Ski Blog

Les Menuires and The Trois Vallees by Phil Griffin

WHEN you get to the top of the highest peaks and take a look across the vast white landscape that is the World’s largest ski area – The Trois Vallees – it is hard to believe that’s it’s been created in little more than a generation or two.

Turn the clock back to the 1950s and families in the largest of the three valleys – the Belleville – lived simple, often hard lives.

A visit to the new museum at St Martin de Belleville gives a fascinating insight into a lifestyle long gone. It was time when families headed to the hills in spring and summer with their livestock and stayed in “montagnettes” – small, basic dwellings – and then headed back to the valley floors in winter.

While the winter temperatures dropped into minus figures and the snow fell, the families would share their living quarters with the cattle and the workhorse donkey to take advantage of the warmth.

People eked out a living by making cheese and selling livestock, such as goats. One elderly farmer recalls: “Traditionally, the mountains produced Beaufort. We used to leave for Maurienne to sell the cheeses, each weighed 50 to 60 kilos. We went several times during the course of a summer. We had 15 to 17 cows and a few goats.”

People’s lives may have seemed idyllic to the outsider, but villagers were becoming disillusioned and were worried for the future. There were fears the valleys would become a wilderness as people left, seeking better lives.

The authorities recognised something had to be done to revitalise the region and it was argued that the answer was to latch on to a growing new tourism trade - skiing.

Men with vision realised the time had come to create what was to become the largest ski area the World had ever seen.

They set about overcoming the seemingly impossible challenge of developing three international ski resorts at high altitude – Les Menuires (1800m), Val Thorens (1800m) and Saint-Martin (1400).

The book “Portrait of an Alpine Valley” describes their creation as “an epic adventure covering a 30-year period from 1955 to 1985”.

Despite people working in often treacherous conditions, the first structures began to grow out of the landscape. The first electricity and running water arrived in homes in the Belleville valley in 1953.

The first skiers arrived in the winter of 1963/64 and were taken up the mountain by three chairlifts.

A publicity poster of the day proudly boasted: “Une station sportive – Les Menuires – altitude 1800m. 1963: Ouverture du premier teleski.” A cartoon character skier is shown being hoisted up the mountain on a draglift.

A black and white photograph captures the first apartment block in Les Menuires being built. An advertisement hoarding reads: “Un centre commercial – 25 boutiques. 200 studios et appartements. Prix – 22,000 a 98,000 frs.”

Les Menuires was officially opened at Christmas 1967. Four years later, the link with Meribel marked the real beginning of the Trois Vallees.

Higher up the valley, work began on Val Thorens in 1971 when the first diggers moved in at an altitude of 2300m. By 1972, six new lifts and the first buildings were completed. The Val Thorens-Maurienne link finally opened in January 1996.

It seems odd when you look at these major resorts today and realise that only a few decades ago they were just ideas in people’s heads and a few squiggles on paper.

But the move into the winter ski market signalled the end of the exodus of families from the valley.

It’s reported that, by the 1950s, the Belleville Valley had lost two-thirds of its population and was down to just over 1,000 in 1960.

Today, the valley has more than 3,000 permanent inhabitants with the majority earning a living through skiing – whether as ski instructors or pisteurs, or working in the many hotels, bars and shops.

The valley’s future is no longer on a slippery slope.

The Changing Face of the Belleville Valley

Judging by the speed at which the Belleville Valley ski resorts were created, it was inevitable the designs would come in for criticism.

While Saint-Martin has maintained its beautiful village charm, Les Menuires’ architecture has had more than its fair share of critics.

But steps are being taken to smarten up the resort and upgrade the accommodation.

One of the old, towering apartment blocks has gone and attractive chalets built. The tourist office no longer handles bookings for one ibex star rated accommodation – as a way of encouraging owners to take up grants to upgrade their lets. Pressure is being put on to persuade people to upgrade to at least two to three ibex standard.

Les Menuires is a great, reasonably-priced, family resort, which boasts friendly ski schools and an almost new leisure centre with pool, plus loads more activities aimed at youngsters.

The resort also has an early booking discount system – simpy, the earlier you book, the cheaper it gets.

Les Menuires does have a real mix of accommodation – apartments, chalets and hotels of various ratings – with real pearls such as the three-year-old, ski-in ski-out Kaya Chalet, which richly deserves its four stars.

A beautifully designed hotel, it has rooms and suites of various sizes, plus a magical spa with sauna and pool. A real pampering sessions awaits. And the food, yes that is something special, too.

Down in Saint-Martin, you will find a traditional alpine village with a lift system, which whisks you into the main ski area.

Stone buildings give clues to the village’s simple farming past, but there is also a good mix of accommodation and restaurants – ideal for those wanting to holiday at a more leisurely pace.

The village boasts a very special gem – the two star Michelin restaurant Le Bouitte.

Run by Rene Meilleur and his son Maxime, it offers not only a memorable meal, which will tantalise the taste buds, but also very special surroundings. It’s a real Hansel and Gretel alpine building made of traditional wood and stone. It also has individually decorated accommodation, which look as though they have come straight out of a fairy tale, plus spa facilities.

Dining at the restaurant is a special affair. I enjoyed a three-hour, eight-course meal with four different Savoie wines specially chosen by the sommelier.

The appetiser was a black slate holding various glass shapes, containing a cheese emulsion, artichokes and pigs’ trotters, langoustine veloute, crème brulee with fois gras and finished off with a mouthwash of green lentil water.

Other courses included: a farmhouse egg with grated smoked trout and mushroom tea; langoustine cooked on a hot stone with rice and vegetable ‘coal’; duck fois gras with a julienne of black radish, green shoots, and oven-baked filet of lamb with chard gratin and tyme infusion.

My desert was entitled “Enchanted Forest” and comprised nut crème brulee, chocolate powder, crumble, brioche and blueberry sorbet. An absolute work of art, it “painted” a forest scene, which was rounded off by a small Christmas tree made out of dark chocolate – almost too good to eat.

With just a handful of two star Michelin restaurants in the French Alps, it’s the kind of treat you deserve on holiday. It’s not cheap, but it is an amazing experience. And, I suppose, it puts down a marker of how far the whole ski area has come from its humble days.

Yes, Les Menuires and Saint-Martin have climbed from the low days, when people were leaving in droves, to become part of the World’s largest ski area. Give it a try.

The skiing was always great, but the place is getting better all the time.

Factfile:

St Martin :

Resort opens December 12 to April 25.

Tourist office – www.st-martin-belleville.com

Resort height – 1,400m

Le Bouitte – www.la-bouitte.com

Les Menuires:

Resort opens December 5 to April 25.

Tourist office – www.lesmenuires.com

Resort height – 1,800m

Highest lift 3,200m

Total pistes – 600km

Nursery areas – three

Pistes: beg/inter/adv – 121/114/33

Hotel Kaya – www.hotel-kaya.com

REPORT: PHIL GRIFFIN

Don't forget insurance for your skiing holiday - Conrad Sutcliffe

TAKE a tip from me. Don’t try to save a few pounds on your ski holiday this winter by going away uninsured – it really isn’t worth it.

The temptation is to say to yourself ‘it won’t happen to me’. It can and does, as the Sutcliffe family discovered on a fateful Friday the thirteenth in France earlier this year.

• Alison Sutcliffe

Skiing between Les Menuires and St Martin-de-Belleville in the Three Valleys, on a perfect day for it with the snow immaculately pisted, my wife took a tumble.

Alison knew she was in trouble by the time she stopped rolling down the mountain. She thought she had broken her leg at first – and in some respects it may have been better if she had.

My wife had ruptured three of the ligaments around here knee, not that we knew that at the time, and for most of the next six months she was off work and limited to hobbling around on crutches while the damaged muscles knitted back together. Eight months later, Alison still walks with a limp. A broken leg would have healed by now.

