalanche risk and understand what it means and how it affects your decision-making.

• Ask for advice and information from the local ski patrol. They are the experts so listen to them!

• Make sure your ski companions also understand the risks and respect the mountain and your safety.

• Also check for hazards such as ice and wind lips, and assess whether snow is hard, heavy or light.

• Make sensible decisions together based on the facts not on where you want to ski.

• Also, make sure your insurance covers you for skiing off-piste – many don’t!

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If you would like further information about becoming a ski instructor then please contact us on info@altitudefutures.com, or check out the website altitude-futures.com.

Kids Kit

Hiking For Fresh Tracks

Plan & Remember Risks Change

• Conserve energy to enjoy your descent more! Take turns to lead, as boot packing gets tiring.

• Study your descent as you hike.

• Choose your route carefully – it’s better to walk over rocks or compact snow than to sink into deep powder snow.

• Don’t sit back – there is a common misconception that in powder you sit back to get your skis out of the snow; in reality this just puts you in a tiring position that makes your skis difficult to control, with the added possibility of straining some ligaments.

• Be aware that temperature and wind may have transformed the avalanche risks throughout the day. This applies especially in spring, when you should be back on piste by 2pm at the latest.

• Consider factors such as the slope steepness, weather and temperature.

Even the experts get caught in avalanches so be careful!

• Avoid any slopes steeper than 28°!

Learn to assess a slope’s steepness as some are prone to avalanche, so avoid these unless risk is very low.

• If you stop to wait, pick a safe spot.

Clothing Warm clothing is ESSENTIAL; due to their smaller mass children get colder quicker than adults so ensure you have plenty of waterproof, warm clothing.

Several layers are better than one thick one, and an allin-one is good at keeping the snow out, especially for smaller children (3–10-yearolds). Avoid slow drying clothing, like cotton, as once it gets wet it gets cold.

Skis Make sure they are appropriate to the size and ability of your child. As a rough guide, for children aged between 3 and 5-years-old the ski should

be up to their chin, for older children up to their nose. As they get better you can increase the length of the ski. It is worth putting stickers with their name onto the ski so that they don’t get mixed up in the morning or outside the restaurant at lunch.

Boots Make sure the boot fits well and your child is happy with them. The boot should be snug on each foot with no pressure points, and when done up correctly it should make the leg bend. It can be difficult to tell with very young kids if the boot is comfortable, check after the first day for any rub marks from the boots, and if in doubt go and change the boot.

Helmet A must for all kids as children are more likely to injure their heads than adults. Most ski schools will not accept children without helmets.

Extras Socks – long, fit well and are quick drying.

Goggles – protection from the sun is essential. Even on a cloudy day the sun can be damage eyes.

Gloves – waterproof, and preferably on a string so they don’t get lost.

Body armour – for advanced skiers and if hitting the park.

For information about children’s lessons or summer camps, please contact info@altitude-verbier.com or call +41 277 716 006.

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DOUCHEBAG COLLECTION

THE HUGGER 35L £129 SKI/BOARD BAG £199 THE BIG BASTARD 90L £199 A cleverly designed, durable AND lightweight, all-inone hook-up luggage system. Not only does each bag hook onto the next, making hauling multiple bags much easier, but the tough fabric also withstands baggage handlers, packs small when you’re not using it, and they’re lightweight for all the ridiculous baggage restrictions!

Douchebag is definitely number one on our equipment list.

MARKER LORD £275

The only binding on the market to cleverly adjust to accommodate both alpine ski and rubber-soled alpine touring boots. Now there's no need to decide between different binding and boot set-ups, touring boots one holiday, piste boots the next. The Lord binding covers all eventualities, piste and off-piste with any boot.

K2 PINNACLE 130 BOOTS £399

With its 50 years of experience producing all-mountain skis, K2 is now challenging the world of ski boots. Built from the ground up, the Pinnacle 130 maximises performance both for downhill, with its Spyne technology, and for the uphill, with its uncompromised freedom of movement for ski touring.

SCOTT THE SKI SCOTT RIOT POLE £79 One of the fattest shafts available, with a unique tuck-away strap and comfy grip. The Riot is super strong, very unique looking, and the best part is it glows in the dark – what more could you want?

