Morzine Source Magazine - Issue 14 - Summer 2020 by Origami Media

issue 15 | summer 20

ISSUE 15 - SUMMER 20

FREE // GRATUIT read me & pass me on

Your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

INTERVIEW

Danny MacAskill

Fabien Trombert Morzine’s New Mayor

Les Gets plays host in 2020

On going viral, his stand-out ﬁlm moments and his future on two wheels

His big plans for the next six years in Morzine-Avoriaz

Discover what it takes to bring this massive global event to our mountains

YouTube's Favourite Rider

BEHIND THE SCENES

PLUS

UCI MTB World Cup

News, Interviews, Property, COVID-19, Events, Gear Guides and more…

Reduce your impact by making one. Every Dragon Upcycled frame is made from the waste of 5 plastic bottles.

resort information

// © oreli b

• interior architecture • project management • interior design • consultancy •

www.shepandkyles.com

• renovations • conversions • general contractor • construction management • • fluent english spoken • 20 years experience in the portes du soleil •

www.acr74.com /acr74

78 16

92 8 70

66 4

contents & intro

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Hello Summer 2020… ‘Is this is the COVID-19 issue?’ No, it is not. Whilst that wretched virus has a lot to answer for on a global scale, our mountains are still here, all fresh and clean and they’re certainly not going anywhere. There are however, still some uncertainties over precisely where you’ll be reading this issue of Morzine Source Magazine this summer. I’m writing this intro just hours before we go to print and all these quarantine rules continue to make your travels to our mountains uncertain, in the short term at least. We’re committed to getting these pages to you, wherever you are in the world and you’ll find more information on our subscription service on our website. Did I consider not publishing this issue? Not for a second. More than ever our valley must rally together to provide a top class holiday experience for all visitors and I hope our magazine plays a small part in this mission. Plus, lockdown made it really easy to pin down the likes of Fabien Trombert, the new Mayor of Morzine-Avoriaz, MTB trials legend Danny MacAskill and the growers and makers of our valley; they all feature on the pages that follow. No corners were cut in the production of this issue and I’m truly grateful to each an every advertiser for continuing to support us. I hope you enjoy the read, but more than that, I wish you a long, hot, healthy summer, wherever you are.

Amie - amie@morzinesourcemagazine.com /MorzineSourceMagazine

/MorzineSourceMagazine

contents Why Travel Still Matters.........................................................6 New Places to Stay....................................................................8 Resort Essentials................................................................... 10 Danny MacAskill.....................................................................16 Fabien Trombert, Mayor of Morzine-Avoriaz...............22 The Never Ending Summer.................................................26 Ellie’s Safe House...................................................................28 The Rare Ould Times............................................................30 Introducing Gravel Bikes....................................................34 The Smug Runners Club.....................................................36 Trending - Family Fun........................................................ 40 The 2020 Source Awards for Excellence.........................42 Trending - Outdoor Adventures.......................................44 Trending - Mountain Bike..................................................46 Trending - Road Cycling.....................................................48 A Yogi in Japan....................................................................... 50 The Source Business Directory.........................................53 Withholding Judgment.........................................................58 Trending - Lockdown Fitness............................................60 An Eagle at 1800.....................................................................62 Trending - Travel Essentials..............................................64 Behind the Scenes at the MTB World Cup...................... 66 French Summer Celebrations, Explained......................70 The State of the Market........................................................ 72 Hot Property........................................................................... 74 Designing the Dream............................................................ 78 Trending - Interiors.............................................................80 The Future of Work...............................................................82 Our Local Growers & Makers............................................84

CBP001747

Copyright Origami Media Ltd 2020. Morzine Source Magazine is published in the UK and remains the property of Origami Media Ltd. All material in this magazine is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved by Origami Media Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. Dates, information and prices are believed to be correct at the time of going to print but are subject to change and no responsibility is accepted for omissions or errors. Any correspondence and advertising enquiries should be directed to: info@origami-media.com or visit www.origami-media.com. Design and reprographics by Origami Media Ltd. Printed in the UK by Swallowtail Print Ltd. With thanks to the Office de Tourisme in Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz, Vallee d’Aulps and Les Portes du Soleil.

A Special End of Season.......................................................88 The Mountain for Everyone................................................92 Trending - For the Planet....................................................94 Your Montagne Verte Update..............................................96 The Summer of Cake............................................................98 //

contents & intro

matters WHY TRAVEL STILL

By amie henderson

publisher of morzine source magazine

This is my message to you, valued tourist. What makes me qualified to deliver this message? That’s a good question. I’ve worked in travel all my life. I’ve travelled. I’ve navigated businesses through recessions, through dire staff shortages, through the aftermath of terrorist attacks. I won’t tell you that the COVID-19 crisis of 2020 is ‘just another challenge we all have to face’ because this one is different. Yet travel remains as important as ever. “Dream now, plan later” was our original message. As a destination magazine, it’s our job to help you have the very best holiday in Morzine, Les Gets or Avoriaz; to encourage and inspire you to come back next summer, next season, next year with your friends and family. But you couldn’t travel and we didn’t know when you’d be able to again. So we encouraged you to dream now and plan later, while introducing you to the faces of some very hard working local business owners via our social channels.

“Dream now, plan later” In a valley that has devoted itself to you, the tourist, for so many years, livelihoods are at stake. Not just jobs, but businesses that have been carefully reared over the years to make your mountain holidays extra special. All resort businesses rely heavily on advance bookings so they can recruit staff, equip chalets and buy the kit they need to open next season. Yet despite the continued uncertainty, many local hotels, chalets and apartment operators are offering fully flexible booking terms for this summer and next winter with very low deposits. They’re working hard to remove any risk associated with your future holiday plans. This is what makes our valley so unique; our independently owned and managed small businesses are more nimble. They’re better placed to weather this storm. Travel still matters if you’re a family, introducing little ones to the slopes for the first time. Travel still matters if you’re a group of friends, ready to reunite after months of social distancing. Travel still matters if you’re a couple, cooped up together whilst working from home. Travel still matters and we’d love to welcome you to our valley this summer, next winter and beyond.

travel still matters

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

So good, you might forget to go out skiing…

Source Magazine’s Favourite Customer Service in 2019

Telegraph’s top 5 ski holidays 2018-19 for food lovers

Top ranked on Trip Advisor

Come and stay in our beautifully curated spaces, surrounded by Morzine’s stunning scenery with award-winning food in both our catered and self-catered chalets. A truly unforgettable Alpine experience. phone: +44 (0)20 3514 6012 / +33 (0)7834 96703 email: bookings@alikats.eu

alikats.eu

showcase NEW PROPERTY

Each year a number of stunning new accommodation options pop up across our valley. In this new regular feature, we’ll share a range of lovely new places to stay in a range of styles and budgets. Maybe they’re available for your next trip? Montriond is a true gem of a village, located between Morzine and the ski lifts of Ardent. Morgan Jupe introduced this lovely apartment to their portfolio this year after undertaking a complete refurbishment. It’s close to the local bus stop, offering fantastic access to Lake Montriond and those ski lifts, but it’s also just a short walk from the village centre. There are bifold doors connecting the main living space to a southwestfacing balcony – it’s a real suntrap well into the evening. The apartment includes two bedrooms and one bathroom, making it perfect for a family holiday. Owner Jess Morgan told us “There’s nothing quite like watching the sun go down behind la Côte-d'Arbroz with a glass of wine on the balcony at the end of the day!”

Apartment Sorbier, Montriond

Find out more: morganjupe.co.uk

Chalet Zormine

Occupying a stand-out location (literally!) cascading down the side of the valley above Morzine’s Dereches river walk, Zormine is brand new to local chalet company Simply Morzine this year. It’s practically next door to the Super Morzine lift, tucked away on a quiet side street and the views are incredible. This newly built chalet sleeps between 12 and 17 guests in six en-suite bedrooms and there’s an outdoor, roof-level hot tub from which to take in the views. As Ben from Simply Morzine explains, “Chalet Zormine is a true ‘Grand Designs’ property. Plus it’s in the perfect central location! The chalet operates on either a catered or selfcatered basis during the summer season, and catered during the winter”. Find out more: simply-morzine.co.uk

new property showcase

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Like a pair of non-identical twins, Harmonie and Melodie are two standout neighbouring properties from AliKats Mountain Holidays. Located next door to each other in the very heart of Morzine centre, these newly built properties feature exceptional interior furnishings. Chalet Harmonie sleeps 10 people in four en-suite bedrooms while Melodie sleeps 11 people in five en-suite bedrooms. Each property has a fabulous living space, stunning views and it’s own outdoor hot tub. AliKat’s Al told us “These properties are right in the middle of town, just off the Rue du Bourg; they’re a super way to experience the traditional heart of the village of Morzine”.

Chalets Harmonie & Melodie

Find out more: alikats.eu

Apartment Agastya

Luxury holiday apartments don’t get much closer to Morzine’s Pleney than Agastya by Treeline Chalets. Brand spanking new for this summer season, this luxury penthouse property has four bedrooms and four bathrooms, sleeping up to nine people comfortably. There’s a large open-plan lounge, a big balcony from which to soak up the views and stacks of comfortable seating for your whole group. “We’re delighted to be able to offer our guests such a high standard of accommodation within metres of the Pleney lift and with all Morzine has to offer on its doorstep!” Treeline Chalet’s Hannah told us.

Find out more: treelinechalets.com

Located inside the newly built Les Avettes residence, just a two-minute walk from Morzine’s Pleney, La Marmotte is a fresh, modern three-bed apartment offered by Elevation Alps. In fact, just across the road is the Bouchet button lift, which makes this apartment almost ski-in, ski-out! There’s an open plan living room with plenty of comfy seating and the dual-aspect windows give you incredible views from all angles. Loaded with all the equipment and amenities you need for a self-catered break, La Marmotte also has loads of storage space too. Explains Kath from Elevation Alps, “This is a great option for a family. The apartment is just across the road from Morzine’s ski school and the beginner slopes are on your doorstep.”

La Marmotte

Find out more: elevationalps.com

Chalet Deux

Available on a self-catered basis and sleeping up to eight guests in four large bedrooms, Chalet Deux by Mountain Xtra is a stunning, stylish chalet in the charming hamlet of Essert la Pierre, an eight-minute drive from the centre of Morzine. The chalet is just five minutes from the nearest ski lift and is the perfect family retreat during both the winter and summer. As Mountain Xtra’s Dominic explains, “Chalet Deux is stunning inside and is perfect for family groups and friends; the views and surrounding scenery literally take our breath away! With summer self catered properties from as little as £1000 per week, this must be one of the best value properties in the area!” Find out more: mountainxtra.com //

new property showcase

essentials summer

We’ve done our very best to round up all that’s new and exciting in our valley for this summer season and we’ve tried really hard to include as much detail as possible, whilst knowing that many elements may change as we all face the COVID-19 situation together. Therefore any dates, times and details were as intended on the day this magazine went to print. We strongly advise you check the Resort Essentials page on our website for the very latest information, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram. Bike Park Cette se veut pédagogique et Two New Trailszone on Pleney accessible à tous. Ask and you shall receive. Two new trails have Un de 430 m avec been parcours introduced on Pleney this summer. The départ pump first is the red run previously developed for trail, woops type pumptracks, et plusieurs the French MTB Championships back in 2018. It begins at the top à of Pleney, its 3km long and modules destination aussi bien des descends 500m, right back into the centre of familles, des jeunes pratiquants que des the resort. Weekly events are planned on this new trail for the future. The second new trail is passionnés. a blue running off the previously constructed par route Accès between Les Getsla andtélécabine Morzine, which du Pleney. was introduced in 2019. This blue is a 700m extension with a 40m descent and it means you can avoid the roads, landing back in the centre of the village. Make sure you pick up a new trail map from the Pleney on your way up.

Eight Days, Five Minutes, One Epic Night The inaugural 2019 edition of the Morzine Summer Film Awards saw 12 teams battle it out across the trails of the Portes du Soleil, making movies that not only showcased our stunning summer mountains, but also made for one heck of an entertaining watch. With more huge prizes up for grabs, the event returns this year with a premier on 29th August. Of course before then you’ll need to enter and film your entry. Sign up now (and before 18th August) at morzinesummerfilmfestival.com. Filming takes place between 19th and 26th August. Head to the website for more info!

Nouvelles pistes de VTT

Sur le stade du Pleney, une piste de slalo parallèle verra le jour et permettra dans futur proche, l’organisation d’évènemen hebdomadaires au cœur de la station Cette piste arrivera en bas de la télécabin Pleney. 10

summer essentials

Caisses

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Privilégier la vente en ligne qui ouvrira dès le 25 mai sur www.vtt-morzine.com A Night at Heidi’s House Les comptoirs des caisses seront désinfectés The Refuge de Nyon onfois the shores Lac de sans Nyon Guérin is one of plusieurs parofjour, oublier les the finest examples of a stone built mountain shelter you’ll find in our automates La vente par CBowner et le mountains. Reopeningde this vente. summer following years of closure, Bettysans will take advantage of the fresh trout from the Les adjacent lake foret contact sera privilégiée. hôtes her menu. Groups of between five and 12 people are also invited to hôtesses seront protégés spend the night at d’accueil the refuge to enjoy a traditional mountainpar meal une before bedding down in dormitoryvitre. style accommodation. You’ll find the Refuge de Nyon just a 30-40 minute easy walk up from the Nyon cable ouvertes tous jours car.Caisses To make a reservation call Betty on les +33 (0) 7 72 44 de 82 9309h00 à 17h30 du 27/06 au 03/07 puis de 9h00 à 18h00 du 04/07 au 30/08.

Personnel Le personnel est doté de masques en tissus lavables, et le portera s’il doit être en contact rapproc avec le client.

SELF CATERED CHALETS & APARTMENTS

New Beginners Zone on Pleney

NOUVEAUTES VTT 2020

Children and beginner mountain bikers love watching the more accomplished riders on our mountains and this new initiation space by the Pleney Lift Company gives them the opportunity to learn their first tricks in a safe, encouraging environment. Measuring 3800m2 and located at the top of the mountain, this new initiation area includes obstacles and modules to practice jumps, pivots and bends. We’ll see you there!

book direct at: mountainxtra.com SUMMER & WINTER | MORZINE & LES GETS

BIKE PARK ZONE LUDIQUE SOMMET DU PLENEY

Un espace d’initiation de la pratique du VTT de 3800 m2. Olympics Preparations in Morzine-Avoriaz In 2024 Paris plays host to the Olympic Games and to get the whole country involved in the preparations, certain areas will be awarded ‘Terre de Jeux 2024’ status. The label brings communities together using sport as the backdrop and Morzine-Avoriaz is one of the first municipalities to be awarded ‘Terre de Jeux 2024’ status. Over the years, Olympic athletes from many different nations have used Morzine, Avoriaz and our surrounding valley as their training ground. They take advantage of our altitude, swimming lakes, marked running and cycling trails, the sports hall, outdoor swimming pool and more. Now we’ll all get the chance to play Olympian in training in the run up to the games!

For information about Property Management Services contact: info@mountainxtra.com

summer essentials

Lumina

Chez Betty Tattoo Studio

Here at Morzine Source Magazine we love nothing better than a brand new activity or attraction that is suitable for all ages. Lumina Les Gets is the first of its kind in Europe; a multi-sensory walk through the forest at night to let your imagination run wild. Expect the natural beauty of your surroundings to be enhanced by some very clever technology, including video projection, special effects and a unique soundtrack. Lumina tells the story of local legends and we’re expecting it to be an unmissable cultural experience. For more details head to lesgets.com/ LuminaExperience, the Les Gets Office de Tourisme expect this new activity to open at the end of July 2020.

Having worked in established tattoo studios in both the UK and France over the years, experienced tattoo artist Liane Green has opened her very own professional studio right here in Morzine. Located on the Route de Combe a Zore in the centre of the village, Liane takes advance bookings only but is more than happy to show you around if you’re thinking of having your first tattoo. “It’s not scary, I promise!” she says. All of Liane’s tattoos are custom-designed following a consultation, which means you get something you absolutely love as an end result. For more information head to tattoomorzine.com or take a peek at @ greenydraws on Instagram for inspiration.

The Café Chaud Beer Garden

Fitlife

Hidden along one of Morzine’s side streets you’ll find a large, sunny beer garden – who knew? Attached to the late-night den of debauchery that is Café Chaud, this summer oasis offers €5 beers, a bike wash and a brand new summer food menu from the team behind the Boomerang in Les Gets. The beer garden is open between 12noon and 9pm each day (the bar is open until much later!) and the menu features favourites such a southern-fried chicken buckets with homemade coleslaw, pulled pork burgers, sleezy chips and even battered sausages. Watch out for theme nights this summer too!

Thanks to experienced fitness coach Flora Mugnier and ex-professional skier Adeline Baud-Mugnier, Les Gets now has its own all-singing, all-dancing gym spanning 150 m2 and featuring a full range of fitness equipment. Between them, the girls run a packed programme of fitness classes, both inside the gym and outdoors on the shores of the lake. There’s circuit training, yoga, pilates, weights sessions and more. Gym membership is priced at just €30 per month, fiving you unlimited access to the Fitlife centre, while the Fitlife pack at €40 per month also includes group fitness classes too. Personal training to support your own fitness goals is also available at €50 per hour for a one-toone session. fit-life.fr

summer essentials

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

A Safe Zone in Avoriaz In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office de Tourisme in Avoriaz followed an independent initiative to safeguard its staff and customers within tourist office buildings, all of which are now certified as ‘safe zones’. Current safe zones include the Office de Tourisme building itself, all entertainment arranged by the Office de Tourisme, operations at the golf course, Aquariaz, the tennis centre, the beach volleyball court and the mini-golf course.

INTERIOR DESIGNS & FURNISHINGS ARCHITECTURE D’INTÉRIEUR

lisa@rsinteriordesigns.com

+33(0) 6 32 31 81 94 www.rsinteriordesigns.com

Aiglon Source Advert Summer 19.pdf

The resort is the first tourist destination in France to undertake the audit, which closely examines procedures and health protocols to guarantee the safety of tourist office staff and visitors. Avoriaz 1800 General Manager Michaël Ruysschaert told Source “As part of the resumption of our summer activities, but also for Winter 2021 given the context, our tourists must be reassured when they reach our destination for one hour, one day or one week.” In Avoriaz this summer you can expect the excellent application of hygiene rules, respect for social distancing measures, the application of barrier gestures and payment management to minimise human contact.

03/05/2019

13:16

www.aiglonmorzine.com

A Summer of Entertainment Each Saturday during July and August, the team from Hôtel la Marmotte in Les Gets organise a gentle hike from the centre of the resort to their sister restaurant, La Païka, further along the valley. A country-style BBQ awaits, departure is from the hotel at 11am and the menu is priced at €32 per person, including your meal and drinks. Children are very welcome and are priced at €19. Continuing the theme of excellent food, Sunday Brunch is served on the terrace of the hotel’s restaurant each week during July and August for €29 per person (€12 for children). On Saturday evening, La Biskatcha restaurant, also at Hôtel la Marmotte, hosts a live music concert for you to enjoy too! hotel-marmotte.com

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12 Beautiful apartments

•

Perfectly located

•

Secure parking

•

On site gym

•

Fitness Classes

•

Sauna

•

Treatment rooms

All you need for a great winter or summer stay in Morzine //

summer essentials

SUMMER 2020

resort essentials The most important thing you need to know about the information that follows, is that it was correct on 30 May, the day this magazine went to print. We’re always working to bring you the most accurate information for Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz, but COVID-19 chaos could still be working against us. Therefore, please use the detail on these pages as a guide to your ultimate day out in our valley, but also check in at morzinesourcemagazine.com/summer20 where we’ll load any updates as they’re announced. Summer Mountain Lifts 2020 – Dates & Times Avoriaz

dates

Times

Bikers v Walkers

Super Morzine

4 July - 1 Sept

09.00 - 16.45

Both

Zore

4 July - 1 Sept

09.10 - 16.45

Both

Seraussaix

4 July - 1 Sept

09.30 - 16.45

Both - Ascent only

Chaux Fleurie

4 July - 1 Sept

09.30 - 17.00

Both

Lindarets

4 July - 1 Sept

09.30 - 17.15

Both

Mossettes

4 July - 1 Sept

09.40 - 16.45

Both

Prodains Express

6 July - 1 Sept

09.30 - 12.30 // 13.30 - 18.30 (Every 30 mins)

Both

Morzine

dates

Times

Bikers v Walkers

Pleney

27 June - 20 Sept

09.00 - 17.00 *Open until 17.30 between 26 June and 30 Aug

Both

Nyon Gondola

11 July - 30 Aug

10.00 - 17.30

Both

Pointe de Nyon

11 July - 30 Aug

10.15 - 16.45

Walkers Only

Les Gets

dates

Times

Bikers v Walkers

Mont Chéry Gondola

20 June - 06 Sept

09.00 – 17.30

Both

Mont Chéry Pointe

20 June - 06 Sept

009.45 – 16.45

Walkers only

Chavannes Express

20 June - 20 Sept

09.00 – 17.30

Both - Ascent only

Nauchets

20 June - 20 Sept

09.15 – 17.20

Bikes only

St Jean D'Aulps

dates

Times

Bikers v Walkers

Grande Terche

09 July - 30 August

10.00 - 16.30 (Every Thursday)

Both

*Les Gets’ Chavannes Express and Nauchets chairlifts open for bikes at the weekends from Saturday 30 May, depending on weather conditions with continuous opening from Saturday 20 June.