My first thought on the mountain was to call the emergency services. Helpfully, the emergency number was printed on the lift map. My second thought was ‘thank goodness we are insured’.

Within half an hour Alison had been taken down the mountain on a ski-stretcher towed by two members of the ski patrol. At the bottom they wished me a good day and handed me a bill for around £400.

Next was the ambulance ride to the medical centre and an appointment with the doctor, whose tiny surgery in Les Menuires was packed with that morning’s casualties.

Two hours later we were sent off with a £150 bill for the consultation, x-rays and ambulance ride, and a prescription for the pharmacy next door to pick up pain-killers, crutches and a knee brace that looked like some medieval instrument of torture. The bill? Not much change from £250.

It is worth pointing out here that the European Health Insurance Card (formerly an E111) isn’t worth the plastic it is printed on up in the mountains. An EHIC will get you treated in a French hospital, but not a private medical centre. The nearest hospital was an hour away and not an option.

According to Sally Leeman of insurance giants Aviva, who insure the Sutcliffes, too many people go skiing in blissful ignorance of the size of a possible bill.

“We conducted some research in 2007 and around 17 per cent of Brits holidaying in Europe believed they didn’t need travel insurance if they carried an EHIC,” she told me.

“The EHIC card entitles you to state-provided emergency medical treatment in EEA countries.

“However, the level of state-provided emergency medical treatment will vary between countries and it may not cover all the treatment costs and services that are free through the NHS.”

It is worth pointing out here what is covered by a typical travel insurance policy, but not by the EHIC:
Rescue services from mountain in ski resort.

• Additional accommodation and travel costs if you need treatment or need to get back to the UK.

• Accommodation you have lost through being hospitalised.

• Repatriation back to the UK.

• Support and advice through 24-hour helplines with multi-lingual staff.

You won’t believe how grateful we were for the multi-lingual staff at Aviva for getting us home and taking the strain out of a stressful situation.

Aviva contacted the ski patrol and paid the bill direct. Next they arranged the private ambulance to take Alison the airport for the trip home – and a taxi for myself and the children.

Our tour operator wouldn’t take Alison back on the flight to Southampton as she was regarded as a safety risk owing to her lack of mobility. Aviva organised three seats for her on an EasyJet flight – one to sit on, two to stretch her leg out on – and seats home for the rest of us.

When we arrived at Gatwick a private transfer had been arranged back to Southampton, where our car was parked.

The grand total was £4.055, which even included a rebate on my wife’s lift pass for the days she couldn’t ski on. Aviva paid everything on our behalf from the moment we left the medical centre – and refunded those costs within a few days of us getting home.

Our renewal notice came through a couple of days ago for our annual policy, which covers us for a month away every year. It’s around £160. Money well spent if you want my opinion.

It goes without saying we were impressed by Aviva. If this piece reads like an advertisement for them I can only apologise.

What is important is not so much who insures you, but being insured at all. If you go away more than once a year it is worth getting an annual policy like ours. Alternatively, you can generally buy travel insurance when you buy your holiday, either on line or in an agents.

You generally get one last chance in resort when you buy your lift pass as most companies offer some form of insurance to get you down and get you home. Believe me, it is money well spent.

Conrad Sutcliffe

Phil Griffin tackles the Vallee Blanche

God, was I really nearly 50 – seems only yesterday that I was a young bloke without a care in the world, racing around on motorbikes. I decided I had to do something special to mark this major (somewhat depressing) landmark in my life.

Ask anyone who knows me or who has met me at a party and they will probably tell you I am a real ski bore. Not exactly Franz Klammer, but pretty nifty (for 50!!) on reds and the occasional black, provided there’s no ice and I do not have a bad head from the night before. Off-piste is not my real forte, but somehow over the years I have earned the name of Powder Phil – probably partly due to the number of times I have head-planted in the stuff and ended up resembling a yeti.

For years I had read and heard about this magical place called the Valley Blanche. At 18k long, it’s the longest off-piste in Europe that your average red run skier can do without serious risk to life and limb (hmm, I’ll tell you about that later!!). A bit of ringing round the guys and it was booked. We were going to Chamonix in the French Alps – home of some of the world’s greatest mountaineers and that incredible piece of nature called Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco, if you’re on the Italian side).

The more research I did on the web, the more I realised that the Valley Blanche was going to be something we would never forget. First of all, I had to pre-book a mountain/ski guide – it’s the sort of place where you should not venture without a guide!! Ice falls, crevasses and the minor (in my case, not so minor) walk across an arête to the start of the valley. If you are not aware of mountaineering phrases, an arête in this case is like walking along a knife-edge with massive drops at each side… I sourced a guide through Icicle Mountaineering based in Chamonix – and it was all systems go.

My actual 50th was at the start of December, but the valley cannot be skied with any reliability until February-March – it’s best to take advice before booking your holidays. We plumped for the first week in March 2007. The four of use flew into Chamonix from different parts of England and met for the first beer (or two or three) in the Park Hotel Suisse, which would be our base for the week. We had been advised that it was not sensible to ski the Valley Blanche in your first days in the Alps because of the thin air. So we decided to ski the valley on the Thursday, giving us plenty of time to get our ski legs and acclimatise.

Anyone who has been Chamonix will tell you that the ski resort is rather spread out and not exactly user friendly compared to some purpose-built resorts, but, hey, this is a special place. It’s beautiful and dominated on all sides by incredible mountains – topped off, of course, by Mont Blanc. Before we knew it, it was Wednesday night. We had to go to the Icicle HQ that night for a briefing and run through of safety techniques – hmm, I now started to realise that it was not going to be a straightforward ski through the valley – it really was going to be something very special. Thursday morning arrived – but so did the strong winds. The mobile bleeped – message: “Valley closed today due to strong winds – not possible to stand up – will try again tomorrow.” God, what if the weather was bad tomorrow? We would not be able to achieve our goal – my goal!

We need not have worried. Friday morning arrived. The alarm rang, I pulled back the curtains – wall-to-wall sunshine with clear skies and no wind. Perfect! At Icicle HQ, we were greeted by the owners and met our guide, Benoir. They ran through the safety procedures again, we logged the mountain rescue numbers into our mobiles (hmm) and Benoir helped us into our harnesses! A short stroll and we were in the queue for the lift to the top of the Aig du Midi – the entrance to the Valley Blanche.

The ride up was amazing. As well as being the longest single span cable car in Europe, it floats over incredible scenery: ice falls, snow fields… When you arrive at the top of the cable, there’s a walk across an enclosed iron bridge from one peak to the next – the start of the real adventure. You walk through a maze of tunnels within the mountain and can take a lift to the very top of the peak, which has a weather station/tele mast. When you first walk out of the lift onto the top of the peak, you find yourself on a circular gantry offering incredible views – you are at the TOP OF THE WORLD. There in front of you is Mont Blanc. You feel as though you could almost touch it. It’s the mountain which made some mountaineers famous but also ended some lives, too. It’s the mountain my mate Greg Gough climbed with the Royal Marines – and where his glove blew away as they took pictures to celebrate a successful summit.

Things started to get serious when we descended into the warren of tunnels below. Guide Benior suddenly took on a professional air. This is where he started to earn his money. Alan, Andy, Colin and I lined up while Benior slotted a rope into our harnesses to join us all together. “We work as team, now,” said Benoir. “All for one and one for all,” someone joked. Benoir kept his business head on. “Anyone afraid of heights?” he asked. It was here that I decided to come clean – and put up my hand. I love skiing, but I hate heights. “You’d best be next to me,” says Benoir, offering some reassurance. I couldn’t help but think that there were three guys in front me – all weighing more than me. And certainly weighing more than Benoir and me put together. Sod it, you only live once!!