£499

Based on a legendary ski designed back in the 70s, which was the ultimate all-mountain ski of choice in its day. Its

creator Bobby Burns inspired Scott to develop “The Ski” into a modern-day ski quiver, brought to life with original retro graphics! Super smooth, easy to ski on- and off-piste, and great performance for a wide range of ability levels, this really is “The Ski” to have this year.

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POC MIPS HELMET & LOBES GOGGLES £215 + £149

Not only one of the safest helmets on the market, with its MIPS technology, its Swedish design makes it stand out from the crowd. The Lobes goggle has a seamless integrated fit inside the helmet, providing a great field of vision and comfortable fit.

NØRRONA NARVIK JACKET + TROUSERS £339 + £299

Following on from its popular backcountry collection, Scandinavian-designed Nørrona is now bringing you a younger looser-fitting freeski collection. Still utilising its renowned technical features and comfortable fit, once you buy Nørrona you won't want anything else.

SHRED STOMP SHRASTA SUNGLASSES £139

Retro style is back in fashion. A combination of quality Italian craftsmanship and beautiful design make these glasses very sought after.

Visit skibartlett.com to see more

LINE SICKDAY 110 £449

With over 40 years of history, Ski Bartlett is one of the

Addicted to skiing? Fancy pulling a sickie? On-piste,

UK's most popular independent specialist ski shops.

off-piste, in the park ... your grin will say it all, and all

With a massive range of products, they can guarantee

you'll be able to think about at the end of the day is how

you the right kit and the best prices.

much of a “sick day” you've had!

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inthesnow.com | OCTOBER 2013

SWEETSPOT SKI TRAINER THE KEY TO GREAT SKIING!

DYNAMIC, CENTRED BALANCE IS THE KEY TO GREAT TURNS. CHALLENGING, QUICK AND FUN TO USE FOR ALL ABILITIES, AND PROVEN TO TRANSFORM SKIING PERFORMANCE

4 sizes in each pack

Floods & Bans Hamper North Korean Ski Resort PATRICK THORNE

lans by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to create the largest ski area in Asia within a year has suffered repeated setbacks.

After the project at Masik Pass, seen by outside critics as an attempt to compete with 2018 Winter Olympic host South Korea, was announced to the world in the spring, heavy rain caused problems on the construction site; and now sanctions have stopped North Korea importing a chairlift from France, Austria and Switzerland. One report says Italy is still considering selling a lift to the regime.

P

“IT ACTIVATES YOUR BODY AND MUSCLES IN A WAY THAT NO OTHER SKI SIMULATOR TOUCHES. QUITE SIMPLY, IF YOU USE THIS YOUR SKIING WILL IMPROVE”!

Gavin Kerr Hunter. Director, SnowPerformance

RRP £45.00 www.skia.com

Kim Jong-un is believed to have learnt to ski while studying in Switzerland; and the country is believed to have already provided North Korea with one secondhand double chairlift some years ago for an existing ski area at Begaebong, before the current sanctions regime.

The ski area has a target of 110km of piste; but a study of the existing slopes using Google Earth, by ski area size expert Christoph Schrahe, has put the existing trail length at 16km, with 95% of runs accessible from one lift if it can be acquired. This would mean the area would not be the biggest on the Korean peninsular. Kim Jong-un says the ski area will be open to all North Koreans upon completion.

"Encouraging Signs Of Recovery" amily chalet ski holiday specialist Esprit Ski has launched its main 2013–14 ski holiday programme in an upbeat mood, with company MD Andy Perrin saying that last season showed, “… encouraging signs of real recovery. Not just because of the second winter in a row with record-breaking Alpine snow conditions, but more generally, with more families feeling more confident about taking winter holidays again.”

The company says that as a result it is increasing guest capacity by approximately 10%. A new resort choice has been added – Gressoney in Italy’s Monterosa region – and three new chalets

F

VAL D’ISERE ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST 100 Chalet Holidays | 100 Self Catered Apartments | 30 Hotels Fully Bonded | Very Experienced | Here To Help

0845 021 0222 | simplyvaldisere.com

stardust-inTheSnow.pdf

1

17/09/2013

20:14

launch collection available now...

Yoga & Ski In The Rocky Mountains unshine Mountain in Alberta, Canada, which operates for one of the longest ski seasons in the northern hemisphere, has announced the chance to enjoy a yoga and healthy eating break, when you’re not skiing or boarding its slopes this winter.