Les Gets Swimming Lake Dates

Times*

Day Pass

Season Pass

4 July - 30 Aug

11.00 - 19.15

€3.00

€40.00

*Lake access is free with your Portes du Soleil MuliPass **Details regarding the Wibit activity park can be found on our website 14

resort essentials

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Summer Mountain lift Prices Adults

Children

seniors & youths

Any Lift - single journey for walkers

€6.00

€4.80

€5.30

€26.00

Any Lift - return journey for walkers

€7.00

€5.80

€6.30

€84.00

€101.00

MTB - 2 Journeys

€10.60

€8.40

€9.40

Adults

Children

seniors & youths

MTB - 8 Journeys

€30.40

€24.00

€27.30

Morzine Pleney Single MTB Trip

€6.00

€4.80

€5.30

Les Gets

(20 - 64yrs)

Adults

Children

seniors & youths

Morzine Pleney 10 MTB Trips

€7.00

€5.80

€6.30

Les Gets Pass

€7.50

€5.50

€6.60

Morzine Pleney Single for Walkers

€10.60

€8.40

€9.40

Walkers 6 journeys on any Les Gets lift

€21.50

Morzine Pleney Return for Walkers

€30.40

€24.00

€27.30

Walkers 12 journeys on any Les Gets lift

€35.00

Nyon Cable Car Single

€6.00

€4.80

€5.30

5 hour MTB pass

€23.00

€17.00

€21.00

Nyon Cable Car & Chairlift Return

€7.00

€5.80

€6.30

1 day MTB pass

€29.00

€22.00

€26.00

Morzine Pleney Single for Walkers

€10.60

€8.40

€9.40

6 days MTB pass

€116.00

€87.00

€104.00

Pointe de Nyon Chairlift Return

€30.40

€24.00

€27.30

pds

(20 - 64yrs)

Adults

Children

seniors & youths

MTB 5 Hours

€23.00

€17.00

€21.00

MTB 1 Day

€29.00

€22.00

MTB 6 Day

€112.00

morzine

(20 - 64yrs)

(5 - 15yrs)

(5 - 16yrs)

(65yrs+ / 16-19yrs)

(20 - 64yrs)

(5 - 15yrs)

(65yrs+ / 16-19yrs)

1 25/04/2019 StAP_Pressad_sourceMagSUMMER_185_25mmx127_5mm_FINAL.pdf Jean d’Aulps (65yrs+ / 16-19yrs) (20 - 64yrs) (5 - 15yrs)

Grande Terche Return

avoriaz

Adults

Children

seniors & youths

Free

(5 - 15yrs)

(65yrs+ / 16-19yrs)

09:13

PICTURE YOUR PROPERTY HERE. UNDER THE NOSE OF 10,000 POTENTIAL BUYERS. EVERY DAY. Each month our property listings receive over 1 million pageviews from over 100,000 individuals looking for their ideal Alpine home. With our friendly team of 20 locally based, bilingual staff, we will work with you to price, promote and sell your property. Experts in their regions, they know the area, the buyers and the local contacts you will need to make a successful sale.

alpine-property.com +33 (0)4 50 04 86 07 AP_Pressad_sourceMagSUMMER_185_25mmx127_5mm_FINAL.indd 1

28/03/2016 11:2515 resort essentials

Danny MacAskill Interview by Michael Henderson

resort information

ÂŠ Dave Mackison // adidas Outdoor

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Regardless of your preferred discipline on two wheels, if you ride a bike you’ve probably heard of Danny MacAskill. Born in 1985 and raised in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skyle, Scotland, Danny is a professional street trials rider and he’s notched up over 450 million views on YouTube. The story begins on 19th April, 2009, when Danny posted a five minute street trials video on YouTube. With ‘The Funeral’ by Band of Horses as its soundtrack and filmed by his flatmate Dave Sowerby, the video became Danny’s ‘breakthrough moment’, attracting hundreds of thousands of views overnight. Since then the whole world has gone crazy each time Danny releases a new clip; and there have been many. Way Back Home, a collaboration with Red Bull Media House in November 2010, charged up 41 million views, while Imaginate in 2013 amassed a staggering 89 million views. But it’s not just about the views and it’s definitely not about becoming a ‘YouTube’ sensation for Danny. Viral fame gives him a stage on which to share his skills, but he’s also the founder of the Drop and Roll Tour, which takes live shows to bike festivals around the world. Danny’s holed up in Scotland when we catch up for this interview. How has lockdown been treating you? “Things have actually been treating me pretty well. I am kind of locking down in a house up in the highlands of Scotland near a small ski resort called Aviemore, which has some pretty amazing trails on the door step. Maybe not quite at Morzine’s level but it’s pretty amazing and I am putting many miles in on the new e-bike.” You could be classed as one of the fore-fathers of the YouTube generation, obviously it helped to put you where you are today. But what do you think of people aspiring to be a YouTuber or Influencer? “For sure I was at the right place at the right time making the right content. Back in 2009 I put my first video on YouTube. Not on my own, but on the channel of my bike sponsor at that time – Inspired Bicycles. Little did I know that it was going to go viral back then and put me in the position to be able to take on lots of other partners and to really start riding my bike for a living. It’s crazy to think that YouTube was only four years old back in 2009 and now it has become such a huge part of everybody’s life. It’s hard to say what I think about people aspiring to be a YouTuber or Influencer. I think as long as you are doing it for the right reasons then it’s perfectly fine. We all had our heroes going up – it’s just a different time. You know, whether it was wanting to appear in a magazine or a DVD, nowadays we have all this amazing media right at our fingertips. We can watch any pro in the world and all the

latest new stuff. It’s pretty cool but I would say there’s also a slightly unhealthy side to the YouTube content – especially the way the algorithms work. It can kind of turn you into a slave to them. By having to make more and more content, uploading it more and more regularly, which can end up maybe putting you into a position where you're not doing it for fun. But in general, there’s a lot of opportunity out there for everyone. And it’s not going away anytime soon, it’s only gonna get bigger so you may as well go with it.” How many hours a day do you spend on your bike? And how do you balance training versus pleasure? “Almost every single minute I spent on my bike I class as pleasure. I am not really a competitive guy and I really just like to ride for fun. I still ride my bike with the same attitude as I did when I was eight years old – just going out and enjoying the freedom that it gives me. I just love being creative on my bike. The only time it feels different than training is when I am filming. Then I am obviously pushing myself to do the biggest and best things I can on my bike with an overall goal of making a film that I usually come up with a concept for.” What was the first moment you realised bikes were your life? “Ever since I got my first bike I have been totally hooked on riding. And really from the first moments I straight away tried to do skids and wheelies. I have no idea where the influence for trying tricks came from at the

beginning; it’s just something I have always wanted to do. I was always slightly crazier than my friends and usually the first person to hit a jump for the first time or to jump off the highest wall of the village.” As one of the most creative and imaginative people on a bike, who are your riding influences? “My riding influences are riders like legend Hans Rey, a Swiss-German rider who has been riding professionally for over 30 years. He has been a huge influence on me and still is today. He really shows that with the right professional attitude and with the right mindset you can do this a long time, which is often a question I get asked. Other riders that have really influenced me in my career are British riders like Martyn Ashton and Martin Hawyes who were always in the magazines when I was growing up. Chris Akrigg is another amazingly creative rider that can do anything on any bike. He has been an influence on me, not just riding the trials bike but to branch out and to ride on the mountain bike and anything with two wheels. And then there’s also Canadian rider Ryan Leech and US rider Jeff Lenosky – those guys really had a big influence on me growing up.” Are you influenced and/or inspired by different riding disciplines, for example BMX? “Yes, for sure, BMX has been something I've looked to for many years. When I lived in Edinburgh working in a bike shop, >> //

danny macaskill

actually lived in a flat with four BMXers. Back then YouTube hadn’t quite developed to what it is today and you usually got your content every six months to a year through the next big DVD release. When we got one of these DVDs in the post, we all gathered around the TV and watched it over and over again, taking in every minute. And in some ways for me back then I was really heavily influenced by how much work went into each segment. That’s something that I try to take to my videos nowadays, as if I am making a standalone part for one of these videos. And obviously the creativity and the size of the tricks that go down in BMX is something that has heavily influenced me.” How has your upbringing in Skye influenced your style, determination and attitude? “That‘s a good question! I grew up in a small village called Dunvegan on Isle of Skye with only 200 residents. There wasn’t much riding for me to do on the trials bike but what little there was I rode the hell out of it. I used to persuade my parents to get me some wooden pallets for the garden so I could build different obstacles and build my level. There were also a few walls down the street and all the edges soon became rounded with my riding on them, but if it wasn‘t for those walls I wouldn’t be where I am today. Because I did not have a huge amount to ride it meant I had to become more creative to keep myself motivated to ride every day. So instead of learning to get up higher and higher on obstacles, I would instead learn how to do spins and learn how to do some flatland moves, which later in my life have become really important to the videos I am making. So I am really grateful for having a limited amount of riding in my past.”

Of all the films you’ve made, which is your favourite? “It’s hard to say. The films I have made have all had their real stand out moments and have been some of the favourite times of my life. The one that stands out for me as being one of the coolest has to be a film called The Ridge, which I filmed on Isle of Skye back in 2014 with my friends. We had very low expectations for the film – not working with some of the bigger sponsors that I usually work with like Red Bull, but instead going with some smaller sponsors and just a small team heading up into the mountains. It was the first project that I’d ever really done on the mountain bike and I had never been up on top of the mountains there properly until we started filming. Skye isn’t known for its good weather but while we were filming for the six days we ended up getting some amazing blue skies, which made for some really cool shots. At one point I climbed up on to this piece of rock called the Inaccessible Pinnacle, a two hundred foot piece of rock that sticks out from the rest of the landscape around it. And while standing up there at seven o’clock in the morning, there was mist over the ridge line, I was looking at my home island thinking that this was one of the coolest moments of my life so far. And we were really shocked when we released the film that it went quite as virally as it did, having more than 70 million views to date. That one was really fun!” Are you inspired by a location to attempt a new trick, or do you have a trick in mind then hunt for the location? What comes first? “That’s a good question! I use all sorts of things to give me inspiration for the next film. I spend hours discovering Google images, looking for different locations around the world for the next idea. Sometimes it can also be a piece of music that I listen to and I kind of picture in my mind exactly what kind of film would work perfectly to that. That’s how Cascadia, a film I made in 2015, came together. I really >> 18

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wanted to do a rooftop film and had that in mind for a while and when I listened to The Dodos music track ‘Fools’, I could just picture trying to ride around the top of some really colourful flat roof buildings and it would be an obvious one to do with my sponsor GoPro. So I ended up scouting the internet and we found this place in Gran Canaria called Las Palmas that had all these amazing colourful buildings and it worked out perfectly. For other tricks I draw little stickman drawings of tricks and then I discover the countryside or the city, trying to find a very specific location that allows me to do it. This can sometimes be a nightmare.” Of all of your films, which trick has taken you longest to nail on camera? “That’s very hard to say. I often go through this process while filming the hardest tricks of the films, or as we call them, the bangers. Often I never tried the trick until I am on location with the cameras rolling. There have been many tricks from many films that have taken multiple days and hundreds of tries. One of the standout ones for me has to be the log slide in Wee Day Out. This was a trick where I basically rolled down a hill, we found this dead tree which had no bark on it, which was lying horizontal and was also very slippy. And the idea was that I jumped onto the tree, tried to slide along on my crankarm, with my tyres on either side, get to a certain point and jump off a two meter drop on the other side. This trick took me four hundred attempts over four days and I probably had over a hundred cashes trying it.”

What do you think of Morzine and the surrounding area? Where do you most like to ride when here? “I really love riding in Morzine. It’s definitely one of my top destinations in the world to ride mountain bikes. I first rode there back in 2008 after riding the Megavalanche and then spending a week in the valley. It rained every day when I was there but I loved every minute of it. Riding on the Pleney or riding on Super Morzine or even riding over into Châtel - it’s just amazing to have that network of trails specifically made for mountain bikes. And it was one of my first experiences riding on a chairlift to the top of the trails, which is pretty sweet. I have been there a few times since, riding with world cup riders for Santa Cruz bicycles. This time on the dusty trails trying to keep up and for sure it’s somewhere I try to get to at least once every year.”

I always think your films make great destination marketing tools, with the Santa Cruz European HQ here in Morzine can we hope for Morzine version? “Well, thank you! You never know. As I said I would like to try to go over to Morzine at least once every year which can be tricky with my busy schedule but even for some personal time I would love to get to Morzine just to come and shred so hopefully I’ll see you guys there soon.” What should we expect next? What have you got in the pipeline? “Well I think as with everybody this year, plans have changed quite dramatically. I did have plans for some projects in The States and some projects on the European continent, but they have all been put on hold at the moment. So just now I am focussing closer to home, back in Scotland. I have lots of ideas that I have always wanted to do here but I have never had the time because I was travelling around the world. So stay tuned on my channels to see some more content from me soon!” 20

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THE

big job Interview by Amie Henderson

I’d just about had it with politics, I’m not going to lie. Whilst it’s easy to get fired up about the issues affecting our own communities, all too often, change feels impossible. As a magazine we’d ‘stuck our noses’ into the big issues concerning our valley ahead of the March 2020 municipal elections. The proposed new lift link between Morzine and les Prodains being one example, the environment and a sustainable future for our village, another. And while Brexit left Brits in Morzine-Avoriaz unable to vote in the local elections, which only come round once every six years, I watched on with interest. What does Morzine-Avoriaz really need?

the big job

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Of course we were approaching confinement by the time the first round of the municipal elections rolled around on 15 March 2020. Yet despite COVID-19 keeping us at home, 75% of Morzine-Avoriaz’s registered voters cast their vote, delivering us a brand new Mayor in Fabien Trombert. “Ensemble & Autrement” (which translates non-literally as ‘Together yet Different’), were a team hastily assembled to challenge Morzine-Avoriaz’s longstanding mayor Gérard Berger. But what do we know about the new mayor of Morzine-Avoriaz? At just 46 years of age, Fabien Trombert is a landscaping expert (he’d previously founded and then sold local landscaping company Trombert Espaces Verts), with a deep-rooted family history in our village. Aside from his new mayoral responsibilities, Monsieur Trombert is skilled at renovating traditional mazots and is passionate about preserving the heritage and authenticity of Morzine-Avoriaz.

“ How do we balance our impact as a revenue-generating tourist resort with the need to manage our natural resources more sustainably? ” There’s no denying that EMA (Express MorzineAvoriaz, the planned new lift connection) was the divisive issue of the 2020 election campaign. €100 million was the expected spend, “but of course this link between Morzine and Avoriaz already exists,” explains Trombert. “We’ll develop the existing Super Morzine route instead. This issue is very important to me. The disruption will be far reduced, as will the cost. We anticipate that the entire project, including the associated development of new pistes, the arrival and departure stations and changes to the transport network will take two years.” COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented the preliminary works this spring, but at the moment, we can expect to see this new plan realised in 2022. There’ll be widespread delight if the new lift link between Morzine and Avoriaz ticks some sustainability boxes, that’s for sure. But what about the rest of the village? How do we balance our impact as a revenue-generating tourist resort with the need to manage our natural resources more sustainably? “We’ve created a stand-alone environment committee,” >>

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the big job

Mayor Trombert tells me. “Previously, sustainability and environmental concerns were part of the ‘Cadre de vie’ or ‘living environment’ committee. I hope this change reflects the commitment of our team.” “Climate change is proven, the time is no longer for awareness, but for action,” Trombert continues. “The ecological challenges of tomorrow will be linked to the political decisions of today.” From here on in, sustainability will be factored into all decisions and developments, including tourism, town planning and the living environment, for the benefit of the whole valley, not just Morzine-Avoriaz. Certain new initiatives will be implemented very quickly, such as the improved sorting of waste, a focus on sharing the mountain more responsibly between all stakeholders and the establishment of cultural projects along the Dérêches. There’ll also be support for more ‘gentle and virtuous’ events to support the local tourist economy; ones that have a reduced environmental impact such as yoga and trail running. Rigorous environmental regulations will also be established for major events in the future. The local transport system is the third issue, bridging the gap between environmental concerns and improving the tourist experience in Morzine-Avoriaz. “This subject is considered a priority by our team” Mayor Trombert tells me. “But we’ll work with wisdom,” he continues. The initial plan involves a number of small changes, implemented quickly but effectively. The route of the Petit Train will be changed for example, with a third train added to reduce wait times dramatically. Parking spaces will be re-optimised, the shuttle busses reorganised. “At the same time, we are going to study a new traffic plan, integrating long-term perspectives. In particular, I’m interested in promoting soft traffic, such as cycling for everyone, in all seasons,” Trombert explains. In my view, it’s the heritage and traditions on display in Morzine that make our village so special. You might criticize our low altitude; I’ll point to the range of incredible resort facilities that make us much more than just a ski resort. But how do we balance the history and authenticity that makes MorzineAvoriaz so unique, with the competitive requirements of the future? “Between 60% and 70% of the overall economic activity of our village comes from the winter ski season,” Mayor Trombert explains. “But we must consider another vision of what will attract our customers and future visitors, taking into account climate change but also consumption habits.” “Our action will be to raise awareness and coordinate initiatives with a municipal commitment to develop our cultural assets. I want to combine our history, the environment and our heritage to ensure Morzine-Avoriaz remains a first class mountain resort.” 24

the big job

THE ALTERNATIVE TO EMA COMMISSIONING OF THE 1ST SECTION - DECEMBER 2021 SUPER-MORZINE - LA GRENOUILLE

COMMISSIONING OF THE 2ND SECTION - DECEMBER 2023 LA GRENOUILLE - LA JOUX VERTE - AVORIAZ ACCUEIL

JOUX-VERTE = AVOID DROP OFF SKIERS AT AVORIAZ + NEW SECTOR

Why a mid station at the Joux-Verte? A CONSISTENT LOCATION FOR: • develop the Super-Morzine and Avoriaz ski area, South slope and North slope • allow skiers and mountain bikers to directly reach the top of Avoriaz, Lindarets, Chatel and Switzerland. We avoid overloading Avoriaz Center • Allow a change of direction by staying in the same cabin, and going directly to Avoriaz Reception (Travellers)

Why a direct arrival at Reception? • For travellers with luggage >> Direct access >> Reception Station services ++ Sleighs and Snow Taxis • Protected area under the station for sleighs

Our alternative Morzine-Avoriaz Line Length

5,800m

Journey Time

20min

Passenger Flow Maintenance Cost Global Cost Cost to Commune

3,00 pers/h current and reasonable €39,000,000 €0,00

OUR ALTERNATIVE IN SUMMARY • A direct link to the top of Avoriaz • A connection without load break • An open link for all users • Travelers with luggage • Walkers and hikers • Parepentists, mountain bikers, golfers • Cross-country and alpine skiers • Tranquility and Sight Seekers • A truly 4 season and traveler connection • A link to ultimately reduce overall car traffic in Morzine • A link that creates ski areas • A connection without real visual impact • A link achievable for December 2023 • A cheaper connection financially

// *The schedule of works presented in this diagram were pre-COVID-19 and may change

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Less so in recent times, but over the years I do recall issues with integration. More Brits live in our valley these days than ever before, and on the whole we’re a respectful bunch, immersing ourselves in the culture of our new, much-loved home. “Living in a community means welcoming, listening and taking into account the voices of everyone who lives here,” states Mayor Trombert. “I’m creating a specific advisory committee for the British community in our village. The integration must work both ways.”

“ Climate change is proven, the time is no longer for awareness, but for action. The ecological challenges of tomorrow will be linked to the political decisions of today” As you’ll read elsewhere in this magazine, we’re huge advocates for the extension of our summer season. It sounds so easy and reasonable in many ways, but the reality is very different. Essential maintenance must be undertaken on the ski lifts of the Pleney ahead of the winter season for example. There’s the hunting season to consider too. How does our new Mayor feel about the idea of four seasons tourism? “This should not remain a vague intention to do. We believe that it is possible to implement new initiatives, provided that the Mairie instills a new desire to do so,” Trombert explains. “Making longer use of our sports infrastructure, including the ski lifts, should allow the private enterprises of our village to extend their period of summer opening.” Fabien Trombert certainly has a job on his hands. “I’m always working,” he tells me when I ask about hobbies and interests outside of ‘the big job’. He’s a member of Secours en Montagne, our local volunteer mountain rescue service. He loves skiing, ice hockey, football, running and climbing. He’s passionate about history, collecting and renovating vehicles from WW2. We tour one of his restored mazots in the garden of his family home, it’s charming and authentic on the outside, modern and chic on the interior, he’s clearly very proud of his results. I leave Chez Trombert excited for the future in a village I’ve long considered to be my home. Not just because of our new Mayor’s plans for the future, but because of his commitment to engage. We spoke frequently about his intent to host meeting after meeting to get things done and there’s certainly a lot to do. We’ll check back in with him ahead of our Winter 20/21 issue for an update.

Call: +33 (0) 450 79 12 31 //

the big job

summer A NEVER ENDING

By Amie Henderson

Humans have always defined the four seasons of the year according to the weather. But with temperatures ranging between 16°c and 25°c here in Morzine and the surrounding valley, we’re proposing to move the month of September into the category of ‘summer’. September has a lot going for it. The days are still long, our lakes are still warm and those little ones, having enjoyed anything between six and eight weeks of freedom, are firmly ensconced back in their classrooms. September is a month to take stock, to appreciate the natural beauty of our surroundings, to have some fun before the long months of winter approach on the horizon.

of mountain bikers have selfpropelled up and down Pleney, but there’s no après-ride beer to be found. That relaxed, friendly vibe for which our valley is so famous, has been packed up with the tables and chairs, mothballed until winter.

“We need holidaymakers to come to Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz in September to make this plan work.”

Extending our summer tourist season into September is an age-old discussion and this certainly isn’t the first time the topic has featured on the pages of our magazine. Countless meetings have been held; several proposal documents prepared, more than a few tempers have flared. Then one day, Les Gets won the opportunity to host the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup for several consecutive summers and the 2020 event (which was scheduled to be the finals no less, pre-COVID-19 chaos), just happened to fall in the second half of September 2020.

Yet, in years gone by, you’d stroll Morzine’s Rue du Bourg in September in a ghost town. Cafes, bars, restaurants, shops, takeaways, all closed up for the long autumn interseason. It’s scorching but the outdoor pool is closed. The mountain lifts are closed too, so small groups

Our local lift operators responded, announcing an extended Summer 20 mountain bike season, deep into September. Oh how the locals rejoiced! Finally, lift-assisted riding, long after our valley’s family season had finished. Oh how local business owners

a never ending summer

rejoiced! Finally, extra weeks in which to generate vital revenue to make up for a slowly depleting winter season. “Summer in Morzine is such a narrow window,” Tim Jackson, owner of Torico Performance Bikes explains. “I open my bike hire shop on the Rue du Bourg in May, but usually the season only runs between the end of June and the end of August. That’s just eight weeks of business. Morzine needs a longer summer season.” But is there demand? The number of permanent residents in our valley has swelled dramatically over the last ten years, there would certainly be bums on lifts. But we all have bikes, and we all have lift passes, so there’ll be no extra revenue from locals. We need holidaymakers to come to Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz in September to make this plan work. Local mountain biker Guillaume Le Lan founded Chablais Bike, a not-for-profit association, with this precise objective in mind. He wrote about it extensively in our Winter 20 magazine so we asked him for an update. “Year

after year we see the number of mountain bikers increasing more and more,” Guillaume explains. “There were more queues than ever at the lifts last summer. During spring time, you can see how many people are riding bikes, impatient for the lifts to open,” he continues. But is this a case of ‘build it, and they will come?’ “There’s no certainty that mountain bikers will come this September because of

“Here at Morzine Source Magazine we’d love to see a collective effort made to extend our summer season. ” COVID-19, but let’s not forget that pedestrians also use the mountain lifts too.” “Once again, if you don’t try, you don’t know, so we’re very happy to see the lift companies of Morzine and Les Gets try this year. Hopefully they’ll adjust their summer season dates for the following year.”

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“Let’s look at the summer season in other mountain resorts across the Alps,” says Tim. “Verbier Bike Park run their summer season right into October. Elsewhere in the Portes du Soleil, the lifts of Champery always run well into September. There’s no question that we need to create demand for September mountain biking in Morzine and the surrounding valley, but it’s definitely possible!” Morzine’s lifts are run by SA du Pleney, a private company at which Jean-Damien Baud is Head of Commercial. “This summer offers us a great opportunity to be able to open the lifts later into September and to increase our share of summer activity by extending the season,” JeanDamien tells Morzine Source Magazine. “But this is a longterm job, because it’s necessary to welcome tourists with other businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, shops and tour operators.” It’s the classic chicken and egg scenario. Will other resort businesses stay open, most likely at a loss, for a couple of extra weeks each September so we can all build an extended summer season together? “We work daily

to develop our summer activity,” Jean-Damien continues. “We’ve made numerous investments to improve the customer experience on Pleney and despite the uncertain economic context of this summer, we’ve still invested as per our original budget for Summer 2020.” There’s no denying this is a big ask and a big task. SA du Pleney could run the lifts of Pleney throughout September and Tim could open his bike shop too. But if there’s nowhere to stay, nowhere to eat or drink after an incredible day riding your bike, then what’s the point? That’d be quite a hard sell for those of us concerned with marketing our valley. Here at Morzine Source Magazine we’d love to see a collective effort made to extend our summer season. We truly believe there is strong willingness to make this happen at the highest levels and an acceptance that losses may be made in the short term for a long term gain. As our winters become more uncertain and four seasons tourism appears on the horizon for many mountain resorts, can Morzine embrace this chance? We believe it can. Watch this space.

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a never ending summer

By Alice Adamski

But what about if you’re a child or a teenager? It simply isn’t as easy to find the help and support you might need. And let’s face it, young people nowadays have so much to deal with. From stresses at school, to problems on social media and from coping with relationships and friendships to managing the pressures of adolescence; being a teenager isn’t easy. The idea of Safe House came off the back of a difficult conversation I had with a parent. They said to me, “my child is being bullied… they listen to you, perhaps you could do something to make kids more aware of the impact of their words.” I thought about that for a long time and that’s where the Safe House idea came from. After four years of working with hundreds of local children through MADhouse Theatre Company, I know that a lot of the children trust me and talk to me. I thought, “actually I can use that for the good”.

ellie's safe house

was inundated with messages from people with all sorts of different experiences and skills. This included Lara Williams, an expert in emotional intelligence, Ali Coldwell who worked for years with the Prince's Trust and Cat Ing, a secondary school teacher with years of experience working in inner city schools. We also had wellness experts and artists come forward including Amy Bench, Jo O’Neill, Taela Maskell and Sylvie Walls. It was amazing to have such a diverse group of people involved. We held a number of meetings before coordinating a launch event to ask the children exactly what they wanted from a project like this. Around 30 children and their parents turned up to take part in the workshop and left us with some fantastic ideas for the future.