Once outside, I realised why we were roped. Yes, there was the arête in front of us. Wide enough to take one person. A set of iron posts linked together with heavy rope. A drop of thousands of metres at one side and a vertical drop straight back down to Chamonix at the other (hmm). There was a second route across the arête. Steps had been cut into one of the faces of the arête and this was the route we took. We inched our way down the steps, with me clinging tightly to the thick rope attached to the ice face. I tried not to look down, but there was one point where you turn and so I had no option. Sharp intake of breath… After what seemed like any eternity, Benoir smiles and says: “You can relax now.” We had made it.

We were on a wide piste at the entrance to the valley – a descent of 2,700m and around 18 k long. Off came the rope and suddenly the real pleasure was to start. Wow! In front of us was the widest expanse of snow I had ever seen. Pure powder, pure manageable powder. “Stick close to me,” says Benoir. “There are some hidden crevasses…”

It didn’t take Benoir long to work out we were a mixed ability group and he guided at the speed of the slowest. Perfect. He’d stop at ice blocks the size houses, show us crevasses with ice blue colours, point out ice falls. He was ever so patient. He wanted us to take everything in – he knew we were in a special ice wilderness. Various tracks disappeared into the distance. Occasionally, we came across another small group of skiers with a guide. Everyone of them had a beaming smile. Benoir knew the names of the mountains and took great delight in telling us which ones he had climbed. A man of the mountains, he had hands like shovels. They had had a hard life and he was still young!

Around lunchtime, Benior steered us towards a track cut by skiers across the face of steep slope. We could see in the distance a small rock outcrop and, as we got closer, we picked out it was a mountain restaurant – what a place to get to in the morning to start work, I thought. After a hearty meal of traditional Savoie food, Benoir picked up his rucksack and produced a birthday cake. Truly the icing on the cake!

After a well-earned rest and having taken in gluggs of water, we set off for the final part of the run. Down we dropped on perfect snow towards the valley end. Legs started to tire, but this was fantastic. Suddenly, Benoir stopped and perched on his ski poles. Out came a pair of binoculars. For ages he studied a mountain face and then he explained there was an unclimbed route – and he was planning it as soon as there was a weather window. We looked through the binoculars. Perhaps he was mad, but we were starting to understand he was in fact ALIVE!

All too soon the valley end arrived. It was then we realised the effects of global warming. The glacier we had been skiing on had eroded to such an extent that the cable car out of the valley was now four or five long staircases away – higher! As we trudged wearily up the steps, we were all tired but smiling. Those smiles lasted for hours. We climbed aboard a train back to the nearest village – where we quickly down a few well-earned beers. Unless you have been to the Valley Blanche, you will never understand the thrills and excitement of being in a truly magnificent place. Huge pictures now hang proudly on my walls at home – along with a cap. We all bought one. The caps are emblazoned with a picture of Mont Blanc. No, we hadn’t conquered Europe’s highest peak, but we felt we knew how it must feel – in our own way! So go there, ski it, enjoy it. Prove to yourself that you are ALIVE!

Lee Glanville discovers MorzineAvoriaz – with virtually limitless skiing

Whether addicted to an annual fix, a dedicated boarder or a just after an all-action family holiday, Morzine Avoriaz in the Portes Du Soleil seems perfect. And the icing on the cake is that it is just a short hop from Geneva Airport and, if you sort your own transfers, it is perfectly possible to get from the depths of Devon or Doncaster in the morning and be on the slopes by the afternoon.

Morzine Avoriaz are two separate resorts but marketed together as they have a slick transport network and together they offer every type of skiing and boarding.

Morzine is a typical Haute Savoie town, bustling with restaurants, ski gear outlets, bars and nightclubs, with slopes on both sides; one, the Pleney linking to the wide open areas of another near neighbour, Les Gets, and the other, via the Super Morzine cable car, to Avoriaz.

The two are connected by a charming, Disneylike ‘road train’. But many head straight to the free bus and the Prodains telecabine, which is a direct link to the mountain top village of Avoriaz..

The skiing on offer is virtually limitless. It is possible to ski all 12 resorts in the Portes Du Soleil in one day (but only in one direction at the moment) but, if that agenda seems more like a route march than a holiday, there are plenty of other challenges closer to hand.

For beginners, the slopes accessed by the Belvedere lift above Pleney look perfect, and once you have found your ski legs there is a network of blue runs, which all head back to the village.

For those with a few more miles on the clock, it is a big adventure playground – after a massive dump of snow, H19, just above the town, was fantastic sunny fun, there are some lovely reds in the Nyon-Champossiere area – one run ends by a mountain top farm yard - and the whole Les Gets area was amazing - parts of it were virtually deserted. The off-piste through the trees, accessed from the Zore lift, on the Super Morzine side were also fun without being scary.

Avoriaz is a car-free village built right on a mountain top, the architecture mirroring the cliffs on which it sits. It has one of the best snow records in The Alps and it really is worth a visit after dark, when the village centre magically lights up. For small children, the snow play area is bang in the centre of the village, along with an ice rink and, outside the main telecabine access, it is possible to take a sleigh ride around the village!

There are hours of fun to be had for experts – crowds gather to watch the skiers and boarders in the snowpark under the Produe lift – and The Stash is an off-piste, tree-lined area with natural jumps and ramps. It is possible to ski in Switzerland, too, as the resort links with Planachaux, Les Crosets, Champoussin and Morgins – but, if you want to stop for lunch, make sure you have some Swiss Francs.

If you don’t fancy skiing, then there are plenty of other activities – visits to the other Aulps valley villages can be made for one euro on the Balad’Aulps bus. Snow shoe treks can be made around the area, serious pampering can take place at the spas, and there are regular visits to the local cheesemaker and slate mine.

But where to stay? MorzineAvoriaz has accommodation for every budget but, if you fancy a little luxury, try Au Coin de Feu chalet run by English couple Francesca and Paul Eyre. At the foot of the Prodain Telecabine, it is possible to ski back to the garden, via a blue, red or black run. The food is great, there is an outdoor hot tub and, truly amazing in my experience, the beds are comfy! Bespoke breaks are available if you just want a few days’ escape to the slopes and they will arrange your transfers. They are ideally set up for families with small children, as there is an in-house crèche run by fully qualified nannies. Visit www.chillypowder.com

Forthcoming events:

Feb 2-6, White Week, learn to ski off-piste, try ski jeering (skiing while driving a horse), film festival etc

Feburary holidays – carnival time

March 16-20 – Zen Week – massage workshops, Tai Chi, yoga etc.

Further information on activitie,s contact Morzine Tourist Centre –www,morzine-avoriaz.com

Lee Glanville meets the Chef Des Pistes – it’s a tough job but someone has to do it!

I have met lots of people with stressful jobs, but for responsibility I have yet to meet anyone whose job beats that of Pascal Charles, the Chef Des Pistes for Morzine.

He has a passion for his job – that goes without saying as, during the season, he is on duty for around 12 hours a day.

• Pascal Charles, the Chef Des Pistes for Morzine

I met him in his office behind the Pleney telecabine, at the end of a busy day when there had been heavy overnight snow.

With his 40 staff, Pascal is responsible for the safety of everyone on ‘his’ mountain. His unit open the slopes, make sure all are properly signed and decide which are safe to be open.

They get injured skiers and boarders off the slopes, coordinating medical care. Pascal organises the snowmaking, pistebashing and avalanche blasting.

He says: " Everyday there is at least one person injured. In busy periods, we have had 20 a day. The nearest lift controller teleophones a call centre and they assess how to access the inured person.

"If it is steep, the ski patrollers ski to them. If it is flat, they use a skidoo. An ambulance meets them down at Pleney or, if it is a bad accident, a helicopter with a doctor on board is called."