As the only on-mountain accommodation in Banff National Park, Sunshine Mountain Lodge’s yoga and ski

S

www.stardustfactory.eu

in Tignes and La Rosière in France.

A half-term trip to the Chalet Hotel Valverde in Gressoney (from 15 February 2014), with free children's ski rental and free adult ski hosting is £1299 per adult, from £649.50 per child, including flights from London Gatwick, transfers, in halfboard catered chalet accommodation (espritski.com).

package will combine the Rocky Mountain ski experience with the serenity and relaxation of on-mountain yoga practice.

These weekend retreats, slated for spring 2014, will include a specialised menu featuring healthy, organic fare, crafted exclusively by Executive Chef Martin Brenner of the Sunshine Mountain Lodge, and a guided mountain experience with one of Sunshine Village’s certified ski instructors.

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OCTOBER 2013 | inthesnow.com

THE OMNIA Zermatt



chalet de la Cloche  VAL D'ISÈRE

The Omnia is perfectly situated in the centre of Zermatt just off on a hidden back street, giving you the bustle of beautiful Zermatt right on your doorstep, but the peace and quiet you would expect from an escape to the mountains. The warm and friendly welcome is simply hard to beat.

Chalet de la Cloche is in the heart of Les Brevieres, Espace Killy, considered to be one of the greatest ski areas in the world. The Ski-Base team has created a wonderful chalet described by Harpers Bazaar as a “haven of sensual indulgence”. It is one of Condé Nast Traveller's top ten chalets in the Alps.

+41 (0)27 966 7171 | info@the-omnia.com | the-omnia.com |

+44 (0)20 3432 8446 | info@ski-base.com | ski-base.com |

HOTEL Avenue Lodge  VAL D'ISÈRE

HOTEL FIREFLY ZERMATT

The luxurious Hotel Avenue Lodge is a superb base in one the world’s great ski areas, the exceptional Espace Killy. You’ll feel welcome from the minute you arrive with valet parking and the concierge service taking care of your luggage. The Hotel Avenue Lodge’s entire team is at your service to make your holiday in our resort an unforgettable stay.

The Hotel Firefly is the first address in Zermatt for travellers who expect luxury and lifestyle of the highest level. In the midst of the breathtaking scenery of the famous glacier ski area, the hotel is only 3 minutes from the Klein Matterhorn cable car and from the centre of Zermatt. Each suite is individual, spacious and luxuriously furnished.

Chalet Fourmiliere in Morzine is a boutique, owner-run, catered ski chalet, which is quickly gaining a reputation as a gastro-chalet. When you stay here your every need will be accommodated and no request is too small for the wonderful hosts and their staff, whose sole intention is to ensure you feel at home in their splendid abode.

+41 (0)27 967 7676 | firefly-zermatt.com

+33 (0)45 075 4625 | info@chaletfourmiliere.com | chaletfourmiliere.com |

+33 (0)47 900 6767 | contact@hotelavenuelodge.com | hotelavenuelodge.com |



Résidence & Spa Vallorcine CHAMONIX Mont-Blanc

Chalet Zibeleine La Plagne 1800

Set in the heart of the Chamonix Mont-Blanc valley, in the French Alps, the Résidence & Spa Vallorcine Mont-Blanc offers a cosy atmosphere and a warm welcome. Surrounded by mountains and forests, this newly-opened 5 residence is an ideal place for relaxing and exploring the Mont Blanc region.

Chalet Zibeleine nestles in the trees above La Plagne 1800. The chalet is only a few minutes' walk from the centre of the village where you will find the local bars and restaurants. Another bonus is that just above the chalet on the main road you have a free bus stop (about 20m away). Sleeps eight people and is ideal for small groups.

+33 (0)45 054 7520 | chamonix-vacances.com | residence@vallorcine-mont-blanc.com |

+41 (0)151 625 1921 | info@mountainheaven.co.uk | mountainheaven.co.uk |



Chalet Fourmiliere  Morzine

 Hôtel l'Héliopic CHAMONIX Mont-Blanc

Located in the Mont-Blanc valley, in the centre of Chamonix, the 4 L'Héliopic Hotel Sweet and Spa is set at the foot of Aiguille du Midi lift. If you come as a couple, family or group for a special event, our 4hotel will take care of your well-being. Whatever the season, on an exceptional setting in the heart of Chamonix, our hotel offers a new level of comfort.