“young people nowadays have so much to deal with. From stresses at school, to problems on social media and from coping with relationships and friendships”

This is why I decided to set up the Safe House project. As always, the Morzine community didn’t disappoint and within minutes of sending an email asking for experts interested in working to build a charitable company aimed at providing pastoral care for children, I

There’s no shortage of places to go for help if you’re an adult, and with an increased awareness of mental health problems, these provisions are constantly increasing and improving.

It was clear from this first meeting that there certainly is a requirement for a project like this in the Morzine valley and that Safe House has a big future. In fact, I realised quite early on that it was too big for me to manage alone. I also felt it important to differentiate the project from MADhouse because I want all young people in the valley to feel welcome and that Safe House is for them. Again, the Morzine community came to the rescue. The

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£®¤ª ©

Ellie Soutter Foundation came forward with an offer to work with me on the project as the ethos and purpose of Safe House falls directly inline with the work of the Foundation. This is why I’m proud to say that Safe House has become Ellie’s Safe House. Our beautiful community was devastated when we lost Ellie in 2018, I hope that by teaming up with the Foundation, we can build something that she would be truly proud of. We’re still very much the early stages of this project but I’m so excited for the future. We have some fantastic people on the team and some big plans for the next few months. To put it simply, the plan is to offer weekly advice and support via social media and to organise and run workshops based on what the children and parents tell us they need help with. We’re speaking to some amazing people who are keen to get involved so watch this space! We want to offer something new to the Morzine community, a new support network for our young people, connections to experts they haven’t had the opportunity to meet and speak to before, a bit of guidance through some of the tough stuff and also a bit of help when they need it. Ellie’s Safe House believes that by building stronger foundations, you can live a happier and healthier life.

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We are active on Instagram and Facebook so please follow us. We will let you know about the latest workshops, provide valuable information to help you navigate through some of the difficult parts of life and we’ll have lots of help and advice from experts.

“Ellie’s Safe House simply wants to build something that promotes a better, kinder world for us all” We want to stress that you don’t need to be struggling with something to be part of Ellie’s Safe House. It is designed to be preventative. Think of it as a place to go to talk and to learn about new ways of coping. We also want you to ask questions, we’ll do our best to get you the answers. Ellie’s Safe House simply wants to build something that promotes a better, kinder world for us all. Be part of it.

French immersion in the Alps

Learn French on Holiday with our language immersion courses for business people, students and retirees. The best way to make maximum progress in minimum time! I stayed for a week with Fred and Carol and became friends for life! They are some of the most genuinely nice people I've ever met, and do an incredible job of creating a welcoming experience. They really make you feel a part of the family.

Tailored private language lessons

Practice your new French skills whilst skiing/hiking, sightseeing & cooking

Year round packages From 650€pp/week

Hosted in our welcoming, eco-friendly home in Morzine, 1hour from Geneva We look forward to welcoming you into our home:

Carol

Fred

Antoine

Anna

Nouki

Find out more: www.fcmorzine.com //

ellie's safe house

Rare Ould Times The

By Aisling Donnellan

rare ould times

HOFNAR ssource winter 20 advert.pdf 1 18/11/2019 your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

It was during the February half term holidays of my first winter season here, that I first met George Bron. I was invited to his farm in Prodains to visit his newborn baby goats. I lived in Avoriaz that season so coming down the valley was a rarity, especially to see such special arrivals. It is a very fond memory. My french was very limited at the time so with a lot of nodding and smiling, we managed to communicate. I had my camera on hand in the ultimate tourist move and my joke of being like the ‘paparazzi’ was lost; I quickly realised that English was not to be tempted. George was dressed in a beret and chewing hay, one might say a typical agricultural figure for these parts. You can probably imagine my surprise when I saw George the next day, dressed head to toe in the red uniform of the ESF on the plateau in Avoriaz, giving a ski lesson. He had swapped one herd for another. My mind boggled, but I realised this was just reallife double jobbing and there’s a generation of lift operators, instructors and ski patrollers who also tend to farms or other trades in the rest of their time. I had never really associated ski instructing as a way of life before; more something you did for a while before going back to real life, whatever that is supposed to be. For many these days, myself included, the mountain is just a job, and albeit a fantastic one, a job all the same but this alpine life has many layers. For the last forty years this dean of the Avoriaz ski instructors, who was ‘born with skis on his feet’, has been tending to his goats each morning before putting on his red uniform and heading up on his morning commute to teach skiing. On returning home the day is far from finished and his work continues, tending to 47 goats and preparing cheese. The next generation of Brons are following suit with son Sébastien, a talented mountaineer. When he isn’t busy with his work as a mountain guide and ski instructor, he can be found pulling his weight on the farm. With partner Anna, they have set up a selling station at Chevrerie des >>

15:11

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone Once you travel solo for the ﬁrst time, you might never travel any other way again. Judging by the increasing numbers of lone travellers, lots of people feel the same way - it’s the hottest trend in travel. There are a whole host of reasons you might be travelling alone - your friends don’t share your passion, or they’re at a different life stage, or have lost their lust for adventure. Or you just want to embrace the positives of solo travel you get to have the experiences you want, do things a little differently and meet new like-minded people. With a huge growth in companies like the HOFNAR experience specialising in solo travel, that ﬁrst independent trip is easier to take than ever. And our solo travellers are rarely alone for long - you get to join an instant crew, and many of our once-solo travellers come back the following year together, or go off on even bigger adventures. Leap out of your comfort zone and go it alone - you never know where it might take you.

www.hofnar.com la grange.pdf

09/11/2015

14:33

cuisine gourmande et régionale

Open for lunch and dinner Located in the centre of Morzine

04 50 75 96 40

restaurant@lagrangemorzine.com

60 chemin de la coutettaz Generous seasonal cuisine and local specialities A warm welcome and a cosy atmosphere… the perfect place for an alpine meal

www.lagrangemorzine.com |

/Restaurant-La-Grange //

Thank you to families Bron and Pernet, along with Catherine Baud for generously sharing these images with us. Merci aux familles Bron et Pernet, ainsi qu'à Catherine Baud d'avoir généreusement partagé ces images avec nous.

rare ould times

Ardoisiéres, where you can drop in all year round to buy farm produce. The goat farm is located on Route des Ardoisières, the old mine road on the way to Prodains. On the way down, why not stop at the Pisciculture de Meuniers and pick up a fresh catch from the fish farm? You'll find local trout and salmon trout raised and treated with the highest standards. These two wonderful experiences are on the same road. This is a generation that isn’t afraid of hard work. Liftie Pierre Morand, who you might recognise from tele ski d’Arare, starts his day at 4am to tend to his cattle farm and has already worked a full day by the time he arrives for his morning caffeine hit. His cattle are his pride and joy and he has a deep understanding of the land. He has no mobile phone or watch, but has the most wicked sense of humour of anyone I have met. Incredibly funny and quick-witted, he is quite a character and doesn’t suffer fools lightly. He is not a man of many words but the ones he chooses generally leave an impact. These are relationships I hold very dear and have added untold richness to my years in Morzine, every conversation and encounter is an education. With their depth of knowledge of the seasons and the mountains, there is so much to learn from these wise sages.

Since the first settlers Guy de Langres and Guerin de Pont-à-Mousosn arrived in 1093, one might say Morzine and the surrounding valleys have seen a change or two. To understand this charming place you must look back, far back into the past to a simpler time. Unlike purposebuilt resorts, people have inhabited this region for centuries and the skiing culture came later. It’s hard to imagine, but Morzine wasn’t built around skiing. Rather, Morzine gave birth to the ski tourism that we know today through the pioneers and fore thinkers of the times. The creation of the Cistercian monastery of St Jean d’Aulps in 1181 saw a few hundred years of quiet farming and peaceful existence in the valley. Developments in technology in the 1800’s saw a move towards mining and brought a second prosperous industry to the area. With the construction of the Grand Hotel by Francois Baud in 1925 and the Pleney cable car in 1934, Morzine started slowly changing. The fame brought by local legend Jean Vuarnet's win in Squaw Valley and the construction of Avoriaz in 1960 connecting Switzerland and Châtel, was to change the landscape forever. But try to imagine Morzine in a time when the most valuable currency amongst the youth was clay marbles. When frog hunting was the sport de jour in Avoriaz, trips up Vorlaz were to count sheep and Chavanette was known more for its milk than its freeride. The alpage at Chavanette apparently had the best milk in the world, owing to the quality of the cow’s food. Le Crot, (or the home run to Prodains as you might know it), was where you found the best Tomme cheese. This was farming to the extreme, as the farmer had to take his livestock up the treacherous Combe de Machon to reach the sunny pastures above. Try to remember that during your next powder day on Arare! It’s warming to know you can still get one of the best tartiflettes in the region in the Alpage du Crot and you can’t beat the beignet pomme de terre of Cret de Zore. These are recipes passed down through the ages. Old stories are peppered with memories of tarte au pomme, ‘merveilles’, ‘beignet cordes’, briss’lets, homemade jams and of course legendary beignet pomme de terre. Food marked so many occasions and these are local delights that you can still find at events such as the Kermesse, a mini fair held annually on the 15th of August to raise funds for the primary school in Morzine.

“For many these days, the mountain is just a job, and albeit a fantastic one, a job all the same but this alpine life has many layers.”

In his book ‘Le Coeur de Morzine’, Francois Marullaz recalls memories of his childhood. They paint a picture of a magical and simple time in Morzine. Locally known as Francois de la Forge, he’s a retired blacksmith, a trade that was in his family for generations. He built the Maison de Zore Restaurant on Super Morzine in 1989, which was no mean feat for the time. He ran it for many happy years with wife Monique, before passing it on to son Hervé. Her recipes still feature on the menu to this day.

Baud, Marullaz, Richard, Taberlet and Pernet are surnames rooted firmly in the soil here in our valley and date back for generations. Many ended up with the same name, hence the tradition of nicknames such as Francois de la Forge, which literally means ‘of the forge’. Growing up, Francois had two best friends, both of whom were also called Francois Marullaz. He recounts a very funny incident with the Swiss border control, when not only did they not produce the same form of papers (one had his hunting permit and another his passport territorial) and all had the same names. The less than amused border police couldn’t understand and a lot of explaining was required to make it to the motor show.

rare ould times

Solid and stable, community spirit is integral to the fabric of these villages. Life was tough with long cold winters and poor access; people supported each other and wouldn’t see neighbours go without. The building of chalets

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

back in the day was a community affair and the ‘leve’, which means the lift, was a wonderful tradition when neighbours and friends came together to quite literally lift the walls of the house and place the roof on the top, before placing a wreath of flowers for the chimney. The priest would bless the new home and everyone would enjoy un petit coup de rouge together with some cheese and ham if the pig had been killed. Even with all the challenges hurled at them, the local community has always stayed solid and together. From surviving the war, to the story of the ‘insolite’, when a bizarre illness took grip of the town, affecting only women and children who were locked up in the village hall as they were thought to be possessed. Times when the mountain passes were used for contraband and locals would act as messengers, giving the Jews safe passage across the border. Claudius Baud of Hotel le Petit Dru describes in his book one Christmas night, when his father and brother guided a couple and their baby up Col de la Berthe. They struggled in flat leather shoes and the extreme conditions but they got them there safely. He later found out that the bandages on the childs’ legs were hiding gold. Then there’s the infamous story of the 30 sheep from Samöens who lost their footing and fell to their death from the Cret at Chavanette. Trying

“There is an authenticity and tradition in place here that has remained protected, even with the rapid growth”

Brasserie & Tapas Bar Outdoor terrace Live music For more information: 33 (0)4 50 84 55 35 restaurant-labiskatcha.com

to make the traverse send shivers down ones spine. Superstition, like in so many by-gone cultures, was rife. The Roc d’Enfer for example, was believed to be the devils rock as it was often struck by lightning during storms. These tales have enchanted me over the years and I have always been intrigued by Morzines’ culture and history beyond skiing and other mountain sports. I was born and made in Ireland and for years I roamed and racked up airmiles like it was a national sport. But I was always drawn back to this beautiful valley and I have called Morzine home for nearly a decade. Asked by friends and family why I chose to settle here, the answer has always been the same. It’s the history and people that make it so special. There is an authenticity and tradition in place here that has remained protected, even with the rapid growth it has seen. While it is easy to get caught up in the commercialism of everything, it is important every now and then to stand still, take stock and reflect on all that has gone before us.

Join us in our Alpine chalet for a weekly barbecue! For more information: 33 (0)4 50 92 85 22 Follow us on Facebook

rare ould times

gravel biking welcome to

Interview by Amie Henderson

“It’s a hybrid.” That’s what they’ll tell you when you ask what a gravel bike is. And you’re going to see a whole heap more of them on our local roads this summer. A gravel bike is more durable than a road bike, but much faster than a mountain bike. Gravel bikes travel both on and off road and they’re built to withstand the tougher terrain most mountain bikers love. They’ll give you more reliable access to the adventures you’ll find on our local fire roads, without ruining your bike (and likely your body) on the way back down. A gravel bike is as happy on tarmac as it is on mud, giving you an adaptable and versatile steed on which to perch yourself this summer. Gravel biking arrives in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz this summer courtesy of the team at Buzz Performance and specifically Russ Price, who has been training hard for this launch.

Russ, many locals and holidaymakers are already used to one discipline or the other. Why should they give gravel bikes a go? “Gravel biking means you get to do both. We’ll go up on trails, away from traffic and come back down on nice tarmac roads!”

How do the bikes differ physically from road bikes and mountain bikes? “The bikes are similar to a road bike with fatter types. They run a lower air pressure and have a less aggressive geometry, which equates to making the rider much more comfortable and relaxed on their bike.”

You’re offering beginners sessions. What do they involve? “Our beginner or introduction sessions give you the chance to try gravel biking in a safe environment on a leisurely ride but without any big climbs. You’ll also get to experience the new Cervelo Aspero bikes with expert advice from a qualified guide. Learning with an expert is definitely the most effective way to learn a new skill.”

You’re also hosting weekly rides on Tuesday afternoons and for full days each Friday this summer. What do people need to know before they join you?

gravel biking

“On Tuesday afternoons we’ll stay local, where as the Friday full day ride includes climbing routes and possibly day trips to other areas. Everyone needs a helmet, gloves and a drink bottle to join us. Of course there’ll be a coffee and snack stop, so make sure you bring along some spare change too!”

What is it about our local mountains that make gravel bikes such a good option? “There are so many unexplored tracks in our valley that are inaccessible on a road bike. Gravel bikes give us efficient access to new routes and rides across the area.”

Do you think gravel bikes will change the whole industry? Why buy a road bike or a mountain bike if a gravel bike combines the two? “We believe gravel bikes will compliment the biking industry. They’re a great alternative to road bikes, but they also give an off-road experience, getting you closer to nature. A gravel bike doesn’t have suspension, so it’s not suitable for downhill mountain bike trails.” Gravel bikes are available to hire from Buzz Performance for €55 per day subject to availability, but to get the most from your bike, we’d recommend you take Russ with you. He knows the local trails like the back of his hand and can offer a half day of guiding and tuition for €59 per person, including bike hire. Full days are also available for €79 per person. The Buzz team also offer beginners road biking sessions too!

// © Cervélo bikes

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

More Info: info@buzzperformance.com Russ +33 (0) 6 62 60 75 64 Joe +33 (0) 6 42 50 38 74

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gravel biking

smug runners club MEMBERSHIP OF THE

TOP TIPS TO GET YOU THERE

By Edwina Sutton

As I may have told you before on the pages of this very same magazine, one of the reasons we moved our family to the mountains was so I could run in the hills. I’m an ultra-runner, I’ve represented my country and I’ve competed across the globe. But there’s no feeling like heading out into the mountains from your own back garden. I may run 150 kilometres each week, but I’m also passionate about helping beginners hit their stride. Here are the five things I always try and get people to understand before they start their running journey. 36

membership of the smug runners club

// © apres imaging

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

1) DON’T GIVE UP BEFORE IT GETS GOOD! They say a habit takes about two months to form. Starting to run is hard and many new runners stop running before it gets easier; consequently think they ‘cant’ run. Just keep popping on your trainers and heading out the door, it wont be long before the words ‘fartlek’, ‘intervals‘ and ‘hill reps’ become part of your vocabulary. You’ll find yourself researching local trail races and scanning nearby Starva segment boards. You’ll be screen shotting them as you move up the rankings! 2) DON’T DO TOO MUCH TOO SOON Running IS hard. If it wasn’t, everyone would do it. But if you can stick through the bit when it hurts like hell, your lungs burn and you can’t believe anyone would do this ‘act of Satan’ and call it ‘fun’, then its going to get so good! Prepare to walk a lot more than you’ll run at the start and never be ashamed of this. Your heart doesn’t know if it’s walking or running, but your leg muscles do! Give them time to develop and be patient. You can’t rush fitness, but you can rush an injury! 3) DON’T GO TOO FAST Start each run really slowly, better still, start with a walk. Make sure you could comfortably hold a conversation and if that’s not possible, drop down to a walk until you feel and hear your breathing recover. This might mean you’re running for a relatively short time, but if you stick to this principle your body will very quickly adapt and you will find yourself running longer and longer sections. The best way to do this is to find a mate that’s roughly the same ability as you. This will give you motivation and a chance to catch up on gossip in one hit. 4) INVEST IN GOOD TRAINERS (AND SOME NICE KIT!) There are a number of specialist running shops that will now make sure you are wearing the right pair of trainers by performing gait analysis. It’s so worth having this done. As well as a good pair of trainers, spend a bit of money on some running kit. For women, a good sports bra is essential. I rate Sportsjock and Runderwear. You will be so much more comfortable and motivated if you are happy with what you are wearing. 5) SET MINI GOALS Set mini goals every time you go for a run. They’ll be an accomplishment and you’ll be proud of that! Maybe it will be putting your trainers on three times a week, improving your time on a local route or running all the way up a tough hill. Progress comes in all sorts of fashions. Sometimes you feel great, sometimes you feel rubbish, sometimes you find the flow and sometimes every step is a struggle. But every time you put your trainers on and head out the door you are becoming a better runner. You are becoming a fitter and faster you. And what will you get out of running? That’s a question people always ask me. If you can stick to a mini plan and commit to putting on your trainers a few times a week, I promise you that the post-run feeling, that post-run cup of tea, your post-run satisfaction is priceless. You’ve done something you never thought possible. Running will give you so much more than a great set of glutes - it will quickly spill into other areas of your life. You’ll see your confidence grow, your self belief develop and find a much greater ability to cope with the stresses of life. Running, in whatever shape or form it takes for you, is a fabulous and free club to be part of. You just need to work out how to motivate yourself to get that membership and then the trails, the mountains, the roads, the paths are all there waiting for your footfall and a start of some incredible adventures. More Info: www.edwinasutton.com

@edwinasutton //

membership of the smug runners club

WE HAVE APARTMENTS AVAILABLE IN ALL OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS RANGING FROM A 1 BED TO A 6 BED PENTHOUSE. PRICES START FROM €200,000 AND YOU’LL FIND FURTHER INFORMATION ON

ALL

OUR

CURRENT

DEVELOPMENTS AT: WWW.PROMOTEAM.FR

LE CARLINA – MORZINE PRESTIGIOUS SKI-IN AND SKI-OUT RESIDENCE

LE GÉNÉPI – LES GETS SKI IN, SKI OUT WITH AMAZING VIEWS

A LETTER FROM AMANDA AT PROMOTEAM: My husband and I purchased our first home together in Les Gets to be closer to our family in Marnaz. We chose to buy in the centre of Les Gets as we wanted to be walking distance from the village and the slopes. Fast forward a few years and we are now living full time in our dream ski home and working for Promoteam. We joined Antoine, his wife and two children, who are passionate about the mountains. His dream property was a house in a small village with a large garden and so he lives in Essert la Pierre on the outskirts of Morzine. Promoteam is a ski property developer based in Morzine currently with developments in Morzine and Les Gets. The people who buy Promoteam properties are families equally passionate about the mountains and for whom it is a dream to be able to own a ski property with easy access to the slopes and village. They have often been visiting Morzine for years and have decided to invest their savings into making their dream a reality. They dream of spending as much time in the mountains as possible and quite a few of our clients have the long-term view of retiring here and becoming a part of the much loved Morzine community. In the meantime, they plan to rent out their property via the local rental agencies and tour operators. We believe in buying local and strive to always use local suppliers in the construction of our developments. Our desire is to build the local economy by creating work for the local community. Our electrician, plumber, tiler and painter are all local and even our kitchens are designed and fabricated in Haute-Savoie. The families that buy our apartments appreciate our aim as they in turn want to use the services of the local business to the benefit of the local community. Even our architect has an office in Morzine. Anthony designs the Promoteam properties to be a modern take on the traditional Savoyard mountain architecture. His architectural design uses traditional materials such as aged larch and the dressed stone â&#x20AC;&#x153;barette de luzerneâ&#x20AC;? that is distinctive to Morzine buildings. The buildings are all designed in line with the local planning regulations and we work with the Marie (or town hall) to ensure that we are consistent with the desired architectural identity of the village. A growing local economy means that more affordable housing is needed too. We are proud to be the first property developer to build key worker housing in Morzine. Five apartments will be delivered in February 2019, ranging from a studio apartment to a 90m2 4-bed duplex. Right now, we sell the apartments to a key worker housing company, who then let the properties to local people who apply based on their income. In the future, we would like to sell directly to local people via the, 'accession a la proprietĂŠ'. We would sell at a 3035% reduced price compared to the market value to lower income families looking to live in the centre of the village. We are currently in discussions with the town hall about this future plan. Additional shops and restaurants are also needed to support this growing local community and increase in tourist numbers. This is why two of our developments have been planned with commercial space on the ground floors. Martine will be reopening Le Tyrolien in a brand-new restaurant and still serving her fabulous pizzas, alongside some new shops and there will also be a new restaurant in the Le Carlina development. Our aim is to work with the town hall and the local community to create an exciting future for Morzine. We would be more than happy to share our plans with you so please feel free to pop in to our new sales office and show apartment at any time.

WISHING YOU A GREAT SUMMER SEASON. AMANDA

FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT AMANDA ON +33 (0) 6 82 59 21 31 OR EMAIL A.HARDWICK@PROMOTEAM.FR

trending - family -

Whilst it’s true that our mountains provide natural fun times for families of all ages, sometimes you need a few props. And if there’s one thing we love here at Morzine Source Magazine, it’s a piece of kit. So here follows our top tips for keeping everyone in your family circle entertained this summer. Bresser Junior 6x21 RRP €24.89 www.bresser.de

With a recommended age of four plus and a magnification of 6x, these sturdy binoculars are perfect for little hands. Fortunately, they’re also shockproof, should they whack the floor and they have a rubberised surface too. We’re pretty sure they’ll keep junior twitchers occupied for quite some time on the shores of Lake Montriond (queue questions like ‘Did you see that Yeti?’ ‘Was that the Gruffalo?’), or up in the mountains while hunting for birds of prey. The pack comes with a handy storage pouch and wrist strap too.

MTB Hopper Intro RRP €169.00 www.mtbhopper.com

Round our neck of the woods, ramps to tackle on your bike, skateboard, scooter or skates can be found at every turn. Nature made them for your jumping pleasure! If your little one starts to show an interest in ramps during this summer’s mountain holiday, but they’re less available back home, check out the MTB Hopper. This portable ramp takes just 15 seconds to assemble from scratch, you can change the angle of the kick and the height can be adjusted between 270mm and 310mm. It’s even coated with a special surface treatment to make it grippy when wet.

trending - family

Sushi Go! RRP €15.00 www.gamewright.com

Pass the sushi! In this fast-paced card game for children aged eight and over, where the goal is to grab the best combination of sushi dishes as they whizz by. You’ll score points for making the most maki rolls or for collecting a full set of sashimi. Dipping in the wasabi triples your points, obviously. Encouraging strategic thinking and visual differentiation on the skills on offer with Sushi Go, while the cards come packaged in a very neat and durable metal tin.