There are 20 patrollers on duty each day with 13 sledges, but you won’t see many over the age of 40 – by then, says Pascal, either backs and knees can no longer take the strain or the lure of an all-year-round job proves too great.

His favourite days are those which involve plenty of snow – and the avalanche blasting that goes with it. "That is the most interesting because it doesn’t happen every day. The whole safely of the ski area is my responsibility and, if we don’t monitor the snow, an avalanche could see people dead or injured, and, don’t forget, that includes my staff."

The day we met, the TS de Chamossiere lift had been closed and, earlier in the morning, it had taken a long time for the lifts to open in Avoriaz. All the holiday skiers, keen to sample the powder, were champing at the bit, but probably would have been a bit more patient had they known why.

Pascal explained: "The previous day there was a lot of rain, then the temperature fell and the water in the cable of the lifts froze. We can’t open the lifts until it has all thawed as it causes the wire to expand and could cause it to jump off when travelling over the wheels."

He has been doing the job for 12 years. "It is a passion. I love working outdoors all the time, although I am getting more and more paperwork. I have skied since the age of four and love the fact that there are so many different aspects to my job, although I guess not many people would want the responsibility!’

Tignes takes to the air once more! January 4-9, 2009 By Phil Griffin

WITH some of the World’s best skiers gathered in the French Alps for Tignes Airwaves – and 150,000 Euros in prize money – it was always going to be an attractive event.

For the fifth successive year, Tignes Airwaves drew thousands of visitors to the famous glacier resort to see skiers at the top of their game.

New this year was The Riderscup – directly inspired by the golf tournament between the United States and Europe!

The Riderscup was based on a team format – something new for freestyle skiing – the Americans and the Europeans going head to head in the Big Air and the Half-pipe.

Stars of freestyle, Candide Thovex captained the European team, while T J Schiller headed the team from across The Big Pond.

In the spectacular Big Air and Half-pipe events (see the photographs), 16 riders battled it out two by two, with points being awarded towards the trophy.

It didn’t take long for the atmosphere to build as the Europeans started to edge ahead thanks to some amazing rides!

After the opening Big Air – where skiers hurtled down a slope and then rode up a specially made slope to pull off tricks – the Europeans were comfortably ahead by 10 points to six.

Despite a brave effort from the Americans in the Half-pipe – where skiers rode the high walls and created spectacular technical turns and jumps – the Riderscup went to Europe, who won overall 23-11.

One of the highlights of the week was the Fourcross Mountain Biking event – where riders hammer it down a pisted – but extremely tricky – track. Yes, it sounds crazy and it is! Imagine sitting in the saddle and pedalling like mad down an icy hillside with jumps and banked turns…

The following day came the Skiercross, one of the most technical events where six skiers battle away down a 1,500m long course of enormous rollers and banked turns – a bit like the old film Rollerball except on snow!

For the past two years, the girls have also competed in their own Skiercross – and they were certainly not to be outdone by the guys for bravery as they hurtled down the steep track.

But the highlight of the week, for me, was the floodlit mogul skiing competition. Imagine standing at the top of a long, extremely steep slope. Then flinging yourself down the mountain and negotiating huge moguls (bumps) and finishing off with a spectacular leap – where skiers pull off some amazing tricks.

Eight of the World’s best mogul skiers battled out for the coveted title of King of the Bumps. The action was amazing – it still seems incredible that someone can ski straightline down a series of bumps and stay upright!

The whole Tignes Airwaves event was a marvellous experience. As well as being able to get close up to the action, there were giant television screens showing the competitions, too. The evening events were floodlit and incredible sound systems bellowed out great music – and lively DJ-style commentary – as the action unfolded.

Why not give the event a whirl next year? Find out more by visiting

www.tignes.net

• There were no snowboarding events this year due to lack of support from top World riders in recent times, but it is hoped to attract boarders to next year’s Tignes Airwaves.

• Tignes will host the only French leg of the Freeride World Tour from March 8-14.

VIDEOS:

WATCH VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF TIGNES AIRWAVES!

http://www.tignes.net/GB_archives-video-taw.html

PICTURES:

BROWSE MORE PICTURES FROM TIGNES AIRWAVES!

Halfpipe

Big Air

Big Ski Moguls

Ski X

Skiing in Obergurgl, Austria, in early December by Phil Griffin

EARLY season skiing and Austrian resorts do not normally go together too well due lack of snow reliability. BUT there is at least one exception – and it’s a real "star" – Obergurgl.

For the past three seasons, a ski buddy called Snowy (yes, it’s true) and his family had been extolling the virtues of this charming small resort and this season managed to persuade me to break away from the reliable high French Alps bases to give it a go.

With European ski resorts enjoying some of the best early season snow for years, a quick check of the internet confirmed that Obergurgl was also disappearing beneath metres of the white stuff.

Any seasoned skier or boarder will tell you that, if you have the nerve and hold out until the last minute, there will always be a bargain to snap up. It’s a balancing act: book too early and it’s going to prove costly, book too late and the last few places will go back up in price.

I was luck enough to grab an absolute steal – a three-star hotel with half-board, flights and transfers with Thomson Ski – a snip at £275.

With Obergurgl convert Mark Snow in tow, we couldn’t believe the deal, especially when we arrived at the Hotel Lohmann. One of the best hotels in town, we had an enormous room with twin beds, double sofa bed, dining area and fridge, and a sitting area with television. And the bathroom was something else…

There had to be a catch, but the hotel’s first impressions did not disappoint, with sumptuous food – unlimited free wine or beer with evening meals – rounded off with a banquet on the last night.

The village itself is compact and attractive, with the skiing linking with nearby Hochgurgl – and the huge ski area of Solden being only a 15-minute free bus ride away.

Obergurgl boasts some fine bars and restaurants, but it is certainly not for the lager-swilling brigade – a la St Anton.

But, yes, there is a crazy Austrian bar with live music just a little way back up the home run to the village. The Nederhutte encourages dancing on tables and is in stark contrast to the tranquillity of the rest of the resort. After a few beers, you might not fancy the floodlit ski back to village – so take advantage of a free skidoo lift. Great fun on the ultimate boy’s toy!

Obergurgl and neighbouring Hochgurgl boast some great skiing, a mixture of reds and blues – something for the whole family.

One of the highlights of the week, for me, was working our way across to the ranges to the newly built Top Mountain Star, a panorama bar towering at 3,080m above sea level. With breathtaking scenery all round, it comes a close second to the sights from the Aig du Midi above Chamonix and down the Valley Blanche.

It’s the sort of place that leaves pictures indelibly printed in your head – for use on those days when you are having a bad day at the office…

Apart from enjoying incredible snow – it stopped for just two days in a fortnight spell – we had a great day’s skiing at Solden. Although the resort itself might not be particularly appealing – unless you like laddish bars – the pistes were tremendous. Wide, sometimes gentle, sometimes challenging – an excellent mix. And we were lucky enough to find a real gem – a "proper" wooden-built mountain hut complete with Alpine memorabilia, stunning views and gulaschesuppe and home-made sausages to die for. A far cry from some of the canteen-style restaurants of the French Alps.

As well as charm and great skiing, Obergurgl is also famous for at least one other thing – it’s clothes boutiques. Women’s heaven. It seemed that almost every hotel not only had its own ski shop, but at least two floors of designer outfits – Prada, darling, seemed to trip off the tonque with such ease for some… I can see why the Hotel Hochfirst is popular with the stars, such as Take That.

The ski shops, too, boasted the latest designs – and definitely the latest equipment. One great advantage of hiring at the start of the season is the racks of brand new skis and boots – take your choice.