+ 33 (0)45 054 5556 | reservation@heliopic.com | heliopic-hotel-spa.com |

38

THE PRE-FIT DELIVERY CO

BEN CLATWORTHY

nTheSnow’s Ben Clatworthy spent 10 minutes with Matt Petersen, Founder of Pre-Fit Delivery – an innovative solution to the laborious process of boot and ski fitting in resort.

I

Matt, can you explain the basics of Pre-Fit Delivery?

MP: Essentially we go to the client before they depart for their ski or snowboarding holiday, be that at their place of work, home, university, school or military base. We accurately measure and fit all the equipment they need, boots, skies, poles and clothing (should they require it). On arrival at the resort, all of their kit is ready and waiting for them in the ski hire shop, or at their accommodation. This allows the client to get straight onto the mountain as soon as they arrive, and avoid the hassle of having to trek to the rental shop after a journey from the UK, or on their first morning, ultimately wasting time. If you have your own kit we can arrange equipment carriage for you, from your home to the resort.

What spurred you on to set up the company?

MP: I’ve been skiing for over 20 years, and have been lucky enough to travel to some amazing locations and resorts. More recently, I have been involved in taking large military groups to the Alps. Time and time again I saw long queues of customers outside rental shops on their first morning

in resort waiting to get their equipment, wasting time and losing value from their lift pass. Because of the huge demand, and time pressure on the staff in the shops, the fitting process is pretty basic at best, and often the kit doesn’t fit properly and is poorly adjusted.

Even when equipment is booked online in advance, if a large group arrives just before you, you’ve no idea what kit you’ll get as the stock in the shop starts to run out, and boot and shoe sizes vary enormously. I always thought ”there must be a better way”, so I came up with the idea of having kit ”prefitted” and delivered to avoid all this hassle.

How does it work exactly? Do you drive the kit over, or have partners in Europe?

MP: The Pre-Fit team comes to you before you travel, to measure and fit for all your equipment. Your clothing is delivered to you by post about a week before you travel, and your technical kit is ready and waiting for you when you arrive. We can provide HD cameras, off-piste packs, and other ancillaries. We have partners in-resort who each receive the information from us, they prepare the equipment and set it up with the information we provide. If requested, kit is delivered and collected from your accommodation, otherwise it can be dropped off at the ski hire shop. Any clothing requested is sent back to us in a pre-paid bag. We even offer a ”try before you buy” service, so if the customer really likes all the clothing, they can buy it from us at the end.

Can anyone use your services?

MP: Absolutely. We aim to look after most

groups, and have catered for groups as small as five, and as big as over 400. We normally plan on a fitting 2–4 weeks before the client leaves for their trip, in order to provide ample time to book the fitting team.

Depending on the advance notice, and the location of the client, we deal with requests on a case-by-case basis, but we’ll try our best to support every trip that we can.

I understand Pre-Fit is working with Wasteland Ski for university ski trips?

MP: Yes, this is a very exciting time for us.

Wasteland Ski approached us in February as they could see the real value that this service would add to their customers.

It is the most established university tour operator, and is very focused on delivering the best possible service to their clients. By working with us, time will be saved and a higher level of fitting

will be provided, which means that their customers will have a premium service, but within a university trip budget. The travel industry is very competitive; and more tour operators are approaching us to offer this service to their customers in order to make them stand out and add greater value.

Have you always been in the ski industry?

MP: Only as a punter, working within the industry is all quite new and I’m still getting to know people, so it’s been quite an education! I’ve been skiing for years, but only came up with this concept in 2008. It’s taken a long time to bring the idea to reality and we have a great team working with us. We’re all delighted to see the concept take off as it has, and we’re keen to take the concept into other adventure and sporting pastimes.

Efficiency as beautiful as our slopes.

From London to the Alps in practically no time at all. What else would you expect from the efficiency experts? With 160 ights per week from Heathrow, London City and now new also Gatwick, we bring you closer to the slopes than anyone.

To the Alps from return

£124 SWISS.COM

Price quoted per person including airport taxes and surcharges departing from London to Geneva. Price is correct at time of print and subject to change and exchange rate variations. Availability is limited. For some payment methods a charge of £ 4.50 may apply.

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