Elevation Alps Source Advert.pdf 1 Avoriaz 02/05/2019 your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets &

14:58

Luxury chalets and apartments in Morzine for ski and summer holidays

Story Cubes RRP €11.90 www.storycubes.com

It’s safe to say there’ll always be times when your imagination can go no further. That’s when Story Cubes come in. Taking it in turns, each player throws all nine dice and nine symbols will appear. As the narrator, they then start a story with ‘Once upon a time…’ and the nine symbols become your inspiration for the tale that follows.

Add concierge services including private chefs, airport transfers, grocery and wine deliveries and more... TowWhee Original RRP €36.50 www.towwhee.com

Junior Source has the most marvelous time propelling himself downhill on his bike, less so on the uphill. And since our mountains come in all shapes and sizes, we’re huge fans of the TowWhee. It’s a simple, lightweight strap with a high-stretch bungee cord inside. Weighing just 5oz, the clever design means it won’t dangle around the wheels or the ground and there’s also an attachment accessory to make connecting two bikes faster and easier.

See all our properties at: www.elevationalps.com

Email us at: info@elevationalps.com

trending - family

You’d spent an entire winter season nominating your favourite local accommodation, your favourite bar and your favourite customer service, in addition to telling us about your local heroes. And just as the first round of the 2020 Source Awards for Excellence closed on 15 March, so did our resorts. We’d received over 600 individual nominations over the four categories before COVID-19 sent us all home for an early bath.

YOUR FAVOURITE ACCOMMODATION

OUR THREE FINALISTS WERE: MORGAN JUPE CHALETS | TREELINE CHALETS | HIDEOUT HOSTEL Comments from the nomination forms of our winners highlighted the consistent professionalism from the entire team and the fact that whilst they offer a style of accommodation to suit everyone, their standards couldn’t be beaten. Finally, it was noted that every single member of staff greets their guests with a warm smile, which made Morgan Jupe the winners of our Favourite Accommodation category in 2020. In the words of Jess and Josh at Morgan Jupe, “Having been nominated for the second consecutive year we are absolutely thrilled to have won favourite accommodation at this year's awards. Our team work really hard to make sure every single guest has the best experience possible and being recognised in this way really does make it all worthwhile. We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted and to the secret judging panel at Morzine Source Magazine!”

2020

awards

for excellence

If you’re new to the Source Awards for Excellence, here’s what you’ve missed. Now in their sixth year, we ask our readers and our social media followers to nominate their favourite resort-based businesses in a range of categories during the course of the winter season. Our aim is to recognise and reward those who go above and beyond to make their guests and customers happy whilst also doing an amazing job at promoting our valley and all of its wonders. It didn’t feel right to launch the public vote as we all hunkered down in confinement. There was too much uncertainty; we were definitely all preoccupied by the global health crisis. Yet as we approached the end of our eight weeks in lockdown, and with the deadline for this very magazine looming, it felt right to begin the next stage – the public vote! Each nominated business appeared on our website for the next two weeks and we asked you all to vote for your favourite. This gave us our three finalists in each category, which we passed on to our panel of top-secret judges. They used the comments you’d all left back in the nomination stages to select their winners, which we announced via a live Instagram broadcast on Monday 11 May. 42

awards for excellence

YOUR FAVOURITE BAR

OUR THREE FINALISTS WERE: LAURY’S BAR | BAR LE NATIONAL | LA MARMOTTE D’OR Our judges selected a few standout comments from the nomination forms of their winner. These included an overwhelming passion to make drinkers feel at home in the bar, several mentions for the quality of live music and the brilliant atmosphere it creates. Finally, being known as producers of the finest cocktails in town made Laury’s Bar your Source Awards for Excellence winner for the second year in a row. Owner Kyle Dickson’s reaction was typically humble. “A bar is only as good as the people who drink in it, so a huge shout out to all the awesome Morzine locals, bar staff, guests, friends and musicians who helped us make this winter so epic. Thanks!”

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

YOUR FAVOURITE CUSTOMER SERVICE

STOP OUR THREE FINALISTS WERE: WILD BEETS KITCHEN | HIDEOUT HOSTEL | ALIKATS MOUNTAIN HOLIDAYS The winning business in this category was nominated over fifty times, giving our judges a whole heap of comments to consider. They noted feedback typically mentioned the incredible menu knowledge of the team and their friendly, relaxed nature. Many people also told us that this was their absolute favourite place to eat in Les Gets, making Wild Beets Kitchen the winner of our Favourite Customer Service award in 2020. Wild Beets Kitchen opened in Summer 2018 when owner Jo Watts and her partner Marc Sutton were inspired to create a healthy place to eat. We sadly lost Marc in October 2018, but Jo told us, “The staff and I at Wild Beets Kitchen are so delighted to have won the award for Best Customer Service, we really strive to give every single customer the best experience they can have and keep them coming back for more! Marc would have been so proud.”

FOR A MOMENT BREATHE DEEPLY LET GO AND

SMILE HOLISTIC BEAUTY, MASSAGE AND ENERGY THERAPIES

1225 ROUTE D'AVORIAZ, MORZINE BOOK ONLINE @ LITTLEMOUNTAINBEAUTY.COM

L I T T L E M O U N TA I N B E A U T Y

apeeling cakes SOURCE ADVERT.pdf

07/11/2019

10:00

YOUR LOCAL HEROES

apeeling CAKES

OUR THREE FINALISTS WERE: TONY SOUTTER OF THE ELLIE SOUTTER FOUNDATION | MICKY FITZ OF THE MORZINE FILM AWARDS | JOE & AMELIA PEARSON OF BUZZ PERFORMANCE Our judging panel found this category extremely difficult as they felt each of the three finalists played a really important role in our community and the development of our valley. But choose a winner they must. In explaining their selection, they cited the launching of a brand new summer event, which was much needed and became an instant success. This pair also work tirelessly to keep a huge part of our community fit and active. Their commitment to promoting our valley as a destination is unsurpassed. Your 2020 local heroes in the Source Awards for Excellence are Amelia and Joe Pearson of Buzz Performance. Here’s what our winners had to say about their award! “We are honoured to receive this award and want to thank everyone who is making a positive contribution to our community. We love what we do and it's a pleasure to be able to help and motivate people and promote the things we love. Buzz is a real team effort and we'd like to thank our amazing staff and all the other member of the Buzz Hive.”

Delicious, bespoke, homemade cakes delivered directly to your home or chalet

Celebration cakes, everyday cakes, afternoon tea, decorated cupcakes, cookies & more. Gluten free, vegan and other dietary requirements considered.

+33 (0)7 68 40 70 78

/apeelingcakesmorzine

sarah@apeelingcakes.com

/apeeling_cakes

www.apeelingcakes.com

awards for excellence

trending - outdoors -

Ah, the great outdoors. As much as we aspire to a natural way of life, we’ve grown fond of a few enhancements along the way. So whether you’re planning a lake night BBQ on the shores of the lake or something much wilder and adventurous, save space in your rucksack for a few of these goodies.

The Ellis RRP €110.00 www.thejamesbrand.com

Crafted by The James Brand and described as a ‘daily workhorse’, this pocket knife is essential for so many elements of mountain life. Whether you’re prepping a picnic in an alpine pasture or removing those awkward little screws on your torch, the Ellis includes a lockback design, a partially serrated drop point blade and a combination bottle opening and screwdriver, alongside an essential loop for attaching to your keys, carabiner or backpack.

Big 3 Kit RRP €49.95 www.mizulife.eu

Yeti Coolers RRP €270.00 www.yeti.com

There’s a reason why we’re always banging on about Mizu. We’re genuinely in awe of these products so if you’ve not followed our previous advice and you’re not already the proud owner of these three elements, then now is the time to invest. The Big 3 Kit is a combination of their best bits. It includes the M8 bottle which the is the perfect size for just about everything, a stainless steel cup and Mizu’s famous five-piece cutlery set in a handy neoprene pouch. With such a tiny price tag, we’d suggest you get on this now before the combo sells out. 44

trending - outdoors

We’ll call these the Mother of all Coolers and you’ll wonder how you made it through life without one. Not only are Yeti Coolers stunningly beautiful to look at (don’t blame us if you’re lusting after the full range, we are too…), they’ll keep everything inside them at the perfect temperature. We love the Hopper Flip 18 soft cooler as it’s been perfected for larger hauls and longer expeditions. It’s both durable and leakproof while equipped with superior insulation to keep the contents cool for days.

OVO source 19.pdf 1 Avoriaz 07/11/2019 your source ofnetwork information forsummer Morzine, Les Gets &

08:41

Do you own a chalet? (or dream of owning one!)

Find out how much it could earn as a self-catered holiday rental: www.ovonetwork.com/howmuch Torrentshell 3L Jacket RRP €160.00 www.patagonia.com

Made for the mountains, it’ll come as no surprise to learn that Patagonia’s latest rain jacket release has a 100% recycled nylon outer layer, whilst also 100% protecting you from the rain. Because, news flash, sometimes it does rain here in the mountains. Available in men’s and women’s fit and in several different colour ways, the Torrentshell packs serious features such as an adjustable hood, interior and exterior storm flaps on the zip and those allimportant handwarmer pockets. The whole thing weighs just 394g and rolls up neatly into its own pocket.

Discover the OVO Network complete chalet rental solution • Maximum income due to our business and marketing expertise, 13,000+ bookings generated • Direct payment from guests to your bank account - no intermediary • Premium care for your property and your guests with our accredited property managers • Everything covered - setup, admin, photography, copywriting, pricing and ongoing optimisation • Hassle-free solution that minimises owner involvement and makes renting simple Solo Stove Lite RRP €145.00 www.solostove.com

So, you’ve carried your feast into the mountains using your newlyacquired Yeti Cooler, you’ve prepared those glorious ingredients using your Ellis pocket knife, now it’s time to cook. As the name suggests, the Solo Stove Lite is an ultralight stove made of stainless steel and it uses just a handful of twigs (or pinecones, or anything else natural you can find on the floor) in the cooking process. This model is large enough to cook for two people, it weighs just 9oz and it comes with a range of accessories including the Swedish Firesteel fire starter, originally developed for the Swedish Department of Defense.

+33 (0)4 85 80 00 00

Your Chalet Rental Partner

trending - outdoors

trending - mountain bike -

You might wonder how we come to learn about all these gadgets, accessories and bits of kit. With new products for mountain bikers being developed at a rate of knots, it’s often hard to keep track of who’s making what and when. Fortunately we have small but dedicated team of mountain bike obsessives on the look out at all times. Here’s their annual collection of kit for your shopping list. Wee Cog Slider RRP €33.50 www.weecog.co.uk

This is the saddle bag, reinvented for dropper posts. There’s no strap around the seat post, which means your saddle can go all the way down. It’s the perfect piece of kit for when you’re nipping out for a quick ride and don’t want to take a rucksack and the Wee Cog Slider is the perfect size for a spare inner tube, tyre levers, tool and ride snacks. The single compartment has a wide strap and buckle round the middle, there’s a large range of colours and - perhaps crucially - the lightweight fabric is water repellent too.

MT500 Helmet RRP €159.99 www.endurasport.com

As the flagship helmet of MTB brand Endura and the winner of the Enduro Magazine Design and Innovation Award, you’ll no doubt be expecting big things from this new model. It uses Koroyd technology to provide the ultimate protection for both trail and enduro riders and it’s backed with features to boot. There’s an adjustable peak, anti-bac padding, a handy eyewear dock and a clip-on accessory mount. The whole helmet has been designed with airflow in mind, with large vents to maximize breathability and comfort. And if it's good enough for Danny MacAskill... 46

trending - mountain bike

Terra Series RRP €200.00 www.europe.dragonalliance.com

The Terra Series is part of Dragon’s new XP Cross Performance collection; it features six different pairs of glasses, all designed to adapt. They have full adjustable temples and nose bridges and come with both brown and clear lenses that are easily interchangeable to accommodate varying light conditions. Those lenses come from Dragon’s Lumalens stable, which means they’ll enhance the colours and contrast in front of you and make it easier to focus on the trails or the road.

Torico Source half your source of information forpage.pdf Morzine, Les 1Gets24/04/2019 & Avoriaz

Tubeless Conversion Kit RRP €50.00 www.peatys.co.uk

10:30

DISC & NON DISC

Di2 BIKES NOW AVAILABLE

Those clever bods at Peaty’s have produced a tubeless conversion kit, featuring everything you need to run a fully optimised tubeless setup. It includes Peaty’s Rim Job, Rim Tape, tubeless valves and sealant, ensuring you more time on your bike and less time fixing punctures. The conversion kits are available in a variety of configurations for all bike disciplines and there’s an expert installation guide to keep you on the straight and narrow. And if it's good enough for the Santa Cruz Syndicate...

route d’avoriaz

col de joux plane

Hipster Ultra 5l Waist Pack RRP €99.00 www.sourceoutdoor.com

The team at Source Outdoor (not to be confused with the magazine you’re currently reading) have managed to cram a whopping five litres into their new hydration belt, in addition to crafting extra internal storage options. There’s a smart compression strap for a snug fit, plus EVA netting around the back for improved ventilation and padding. We prefer a waist back to a back pack when we’re riding as it frees up the back and shoulders and this one comes with certification for responsible and sustainable manufacturing, which makes us like it even more. //

trending - mountain bike

trending - road bike -

Just when you thought road cycling had advanced to a point where there couldn’t possibly be anything left to develop or improve, along comes another batch of awesome kit to whet your appetite. We’ve rounded up our favourite new products for those of you who enjoy life in the saddle.

Embrun Socks RRP €19.99 euro.stance.eu

Stance are at the forefront of comfortable feet, making socks to match all of our favourite outdoor pursuits. Their Embrun sock is made from lightweight fibers and includes an eyecatching nyon print. This is a sock that’s been specifically constructed for high performance cycling with an elastic arch support, reinforced heels and toes and seamless toe closures too. Of course Stance’s own Feel 360 technology features too, which makes the fibers of the sock adapt and react to your feet to create the freshest and driest comfort experience.

Illimité Cycling Caps RRP €35.00 illimite-boutique.cc

Here’s what happens when you combine German design, French chic and Italian craftsmanship. But these are not performance cycling caps and they won’t make you go faster; they’re unashamedly a fashion item of the highest standard and we reckon they’re wearable at all times, not just when you’re on your bike. There’s a range of colours and designs, we love the Stripe model for its loud pattern. All caps are 65% polyester, 35% cotton, they feature a large anti-bac sweatband and they’re double-stitched to ensure seams don’t chafe. 48

trending - road bike

Keyop Jersey RRP €80.00 morvelo.com

Considered to be the workhorse of the Morvélo range, the Keyop jersey has more than 10 years of development up its sleek, raw-cut sleeves. It features premium, breathable and wicking fabrics and a handy three cargo pockets at the back, which have, rather cleverly, been angled for easy access. Bravo Morvélo. The reflective details will come in handy, should your ride reach into the twilight hours, while the whole jersey provides factor 30+ sun protection.

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Headlands 2 RRP €2,899.99 www.marinbikes.com

DIY energy balls free Our own recipie - makes 16

We're not huge fans of all those gels and synthetic supplements. Instead we like to stuff a few of these balls into our rucksack before a big day out. Mix 2 tbsp coconut oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp peanut butter and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon in a saucepan until melted and mixed. Grind 100g of cashew nuts in a food processor and mix with 25g desiccated coconut. Add in 100g medjool dates (de-stoned and chopped) and blend, then add the melted liquid ingredients. Blend some more! Roll into balls (wet hands make it easier) and chill in the fridge for an hour. Et voila!

OPEN 9AM – 2AM EVERY NIGHT

FIND US IN THE CENTRE OF MORZINE

As Russ Price explains on page 34, gravel bikes are the next big thing on two wheels and here's a fine example from the team at Marin Bikes. The Headlands features a full carbon frameset with modern geometry, generous tire clearance and an outstanding ride quality. It's incredibly capable for off-road adventures, but also lightweight too.

PRIVATE TABLES WITH BEER PUMP

BOOK YOURS NOW

LIVE DJ EVERY NIGHT. LIVE SPORT. WWW.CAVERNBARMORZINE.COM //

trending - road bike

japan a yogi in

A TRAVEL DIARY

By Emily Ruth Williams

As a Yoga teacher I’ve spent the last five years travelling around the world, from one mountain town to the next, hunting out powder and new adventures. If you’d asked me how I’d most like to combine my passion for teaching yoga with my love of snowboarding, I couldn’t have dreamt this up. Yet there I was in January 2020, waiting for the first of three flights taking me to Japan, and pinching myself to check I wasn’t dreaming. 50

travel diary - a yogi in japan

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

A few months earlier I’d received a phone call from Winter Olympic medalist Jenny Jones, asking if I'd like to be the team Yoga teacher on one of her trips. Jenny’s multi-day workshops take place in top resorts around the world, the one she’d asked me to join would combine classic deep powder snowboarding with “apres-Yoga”, a good dose of sake and of course the legendary onsens (Japanese hot springs, dreamy!). Jenny is a strong advocate of yoga, using it regularly as a tool to aid her riding. I was excited to be working in tandem with someone already so familiar with the benefits of taking the time to stretch and strengthen after a day of riding. Living in Morzine I practice this philosophy first hand, and have seen so many students reap the rewards of a regular Yoga practice to enhance their mountain pursuits. Not only physically, but being able to close down your senses to everything else and focus entirely on the moment, allows you to enter a different state of being. Getting there when you’re in powder? It’s like floating on air.

“Suddenly being reminded we were riding a volcano, it hit me - I’m in freaking Japan!”

6am. In a haze of jet lag and sheer excitement, I stumbled out of bed, into my thermals and complimentary slippers (underrated!) and went on the hunt for food. Today was our first day riding Japow! Our guide, Neil Mcnair, of Mcnair Shirts (if you haven’t checked them out, you probably should), has been guiding as long as I’ve been walking. Our boards were waxed, gear ready and whilst I could have grazed my way through the entire breakfast buffet, the mountain was calling. As we walked directly on to snow from the hotel, I realised how awesome ski in/ski out is. Having not been on a ‘winter holiday’ in so many years, this felt like absolute luxury. Wearing approximately 20 layers to combat the sub-zero temperatures, we jumped on our first lift and headed up the mountain. The team were absolutely frothing to ride with Jen, and who wouldn’t be? Our GB Winter Olympic medalist casually riding in Japan with you - it’s not an experience you’ll forget! Day after day the snow gods answered us and we were swimming in that dreamy Japow. I’ve ridden mountains from NZ to Canada, but one thing I’d never experienced before was getting bamboo whips while navigating through trees. After quickly adjusting to the terrain, the stoke was high. With Jenny and Neil leading the way, transceivers were on as we headed out of the gates, and into gullies of deep powder. Suddenly being reminded we were riding a volcano, it hit me - I’m in freaking Japan! Coming off the mountain, high from our first big powder day, I welcomed the weary-bodied riders onto their mats and we dropped into our post-snowboard yoga session. Some of the group were regular yogis whilst others had never practiced Yoga before, so I felt unbelievably lucky to introduce them to the practice in this setting. It was inspiring to see people of all levels embrace the balance that Yoga can bring to snowboarding. The next morning I was greeted by notions of thanks (and disbelief) at how their bodies didn’t >>

a yogi in japan - travel diary

feel the aches and pains normally associated with big days of riding, instead feeling limber and ready to get back out there! Awesome. Each day seemed better than the last and with snow coming in throughout the week, tracks were continuously filled, leaving us oodles of snow to play in. The vending machine coffee stops became little havens of warmth, accompanying you on your next lift along with salutations of “Arigatou gozaimasu” from the lifties. When there’s powder to be had, there’s no time to stop. Some mornings we’d jump in the van, drive around the base of the volcano to avoid queues and start at the next resort over. Exploring this endless playground was addictive. Every time Neil took us to a new secret spot, heading off into the unknown with shouts of “take your own line, meet me at the bottom,” followed by Jen’s whoops and hollers, you knew it was going to be rad. There were also moments when you saw fear creep in as we hiked into unknown territory, approaching big open faces, or tight trees. I knew that I’d pour this into the evening Yoga session, encouraging the group to open up to their fears, whether through inversions and more challenging poses, or visualisation exercises. A shift in mindset on the mat can translate into a change in attitude on the mountain. Being in the right mindset for riding into deep powder can make or break your experience, and I wanted everyone's riding to be oozing with confidence. Overcoming fear on the mountain is huge, if you let it hold you back, you’ll never reach the best pockets of powder, or feel that sense of embodied flow. The onsens were the unsung highlight of the trip. After a day of powder, stripping down to nothing together really brings a sense of comradery to the crew! Whilst male and female onsens are usually separated, the mixed outdoor onsen we found one day was suitably hilarious. Girls were given pink dresses to wear (oh yes), and men a modesty towel the size of a yoga block. It wasn’t long before the challenge was set to roll around in the snow butt naked and jump back in! Yoga brought us so much on this trip, not only the release of physical tension held in the body, but also the space to process everything. Truly a once in a lifetime trip to a far flung country, snowboarding down volcanos, apres-yoging, team bathing, sake drinking, goodness, led by incredible people within the field of snowboarding (who it turns out are relatively normal but happen to rip real hard) and all shared with an awesome crew. And all of this in the name of work… It’s not a bad life! With the views of Mount Yotei etched in my mind, I left Japan exhausted, but filled with stoke, gratitude and incredible memories. Yotei will have to wait until next time - and there will be a next time - but for now, I’ll be here hanging out in my little corner of the Alps.

travel diary - a yogi in japan

“A shift in mindset on the mat can translate into a change in attitude on the mountain”

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

The Tasty Ski Company

Simply Morzine

RA Summer Holidays

The Tasty Ski Company has a handful of luxury catered chalets available in both winter and summer in Morzine and Le Grand Massif. Delicious food in amazing locations is the name of our game! Come and stay at the stunning Ferme St Christophe for our famous yoga retreats and self-guided walking holidays in summer 2020.

The original Morzine specialists, established in 1995. Shortlisted as 'Best Chalet Company' by the Telegraph. Central Morzine and on-piste luxury catered and self-catered properties plus a charming French hotel. All chalets and hotels include hot tub, pool or sauna. Superb cuisine, personal service, Geneva transfers and resort shuttles, discounted lift passes, equipment hire and unique summer holidays.

Chalet Aventure provides a great base for all the activities on offer in the Portes du Soleil. We offer half board, B&B and self-catering accommodation all summer. We have been offering summer holidays in the Portes du Soleil for over 15 years. We would love to share our experience and knowledge with you. Contact us now for availability and prices.

thetastyskicompany.co.uk

simply-morzine.co.uk

rushadventures.co.uk

+44 (0) 1557 525 050

+44 (0) 1664 568 902

+33 (0) 6 86 43 69 56

info@thetastyskicompany.co.uk

info@simply-morzine.co.uk

info@rushadventures.co.uk

Alps Bike Hire

Apex Morzine

Taxi Morzine

Quality road and gravel bikes for hire. Half day, full day and multiday prices. Hydraulic disc break options.

Le Morzenettaz offers comfortable, relaxed accommodation in a renovated 180-year-old farmhouse, close to Super Morzine lift and town centre. Choose from either our 2 bedroom self-catering apartment, available on a weekly basis, (Saturday changeovers), or B&B in 5 en-suite bedrooms, with flexible arrival days. Minimum stay 3 nights. Free WIFI. Open winter and summer.

Jo and Yannick Citadelle have been operating Geneva airport transfers, rail transfers and in-resort taxis for over 20 years in and around Morzine. Taxi Morzine is a small, professional company priding itself on being reliable, friendly, safe and great value for money with a range of vehicles catering for all your needs, whatever the season.

alpsbikehire.com

apexmorzine.com

taxi-morzine.com

+33 (0) 6 42 50 38 74

+ 33 (0) 4 50 74 65 49

+33 (0) 6 77 41 16 64

info@alpsbikehire.com

apexgroup@free.fr

info@taxi-morzine.com

Treeline Chalets

Buzz Performance

Alptitude

Award winning chalet company with a range of catered and self-catered properties in central Morzine. Winter and summer accommodation for all group sizes and budgets and a friendly, knowledgeable team so you can make the most of your alpine holiday in Morzine!