An affable chap called Herwig, who runs Riml Sport, was incredibly patient as people came back day after day to try out ski after ski. Nothing was too much trouble for the guy – even when the soles of my walking boots decided to split and let in snow. Out came a free caffine-loaded cup of expresso while he super-glued the cracks – "no charge, sir."

I suppose his attitude summed the whole laid-back feel of Obergurgl. Service was king no matter where you went – a real "star" of a place. I’ll be back. Like the aptly named Snow family, I was hooked.

Phil Griffin (phil.griffin@archant.co.uk)

The cut-price place to ski in the credit crunch

Conrad Sutcliffe visits The Grand Massif.

AN hour from Geneva Airport is one of the largest ski areas in the French Alps – and most British skiers never consider going there.
The Grand Massif is what the French call a Moyen Montagne resort. It’s not that high – the ski range is 1100 metres to 2480 at the top – and the five resorts that ring it know their place in the grand scheme of things.

French people go to the Grand Massif because it is easy to get to and less expensive than the high-altitude resorts such as Les Arcs or Val d’Isere. It doesn’t have the style of Cortina or Courmeyer - and it doesn’t have price tags to match either.

Swiss, German and French skiers go there for weekend breaks, staying in their own apartments or those booked privately through small ads and the Internet.

With one exception – which I will come to in a moment – the large hotels used by British tour companies aren’t part of the tourism landscape in Grand Massif resorts.

The British awareness of the Grand Massif is largely limited to Flaine – and for all the wrong reasons.

Flaine gets a bad press from the British ski industry because, and I am trying to be delicate here, it isn’t a pretty village. I was once told it is the only resort in the Alps where hotel guests pay a supplement NOT to have a view.

True, the architecture resembles something from a Parisian high-rise estate, but if it’s pretty buildings you want to see then go to Venice instead. The skiing isn’t much cop around the lagoon this time of year though.

The Grand Massif is all about skiing and once you get on the lift out of town you can concentrate on the snowscape instead. That’s what you went for, isn’t it?

Les Carroz, the lowest of the resorts, is barely 10 minutes off the main road (A40) from Geneva to the Mont Blanc tunnel. That accessibility is a reason why the DIY British tourist might start to give the area a look.

Geneva remains the easiest airport to fly to by an economy carrier and is geared up to shuttle tourists to the nearby resorts. A party of eight, travelling by mini-bus, can expect to pay around £150 each way to get to the Massif.

Les Carroz makes a good base for exploring the 265 kilometres of pistes that snake through the Grand Massif.

The town is large enough to be interesting, but not so large that hotels and apartments are a long hike from the lifts. There is bus service to the main telecabin station, or a network of draglifts that will get you there after a couple of rides.

Although Les Carrroz is low, its proximity to Mont Blanc means the snow cover is pretty good for most of the season. When I visited it hadn’t snowed for three weeks, but a combination of good snow-making and careful grooming made it possible to ski right back into town every day.

A real bonus after a hard day on the slopes was to ski straight into a terrace bar at the bottom of the home slope for a welcome reviver. The Hotel Belles Piste or its neighbour the Airelles will happily oblige with a litre glass of lager.

With 135 pisted runs to choose from – 54 blue and 50 red – there is every opportunity to work up a decent thirst most days by the time the lifts close.

Flaine is slap-bang in the centre of the lift map and the hub around which the Grand Massif operates. Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoens and Sixt are the smaller resorts on the rim.

For a good day’s skiing, head to the top of the Grandes Platieres, from where you can see the peak of Mont Blanc, and have a coffee before deciding where to ski to next. It’s worth the stop to take in the view towards Geneva, which is breathtaking.

Take your pick of the surrounding villages the long blue down to Sixt is a beaut - or head for the hills on the south side of Flaine where there are some decent cruising runs.

That’s almost it for the skiing tips, other than a general reminder that the runs home can get a bit busy from mid-afternoon onwards. Carroz is the largest of the resorts, therefore it attracts the most traffic at going home time from the Flaine side. The slight gradient on the stretch halfway back isn’t helpful.

Although the big tour operators give Carroz, Morillon, Samoens and Sixt a wide berth, smaller firms such as Erna Low and Skilines offer self-catering packages, either with or without Eurotunnel tickets thrown in.

As for Flaine, almost all the big guns have a presence there.

The size of the Spar shop in Carroz is a guide to the extent of the self-catering market in the town.

There are plenty of bars and restaurants for the can’t-cook, won’t-cook brigade – and two child friendly pizza parlours in the main square.

Non-combatants won’t find much to do, shopping is limited, but for those who fancy a break from skiing check out the open-air ice rink or the cinema, which shows an English-language film one night a week.

Skiiers aren’t exempt from the credit crunch and those on a tight budget could do worse than give the Grand Massif the once over.

The Grand Massif fact file

The Grand Massif ski area has 265km of pistes and two snow parks. It is serviced by 80 ski lifts and 229 snow cannons.

A six-day lift pass for the Massif area will cost E192 this winter. Children aged 5-15 pay E150.

There is a regular shuttle service from Geneva to Les Carroz with Aeroski. There and back is E78 (adult) and half price for children aged 2-10. Group fares (4+) are E54 per person. Click on www.alpski-bus.com. Alternatively, book a private mini-bus transfer with www.alps-direct.com. The advertised price is E340.

Self-drive specialists Erna Low have a selection of hotels, chalets and self-catering apartments in Les Carroz. Typical is the Residence Sunotel opposite the main square. An apartment sleeping two adults and two children for a week from January 3 will set you back £389 - and that includes a Eurotunnel crossing!

Les Carroz now offers a hook-up service for mobile home users. It’s E4.5 a day and available by obtaining a ticket from the municipal police office. Nearby Samoens has a three-star camping and mobile home park, Le Giffre. Go to www.camping-samoens.com for details.

Useful websites are www.lescaroz.com, www.grand-massif.com and www.flaine.com

Tignes opens for business

Tignes will be first to open this winter – September 27, 2008

The magnificient resort of Tignes will be the first to open its slopes this winter.

The season officially gets under way on September 27 with the opening of the Grande Motte glacier.

Tignes opens its ever-improving ski area, starting with the pistes on the glacier at more than 3,000m high.

Said a Tignes tourist board spokeswoman: "It’s the place to be this autumn – the best spot to improve your skiing before Wiinter 2009 and to test your new jumps before everyone else!"

Practical information:

The glacier has 20 km of pistes with six ski lifts.

It will be open from 8.30am to 2.45pm.

A one day adult pass costs €31.

A one day children pass costs €25 (from five to 13 years old).

There’s a bonus for 2008 – mountain bikes are allowed on the glacier, too!

Tignes will boast a bike park, opening again its magical trail, which starts on the Grande Motte glacier. Mr Freeze trail is 5km long with 900m of vertical drop, from the glacier at 3,030m to Tignes Val Claret at 2,100m.

Practical information:

It is open from 8.30am to 2.45pm.

A one day adult mountain bike pass costs €12,50.

See the video: Mr. Freeze trail – visit www.tignes.net

Roger Stokes goes North

Make sure you take a Devon flag!

Why everyone has to go south and east I do not know. I have been going north for the last 44 years. Phil was, therefore, only six years old when I started, and others may not even have been born! This shows that I am quite a bit older than him and not part of the “bombing down the mountain“ brigade any more! However, the thrill of skis on the bottom of ones legs is still present, and I am not over the hill yet! All systems are GO! When taking a breather the other day a Norwegian man and his wife stopped to talk to me. He was 91 and she was 86 and both were on skis. However, he did say “I think I am getting a bit too old for this”! Anyway, that leaves a bit of time for me.

My white powder experiences have always revolved around the country of Norway in the area around the 1994 Winter Olympic town of Lillehammer. This area boasts fantastic skiing facilities for families of all levels of competence. Above Lillehammer is the cross country ski resort of Sjusjøen where there are over 5000 individual privately owned cabins set amongst the trees, one hardly visible from another. This is where I started in 1963 and where there are now over 350km prepared, well signed ski tracks each winter. Norway is of course the home of langrenn or cross country skiing. You always have stable snow conditions here from November to the end of April at a height above sea level rising to 965m.

A further 15km up the E6 main road, which goes from top to bottom of Norway, you have Hafjell, where the 1994 Olympics staged the slalom and giant slalom competitions. This may be better for other blog writers who are in the “bombing down the mountain” brigade, although the real “b-d-t-m” area comes later. Hafjell is steep and only for confident skiers, with only a short run out at the bottom of the main slope. Here a new gondola lift installed in 2007 takes you to 781m over sea level to begin your downhill descent. There are plenty of shorter lifts and pulls for the beginners and a vast entertainment program laid on for children. Après ski is plentiful including Woody’s English bar. Before OL94, as it is known locally, Hafjell was just a small village on a main road. Now it is one of Norway’s up and coming ski resorts thanks largely to 1994, and a lot of money is being spent there on accommodation and snow facilities. On the other side of the narrow valley you can see the “Fakkelmann” in the hillside. This was the emblem of OL94 and depicts a man carrying the Olympic flame. His shape was cut out from the trees on the hillside and it must cover an area of about 30 acres. In the winter it fills with snow and really stands out.

The Fakkelmann

Opposite Hafjell is the bob sleigh track at Hunderfossen. This is well worth a visit and you can have a go if you want to be subjected to 6G’s on the bends at 60mph! It is advertised as not good for those with bad backs or hearts. Don’t watch it first, as the screams of those going down will surely put you off!

Another 20km up the road is Kvitfjell, the Olympic downhill run. This is for you if you are really up to it, and certainly not for the faint hearted. I have not spent much time there as it is a bit out of my league. Like all Norwegian resorts they are merged well into the hillside, and you can pass them on the main road un-noticed if you are not careful.

Skeikampen

Our favorite spot is Skeikampen which is near our cabin. It is a genuinely family orientated resort with something for everyone, from nursery to black slopes. It is 38km north west of Lillehammer, and if you want you can stay in the town and bus up. However, there are plenty of rental cabins and flats available, plus a couple of top grade hotels. The new lift rises from 700m to 1115 m above sea level to give a fantastic view over what seems to be half of Norway on a good day. Altogether there are 10 lifts and 21km of slopes. For cross country it boasts 200km of prepared tracks which join up with Kvitfjell and Gålå to give a total of up to 600km. Lift passes can be used in all four of the major resorts which is quite useful. Après ski is again good, but anywhere in Norway alcohol is expensive so you are advised to stock up to the max with duty frees. You can’t buy spirits in shops in Norway like you can here, you have to go to a special government warehouse somewhere on the fringes. If you are driving, however, the drink drive limit is only about a quarter of ours so you have to be careful as there is a waiting list to go into prison for driving offences!

There are higher and steeper ski areas to the west and further north, but Skei is the place for me. It is particularly easy to get to from the UK, and we can go door to door in 11 hours from home. That’s 3 hours driving each side, a 2 hour flight and a bit of hanging around at the airport. Driving is no problem whatsoever in Norway, even when there is 1.5m of snow cover over the land. Traffic is light, and on several occasions we have returned to the airport (120 miles), and never come up behind another vehicle the whole way. However, they do have an 80km/50mph speed limit over most of the country which is a little difficult to get used to, and hordes of speed cameras that are camouflaged by the trees!

On arrival at our cabin the 4 feet of snow had previously slipped off the roof so we had to dig our way in. Up the side it was 8 feet deep and re frozen. We had to chip a path through and over this to get to the wood shed for the logs. Eventually we managed it, got the stove going and warmed the place up. Down below on the frozen lake the local police were conducting their usual winter ice driving lessons for local teenagers. This continued even after dark. There were well over a dozen cars, one agricultural tractor and two caravans on the ice at any one time. The ice may not have been more than 4 inches thick, but my neighbor assured me that the water actually takes the weight and the ice is purely the surface. Providing nobody opens the sluice at the end of the lake and drops the water level you are OK!

Ice driving on the lake

World Cup Ski Jumping competition in Lillehammer

Our recent trip was organized to take in a leg of the World Cup Ski Jumping competition held in Lillehammer on March 7. We went last year but it was cancelled at the last minute due to high winds across the jump area. This time we were lucky and all went well. If you have ever watched a jump competition on TV you will have noted that a lot of patriotic flag waving goes on. This seems an essential part of the whole exercise, partly to keep warm I think!

Suitably therefore we took along our Devon flag which usually flies from our flagpole when in residence. Tickets for entry were 150Nkr or £15 to the general part of the arena. If you wanted you could pay up to £200 for a VIP ticket which included some food and drink in a tent in the warm and a chat to the jumpers. As the Exmouth Journal wouldn’t cover my expenses we had to plonk for the lower one! This proved to be the best decision anyway, as we finished up with better grub than the VIP’s. The waving of our Devon flag caused quite a stir and was of great interest to the fellow Norwegian spectators in our stand.

As they could not work out where the flag came from we were continually approached by a tap on the shoulder and the question “Where are you from”? One chap had even taken a bet with his chum that we were from Slovenia. We sadly had to tell him that he had lost his money! However, the outcome of all this bantering during the evening which went on for about four hours, led to us being offered all sorts of delicacies by these people which ranged from moose sausage cut off with a pocket knife to smoked salmon and ultimately Aquavit to wash it down. This was far better than the VIP’s had as they were only allowed beer and ordinary sausages – and they even had to stand up to watch the jumping whilst we could sit down! It was a stunning evening and they are all expecting to see us there again next year. What have we done!! We’ll have to be there, as I am not sure if we actually saw the jumping or not! Too much socializing! However, I do know who won – do you? The moral of the story is that if you want to make friends in a foreign country, just wave a Devon flag. It works wonders!

The Devon flag caused a stir

Useful ski/accommodation info can be obtained from the following websites:

www.hafjell.no

www.skeikampen.no

www.kvitfjell.no

www.lillehammerturist.no

www.wclillehammer.no for ski jumping information.

www.gd.no is the local daily paper which may be of interest.

If you want to log on to a real ongoing ski trip by a local man try this www.skinorway.org.uk

Powder to spare in Vallandry - Lee Glanville visits

Tailor make a skiing holiday and you can pack a whole load of action into a week. Our 16-strong group fell into a fantastic holiday in Vallandry last year thanks to an old friend, Jon Neal of Bar Mont Blanc and repeated the experience this year, albeit with a slightly different line-up.

With youngsters ranging from six years old to 15, a 20-year old first time snowboarder and a 40-something beginner included in the group it looked like a testing time could be ahead. But, as we found last year, by adding private transfers, a spacious ski in ski out four star chalet and 'Chloe's Cuisine'a great holiday could be had. In fact we didn't stop laughing until one of the group thought he had lost his flight ticket on the way home.

Of course 2008 is being helped along by brilliant snow conditions. Plenty was falling on the Saturday as we arrived and it snowed every night bar the last with sunshine every day - perfect for the beginners and a treat for the more expert skiers who revelled in the off piste..

A text from Jon Neal ('Tracker') as we neared resort telling us to make tracks to Ski Republic for our ski hire saved us our spending money for the week. This new company has sprung up in the Alps and is offering two for one ski hire, free kit insurance and free helmets - a massive saving for a family of four. The equipment is all brand new at the start of the season - my Dynastar Freeride skis were the best I have ever skied in - Toby and Tom in Vallandry were ultra helpful and in fact I even hired some new boots midweek.