Buzz Performance are experts in fitness, road cycling, gravel cycling, triathlon and swimming. Our qualified and experienced coaches offer group sessions, private coaching, 1-2-1 or small group personal training session and personalised training programs. We cater for all levels - beginners to expert, helping you be the best you can bee!

Family run company with great value properties in and around Morzine. We pride ourselves on great service and value for money meaning that you can enjoy your precious holiday time and relax!

treelinechalets.com

buzzperformance.com

alptitude.com

+44 (0) 1483 220 505

+33 (0) 6 52 26 57 98

+ 44 (0) 7891 021 292

info@treelinechalets.com

info@buzzperformance.com

info@alptitude.com //

business Directory

The Gourmet Frozen Meal Company

Bon Appetit Alpes

Ride & Breakfast Chalet

Aiglon Apartments

Catered chalet solutions. Reduce your staffing levels, staff hours, fixed costs and social charges by outsourcing some or all of your guest menu with no chef required. We supply a large range of top quality, handmade frozen meals, reducing the time-consuming elements for your team. Just order before 4pm for same day delivery. Children’s meals and special dietary requirements also catered for.

Centre of Montriond, stay in a renovated chalet with 6 en-suites bedrooms (18 guests) and excellent facilities including an outdoor hot tub, sauna and fireplaces. Self-catered or fully catered? It’s up to you! We provide any services to suit your needs at a great price and with maximum flexibility. This is the perfect chalet for large groups starting at 4,320€ per week in winter.

11 stylish and contemporary alpine apartments within a stunning residence de tourism situated in a great location, less than a 5 minute walk from both the centre of resort and the Super Morzine lift. Open summer and winter. The ultimate MTB retreat. Family fun, Multi Pass member. On-site gym, sauna, treatment rooms and fitness classes. Secure parking.

bonappetitalpes.com

rideandbreakfast.com

aiglonmorzine.com

+33 (0) 4 50 89 61 14

+33 (0) 6 07 45 35 18

+33 (0) 6 82 05 81 12

info@bonappetitalpes.com

contact@rideandbreakfast.com

info@aiglonmorzine.com

Lexiko

Morzine Ski Chalets

Billski Ski School

Bespoke solutions for all your translation and interpreting needs: French/English and English/French translation. French language liaison, proofreading, editing and revision, copy-writing, interpreting and localisation.

Morzine Ski Chalets is a boutique chalet company based in the heart of Morzine. We provide a unique range of luxury ski chalets and apartments, both catered and self-catered with a 5 star service. Europe's largest ski, walking and MTB area, with the Portes du Solei,l is on your doorstep.

An independent ski school in Morzine and Avoriaz. Delivering the highest quality ski lessons delivered in English for a full range of abilities.

lexiko-translation.com

morzineskichalets.com

billski.co.uk

+33 (0) 6 50 20 82 68

+33 (0) 6 06 47 59 13

+44 (0) 7793 200 296

info@lexiko-translation.com

joanna@morzineskichalets.com

bonjour@billski.co.uk

My Home in the Alps

Mountain Xtra Chalets

Chalet Gentiane by Summit Special

Self catered chalets and apartments in Morzine / Les Gets available for summer & winter. At Mountain Xtra we have a range of properties to suit your needs from stylish small ski pads next to the main lifts to luxury family chalets with spacious gardens and hot tubs. All with easy online booking, secure card payment and simple self check in.

Chalet Gentiane is a beautiful 8 bedroom catered chalet in the heart of Les Gets. The lifts, slopes and village centre are all within easy walking distance. Chalet comforts include a large, relaxing lounge dining area with open log fire, sauna, free WiFi throughout the chalet and a TV/sound system. Our catered package includes delicious meals accompanied by great wines.

myhomeinthealps.com

mountainxtra.com

chaletgentiane.com

+33 (0) 9 54 76 22 30

+44 (0) 1483 608 396

+44 (0) 7931 934 312

info@mhita.com

info@mountainxtra.com

summitspecial@chaletgentiane.com

My Home in The Alps is a real estate agency based in Morzine/Les Gets, providing all the estate services: buy and sell, property management and luxury rentals with a unique portfolio. Enjoy our 20 years knowledge and expertise on the local market. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

business Directory

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Morgan Jupe Catered Chalets

Morgan Jupe B&B Chalets

Morgan Jupe S/C Apartments

A carefully selected portfolio of chalets offering stunning views and excellent facilities, including outdoor hot tubs. Our unrivalled fully catered package boasts the best inclusive wine list of any catered chalet and includes a non-stop driving service in our Land Rover Defenders. Winter prices from £4,750 (fully catered); summer prices from £1,400 (self-catered) per chalet, per week.

Our unique luxury B&B package offers a flexible alternative to a fully catered holiday. Enjoy excellent service and benefit from exclusive use of the chalet, while having the freedom to choose exactly how to spend your evenings. Includes cooked & continental breakfast, daily housekeeping, afternoon tea and our non-stop driving service. Winter prices from £3,600 (B&B); summer prices from £1,400 (self-catered) per chalet, per week.

A collection of stylish, comfortable apartments sleeping 4 - 6 guests, all perfectly located for a convenient self-catered holiday in Morzine. Fully equipped with all the essentials including high-speed WIFI, Sonos sound system, smart TV, washing machine & electric ski boot heaters. Winter prices from £950; summer prices from £700 (per apartment, per week).

morganjupe.co.uk

+44 (0)7739 692 908

jess@morganjupe.co.uk

Chalet Fourmiliere

The Snow Institute

Skiology

Originally a farmhouse built over 200 years ago, now a stunning contemporary home, blending original and modern features, designed to create the perfect environment for entertainment and relaxation. We are owner run and offer a bespoke, personal service to our guests with 6luxurious en-suite guest bedrooms, hot tub, games and treatment room.

The Snow Institute is a well-established British-run ski school based in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz. We specialise in delivering high quality bespoke ski lessons to cater for each individual’s needs and goals, so that you can get the most out of your time spent on skis. We offer private or group ski lessons for adults and children.

Since 2006. Location, location, location, chalets circa 500m - 200m from pistes and or resort. Passionate about good food - menu by former Fortnum & Mason development chef. Service with care and delivered sustainably, we’re on a mission to be the Alps accommodation provider with the smallest carbon footprint. Mention 'Source' and get a bottle of local bubbles with your booking.

chaletfourmiliere.com

thesnowinstitute.com

skiology.co.uk

+44 (0) 7710 328 586

+44 (0) 7903 186 819

+44 (0) 207 183 0688

hello@chaletfourmiliere.com

lessons@tsi.ski

stay@skiology.co.uk

Chalet Roc

Mountain Highs

Total Chalet Services Founded 10 years ago, Lisa and Kevin are proud of their family business Total Chalet Services . Living in resort year round, with full time manager Bethan, we offer bespoke solutions to second homeowners and holidaymakers in resort. With in house laundry and catering services we really are here to make your life easier.

Central Morzine - 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom detached chalet; outdoor hot tub, log burning fireplace, WIFI, Netflix, Spotify, Alexa and PlayStation! Curl up by the fireplace enjoying wraparound views of Nyon and Ressachaux, the perfect setting for a party or aprèsski drink. Or step into the garden and enjoy a dip in the outdoor hot tub. Mention ‘Source’ for a discount!

Morzine self-catered specialists since 1995! A wide choice of self-catered chalets and apartments to suit all budgets, ranging from 2 to 7 bedrooms, all with parking and Wifi. Great locations, many with secure bike storage too. Flexible payment options for summer 2020 and winter 2021 with no balance payments until 2 weeks before your holiday. Contact us for helpful detailed information!.

totalchaletservices.com

chaletroc.com

mountainhighs.co.uk

+44 (0) 7870 191 144

+44 (0) 7887 551 921

+33 (0) 6 24 79 07 09

info@totalchaletservices.com

reservations@chaletroc.com

info@mountainhighs.co.uk //

business Directory

45 Degrees North

Snow & Trek

The Farmhouse

45 Degrees North is a family run business offering great value for money catered holidays in the winter and supported cycling or self-catered holidays in the summer. Come join us in our chalets and benefit from warm hospitality, a welcoming, relaxed environment and delicious home cooked meals, creating the perfect winter and summer holiday experience. Let us take care of you and have a great escape in the alps.

We are passionate about the mountains and the many activities on offer. We concentrate on the management of self-catered properties along with B&B in our home. We have a portfolio of 25+ high quality properties we are able to offer our clients, providing a seamless holiday experience from your arrival at Geneva airport to your departure.

Built in 1771, The Farmhouse is the oldest building in Morzine, known to the locals as ‘Le Château’. One of the most desirable hideaways in the Alps sits in the heart of this beautiful alpine village, just two minutes walk from the centre. Once you have discovered this gem you will return year after year...

45degreesnorth.co.uk

snowandtrek-morzine.com

thefarmhouse.co.uk

+44 (0) 203 488 2845

+44 (0)7725 082 141

+33 (0) 4 50 79 08 26

hello@45degreesnorth.co.uk

info@snowandtrek-morzine.com

info@thefarmhouse.co.uk

Georgie Kennington Pilates & Yoga

Simply Spas

Alpine Residences

Georgie has been teaching classical Pilates for 10 years. Pilates is a full body workout working on strength, stretch, stability, balance and control. Georgie’s classes work all of these together in conjunction with the breath in a fun and dynamic style helping students to really connect with their ‘powerhouse’ and wellbeing. Georgie’s classes are for all! Get excited to feel stronger, longer and leaner!

We are a small family company who are passionate about bringing high quality yet affordable swim spas, saunas and hot tubs into your holiday property or accommodation business. We’re based right here in the Haute Savoie and we service equipment across the Alps. Visit our showroom in Samoëns by appointment.

Alpine Residences offer high-end apartments and chalets to rent in Les Gets. The chance to spend an unforgettable holiday and to make the most of the season's activities. We offer a large range of services aimed solely at making your holiday easier and satisfying even your smallest needs including a concierge, cleaning services, personal chef, room service and more.

linktr.ee/georgiekennington

simplyspas-alps.com

alpine-residences.fr

+33 (0) 7 49 23 97 57

+33 (0) 6 48 47 27 58

+33 (0) 4 22 32 60 93

georgiekennington@gmail.com

simplyspas@orange.fr

lesgets@alpine-residences.fr

Completing your tax return accurately is more The Spectrum IFA Group important than ever - are you following the

Emerald Stay

‘Common Reporting Standard’ rules?

Emerald Stay is a Swiss hotel chain made of premium vacation rentals in the French Alps and Marrakech. Our chalets offer a modern experience for friends and families in Morzine. We work with private owners and family offices, to whom we provide a 360° solution to monetise their real estate assets in total peace of mind.

We are independant and fully regulated Financial The Spectrum IFA Group is registered and Advisors. Do you hold UK Pensions or investments? authorised in France. OurLocally advisersbased live and work Are they performing for you? Spectrum across the country. Alan Watson is the Partner in partner Alan Watson would welcome the chance to the Rhone-Alpes region. meet and discuss your personal financial planning no obligation review, contact Alan Watson goals.For Noa fees or charges involved, simply the chance +33(0)6 21 overview 57 41 19 / with alan.watson@spectrum-ifa.com to have a clear a specialist who has been advising international individuals for over 30 years.

emeraldstay.com

spectrum-ifa.com

hello@emeraldstay.com business Directory

We’re a beauty institute located on the Rue du Bourg in the centre of Morzine. For the last eight years my team and I have delivered a moment of wellbeing and relaxation by offering a wide range of treatments. We’re open all year round for all of your hair removal, nail care, facial and body care needs including pregnancy massage too. We also offer makeup sessions, lash and brow treatments and bridal makeup too.

With Care, You Prosper

mugniermargaux.wixsite.com/etoile-des-neiges

TSG Insurance Services S.A.R.L. • Siège Social: 34 Bd des Italiens, 75009 Paris • R.C.S. Paris B 447 609 108 (2003B04384) « Société de Courtage « Intermédiaire d’immatriculation 02515 332 – www.orias.fr « Conseiller en +33d’assurances (0) 6 21» 57 41 19 en opération de Banque et Services de Paiement » Numéro +33 (0) 6 28 030732 investissements financiers », référencé sous le numéro E002440 par ANACOFI-CIF, association agréée par l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers »

+33 (0) 1 88 22 01 11

Etoile des Neiges

alan.watson@spectrum-ifa.com //

etoile-des-neiges@live.fr

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Avoriaz Holidays offer all you need to plan a perfect holiday in les Portes du Soleil’s highest ski resort. All properties are ski-in, ski-out, bed linens are included, flexible meal plans including breakfast delivery are available and we arrange discounts on ski passes and equipment rental on your behalf. Here’s a selection of our properties.

Chalet Ioda Recently refurbished to a high standard, this large chalet accommodates up to 10 people and offers stunning views over the resort. Facilities include WiFi, TV, beds made before arrival, daily cleaning service, towels and firewood provided, sunny terrace and washing machine and dryer. You’ll love the large, open plan living room.

Aster Apartment Sleeping 6 in modern comfort, this 3rd floor apartment has been recently refurbished and offers great views over the local pistes. Facilities include secure boot and ski storage, beds made before your arrival, WiFi, flexible bedroom arrangements, a fullyequipped kitchen and a south west facing balcony. We love the Savoyarde themed décor in this property!

Chalet Kouria This beautiful, uber-modern chalet sleeps 10 people in 5 bedrooms. It has it’s own private lift, a beautiful living room with a large fireplace and a fully equipped kitchen. Other features include heated boot warmers, laundry room, access to an indoor swimming pool, hammam, sauna and beautiful south facing balconies.

Saskia Apartment Located on the 4th floor of the Saskia Residence in the Falaise area, this apartment sleeps 6 people in comfortable rooms. There’s 1 double bedroom, a bunk room and a sofa-bed in the lounge. Facilities include beds made before arrival, WiFi, TV, kitchen with microwave, fridge and dishwasher. The south-west facing balcony offers stunning views!

Alpages Apartment This is a functional, well located apartment sleeping up to 4 people in 2 rooms. It’s on the 6th floor, which makes the views spectacular while other features include a ski locker, beds made before arrival, WiFi, a kitchen with microwave, fridge and dishwasher. There’s 1 double bedroom, 2 single sofa beds and a south facing balcony from which you can enjoy the views.

Malinka Apartment Accommodating up to 4 people, this charming apartment is on the 4th floor of a centrally located Avoriaz residence and enjoys south-west facing balcony views. Facilities include beds made before your arrival, WIFI, a kitchen featuring a microwave, hotplates, dishwasher and fridge in addition to a nice dining space. There is a double bedroom and 2 single sofa beds.

Chalet Doriaz An individual chalet offering accommodation for up to 12 in a huge, beautifully decorated space over several characterful levels. Facilities include WiFi, beds made before arrival, fire wood and towels provided, secure ski storage, laundry room, sauna, fitted kitchen with all the appliances you need, large dining area and several bedrooms to suit your whole group.

Fontaines Blanches Apartment A charming apartment with modern décor, this residence offers accommodation for up to 4 people on the 4th floor of the building. Features include WiFi, beds made before arrival, a kitchen with a fridge, dishwasher and microwave while the bedrooms include 1 double room and a double sofa bed in the lounge. There’s also a south facing balcony too.

Alpages 1 Renovated for Winter 20, this 3-room, 75m2 duplex apartment comfortably sleeps 6. Facilities include an open-plan living space, underfloor heating, a fullyequipped kitchen with dishwasher, washing machine, oven and microwave and quality decoration throughout. There’s a double bedroom on the lower floor and a master bedroom plus cabin with 2 single beds on the upper floor.

a selection of avoriaz accommodation from avoriaz-holidays.com | +33 (0)4 50 74 16 08 //

avoriaz Accommodation Directory

judgement WITHHOLDING

By Natalie Elvy

Once upon a time I treated strangers with the utmost respect, politely waiting my turn in a queue or conversation. Recently however, I’ve found that while I’ll still wait in line (I am British after all), I’ve grown less polite about it. Maybe it’s because I feel my oh-so-precious time is limited. I mean, isn’t everyone’s? Or perhaps it’s a micro level imitation of a more general intolerance running throughout our society. Because I’ve noticed a mean, toddler-like internal commentary switching on in my head like a light bulb, making me instantly judge anything that isn’t going my way at the pace I want it to. And the place most likely to spark the touch paper of my fraying temper? The supermarket. Shoppers dawdling, pondering, enjoying the challenge: Oreos or Spritz; Pringles or Tyrrell’s? So start the itchy spiders of my impatience. Then there are the inconsistent trolly-pushers, tourists blocking the aisles in raptures about ‘French supermarkets’, hesitaters standing lost in thought infront of the very item I need. Recently I found myself at the end of a humungous check-out queue. I couldn’t help raising my eyes skywards and pointedly looking at my watch (I had nothing pressing). The maddening woman at the front faffed around packing groceries, before eventually electing to pay by cheque! Cheque! Her selfishness! Wasting time in my day with her annoying, old-fashioned, stupid payment choice. Hadn’t she heard of contactless? Mid-way through my internal tempertantrum, I noticed the wrinkled hand

withholding judgement

struggling to write the cheque. It was trembling, its owner clearly infirm, yet doing her best to maintain an independent life. Instantly my anger switched to shame.

“Wasting time in my day with her annoying, oldfashioned, stupid payment choice. Hadn’t she heard of contactless?”

Inside I’d ripped into the character of an entirely blameless stranger, whose condition is probably a constant grind, because I found her behaviour irritating. Surely, at 39 years old, I should have learned the importance of walking a mile in another’s shoes? I should be mature enough to consider the nuances of a situation before judging it? How often have I stopped the queue because I’ve forgotten to weigh a vegetable? I was, I realised, a horrible, judgemental, hypocrite. According to psychologists, the tendency to derive negative personality traits from someone’s behaviour or how they look is common in ‘individualist’ cultures such as Europe and North America. Political commentators way back in 1983 suggested that the Labour Party lost the general election after Neil Kinnock, the then leader of the party, tripped and fell on a beach during a photo opportunity: voters saw the fall as a reflection of his personality (clumsy - i.e. not someone

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

you want in charge important decision-making). India and Asian countries are ‘collectivist cultures’ apparently, where people are more inclined to judge actions according to situations. Rather than assuming Kinnock’s clumsiness caused his mis-hap, these cultures may have attributed the fall to the fact the ground was likely slippery (a probable circumstance); this reaction is necessarily more tolerant because it’s not inferring any characteristic, it’s merely observing the circumstances around the behaviour. Plenty of other photo-ops have gone similarly awry - Google ‘Ed Miliband’ and it still auto-fills ‘bacon sandwich’ - all because in the West we often believe we can judge a person at a glance. According to me, the lady carefully packing her groceries was selfish and disorganised. Were I more ‘collectivist’, I might have managed to assess her behaviour according to the circumstances and perhaps I would have noticed her frailness more quickly, and congratulated the compassionate cashier for allowing her to take her time. The result would have been a far calmer shopping experience for me, less anxiety for the lady packing her bags and a whole lot of negative energy saved all-round. And no shamehangover to boot. Win - Win.

and impatience when francophones have to decipher me. It’s rare that native speakers (of any country, not just France) assume the best of non-native speaker. We all know a stereotypical Brit speaking s-l-o-w-l-y and loudly to Johnny Foreigner. And I fully

“In our busy world, speed and clarity are important. But should we slam dunk people who can’t express themselves quickly enough”

understand why - it takes too long. I’ve lost I imagine we’ve all been on the wrong side of count of the times I’ve agonisingly tried this fence at some point. As an anglophone to explain the simplest situation, or fished Farmhouse.pdf living in France, I often feel1 the29/03/2018 irritation 11:01 around in my brain for the right word, only

to pronounce it incomprehensibly when I’ve found it minutes later. People rush to complete my sentences to speed up the exchange but rarely with what I actually want to say. Aware of their frustration I usually give up; it’s just going to cause embarrassment, irritation and prolong an awkward situation. In our busy world, speed and clarity are important. But should we slam dunk people who can’t express themselves quickly enough, deeming them instantly less competent than we are? I've been on the receiving end of this and it’s crushing (making it all the more remarkable that I’m so Ussain Bolt off the blocks when judging others). The supermarket-cheque-lady was my enlightenment moment. I now realise that understanding a situation depends on my own perspective and I tell you, it’s been liberating! Mercifully I’ve always internalised my irritation, so nothing obvious has changed. But internally there’s a world of difference. The small act of resisting a snap-judgement immediately frees up time that would otherwise have been spent being frustrated. Choosing not to be cross leaves me calmer, and with confidence that I don’t (and won’t) need to feel ashamed. It’s a bit like being strong enough not to eat the whole packet of Jaffa Cakes you’ve just opened - you might feel deprived for a second, but the lasting sense of victory and relief makes it worth it!

A beautiful manor house in the heart of Morzine dating from 1771 18th Century Farmhouse | Perfect destination for winter & summer breaks

11 STUNNING BEDROOMS • CHARMING RESTAURANT • WINTER & SUMMER WEDDINGS www.thefarmhouse.co.uk | +33 (0) 4 50 79 08 26 | info@thefarmhouse.co.uk /TheFarmhouseMorzine

@TheFarmhouseMZ

withholding judgement

trending - lockdown fitness -

What kind of lockdown did you have? The 11am in pajamas, pizza for lunch, Netflix all afternoon, bottle of wine at 4pm kind of lockdown? Or the exercise-fuelled, vegetable growing, healthy kind of lockdown? We’re not here to judge, honest, but we did observe a wide and varied array of lockdown fitness kit during confinement that might double up as the perfect off-season training gear. M2 Smart Trainer From €456.00 www.saris.com

This is a do-it-all, smart bike trainer capable of replicating any workout thrown its way. All you need is your bike, this gadget and your favourite indoor cycling app. Simply connect the M2 to Zwift, or whatever app you prefer, via a clever bit of integrated technology and Bluetooth, the M2’s electromagnetic response system does the rest. It provides accurate power readings, the electromagnetic resistance is controlled to provide a precise workout every time and the M2 provides integrated cadence, speed and power data too.

Powr Tape RRP €19.90 www.sproutworld.com

ProPilot Moto Kit RRP €129.00 www.praep.com

Praeparation is everything, believe German brand Praep, manufacturers of this very clever device. Developed by professional mountain bikers, the ProPilot is a core trainer styled as a set of bike handlebars and is the perfect piece of kit to use at home, out of season. All Praep’s products are made in and shipped from Germany and there’s an extensive range of accessories to help you get bike fit and stay bike fit.

trending - lockdown fitness

And speaking of an extensive range of accessories, here’s one clever example. Add the Powr Tape resistance band to your Praep ProPilot and your at-home bike training takes on a whole new dimension. Bicep curls, neck lifts and rowing are all possible, charging up your muscle groups, strengthening your wrists and replacing heavy weights with resistance training. There’s a full video library of workouts on the Praep website to keep you motivated.

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Zwift €14.99 per month zwift.com

It’s a fact that home training in any discipline can be pretty boring compared to being out in the real world. Zwift combines the fun of video games with the intensity of a serious training programme to help you become faster. Virtual worlds combine with a real life community of runners and riders to motivate you into that next kilometre or up that next hill. There’s a range of training plans, group outings, races to enter and more, plus over 1000 different workouts designed by professional coaches.

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Savoyarde Specialties and Take-Away Pizza Open from 9am until 1am every day

Epic Juicy From €129.00 www.epicbalanceboards.com

So many mountain sports depend on great balance and the Epic Juicy balance board is the perfect addition to your at-home training routine. Use it as a cross training device to improve your balance and core strength in preparation for next winter’s adventures or incorporate a different set of exercises to improve your cycling skills. And to top it all off, Epic balance boards feature some bloody lovely graphics, whilst also being made from sustainable and 100% recyclable wood.