Vallandry, nestling at the heart of the Paradiski area of Les Arcs and La Plagne has lost some trade this year due to the late notification of the closure of the Vanoise Express cable car link with La Plagne - the link being the reason we rebooked the resort. But we skied hard and long and still had fresh runs to spare on the last day and I doubt we would have had time to visit La Plagne anyway, so good was the snow on our side of the mountain.

With the children and some of the adults booked into ski school each morning, the rest of us were off like Enid Blyton's Famous Five exploring, meeting up with the rest at the chalet for lunch at noon. By 1.30pm we were suited and booted and off on a mass group ski, the best of which was led by the older children via the Combe red, and off piste to Nancroix.

It was a truly great afternoon with lovely scenery, some spectacular wipe outs and we were only slightly hindered by losing our way at the clapped out 2CV. The resultant detour had some interesting terrain (think water troughs, drainage ditches and fences) but as we all skied the deep powder across the field to the village everyone was in high spirits.

The group of extreme skiers at the bus stop looked a bit disgruntled to see Sam, 6, rock up with a motley group of followers!

The highlight for the 'famous five' last year had been an off piste lesson with Philippe Simon (or Simon Philippe we weren't sure which) from ESF which left us lung-burstingly cream crackered and we were delighted to him available again this time, especially as he told us we had all improved enormously. We didn't feel that great attacking the moguls marked for very good skiers only, but we were delighted with our jump turns down the side of the Grand Col. Skiing is a great appetite builder and self catering is no holiday if you go the wrong way about it.

Again recommended by Tracker we experienced and totally enjoyed Chloe's Cuisine last year. Chloe Wreford-Brown, originally from Dartmouth, has the perfect solution - we sort breakfast and lunch and she does afternoon cakes and either a two or three course evening meal. This year Chloe has set up a restaurant, Le Vache, in Peisey with her sister, and her long time friend Ronky is the chalet 'star' of the business. Be warned though. However hard you ski you won't lose any weight!

If it's a hectic night life you are after then Vallandry may not be for you unless you make the most of one of the best aprËs ski bars in the alps - the Bar Mont Blanc. At the bottom of the Grizzly lift, Bar Mont Blanc Serves all day food, has free Wi Fi, great drinks promos, bands, music, pool the list goes on. If you don't visit you haven't lived. It's right up there with the Frog and Rosbif in Val Thorens, Smithys in Les Deux Alps and The Mooserwirt in St Anton, Austria.

Contact Rob at www.thecoolbus.co.uk for airport transfers, www.barmontblanc.co.uk for legendary nights out, chloewrefordbrown@hotmail.com for great food and www.ski-republic.com for two for one ski hire.

Tignes Airwaves 2008 - ski and snowboarding event

Every skier and boarder likes to think they are the next world champion in the making, but in reality we spend a couple of weeks at the most on the snow each season – and most of that time is spent trying to get back to the level you enjoyed (?) the last time you strapped on your planks or board.

It’s not until you see the world’s best close up that you realise there is a huge gulf (or should it be crevasse?) between your twice-a-year piste bashing and the pros who spend their time living the life in The Alps and around the top peaks of the World, trying to carve out a living.

There can be no finer example of that gulf than standing at the side of a hip, half-pipe or boarder/skier cross circuit and watching the pros battle it out for honour – and a fistful of Euros.

The Tignes Airwaves – with 150,000 Euros in prize money – was held for the fourth time between January 7 to 11 and attracted some of the best riders from the alternative snowsports scene from around the World.

The competition took place over five days. On an invitation only basis, riders descended on one of the highest resorts in The Alps to test out and preview their new moves for the 2008 season.

The week slid into action on the Monday with the hip competition. An explosive formula, skiers and boarders straightline it down a steep piste before taking off from a high ramp and performing spins as big as 1,200 degrees – one, two, three and a half turns in the air. These fearless freestylers aim to stand out from the crowd by executing tricks with perfect style – and outrageous daring.

The riders are then marked on the height, technical difficulty, style, creativity and skill on landing.

The next day we were treated to the half-pipe competition. Now, this really is crazy! The pipe is 120 metres long, six metres high and 25 metres wide.

Riders must link an increasingly difficult series of tricks and jumps on skis or boards. They pull off stunts with names such as Japan Air, Canonballs, grabs and full-on spins… you have to see our picture gallery and videos to get the true picture!

The skier cross took place on Wednesday. Six riders leap out of a start gate and hurtle themselves down a course filled with jumps, rollers and banks. It’s best to be out in front, giving you chance to pick the best line. It reminded me a bit of the film Rollerball…

One competitor told me: "Skier cross is the major extreme sports race due to its technical nature and the direct confrontation between racers." You can take it from me, these guys and girls are tough and not afraid of making their presence felt…

The Oxbow Back to Powder event was something I’d not witnessed before. Tignes’ own favourite Lolo Favre – the resort’s renowned freestyler – invited along 11 of his friends from Planet Freestyle and Planet Freeride to tackle the untracked slopes of Tignes for a backcountry freestyle session.

Each rider had to choose their own line, pick their own jumps and head down the slope using the natural terrain as a playground.

At the end, the riders then judged each other on style, spirit and fluidity of movement – and chose the winner. The prize was a week riding the waves in Hawaii.

Thursday night was totally mind-blowing. Freestyle motocross riders – at full throttle – rode up a slope and jumped up to 12 metres high, before pulling off stunts such as Fender Kiss, Tsunami and NacNac…

But the mountain bikers were not to be outdone the next day when they raced down a snowy, icy course down the mountainside. Studded tyres were banned, helmets compulsory (hardly surprising) and skidding controlled. With four riders leaping out of a start gate, it was pure adrenaline buzz.

And so Tignes Airwaves drew to an exciting close. What an eye-opener. If you want to see dare-devils close-up – and pick up some tips (?) – book a date in your diary for next year’s event.

To see more information and results, go to www.tignesairwaves.com

PICTURE GALLERY

Browse pictures of this event at: http://www.devon24.co.uk/flatfiles/blogs/phil/tignes_gallery/tignesgallery.aspx

VIDEO CLIPS

Half pipe ski competition: http://www.devon24.co.uk/flatfiles/blogs/phil/videos/video1main.aspx

Half pipe ski competition 2: http://www.devon24.co.uk/flatfiles/blogs/phil/videos/video2main.aspx

Super X Ski: http://www.devon24.co.uk/flatfiles/blogs/phil/videos/video3main.aspx

Conrad Sutcliffe visits Val Thorens

SKIING is an expensive business – think lift passes, getting kitted out and the high-altitude cost of a drink or a meal – and most of us try and cut corners here and there when we visit the slopes. But what if money was no object? Conrad Sutcliffe discovered a whole new world of skiing when he visited Val Thorens recently as a guest of the town’s tourist board.

FACT FILE

A room for two in the Hotel Fitz Roy on half-board starts from £120 per night. Children under five stay free.

To reserve an entire floor of the hotel, set aside between £1000-£1500 per night, depending on the time of year.

A six-day lift pass covering the 29 lifts in the Val Thorens area will cost around £120. Two adults with two children under 18 can buy in bulk for about £380. Three Vallees lift tickets are between £150-£160 per adult depending on the exchange rate.

On-street parking is discouraged in Val Thorens. Park in the wrong place and you will be towed away sooner or later. Park indoors for £35 a week – it’s cheaper and less hassle.

If you have something tiresome like a budget to stick to, there are plenty of places in the Alps more expensive than Val Thorens. A decent pizza supper, with a crepe for desert and a large beer to wash it all down will cost less than £20.

Conrad Sutcliffe and David Morgan stayed as guests of the Val Thorens tourist board, having made their own way to Val Thorens via Easyjet and Hertz Car Rental.