Tel: 04 50 75 78 47

36 Route de Morzine - 74110 - Montriond www.lerocher-montriond.fr

trending - lockdown fitness

1800m AN EAGLE AT

WHY OUR MOUNTAINS ARE THE PERFECT PLACE FOR GOLF Interview by Amie Henderson

Does a golf ball travel further at altitude? That’s the first question I should have asked Pascal Alarcon, the manager of AvoriazMorzine Golf Club. Instead, we watch as the snow disappears from the pistes of Avoriaz, exposing the resort’s nine-hole, 36 par golf course spanning 2930 metres.

You’d never know, as you glided across the pistes of the Proclou and through the Lil’Stash, that such a well-maintained and highly regarded course existed beneath all that snow. And of course, the views over the Aravis mountain range are exceptional. “Generally we start to prepare the course for the summer season in early June, as soon as the snow gives way to the grass,” Pascal tells me. “We usually open the course around 15th June but this year, because there was no piste maintenance and very warm temperatures towards the end of the season, the snow melted faster than usual, so we were able to commence work in May.” ‘The vegetation of the golf course falls asleep during the winter season and only resumes when the sun can reach it,” Pascal explains. But it’s the volume of snow resting on top of the course, which has the biggest impact on conditions. “Lots of snow groomers, scooters and skiers can potentially damage the course if the snow layer is not thick enough,” Pascal tells me. Each autumn, before the snow arrives, 62

an eagle at 1800m

Pascal and his team undertake a maintenance programme using specific natural treatments to guarantee a good resumption of plant growth when spring arrives. “The natural elements necessary for the proper start of the course are water and sunshine. These are elements that are generally always present in Avoriaz. We just help the grass on its way with some nutrients!” says Pascal.

Respecting the natural balance of the mountain whilst offering a golf course with such spectacular views is high on Pascal’s agenda. Three gardeners work between June and September, alongside a specialist Green Keeper, to keep the course in tip top condition. The team use as many natural and ecologically responsible products as possible “to guarantee the sustainability of our golf, while respecting nature,” Pascal explains.

The course is prepared in a number of stages. Overgrown plants and weeds prevent the perfect grass, for which the Avoriaz course is so well known, from growing correctly. These must be removed as early as possible, especially on sensitive areas such as the tees and around each hole. As a second stage, any damage caused by skiers, piste bashers or the machines used to maintain the ski lifts, is repaired. Only once this essential work is complete can mowing begin, along with maintenance on the greens, fairways and bunkers.

As any good golfer will tell you, a respectable clubhouse must accompany a respectable golf course and in Avoriaz, Pascal and his team organize tee times, equipment rentals and the bar too. Marion and Flo, who are also known for their lovely La Cachette restaurant in Avoriaz, carefully run the restaurant, preparing a menu using fresh, local, quality produce. “Non-golfers are very welcome to come and take advantage of our privileged setting,” they tell me. And then there’s the golf school, for complete armatures like me.

// © avoriaz 1800

Alpine French school.pdf 13/05/2020 your source of information for Morzine, 1 Les Gets & Avoriaz09:33

The Details: The Course: Opening dates: 13 June - 30 September 2020 Low season: (13 June - 3 July and 31 August - 30 September) 9am - 6pm High season (4 July - 30 August) 8.30am - 7.30pm The Clubhouse: The Avoriaz - Morzine Golf Clubhouse is open to everyone Bar: 9am - 7.30pm every day with entertainment each Monday Restaurant: 10am – 6pm for meals and snacks Pro Shop: Open each day with equipment available to rent Green Fees: 9 Holes: €26 (low season), €32 (high season)

All courses adhere to government regulations about social distancing & increased sanitary measures are also in place.

French Courses

18 Holes: €41 (low season), €51 (high season) 5 x 9 Holes: €118 (low season), €137 (high season) Full week unlimited: €127 (low season), €158 (high season) 1 month subscription: €199

Intensive Courses

Season tickets available from: €310

Weekly Group Lessons

Equipment Rental: Bucket of balls: €3 Golf clubs at the driving range: Free of charge

Private Lessons

9 hole ½ series rental: €10 9 hole golf cart rental: €25

GCSE + A-level tutoring

Coaching: Adult weekly programmes including 10 hours of coaching begin at €300 per person Childrens weekly programmes for ages between 6 and 16 years begin at €120 per child Personalised coaching packages are also available

Skype and online options Conversation Classes Exam preparation courses

French - English Summer Camps French Language Camps & Courses English Language Camps & Courses “To start playing golf in Avoriaz is a real pleasure,” Pascal explains. The driving range, located at the entrance to Avoriaz, is on a spot reserved for the La Chapelle snowpark during the winter season. You’ll find 25 indoor and outdoor practice stations, a ball machine and practice is free of charge. There are also three training holes with a putting green and bunker plus and two dedicated pro players who are available to lend clubs free of charge to beginners, whilst offering up those all-important first golf tips. Each Monday in the clubhouse there’s free entertainment and families can discover the joy of golf over a relaxed apero. Golfers with slightly more experience than me can head straight onto the nine-hole course on the Proclou site, which is accessed just behind the Col de la Joux Verte restaurant. “The main risk of trying golf in Avoriaz is that you’ll become addicted to this great outdoor activity in this preserved natural space!” believes Pascal. And yes, science says a golf ball does travel further at altitude in case you’re wondering! More Info: golfmorzineavoriaz.com

Facebook.com/golf-avoriaz

Call: +33 (0) 4 50 74 24 39

Email: golf@avoriaz.com

Inspire & Learn Courses for Expat and Native English Speakers Catch up on schooling missed in lockdown GCSE & A-level French tuition Online courses also available Plus activities in accordance to government guidelines info@alpinefrenchschool.com Tel: 04 50 79 08 38 www.alpinefrenchschool.com //

an eagle at 1800m

trending - travel -

We all have little tricks to make our life on the move easier. Gadgets and gizmos adorn the travel product market and we’re now spoilt for choice when stocking up for a big adventure. Here are a few of our favourites for this summer’s travels.

Mighty RRP €91.95 mightyaudio.co.uk

At first glance you’ll think it’s the original iPod Shuffle, but after a closer inspection, you’ll see the Mighty is a whole lot more, and then some. This tiny, lightweight device is the perfect travel companion, wirelessly syncing music from your Spotify and Amazon Music accounts to your Bluetooth headphones without a phone, screen or connection. With more than five hours of playback and storage for 1000 songs, the Mighty is also water resistant. We love this because it allows you to go for a run or relax on the beach with your favourite tunes, but without taking your constantly beeping phone with you.

Joaquin Towel RRP €45.00 slowtide.eu

Shower Puk RRP £12.00 www.shower-puk.com

If you’re not carrying a micro-fiber travel towel with you, then are you even travelling? We’ve been huge fans of Slowtide for many summers as their micro-fibre towels are highly absorbent, fast drying and, crucially, they stay sand free. Yes, you read that correctly. Even better, they’re made from 100% recycled materials and at a nice 152cm x 76cm, they’re perfectly sized for all your adventures.

trending - travel

Sister soap to our favourite Baron Shower Bars, these travelspecific puk packs come with three individual soaps and the case to get you started. The soaps themselves are scented with Argan Oil and orange and there’s Shea Butter to keep your skin nicely moisturised. But aside from the actual soap, it’s the sturdy case that gets us excited. It’s hardened shell makes it perfect for travel, there’s a handy hook too and the whole thing is less than half the size of a plastic bottle of shower gel.

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

WINTER CLOTHING RENTAL SERVICE Do you, your family or friends require quality, affordable clothing? Try our ski and snowboard clothing rental service

ONLY £75 per week £500 worth of kit

Ranger RRP €25.00 www.arcadebelts.eu

Made specifically for adventures by Arcade Belts, this lightweight, low profile, stretchy number is both durable and adjustable. The micro-adjust belt buckle makes it one size fits all and Arcade have even been clever enough to make it metal-free, making those airport security checks a breeze. The Ranger is entirely machine washable and comes in a range of 18 different colours.

Resort business or chalet owner? Get in touch with us and find out how you can become a partner

michael@crevasseclothing.com | crevasseclothing.com Little One.pdf 1 25/05/2020 10:34

A clothing, interior furnishings and gift store in Morzine for children aged 0 - 10 years

Traveller First Aid Kit RRP €33.99 www.lifesystemsoutdoor.com

Admit it, the good intentions are always there, but how often do you actually take any kind of first aid equipment on your travels with you? This handy pack from Lifesystems has been designed for extended expeditions and it includes all the essentials you need to treat a range of injuries, from minor to moderate. Within the compact and durable red pouch you’ll find everything from safety pins to a thermometer, bandages to sterile cleaning wipes, wound closure strips, blister plasters and much much more.

PETIT BATEAU | LEGO WEAR | TOBIAS & THE BEAR | ELODIE DETAILS | DONE BY DEER

www.littleone.fr +33 (0) 6 35 24 07 62 72 Route de la Combe a Zore, Morzine Instagram - littleoneboutique | Facebook - littleoneboutiquemorzine

trending - travel

mtb world cup behind the scenes at the

IN LES GETS

By Chloe Hardy

resort information

Â© DOM GRANGER

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

If you were lucky enough to be in Les Gets last summer for the grand return of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, you’ll know what a huge operation it was to pull off. This threeday event was a must-see on the MTB world race calendar and was the result of around a year’s worth of preparation and hard work. This year, with COVID-19 thrown into the mix, the Les Gets events team are dealing with more uncertainty than ever before while preparing for the 2020 event. But they’re not letting that put them off. While it’s been confirmed that the Les Gets leg will no longer be the final stage of this year’s World Cup due to postponements earlier in the season, the resort is still determined to put on a spectacular show. We caught up with Bertrand Josué, Les Gets’ events manager, to find out what goes on behind the scenes of such a huge event. ONE YEAR TO GO “Organising an event like this is a long-term job, which requires a real passion and a lot of personal commitment. Imagine a puzzle that must be patiently assembled, but the final image is likely to evolve along the way! Many organisational aspects are already underway around a year before the event, particularly from an administrative point of view. The first management committee meetings take place, which are an opportunity to make a full assessment of the previous edition and plan for the upcoming event. We prepare the budget, request quotes, negotiate brand partnerships and think about what could be improved. Then the machine starts up little by little. Once the budget is approved the preparation phases begin and the management committee then meets every month to take stock of the progress of the event. One of the key points during this period is communication. We’re working on the visuals, the communication plan, various media tasks like videos, contests and social networking. It's about not being too late to stand out among the thousands of other events taking place at the same time.”

FOUR MONTHS TO GO “In May we launch the recruitment campaign for volunteers, who constitute the core of the event. We need around 200 people. Without them, nothing would be possible and their engagement with us is paramount. >>

behind the scenes - uci mtb world cup

While the initial preparations are made in a small team, the implementation and operational management requires many different parties. At this point, we’re working on coordinating with the Les Gets Office de Tourisme, technical services and lift operators, as well as external companies who we entrust to do specific technical tasks in the field. There’s a lot of bases to cover that we’re responsible for organising, for example medical support, sound, security, structures like VIP areas, team tents and giant screens, we need technical teams to set up internet and electricity and many more.”

THREE MONTHS TO GO This is when we do the first work on the tracks. The snow’s melted and we can work quietly before the summer season properly kicks off. This is where we usually meet with the UCI and Red Bull Media House, who manage TV production, to propose changes and improvements to the tracks. Because of COVID-19, we won't be able to do that this year, but we will still try to make technical improvements while keeping the same track as last year. In terms of the quality of the slopes, we consult with local and professional riders who we have a strong relationship with. This allows us to get some very valuable advice, to make sure that we stick to the standards of the current World Cup tracks.

From an organisational point of view, this is when then machine is in motion; regular working meetings allow each team to progress with their tasks, but because there is so much to do, everything has to be carefully coordinated.”

SIX WEEKS TO GO “The closer we get to the event, the more we see months of planning take shape; provisional plans start to become more concrete. We begin to feel a frenzy and excitement in the village. The World Cup is on everyone's lips and animates many conversations. The whole village takes ownership of the event and buzzes with anticipation.”

FOUR WEEKS TO GO “The pace of the preparatory meetings is accelerating, but most of the organisation is in place. It's time to settle the last details and coordinate the different teams. At this point, the countdown has started and time flies at full speed. The time for preparation and reflection is over and it’s time for the action to begin! The management team now spends as much time in the field as behind a computer, a sign that the World Cup is coming to life.”

THREE WEEKS TO GO “Everyone involved devotes 100% of their time to their tasks, all eyes are on the approaching deadline.”

behind the scenes

Alpine Van Man SOURCE advert.pdf 1 Avoriaz 13/05/2020 your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets &

10:20

TWO WEEKS TO GO “The tracks are ready, the race infrastructures are installed little by little. The village begins to put on its World Cup outfit, which it will not take off until the end of the event.”

ONE WEEK TO GO “After a final coordination meeting, everyone is at hard work and eagerly awaiting the races. The lifeblood of the event is getting under way. Our 200 volunteers arrive to lend a hand with the finishing touches. They are present at all levels, from the slopes to the press room to the reception areas. The riders and their teams arrive at the start of the week to train and familiarise themselves with the tracks. This is when paddock comes to life and the first training sessions attract an audience of loyal mountain bike enthusiasts.”

ONE DAY TO GO “On the eve of the ‘official’ launch of the event, the World Cup has already been underway for several days for the organisational teams and volunteers. The riders have done their official training runs and because these must be held under the same conditions as the actual race, it is a good warm-up for the whole team. At this point, we cross our fingers for good weather and the spectators arrive in large numbers to celebrate this incredible mountain biking festival with us.”

A L PIN E VA NM A N REGULAR DELIVERIES BETWEEN THE UK AND THE FRENCH ALPS

WEEKLY SERVICE BETWEEN THE UK & FRENCH ALPS RETURN LOADS TO THE UK WELCOME VANS & TRUCKS AVAILABLE FOR LOADS OF ANY SIZE OR WEIGHT REMOVALS, PALLETS, FURNITURE, BUILDING SUPPLIES FULLY INSURED, PROMPT SERVICE

IT'S GO TIME! “These are long, very intense days, that the spectators don’t see! We have to be in the field at daybreak, welcome the volunteers, do the briefings, give the instructions, distribute the radios, go around the different teams to check that everything is in order and resolve the many last-minute questions and problems. When the day’s race starts we are already preparing the following highlights, the interviews, and the awards ceremonies. It is a long-distance race that requires constant attention. At the end of the day we have a daily meeting with the UCI, the FFC and the major players in the organisation, which makes it possible to take stock and prepare for the events of the following day. The day usually ends with an informal team gathering, which allows us to meet and chat in a quieter, more relaxed environment. Then we get up and do it all again the next day! Unfortunately, we don’t know what to expect or how we will be able to run this year’s races because of COVID-19. One certainty is that this World Cup will look quite different compared to last year. But we still have great years to come with high probability of a World Cup stage in 2021, and the certainty of the World Championships in 2022. Either way, this year will be an opportunity to look forward to more of these events and to celebrate our passion for mountain biking together in Les Gets!”

WWW.ALPINEVANMAN.COM +44 (0)7538 218 096 ALPINE VAN MAN STORAGE KING, 39 BARTON ROAD, MILTON KEYNES, MK2 3HW

behind the scenes - uci mtb world cup

summer A SHORT GUIDE TO FRENCH

CELEBRATIONS

The Portes du Soleil plays host to many excellent events each summer; the Pass’Portes, Spartan Race, the MTB World Cup and the Mont Blanc Rally to name just a few. But the French summer season is also packed with celebrations, bank holidays and special dates that you may not have heard of. They’re all fun, unique and exciting in their own way. We’re talking traditional festivals, national days and local celebrations paramount to French culture that we reckon you should know about. Due to COVID-19, our valley’s local and national celebrations might look a bit different this year, or may be cancelled temporarily, but don’t worry, they’ll be back! And in the meantime, you can learn all about them right here.

SUMMER TRANSHUMANCE WHEN: END OF MAY / BEGINNING OF JUNE

FÊTE DE LA MUSIQUE WHEN: 21ST JUNE

WHY: Transhumance is the term given to the movement of livestock such as sheep, cows and goats from their winter homes to their summer homes in the high Alpine pastures. In the Haute Savoie transhumance is mainly concerned with cows and is an important cultural event, as it allows livestock to breed and fatten up on the fresh Alpine grass that helps give flavour to the wonderful cheeses they’ll produce. It also represents traditional and sustainable farming methods. Meanwhile, the lower pastures, where the cows will return in the autumn, are harvested for hay.

WHY: More commonly known in English as World Music Day, Fête de la Musique was originally created in France in 1982, following the discovery that many people (including half of all children) played an instrument, but few had access to live concerts. The first Fête de la Musique was planned to coincide with the summer solstice and was a huge success. Towns and cities all over France put on free concerts, musicians and bands played in the streets and people from all walks of life came to enjoy the performances.

HOW: In the spring or early summer, local farmers pick a day to walk

their livestock up to the pastures and often members of the public are invited to join. The cows are donned with their traditional summer bells and they ring their way up the mountain roads to the pastures, which is always a great sight to see and hear.

summer celebrations

HOW: Today Fête de la Musique is celebrated in most towns, cities and villages across France (as well as 132 countries around the world!) and ranges from small outdoor performances or gigs in local bars, to live orchestras playing in grand concert halls. And it’s all free. There are usually plenty of options to choose from in Morzine and the surrounding areas, while other nearby places that celebrate Fête de la Musique in style include Chamonix, Thonon and Geneva.

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

BASTILLE DAY WHEN: 14TH JULY

GRIMPÉE CYCLISTE MORZINE-AVRORIAZ WHEN: 2ND AUGUST

WHY: France’s National Day marks the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison in Paris in 1789, which is widely recognised as a major turning point in the French Revolution.

WHY: Probably the youngest event on this particular calendar, the Grimpée Cycliste Morzine-Avoriaz is one of the oldest bike races in the area and was born in 1975, the first year the Tour de France passed through Morzine.

HOW: One of France’s main jour fériés (public holidays), Bastille Day is commonly celebrated with military parades and firework displays. In Morzine you’ll often find a large concert in the town centre (featuring the likes of Toto, the Original Blues Brothers Band and Simple Minds) and every other year the celebrations combine with the last day of Harley Days, Morzine’s infamous Harley Davidson festival, which is always pretty spectacular! While we’re not sure how Bastille Day will be celebrated this year at the time of going to print, we’ve got our fingers crossed for some fireworks at the very least. LES FEUX DU LAC WHEN: THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST WHY: Les Feux du Lac (or Fête du Lac) can

be dated back to 1860, when fireworks over Lac d’Annecy were part of the celebrations to welcome Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie to the Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions. Now it’s an annual event that draws huge crowds every year.

HOW: You can celebrate les Feux du Lac at our very own Lac de Montriond; enjoy a day of music and festivities, topped off with a huge sound and firework display and music late into the night. One of the events of the summer, every year the firework display has a different theme and is incredible to watch. Unfortunately, les Feux du Lac won’t be taking place this year but we’re looking forward to future editions.

HOW: It’s a simple road bike race to see how fast you can ride from Morzine to Avoriaz via the 19 hairpin bends of the Route d’Avoriaz (that’s a total of 14.6km, 860 vertical metres and a 6% incline). While it’s primarily a friendly race, the time to beat is 33 minutes which was set by Bernard Hinault in 1979. L’ASSOMPTION WHEN: 15TH AUGUST WHY: This religious bank holiday falls in prime French summer time so is an excellent occasion for a community celebration. HOW: Usually l’Assomption is celebrated in the local area with a firework display in Les Gets and the Kermesse d’Edelweiss in Morzine, a community fair featuring delicious food, entertainment, stalls and games organised by the local school. While it’s facing some uncertainty in 2020, you can still enjoy the fireworks in Les Gets and take the day to relax and enjoy the sun.

BRADERIE DES COMMERCANTS WHEN: AROUND THE SECOND WEEK OF AUGUST WHY: The word braderie can be roughly translated to mean clearance sale, flea market or car boot sale and is the term often given to end of summer sales or one-off markets in France. The standout braderie is the Braderie de Lille, which happens every year during the first weekend of September and dates back to the 12th century. It attracts millions of visitors every year, who go to peruse the antiques, bric-a-brac and artisan goods, as well as enjoy many other festivities. While the braderie celebrations are a bit smaller in the Haute Savoie, there’s always plenty going on. HOW: Avoriaz has two grande braderies planned over the course of the summer, on the 23rd July and the 13th August. All the shops open and have huge outdoor sales, while local artisans sell locally made food, drinks and produce. You’re also likely to see lots of cows and enjoy traditional music and customs. In Les Gets you can enjoy a weekend of sales, pedestrianised roads and a festive atmosphere at the local shops from the 14th – 16th August, while during braderie in Morzine you’ll often find games in the streets alongside the sales in the shops. RETOUR DES ALPAGES WHEN: END OF SEPTEMBER / BEGINNING OF OCTOBER, WEATHER DEPENDENT WHY: Winter Transhumance marks the end of the summer as the cows and other livestock come down from the pastures and back to their winter homes. Many towns and villages will hold Retour des Alpages festivities to welcome back the cows and celebrate traditional customs with rustic dress, food and music. The biggest Retour des Alpages celebration is held in Annecy during the second weekend of October. WHAT: Winter transhumance is often accompanied by festivities in the Haute Savoie, which include dressing the cows in beautiful flower headdresses, while farmers and locals adorn traditional dress and walk the cows through the town on their way back to the lower pastures. The public are also invited to join the cows on the walk down from the pastures, similarly to summer transhumance – keep your eyes peeled for info on this year’s festivities. Thanks to everyone who helped out with this article, we’ve done our very best to ensure the best representation of the facts whilst understanding that customs change from region to region. For more info about what’s going on this summer in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz, make sure you check out the Morzine Source Magazine events calendar morzinesourcemagazine.com/events //

summer celebrations

the market THE STATE OF

By gareth jefferies

Marketing Director at alpine-property.com

My last market report was written in mid-April, one month into the lockdown in France. Normally I write these once a year. Now it feels like they need writing once a week! As an online estate agency, we are in a good position to track and analyse everything we do. It’s been part of our process for the last 20 years. Since COVID-19 struck our lives in France, we have been going even further. Every sale, every new client and every fail has been thoroughly researched. In my original report, I mentioned that the first few weeks caused a hiatus in traffic to our website and a dip in new enquiries too. After the first month, that started to change. Traffic to our website started to match that of the same period last year, whilst enquiries returned to normal. This last month has seen above-average traffic on our website and far more enquiries than we are used to in May. This is fairly obvious, when you think that many people have

the state of the market

more time on their hands and have nothing better to do than dream about a move to the Alps.

they made the journey and agreed to buy. “All's fair in love, war and business” they say?

It’s not just dreamers though. Our agents report that most of these enquiries are serious buyers. This has been backed up with 14 agreed sales during this period. That is less than our usual spring activity, but not much less. And considering the restrictions we are working under, this is really rather incredible. From what I hear, we are not the only agency to report activity like this. The usual shenanigans continue as well. We lost out on a sale last week as, with our encouragement, one of our buyers decided to hold off from making a visit due to the travel restrictions. At the same time another buyer from another agency had no such qualms,

The main points to draw from my analysis are that we are receiving more French enquiries than normal. We usually expect an equal spread between Anglophone and Francophone enquiries, now it is more like 35/65. The agreed sales are currently split equally. 90% of these sales are from customers that have contacted us this year, so they are ‘new’ to us. 80% of the properties are being bought as weekend homes or for long-term holidays, so not primarily for rental. Remember too, that a vast amount of money has been withdrawn from the stock markets and it is looking for a

Alpine Action Adventures.pdf 1 28/05/2020 your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets Avoriaz &

home. Property is traditionally one of the safest places to put it. Combine that with very low interest rates and governments desperate to help lenders, some people are finding access to loans very easy. Generally, life in the Alps is returning to some sort of normality. Currently, we miss our café’s and restaurants, though many of our boulangeries have taken up that slack and are serving coffee. The schools are stuttering back to life, and in common with everywhere else in Europe, our beauty spots are working at 100% on weekends. It is evident that all the local people that have been confined in their homes are keen on making the most of some outdoor family time!

“a vast amount of money has been withdrawn from the stock markets and it is looking for a home. Property is traditionally one of the safest places to put it. ” You’d think that during our confinement we, as estate agents, would not have much to do. However, that has not been the case. Our marketing efforts have not changed. In fact, if anything they have increased. We are making more use of our virtual tours, videos, 3D images and daily social media posts. Our agents have had fewer visits to do but have been spending the time improving the images and presentations we have. They are also fully engaged at keeping the sales we already have in the pipeline afloat. On the subject of property visits, we have a whole new protocol in place to make visits safe. This has come from the government, a procedure we will be rigorous in following. On top of this we have a 100km travel restriction in place, though we expect this to be eased as the summer approaches. This is complicated by the tit-for-tat quarantine measures in place between France and the UK. We are comforted by the news that this will be reviewed every three weeks so we expect this to become more manageable by July. More Info: You can stay up to date on the developments and trends in our local property market at blog.alpine-property.com

20:18

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inspiration, information & celebration

If you’re considering the beautiful French Alps for your wedding celebration, we’ve gathered everyone you need to talk to on one handy website. Run by a group of locals, we’re here to help you plan a truly memorable occasion in our stunning valley.

weddingsinmorzine.com | info@weddingsinmorzine.com weddingsinmorzine

weddingsinmorzine

the state of the market

property We could give you a hundred reasons why buying a property in the mountains is a great idea right now. Investment properties in ski resorts have always yielded good returns for their owners, but now that potential spans a full 12-months of each year. A desire for dedicated second homes in the fresh, clean hills is also driving demand, as is the trend to work from home. Here’s our round-up of some excellent properties on the market right now in our valley.

Chalet Adagio

€1,650,000

A pristine 5-bed, 5-bathroom chalet with double garage and extensive grounds. Nestled in a sunny spot in Morzine’s sought-after Vallee de la Manche, Chalet Adagio has been renovated to exceptionally high standards to produce a beautiful stylish home that also offers perfect rental potential. The setting is idyllic, with stunning mountain views from the terrace and the interior of the chalet is no less breath taking, with every care having been taken to create sumptuous and elegant living areas. The chalet is split over two main floors, with a further generous mezzanine floor housing the master suite. MORE INFO:

Ailsa Bishop, Alpine Property +33 (0) 4 50 04 86 07 ailsa@alpine-property.com alpine-property.com

Les Fougeres This stunning 350m2 farmhouse has been beautifully renovated, while retaining its original rustic charm. The renovation has created an efficient, modern chalet, including a new roof, windows, electrics and plumbing plus a heat recovery system. It has 5 spacious en-suite bedrooms, a thoughtfully zoned open-plan living and dining area and a sunny south-facing terrace with hot tub. The top floor shell gives the new owner scope to create the space they desire. A chalet like no other in the area! MORE INFO:

Lucy, France Property Angels +33 (0) 6 95 73 17 79 lucy.fpa@gmail.com francepropertyangels.com

hot property

€1,650,000

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

614, avenue de Joux Plane - 74110 Morzine

+33 (0)4 50 04 94 76 www.callhome-morzine.com

hot property

Stylish 4-bed with Garden This gorgeous hidden gem with 183m² of living space over 3 floors is packed full of style and charm. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a wow factor living room with double height ceiling and wood burner, fully fitted kitchen, dining area with glass bi-folding doors providing access onto the terrace. Outside are two garages / storage areas and a very pretty private garden. The property is part of a residence of 3 properties and so has some communal shared charges.

€495,000

MORE INFO:

Joanna MacGovern, Geranium Immobilier +33 (0) 4 50 38 86 30 info@geranium74.com geranium74.com

Chalet Nantaux This is a beautiful traditional Savoyarde house in the region of 180m² on a south-facing plot in Essert la Pierre. It’s been fully renovated to a high standard and includes 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, garden space and lots of storage. There’s a spacious, high-quality kitchen, leading into a very bright dining area and a large lounge. A door opens onto the private garden, which is perfect for sunny days. Essert la Pierre is just 8 minutes from Morzine.

€570,000

MORE INFO:

Ingrid Maes, Morzine Prestige +44 (0) 4 50 04 33 26 info@morzine-prestige.com morzine-prestige.com

L’echo du Pleney This fabulous apartment is located at the base of the Super Morzine cable car. The private terrace will become your favourite spot for apres-ski, whilst enjoying the wonderful views. It will comfortably sleep 8 people in 3 double bedrooms and a bunk room and has 3 bathrooms. The apartment will be 85m² in size with a spacious open plan living area. All you'll need to do is pack your suitcases, move in and enjoy the magnificent Morzine mountains.

€900,000

MORE INFO:

Amanda Hardwick, Promoteam +33 (0) 6 82 59 21 31 a.hardwick@promoteam.fr promoteam.fr

Central Morzine Farmhouse Situated in Morzine’s old quarter and packed with charm and character, this semi-detached farmhouse is a real find. Built on 2 levels, there are 5 bedrooms, a large mezzanine level and a pretty living and dining space with many original features. There’s a sauna, balcony, terraces and a garden, complete with its own Savoyarde Mazot. There’s plenty of storage too, plus covered parking and three additional spaces. The property is currently managed as a guesthouse, but would also be a great second home or rental investment. MORE INFO:

Sylvie Payen +33 (0) 4 50 04 94 76 sylvie.payen@century21.fr callhome-morzine.com 76

hot property

€689,000

morzine prestige for Source.pdf your source of information Morzine, Les1Gets30/04/2019 & Avoriaz

14:01

FIND YOUR PERFECT PROPERTY WITH US Personal service before, during and after sale Specialising in Morzine & the surrounding area Multilingual team Agency established 10 years in Morzine

+33 (0)4 50 04 33 26 info@morzine-prestige.com www.morzine-prestige.com //

hot property

dream DESIGNING THE

By Lisa Dodd

of R&S Interior Designs

The deal is done, the contracts have been signed, the fizz has been drunk and the words “I own a home in the Alps” have been sung; then reality sets in. How do I do this? How do I furnish my dream property? What do I need? Where do I go to shop? I don’t live there - who will take delivery? © Damian McArthur

WHO CAN HELP?

CHOOSE A STYLE CAREFULLY

Morzine is well known for offering a great investment return on rental ski properties. As a locally based interior designer, I have worked for the past few years designing and furnishing countless investment properties with a selection of estate agents and ski rental property specialists such as Elevation Alps. They have a wealth of experience and expertise when it comes to turning dreams into reality.

Many holiday home owners can’t wait to get stuck into decorating, choosing paints, picking furniture, trimmings and carefully selecting artwork. It’s all part of the fun to create your perfect home from home. Before you get swept away in a sea of décor, remember it’s best to keep things simple. From furnishings to colour schemes, less is definitely more. The key element to remember is that whilst you want your holiday home to be a perfect reflection of your taste, it also needs to appeal to your customers.

Before you rush out to furnish your dream Alpine abode, here’s my essential advice to help you along the way.

For all types of rentals, long term, weekly, short breaks and seasonal, each will have different needs. The key is to incorporate as much as you can within your budget, whilst making your property appeal to the masses. Ensuring it stands out from the other options for the right reasons is key to making it the one they choose for their next holiday.

YOU NEED TO THINK VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT WHAT YOU ACTUALLY NEED Firstly, speak to local people, letting agents, property agents, chalet rental companies and others about the type of clients your property is likely to attract. Get their opinion on what items you need to equip it with. If you choose to rent through an agent, they will generally give you a list of ‘must have’ equipment and give you advice on how to maximise the potential of your property. You could also use the services of a local design team, such as ours. We know the market, where to shop and what is needed to make a successful rental property. An interior designer can also usually get you some great trade deals that can really help your budget.

designing the dream

Not overdoing it with patterns, colours, accessories and knick-knacks will lend itself to a more appealing, stylish, calmer, less cluttered and easier to clean environment.

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

SO HOW DO WE DO IT?

FINALLY, HERE ARE SOME OF MY TOP TIPS FOR YOU:

There are several factors to think about when kitting out your apartment or chalet as a rental property. It’s generally best to avoid the very latest trends or the new high-fashion ‘must haves’ as they will date very quickly. The rule of thumb for rentals is to keep colours neutral and avoid overpersonalising the design. Generally, think modern, fresh and simple, but add in a pop of colour with soft furnishings.

•

Don't buy everything from the same shop or supplier nobody wants to feel they are sat in a catalogue!

•

Be practical. Do you really need 12 different styles of irreplaceable antique glassware?

•

Don't skimp on quality, but you don't need to go overboard on the budget.

•

Make sure you have some of your personal touches and style on display, but not too many.

•

Remember you will need to cater to parties of different types and sizes.

•

Make the best use of the space you have available.

•

Make the most of your location, take inspiration from your surroundings (but don’t go overboard with pine cones, cut-out hearts and sheep skin rugs!).

•

Most of all, do not forget to retain some elements of your own taste – if you are going to be staying there you do still want it to feel like home!

When it comes to selling holidays in your property, the old adage really is true: a picture tells a thousand words. Many properties fail at renting or keeping return business due to bad lighting and no ambience. So, think well-lit and warm with a few statement pieces of furniture, all well photographed to aid in your sales. To deal with the demands of a rental property, make sure everything you buy is hard-wearing and easy to clean. Opt for sofas with removable covers that can be machine-washed and real or faux leather that you can wipe clean. Divan beds will last longer than flimsy bedframes and don’t forget storage - beds with built-in drawers or ottomans provide extra space. Mattress protectors are a must have, they will extend the life of your mattresses. For smaller properties, look for space-saving flexi furniture such as dining tables that fold down and sofa beds. If you can’t fit in chests of drawers or cupboards, put up shelves. Using a local designer has its advantages, as in many rental apartments space can be tight. A good designer will incorporate space saving ideas to help, such as built-in wardrobes with cubby holes instead of bedside tables and floating shelves above the bed to avoid unsightly large heavy brackets above your head. France Property Angels half page Summer 20.pdf

More info on the sevices of Lisa and her team: rsinteriordesigns.com

06/05/2020

lisa@rsinteriordesigns.com

16:27

Richard & Judith Hudgell talk about buying a house in Seytroux with France Property Angels. What are you most looking forward

How easy (or difficult) did you find

to about spending time in the Alps?

the search for your chalet?

At the moment, spending time in our sunny

We looked at over 30 houses and bought

garden and enjoying the many different

the first property we saw! Anyone who

activities. In the winter, we will look forward

knows us will be surprised we bought a

to early snow, to make the most of our

modern, new house, as we normally buy a

season pass!

renovation. This time we wanted to buy a house that didn't need any work, so we can

Why did you plan to buy in the Alps?

spend time on activities rather than on a

We started our French property search in

to-do list.

Brittany but headed south pretty quickly. We had spent time in the Alps before and it is

How was the buying process?

an amazing part of France. We particularly

We thought it would be difficult, but it took

like that alpine life in the Portes du Soleil

just over 2 months from making our offer to

area is year-round.

picking up the keys! Lucy and Kate at France Property Angels were amazing, checking

What made you choose Seytroux?

every step of the process and answering our

Seytroux is very sunny, with a lovely open

questions quickly. We have bought a lot of

aspect. Access from the valley is good, as

properties in the UK and we have never had

well as to and from Geneva. We like being

a service like it. We wouldn't hesitate to buy

close to Italy and Switzerland too.

with France Property Angels again.

France Property Angels help buyers purchase property in the Portes du Soleil and other popular ski resorts. www.francepropertyangels.com | info@francepropertyangels.com | +44 (0)1225 442128 //

designing the dream

trending - interiors -

As an interior architect I am used to working with huge budgets for multi-million euro projetcs. But sometimes it's the small things that truly make a home special. Here's my round-up of my favourite items from our projects this year, none of which will break the bank. You can view all of shep&kyles' projects in all their glory at shepandkyles.com TRX www.trxtraining.com

Many of our clients have a sporty lifestyle and have chosen to build a ski chalet as a extension of this. Consequently, most of our projects include a gym as well as a pool and spa facilities. In designing and equipping the gym, a TRX is one the first pieces of equipment we specify. It is a form of suspension training that uses body weight to develop strength, balance and core stability. We also try to design an exterior gym/yoga space, such that the TRX can be hung outside in the summer and one can workout whilst appreciating our beautiful mountain views!

Adironspats Chair www.apreskihomestyle.com

One of the joys of mountain properties is their exterior space, often with beautiful mountain views. We are always on the lookout for gorgeous outdoor seating and have fallen in love with these Adironspats chairs. Heavily inspired by the iconic adirondack chair, local Annecy craftsman Fabrice Aurejac created this version with his own twist, based around the design of traditional wooden skis. Teamed with some sheepskin throws, such as in my recent La Maison de Montriond project, we think they are the perfect alpine solution for relaxing on the balcony or terrace.

trending - interiors

Lobster Cushions www.timorousbeasties.com

Every chalet needs a talking point and even a few quirky accents. There are few ways to be classier with your idiosyncrasies than to scatter a few lobster cushions around! Opulent, glorious and beautifully hand crafted, they are guaranteed to be a talking point!

AXA adverts.pdf 2 Les 21/05/2020 09:32 your source ofSource information for Morzine, Gets & Avoriaz

CAR HOME HEALTH BUSINESS SAVINGS

Dolce Vita Swing www.svvving.com

Oh, a swing! Here at shep&kyles we are obsessed with them and they are a signature piece in many of our projects. We recently discovered a fabulous collection by Svvving that come in all sorts of colours and materials, from the glossy black lacquer ‘Faust’ to the walnut with cream leather and red rope ‘Dolce Vita’.

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04 50 79 15 34 Marc Invernizzi – Nicolas Laurent

Morvah Hanging Planter www.tomraffield.com

We simply love Tom Raffield at shep&kyles design - for their creativity, their craftsmanship and their sustainability. These hanging planters are new to their collection of steam-bent products and we are aching to use them! Made from ash and teamed with an earthenware bowl, they are simple yet stylish, bring nature indoors and have great eco-credentials.

835 route des Bois Venants, 74110, Morzine agence.invernizzietlaurent@axa.fr Agents Généraux associés exclusif AXA N° ORIAS 20003458 / 20003460 www.orias.fr ACPR – Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution : 61 Rue Taitbout – 75009 PARIS Le détail des procédures de recours et de réclamation et les coordonnées du service dédié sont disponibles sur les sites www.axa.fr. En cas de non résolution d’un diﬀérend à l’issue du processus de réclamation, vous pouvez avoir recours au Médiateur, en vous adressant à l’association : La Médiation de l'Assurance, TSA 50110, 75441 PARIS CEDEX 9

trending - interiors

work THE FUTURE OF

By Joanna MacGovern of Geranium Immobilier

As we prepare for the summer season here in the VallĂŠe d'Aulps, most countries are starting to ease lockdown restrictions. Most are also still encouraging those who can, to continue working from home.

COVID-19 is turning many traditional companies on their heads and many employees are realising there is the possibility of greater flexibility, of not having to do the dreaded daily commute and that it is possible to run virtual teams, virtual trainings and even virtual lives. There are studies that suggest that the two months in lockdown have given us all time to think about what is important and where we really do want to live. As humans we need space, nature and fresh air and COVID-19 has demonstrated to us all that crowed big cities are not where we want to be any more. Additionally, with fewer of us on the move each day, carbon emissions have depleted considerably, making working from home good for the planet too. As many of us are encouraged to continue to work from home, this demonstrates that we could be

the future of work

â&#x20AC;&#x153;As humans, we need space, nature and fresh air and COVID-19 has demonstrated to us all that crowed big cities are not where we want to be any more. â&#x20AC;?

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

“From skiing in the winter to hiking and mountain biking in the summer, there really is no better place to de-stress after those back-to-back conference calls. ” anywhere in the world; all we need is a mobile phone and a good internet connection. Where better to be based, than the stunning French Alps? With fewer people, large open spaces and fantastic weather, you are less likely to be exposed to the virus that has changed all of our lives. If you do get unlucky, France is ranked number one for best healthcare in the world by population in 2020, so it’s the place you want to be. And with its excellent central location in continental Europe with Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria all a stones throw away, the Morzine valley is ideally located if you do need to go into the big smoke for a while.

+ 33 6 04 49 42 32

www.mobilemountainmassage.com www.facebook.com/mobilemountainmassage Deep Tissue • Hot Stones • Holistic • Sports Pregnancy • Ayurvedic • Reiki In your chalet or our treatment room Strength and serenity advert.pdf

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Once you’ve finished work for the day, the mountains become your playground. From skiing in the winter to hiking and mountain biking in the summer, there really is no better place to de-stress after those back-to-back conference calls. Property in the Morzine valley is very affordable with two-bedroom apartments for under €200,000 and stand-alone chalets starting at just €400,000, with plenty of room for a home office and an all-important view to die for. If you do decide to relocate to the area, we’d love to help. Caroline and I at Geranium Immobilier in St Jean d’Aulps have 15 years of experience in the area and we have many local connections with accountants and solicitors. This means that not only can we help you find your new property with your lovely home office, but we can also link you up with everyone else you need to set up a French company if you are self employed. It is, of course, impossible for us to know just how many people are already working from home, both for large corporates and for themselves in our valley. But we know self-employed lawyers, accountants, IT specialists, HR consultants and more. They’ll all tell you how amazing it is. If we’ve managed to whet your appetite, you’ll find a number of properties with home offices ready to go on our website - geranium74.com

strengthandserenityyoga74@gmail.com +330604494232 Vinyasa, Yin and Prenatal group classes - weekly @ Yoga Morzine Studio Outside group classes & Private classes - please contact Classes in English & French /Cours en anglais & français //

the future of work

local farms LA ROUTE TERROIR ET SAVOIR-FAIRE DU HAUT-CHABLAIS

HELPING US TO CONNECT

By Chloe Hardy

During the course of spring, we all got pretty excited about shopping at our local farms, especially as they were all still running during the confinement period. This was made extra easy thanks to a project from the CCHC (the Communauté de Communes du Haut-Chablais) titled La Route Terroir et Savoir-Faire du HautChablais. Launched in 2017 but recently updated to include a click and collect service, this clever initiative brings together all the farmers and artisans in the area to showcase their products and knowledge on one handy website. Before it was famous for skiing and cycling, the Haute-Savoie was, and still is, primarily a farming department that produces all kinds of produce that we know and love. As Aisling discovered on page 30, Morzine and the surrounding valleys are packed with small farms, many of which were here before the ski lifts. They rely on traditional, small-scale farming methods based on the mountain landscape. From the high-mountain pastures where the bell-donned cows spend their summers, to the local markets and farm shops where their produce is sold, farming is in the blood of the Haute-Chablais region. La Route Terroir et Savoir-Faire du HautChablais helps make shopping at your local farm really simple. You can browse products from all the local farms and order it online, then pick it up later from the farm itself. Or, as an alternative you can collect it from the farm shop in le Jotty at the end of the week. The website also contains all the relevant information for each farm, such as contact 84

local farms - helping us connect

“when you buy locally, you’ll not only taste the difference, but rest assured you’ll be able to see that your food has been created with knowledge and passion”

details, opening hours and even a handy map, so you can drive and visit yourself. It’s a great opportunity to explore the area and gain some local knowledge. Most local farms run their own shops, offer tours, invite you to visit while they milk the cows, or even welcome you in the evening for a friendly dinner made from their products. Buying locally produced food and drink is not only a great way to support local producers, but also to support small-scale farming and traditional farming methods, which is respectful of the surrounding landscapes, as well as the animals themselves. And when you buy locally, you’ll not only taste the difference, but rest assured you’ll be able to see that your food has been created with knowledge and passion; a culmination of the know-how passed down through multiple generations. It also means you’re cutting down on the transport and extra packaging often associated with supermarket shopping.

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

So whatever you’re looking for, be it some delicious honey to gift a friend, or a selection of cheeses for the perfect fondue, make sure you check out where you can buy it locally before heading to the supermarket (although the local supermarkets are very well stocked with local produce – make sure you look out for it!) and discover the wonderful world of farming in the Haute-Chablais. Here are six of our favourite local farms to get you started.

YOGA CLASSES PRIVATE SESSIONS WORKSHOPS RETREATS MORZINE | AVORIAZ MONTRIOND | LES GETS [ AND NOW ONLINE! ]

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PISCICULTURE DE MEUNIERS - MORZINE Given that Morzine is pretty far from the sea, quality fresh fish can be pretty hard to come by. But not to worry, Pisciculture de Meuniers is a fish farm that specialises in mountain lake and river fish, such as arctic char, salmon and rainbow trout. There’s even a lab dedicated to filleting the fish and raising new schools. The owner, Florence, runs tours of the farm, which is at the base of Route des Ardoisières in Morzine, so you can see what they do and how it works. Plus you can catch your own fish! And you’ll come away with some delicious, ethically farmed fillets to pop on the barbecue.

IN THE STUDIO, AT YOUR CHALET, OR ONLINE

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An authentic, family-run Savoyarde hotel in the perfect location

Mid-way between Morzine and Avoriaz

LES DÉLICES D’ALPAGE – ESSERT-ROMAND We first met Philippe from les Délices d’Alpage when we discovered they were based in the same building as our office in Essert Romand, and what a delight it was! Les Delices d’Alpage focus on using local, seasonal produce such as meats, cheeses and vegetables to create delicious preserves like terrines, rillettes, soups and even quality ready meals. Everything Phillipe and his team make is injected with tonnes of Savoyard know-how, and they can tell you exactly where each of their ingredients come from. Plus, everything comes in reusable glass tubs and bottles. >>

300m from the Prodains Express lift station At the foot of the Prodains cliffs and surrounded by fir trees Ski to the door Flexible bedrooms Restaurant serving delicious, traditional French food Airport transfers, equipment rental and ski school also available

Prices from €75 to €95 per person per night, half board Discover more

www.leslans.com //

local farms - helping us connect

LA FERME DU CAROLINE – LES GETS

LA FERME DU SERAUSSAIX - AVORIAZ

La Ferme du Caroline sits amongst the ski slopes and bike trails of Les Gets and is run by locals Caroline and Noël. In fact, the farm has been in Noël’s family since 1922. Noël and Caroline have around 20 Herens cows and 40 goats, who help them produce the delicious cheeses that they sell under the branding of prominent organic agricultural association Nature et Progres. Caroline and Noël are really happy to share their products and knowledge with everyone, and even invite you to their farm in the evenings for a dinner made entirely of food produced on the farm – make sure you call and book yourself in.

If you’ve ever taken the Seraussaix chair lift, you’ll have passed right over the top of La Ferme du Seraussaix. You may even have ridden the mountain bike trails that run through its pastures during the summer. Run by a trio of three farmers, Gilles, Sébastien and Pierre-Marie, La Ferme du Seraussaix has around 50 cows, 50 heifers (young cows who haven’t yet calved) and 20 pigs. During the summer they share their pastures with around 70 heifers from farms lower down the valley. The cows can produce up to 750l of milk per day, which goes into making cheeses such as Abondance, Tomme and Raclette. The farm also produces its own charcuterie, sells fresh eggs and is open for tours throughout the year.

GAEC LA TOUVIER – ESSERT ROMAND La Trouvier is a family run farm in Essert Romand that produces delicious cheeses, including Abondance, Raclette and Tomme de Roc d’Enfer. Jean François, Serge and Kevin rely on traditional farming techniques to raise their herds of Abondance and Monbéliarde cows, who spend the summers grazing in the pastures of Graydon, the tiny hamlet above Essert Romand that’s mostly inaccessible during the winter. Jean François, Serge and Kevin welcome you to the pastures in the summer to watch them milking the cows.

DON’T MISS YOUR LOCAL MARKET

LA FERME DU MONT FORCHAT - LULLIN Nestled in the beautiful Vallée du Brevon, la Ferme du Mont Forchat was established in 1996 as an amalgamation of three farms belonging to owner Bruno’s parents and uncles. Today the farm has a herd of around 100 cows, milked using a mobile milking machine, which allows cows to enjoy they best quality grass in the Alpine pastures. Bruno and Rachel make delicious hard and fresh cheeses, many of which are infused with local herbs, as well as milk and charcuterie.

MORZINE MARKET:

Every Wednesday from 8am - 12:30pm in the Carrefour carpark

Another great way to buy and discover locally made produce is to visit the local markets, where many local producers have a stall. It’s a great opportunity to discover a bit of classic French tradition and sample products before you buy them.

LES GETS MARKET:

Every Thursday from 8am - 12pm in the Parking du Marais

ST. JEAN D’AULPS MARKET:

Every Saturday from 8am - 12pm in the village centre You can find out more about your local farms, browse their products and order online at You’ll also find lots of local produce at the Grande Braderie in Avoriaz on the 23rd July and 13th August.

www.panierterroiretsavoirfaire.fr 86

local farms - helping us connect

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resort information

season A SPECIAL END TO THE

This blog originally appeared on the excellent website of Les Gets lift operator SaGets at the beginning of April 2020. With their permission we’ve translated it and added some extra detail, giving you a unique insight into the urgent and unprecedented COVID-19 closures as they swept through our ski area. “The hasty closure of the ski area on the morning of March 15 2020 due to the coronavirus health crisis will remain a defining episode in the life of our company SaGets, of the resort of Les Gets, and more broadly of all French people. We look back on this somewhat hectic end of season. GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS From the beginning of March, instructions were passed internally to our employees to widely adopt barrier gestures and in particular to avoid shaking hands or kissing each other following the threat of the Coronavirus. On Thursday March 12, the first announcements were made by the President of the Republic of France for 88

a special end to the season

the closure of nurseries, schools and universities from the following Monday.

The urgency is elsewhere and it is understandable.

Our first crisis meeting was organised on the morning of Friday March 13. The decision to close Les Fripouilles day care centre was obvious. Further discussions related to the impact of the situation on our employees, who must now stay at home to care for their children. We must adapt the operation of the ski area according to the new gaps in each sector and potentially close certain lifts. A request for partial activity (a reduction in the level of ski lift openings) is filed with the authorities in the process.

We decide to reinforce health precautions, especially where the risks could be most felt for our employees and our visitors. For example, the decision was made to limit the number of people per cabin on the ski lifts.

The successive closings of the ski areas of our Italian neighbours came first, and then the Swiss resorts on this same Friday afternoon, made us feel that we will not make it to the end of the season.

SUDDEN CLOSURE We are starting to consider the scenario for an early and rapid closure of the ski area so we can best prepare and adjust to the potential consequences. But the decision came with speed on Saturday March 14, shortly before 8p.m. The Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced the closure of “places not essential to the life of the country” at midnight the same day.

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The telephones light up between the Portes du Soleil station directors and the various elected officials. Without waiting for a government decree or a prefectural injunction, which will not come until late the next day, the decision is unanimous; there will be no reopening of the Les Gets ski area on Sunday morning. A communication is made in the evening, relayed to social networks and newsletters so that all of the station's partners can anticipate, as much as possible, this unprecedented change. QUICK STORAGE & CONTAINMENT Our teams and partners are invited on Sunday morning for an end of season briefing. After a reminder of the barrier gestures and the precautions we must all now take, an important storage session is carried out on the domain to remove as much equipment as possible. Part of the team is responsible for providing information to distraught but understanding tourists. Sensing that containment measures are approaching rapidly, the priority is now that our seasonal workers and tousists can get home very quickly. Les Gets, which is 75% full at the time of this crisis, will have to empty itself of all non-residents in just two days, which is something never seen before. There was still one month of the winter season to go and the ski conditions were still very good, but the urgency was, and remains, clearly for everyone's protection. Now is the time to close the season, remotely. PERMANENT TELECOMMUTING There was a new operation for our SaGets permanent team who could work… teleworking. Whilst clearly not normal for our sector, this method of working had nevertheless been prepared over the past years with improvements in communications, software upgrades and the storage of working documents in the cloud. The days are dense with the reimbursements of many lift passes at the end of the season and the implementation of partial roles. We must also consider that the preparation for our summer season is also in full swing with the arrival of a new activity (Lumina), the preparation of our classic activities such as golf, mountain biking, the swimming lake and Wibit, plus all the events in preparation. We all hope to be able to get out of this bad tunnel quickly, so that we can share a great summer together.” “Our employees have shown incredible responsiveness and efficiency in these exceptional conditions. The goal was to quickly secure all of our teams and customers, which was done flawlessly" SaGets’ director of marketing Benjamin Mugnier told Morzine Source Magazine.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

why you need it... By the experts at MPI Brokers

When booking a trip away, it is always recommended to take out travel insurance at the same time, in order for cancellation cover to be in place. If you book with a travel company, this will usually be a condition of booking. Although there may be no cover for an event connected with COVID-19, the main purpose of taking out travel insurance (including ski-specific policies) at the time of booking is to protect you if you or your family became ill or injured prior to your holiday. The second part of travel insurance is to cover you whilst you are travelling to and from your destination, including travel delay and missed departure beyond your control, plus baggage loss in transit. However, another important element of travel insurance is for when you have arrived on your holiday and things unfortunately go wrong. Here are some examples: • you or your family became ill or injured and have to be treated in hospital or even repatriated • you have an accident on the mountain and need to be rescued (on or off piste) • you have an accident and injure a third party • you break your ski equipment, or your possessions are stolen No one expects or hopes for a mishap, but unfortunately they can happen and it is always wise to put plans in place in case it does, obtaining quality travel insurance being the main one.

More Info: The SaGets website includes a number of ‘Behind the Scenes’ features from across the Les Gets lift network and we can highly recommend their ‘My Office is the Mountain’ podcast, featuring key characters from the team and the important roles they perform every day during the winter season. sagets.fr

More Info: For a no obligation quote, please go to retail.mpibrokers.com/morzinesource where you will also receive a 10% online discount

a special end to the season

european THE 20/21

OUTDOOR FILM TOUR

For as long as most of us can remember, there’s been an annual autumn ski show in London. Whether it was at Earls Court, or at Battersea Evolution in more recent times, ‘The London Ski Show’ was always a highlight, filled with promise of the approaching winter season. We’d check out those new pieces of hardware, direct from the brands. We’d scoff down fondue and vin chaud and make like we’re on a sunny lunchtime terrace in the mountains. We’d invest in a brand new full set of outerwear, despite promising ourselves that we wouldn’t. Those mammoth Ellis Brigham stands were just too much to resist. No matter how large or small your Ski Show purchase, you always came away with a least a new beanie hat and loaded with excitement. Then in January 2020 came the announcement that The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Festival (it’ll always be ‘The London Ski Show’, however you dress it up) scheduled to take place at the end of October 2020, wouldn’t be taking place at all. The event has been cancelled and at the time of going to print, no further announcement or explanation had been made. Now, to many people, the announcement didn’t come as much of a surprise. The show had changed in many ways over the years, appearing to become more commercial and less the celebration of the mountains that we all knew and loved. There were some highlights of course (the year we took the Morzine Village to London for example), but there were fewer deals and markedly less entertainment. “The ski trade has always felt that an autumn ski show is vital,” Rob Stewart, Founder of PR company 90

news updates

Ski Press explains. I’m asking Rob for his thoughts because he’s just let me in on a little secret. He’s part of a team developing a brand new virtual ski show to fill the gap. Titled The World’s Largest Ski Show, the Portes du Soleil will be the virtual setting for this new event between 1st and 4th October 2020. “This is a brand new virtual event, showcasing the very best winter sports brands, destinations, holidays and experiences, all in one place and direct to the homes of ski and snowboard fans,” Rob goes on the explain. Over the four days we can expect talks and seminars from industry experts and athletes, après parties with a great range of comedians and DJs, virtual reality tours of holiday properties across the Alps and excellent deals on kit too. “Sometimes being forced to innovate can be a blessing,” Rob tells us. “When we had postpone our physical consumer show at The Snow Centre due to on-going Covid related restrictions, the natural alternative was to launch a virtual event,” he continues. “The World’s Largest Ski Show gives us the platform to dream, and transport consumers to a whole world of skiing that a physical event just can’t do.” You’ll find more details on The World’s Largest Ski Show on our website as soon as they’re announced.

Owing to Corona-chaos, we were forced to cancel the Montriond / Morzine leg of the European Outdoor Film Tour hosted by Morzine Source Magazine, which was scheduled to take place in April. We’re delighted to have secured a date for the next tour and once again we’ll be donating all profits to the unsung heroes from Secours en Montagne Vallee d’Aulpls our local mountain rescue service. We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday 15th December 2020

at the stunning Domaine du Baron on the shores of Lake Montriond for an evening that truly celebrates our love of the mountains. We’ll watch a carefully curated collection of short films, all inspired by the mountains and the characters that live in them. We’ll also enjoy a feast of Tartiflette prepared by the girls from Bon App and raise a load of cash too. Tickets are priced at €30 per person and they’re available at morzinesourcemagazine.com/ European-outdoor-film-tour.

source OUR ANNUAL

SUPPLIERS SHOW

Also bumped off our annual events calendar because of COVID-19, our annual business to business trade show has a brand new, prewinter date. This exhibition will now take place on Tuesday 15th December, 10am – 5pm, at the Domaine du Baron (yes, that’s the same date and venue as above!) and we hope to welcome local businesses of all shapes and sizes to this event.

The Source Suppliers Show is a unique event, bringing together product suppliers and service providers under one roof to network during the course of one day. We’ve space for 45 different exhibitors and we welcome over 600 visitors to the event each year. Visiting the event is free of charge, exhibiting is just €99. Head to sourcesuppliersshow.com for further information or email amie@origami-media.com to book your space.

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your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

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(3 hours) morning // day resort information y Tues er ev ong ride) s (l n de ri oo aftern ganised and Friday Weekly or

everyone THE MOUNTAIN FOR

By Sally Lee-Duffy of the snow institute

As a ski instructor, you learn a lot of lessons over the years. In the early years, you start off with all the drills in the book, in a certain sequence, on certain runs. Then with experience, you develop as a teacher and you start to look more at your client, to know what they need or don't, to read them and adapt your teaching to how they are feeling, what they can take on board, achieve and how they learn. It’s never an easy path but it’s always a very rewarding one when you get it right. I have taught countless children and adults over my career; some who I taught at four years of age are now adults themselves and I can safely say I still love my job! When I finished my qualifications I decided that I needed a new challenge, so I booked myself onto an adaptive skiing course as I wanted to better myself as a teacher, while also helping those who can't necessarily be taught in the same way as your average ski school pupil. I would be lying if I said the prospect didn't scare me a little, with the unknown of teaching someone who didn't fit into the standard "ski 92

the mountain for everyone

school" box. We have all, at some point, taught a child with learning difficulties or special needs that has been booked into a standard ski school group without making us aware of their unique needs. Of course it’s not that we wouldn't teach the child. It’s more that the dynamics of a group and the teaching methods might not suit them. The whole experience becomes a nightmare for the child and instructor and it’s something that could have been avoided. I realised very quickly during my adaptive skiing course, that you have to throw the rule book out of the window, think out of the

box and that no two people are the same. Everyone is different; they learn, take on board instructions and react to skiing in a very different manner, so you just have to see what understanding they have, what parts of their body work or not and go from there. After completing the adaptive skiing course, which I admit was probably the hardest course I have ever done, I was offered the opportunity to work with the British Paralympic Ski Team as volunteer assistant coach for their pre-season training. As a team, we worked alongside the Development Squad and Armed Forces Paralympic teams for the Turin Winter Paralympics in 2006. I started as a guide for

Simply Spas 1-2 for pageMorzine, advert.pdf 07/10/2019 your source of information Les Gets1& Avoriaz

the now silver and bronze medal holder Jade Powell, then helped with the rest of the team, ranging from sitski to three track skiers for Giant Slalom and Slalom. I did this for two years, gaining a lot of insight and knowledge of higher-end disabled skiers. I learned especially that they have no fear of speed or epic crashes!

12:39

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Over the years I have taught both children and adult skiers with learning difficulties, special needs, visual impairment, deafness and more but until recently, I couldn't help anyone with a physical impairment. Put another way, I couldn’t help anyone who needs equipment to help them ski. The equipment I needed exists, but is very expensive and not easily accessible to us here in the Portes du Soleil. This planted a seed in my head. Despite it’s cost, I wanted to see if we could bring this kit to Morzine. As is typical when you live seasonally, life then got in the way and nothing really happened until two factors aligned. Firstly, one of my best friends had a little girl who will potentially need equipment to help her ski with her sisters as she grows up. Six months later, Morgan Jupe, one of the local chalet companies with which we work, contacted me regarding ski lessons for a little boy who needed a sit-ski to ski in. My first and most driving thought was, “I need to see if I can get a bi-ski for her. I want to make her mummy's wish come true, as I know that it will mean the world to her. Let's make this happen.”

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“Everyone is different; they learn, take on board instructions and react to skiing in a very different manner,” Two years later, Morgan Jupe's long-term British chalet owners very generously donated a huge amount of money to the cause. Disability Snowsports UK (DSUK) provided us with basic second hand kit and we are now the proud owners of two sets of bi-ski equipment - one for a junior, and one for an adult. Additionally, thanks to a loan from one of the little girls who I teach stand up skiing, we also have a pair of outriggers to use when we need them. This is an important step to being able to offer lessons to families of all abilities and capabilities when they come on a ski holiday. If we didn’t offer this service, then these holidays would not be possible for a lot of families. At The Snow Institute, both myself and Ali Gibb are adaptive qualified. Upon securing this equipment, we decided to make it available to the other Adaptive qualified instructors at other ski schools in the area. We’ve set up a website so that families with extra special needs can find local instructors with the necessary skills, qualifications, experience and, crucially the equipment necessary to turn those dreams into a reality.

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the mountain for everyone

trending - eco -

Stuff. Stuff everywhere. And more stuff over there too. It’s really easy to become a collector of stuff when you live in the mountains. Stuff for sunny days, stuff for rainy days. Although there genuinely are some essentials you’ll always need, there are also some incredibly clever bits of stuff you can buy without contributing to the degradation of our planet. Here’s a summary of our favourite… stuff.

BOGOf by Pela From €39.99 www.pelacase.com

These phone cases first came to our attention when we spotted their COVID-19 warning. ‘We really want to remind everybody to wash your case. It’s home to a lot of germs and bacteria.’ And to encourage us, they’re giving away one free case with every purchase. Pela are producers of the world’s first compostable phone cases and they’re motivated by a shocking stat - the phone case industry makes more than one billion plastic phone cases each year. Theirs are bold, colourful, beautifully made and they have a purpose. If you buy one device accessory this year, let it be this.

Rapanui Clothing From €14.00 www.rapanuiclothing.com

Eco-conscious clothing isn’t a new thing, but here’s an example of a brand that embraces sustainability from one end of their production process to the other - it’s called circular fashion. Three out of five of the t-shirts purchased today on earth will be thrown away within 12 months. To combat this enormous waste, Rapanui use only natural materials and renewable energy at the start of the process to make your t-shirts in real time – they only make what people actually need after it's been ordered. Once you’re finished wearing your t-shirt, you return it to Rapanui free of charge and they’ll give you credit for your next purchase. 94

trending - eco

The Upcycled Collection from €129.00 www.dragonalliance.com

In a perfect world you’d be able to buy your favourite sunglasses and clean up the planet as you go. Oh look, Dragon just did that. The story of Dragon’s Upcycled Collection began with a single mission; to protect the earth and all of its adventures, five plastic water bottles at a time. You read that correctly. Every frame in the collection has been specifically designed to remove five single use plastic bottles from the planet, cleaning up the air and the oceans as we go. As you’d expect from Dragon, they all look great and they’re not hugely expensive either.

BonofAppetit Advert.pdf 1 Les 15/10/2019 10:07 your source information for Morzine, Gets & Avoriaz

FROM OUR KITCHEN TO YOUR TABLE

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TWELVE MONTHS OF

montagne verte Interview by Amie Henderson

We’re proud members of Montagne Verte, our valley’s ambitious sustainability initiative. Here’s a round up of the incredible work they’ve undertaken over the last 12 months, along with Sustainability Director Benoît Prunel’s hopes for the future.

Benoït, your role as Sustainability Director was no small task when you joined Montagne Verte in January. What were your objectives at the outset? “My objectives in January were to meet and "feel" the expectations of the founders of the association. I therefore proposed to dedicate my first three months to drawing up our priorities for the next three years, starting by understanding the MorzineAvoriaz area and its valleys, which are still foreign to me, as I am not from this region.” You highlighted a number of priorities during your extensive research. What are they? “Montagne Verte's ambition is to make Morzine-Avoriaz the French benchmark resort in the Alps in terms of sustainable development, not only to catch up with Switzerland or Austria, but to surpass them. This ambition will be achieved through actions aimed at private individuals, professionals and public decision-makers. At the time of my reply, our strategy has not yet stabilised, because COVID-19 has 96

interrupted our work. However, I can already say that our priorities are based on three themes: 1. Zero carbon 2. Zero waste 3. Total bio-respect COVID-19 has come to conduct an "acid test" on this strategy: how to maintain long-term objectives when the urgency is to save the local economy? In the short term, we very modestly want to organize again a Fix-It Festival (festival de la reparation) for this summer: a day dedicated to the repair and resale of clothing, second-hand bikes and MTB repairs in a circular economy logic in resonance with our priorities: less discarded ski clothing, more bike trips, more links between inhabitants, less spending to distant suppliers and more spending in ultralocal economic activity. In the medium term, we want to make a concrete contribution to reducing Morzine's greenhouse gas emissions, with a focus on all forms of transport, including tourists, skiers, residents, school children, goods and rubbish, and make it a means of re-enchanting our visitors and residents.”

twelve months of montagne verte

How can we, as a tourism economy, balance the development of our mountain industries with sustainability? How can we approach this fairly? It’s an uncomfortable question for most! “Yes, it is a complex question: can we get rich today while impoverishing future generations? Sustainable development was at the heart of a brilliant economic success story when Avoriaz was founded: a car-free town centre, the use of horse-drawn power for sleighs, biomass heating, bioclimatic buildings facing the sun, façades made of local wood shingles without chemical varnish, integrated urban logistics that move tonnes of goods into the village every day without lorries. These choices have created a unique experience for visitors, fundamental to the Avoriaz success equation. Avoriaz remains a textbook case, to be observed, replicated and improved upon, and which must now inspire both Morzine and Avoriaz to go further. Reconciling sustainable development and the economy is therefore possible, by challenging what is thought to be impossible”

You spoke with various local stakeholders as part of your research phase. In your view, is sustainability taken seriously enough in our valley? Is there a willingness to improve? “I met many exciting people in January, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the communities of MorzineAvoriaz better. I see very strong energies and expectations in some of them, but the climate emergency has clearly not been taken seriously. Morzine in 2010 took part in a carbon audit of 10 Alpine resorts, which showed the huge weight of tourist transport in the resorts' greenhouse gas emissions. What has been done in 10 years to reduce this massive and now fatal pollution? The Avoriaz Fantasy Film Festival stopped in 1993, but the horror of fossil fuel pollution continued shamelessly in the valley. On the other hand, probably with the catastrophic fires in Russia, Sweden, Portugal, California, Australia, the awareness of climate change has grown sharply in the English-speaking community, and in the young French generations who are very sensitive to the future that lies ahead. I see a real desire for

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

change, with committed people who are giving their time and who have proved to be a force for change. The children of Morzine town council wanted to distribute portable ashtrays free of charge to skiers and smokers, so that they would no longer pollute the slopes with their cigarette butts. Yes, so there is a real desire to make progress, but everything remains to be done.”

globalised economic system, and has made confined and deprived citizens think, which will be reflected in the ballot box. When it comes to sustainable development, the punishment for a bad decision comes later, and unfortunately does not directly affect the perpetrators of the bad decision.” How can our valley move forward now? What are your recommendations?

Of course it’s likely that chaos from the COVID-19 pandemic will move the issue of sustainability down the priority list. Do you think that’s likely to happen? “Faced with the covidian stifling of the economy, one can stick to the false idea "the environment is starting to do well" and evacuate the stakes of a greener and virtuous growth. It is difficult to predict the direction of the post-COVID-19 economy, which is also a matter of collective and political choices. However, the social and economic impact of the crisis has revealed the fragility of our

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“The addition of Brexit, Schengen border closures, transport restrictions and the potentially long-lasting threat of the COVID-19 virus are a powerful brake on international travel. In the very short term, since the French are going to spend their holidays in France, there is certainly an effort to be made to attract more French city dwellers to our valleys. While the epidemic came to the Haute Savoie, the advantages of the Haut Chablais region must be made known. Confined city dwellers have an urgent need to reconnect with 1

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nature and enjoy landscapes and panoramas that the urban environment cannot offer.

agriculture) so that our vital and unavoidable expenses benefit local businesses more.

Moreover, since the winter season has been cut short, now more than ever is the time to diversify activities and in particular summer activities: mountain biking, rafting, trekking, hiking, climbing, paragliding, gliding, nature photography, discovery of fauna and flora, crafts, shows, artistic practices. Enhance the Chablais Geopark, our Natura 2000 areas so that our natural heritage also becomes an economic asset. Would the Swiss clientele also affected by the crisis be attracted by the cheaper Haute-Savoie destination?

Our strong links with Great Britain are not going to disappear. We want a rail alternative to air transport for our British, Belgian and Dutch visiting friends: a direct train Lille-Thonon for example, as there is one Lille-Bourg St Maurice. Rail, where passengers are less crowded than in the air, has a health card to play against COVID-19, and of course an environmental card, since a TGV passenger emits about 100 times less carbon per kilometre than a short-haul passenger.”

One challenge is to develop short supply circuits for, for example, building materials (local wood rather than imported concrete, re-use of construction waste), energy (hydraulic solar rather than imported uranium, local biogas rather than imported fossil gas), food (mountain

Stay up to date with the important work of Montagne Verte: montagnevertemorzine montagnevertemorzine montagnevertemorzine.com

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twelve months of montagne verte

of cake THE SUMMER

Cake is the silver lining of lockdown. While “These are light and fresh for a summers day. They’re also perfect with a cup of tea, iced lemonade or a cheeky G&T”

all of our favourite coffee shops were closed, never was the need to eat cake more urgent. All of a sudden Afternoon Tea at home became a thing. Kitchen utensils that hadn’t seen the light of day for many years were plucked from the back of the cupboard. Cakes, buns and bakes of varying quality filled the void on Instagram. The supermarkets ran out of flour and we all found novel ways to keep on baking. So here’s an idea… in a world where you can eat anything, eat cake. Here’s Apeeling Cakes’ Sarah Peeling with her favourite lockdown recipe.

LEMON CUPCAKES

METHOD

Makes 12

Pre-heat oven to 170°C (325°F), gas mark 2

INGREDIENTS

Add flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and butter to a mixer (or bowl to hand whisk) and beat slowly until you have a sandy consistency.

120g plain flour 150g sugar 1.5 tsp baking powder Grated lemon zest from 2 lemons Juice from half a lemon 40g butter (room temp) 120ml milk 1 egg ICING

the summer of cake

Add the egg and beat until the mixture is smooth. Make sure to scape down the sides of the bowl to get all the mixture together. Spoon the mixture into cupcake or small muffin cases.

250g icing sugar 80g butter (room temp) Lemon juice to taste 25ml milk

Add the milk and lemon juice and beat until combined.

Bake for 20-25 mins until the sponge bounces back (or an inserted skewer comes out clean). Leave to cool while you make the icing. Beat icing sugar, butter and lemon juice until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Slowly add the milk while beating and continue on medium to high speed for up to 5 mins. The longer you beat, the lighter the icing. Spoon or use a knife to swirl the icing on to the cupcakes, or feel free to pipe some pretty patterns! Decorate with slices of lemon, sprinkles or whatever takes your fancy. Sit back and enjoy!

Happiness for everyone!

BUY AND RECHARGE AT

KEEP CALM AND KEEP DREAMING

IMAGINE YOURSELF PREPARING FAMILY MEALS IN THIS KITCHEN

IMAGINE YOURSELF WITH FRIENDS AROUND THIS DINING TABLE

IMAGINE YOURSELF OPENING YOUR SHUTTERS EACH MORNING TO THIS VIEW

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