I’VE stayed in some swanky places before, but the four-star Fitz Roy Hotel in the centre of Val Thorens really takes some beating.

I have never stayed in a hotel that can be booked by the floor. The Fitz Roy can, which is good news for rock stars and others who value their privacy above all else.

A stay in the Fitz Roy, more of which later, was all part of a package put together for myself and photographer pal David Morgan by the Val Thorens tourist board to allow me to give you an unusual insight into the highest ski resort in Europe.

Skiing is an expensive business at the best of times and I am not the only person to wince when presented with a drinks or meal bill with a light dusting of snow. If you can afford it though, all sorts of possibilities open up, some of which David and I were lucky enough to try on your behalf, for which we both thank you!

Firstly there was the Fitz Roy Hotel, the only four-start hotel in a town dominated by chalet accommodation favoured by those not so well-heeled.

My room, in a smart new annex with a premium view over the slopes, appeared never to have been slept in before. That’s how new it was. The bed was something else, big enough to land a light aircraft on if the wind was blowing in the right direction.

You know you are staying in accommodation intended for the well off when the wardrobe doesn’t just include a dressing gown, but a pair of slippers as well!

Meals were taken in a dining room with views out over the mountain. For skiing gastronomes, this was the place to be. Personally, I prefer my food plain and simple. David is a little more adventurous and tucked into the snails, octopus soup and pink rack of lamb with relish.

At the top end of the dining experience were silver salver loads of lobster and crab that made their way past us to an adjoining table. The diners, an English family with cut-glass accents, clearly approved of their seafood repast. While we were enjoying our after-dinner coffee and mints, the chef was summoned from the kitchen to accept the plaudits of his contented clients.

Fine dining comes at a price – the supplement for eating off the superior menu as opposed to the one included in your half-board rate was around £25 per person - but when money is no object why worry?

The last time I stayed in a ski hotel with a swimming pool - Les Gets in 2001 – it was nothing more than an outdoor pool with a Perspex roof over it. The Fitz Roy’s pool, you will be unsurprised to learn, was tucked away in the basement and came complete with loungers.

To say we were impressed with the Fitz Roy would be an understatement. Wherever we stay next is inevitably going to be a comedown. Don’t take my word for it though: have a look at the hotel’s website (www.hotelfitzroy.com) and take the virtual guided tour.

My famous namesake Conrad Hilton, a man who knew something about hotels, observed the only thing that mattered was location, location and location. He would have approved of the Fitz Roy. For all practical purposes you could ski out in the morning and ski back again in the afternoon, the dream of skiers the world over.

Our hotel was also within a short walk – we are talking a couple of minutes if that – of the Val Thorens Sports Centre in the very nearby Galerie de Caron, a mega-sized mall at the end of the ski run back into town.

If you have the strength left to play squash, go trampolining or join a game of roller hockey after a day on the Val Thorens slopes, you are a better man than me. Personally, I would plump for the spa bath every time ahead of anything too strenuous. The sports centre opened four years ago and can be checked out at www.sogevab.com Worth a look if Val Thorens is on your destination short list this (or any other) ski season.

Our hosts at the tourist board had booked us a session of ice-driving lessons, which looked like fun, but that was cancelled because there had been too much snow on the course.

The compensation was more than adequate though: a day out with a ski guide who really knew his way around the mountains in the immediate vicinity of Val Thorens. This isn’t cheap if you have to pay for it – prices on application to the Ecole du Ski Francais – but it would have been worth over Euro.

Allain, our guide, was an expert on the history of the area, where the best runs were and where to get a good cup of coffee when needed. I doubt I have ever skied so many miles in one day in my life. I’ve certainly never had such a long day on the slopes. It was dusk by the time we skied round to the back door of the Fitz Roy.

Our day tour around the Val Thorens area included a couple of interesting stops organised for us by the tourist office to find out more about the town and the ski area.

First stop after coffee and before lunch was a new gondola due to open officially the following day. We took a ride with Eric Bonnel, the sales
and marketing manager for the local lift company, who filled us in on some of the resort’s immediate plans.

Two new lifts have been opened in Val Thorens this year, costing a cool 20million euros. The lift company turned over 40million euros last year, so the latest investments have swallowed up a sizeable share of the profits.

Our meeting with Eric was broken by a stop off at new lift station on the outskirts of Val Thorens that showed just how much thought is going into future developments of the town and the ski area.

Val Thorens is popular with day trippers and weekend visitors – we will come back to some statistics later – who are encouraged to park out of town. A bridge over the piste links a new car park to the equally new lift station, from which the entire ski area is no more than a couple of lift rides away.

Day trippers bring their picnics with them, something the town planners have catered four in the new lift station by building picnic rooms into it. No more soggy bottoms from sitting on the snow, or being chased out of mountain-side restaurants by angry waiters hollering “picnic interdit”.

Another surprise was to learn that the bulldozers had been at work during the summer making the run back to the out-of-town car park a little less steep. The reason being to encourage visitors to use the car park.

Before moving on to the final highlight of our visit, here are a few random facts on Val Thorens. Firstly, it isn’t England by the snow, unlike too many resorts in the French Alps.

Around 60 per cent of visitors come from overseas, the rest are French. Roughly a third of the non-French visitors are British; next best are the Dutch.

Be prepared for thin air. The resort height is 2300 metres and lifts will take you up to 3200 metres if your lungs are up to it.

Val Thorens is part of the massive Trois Vallées ski area, which runs to 600km of prepared pistes when all the lifts are open. The season runs until late April or early May depending on snow conditions. From early May onwards, most hotels are mothballed until November.

Our last treat wasn’t something you will find on a price list: lunch with one of the founding fathers of Val Thorens in his family-owned restaurant high in the mountains, Les Aiguilles de Peclet.

Camille Rey, the son and grandson of farmers, is 80 now and can remember when Val Thorens didn’t exist! His family used to graze their animals on pasture where the town is now, getting there along donkey tracks.

When nearby Les Menuires sprung up in the early 1960s, Camille was one of the people who spotted the potential for an alternative resort offering something a little less upmarket. In 1971 Val Thorens opened its first lift and Camille was the first manager of the first ski school in town. It was a fascinating lunch.

Today there are 29 lifts and half a dozen ski schools. Val Thorens remains a young resort though and is continually evolving to meet the moods of the skiing fraternity. We were only there on a flying visit for a couple of days. Next time, we are going for longer.

Conrad Sutcliffe visits Val D'Isere

Christmas 2007 was one of the whitest in the French Alps for a generation thanks to more than a week of continuous snow.

More than 160 centimetres of snow fell on the Espace Killy area, encompassing Tignes and Val d’Isere in the two week before Christmas.

Below-freezing temperatures firmed pistes up nicely, just in time for Christmas week.

After last year’s dismal Christmas across the Alps – mega resorts such as Alpe d’Huez could only open a quarter of their slopes – this one could not have been a better.

“I have been here more than 20 years and we have never had snow like this before Christmas before,” said Jane Jacquemod, the English-born public-relations director in Val d’Isere who went to France in the early 1970s to study at university in Grenoble and never went home.

“Last year the media got hold of the idea there was no snow in the Alps, which was true at first but not later in the season, and we suffered because of it as people stayed away.

“This year word has been getting around there has been early snow in the Alps and our reservations department has been saturated with calls from people looking to book up for Christmas week.”

Jordan Hollows, resort manager for Skiworld, who run 11 chalets and one chalet hotel in Val d’Isere, confirmed the opinion of the press office when he said: “We started filling our chalets early because of the early snow.”

Mr Hollows expects flagship chalets such as the 22-bed Chalet Du Fornet at La Fornet hamlet at the top end of the Isere valley to be full over Christmas and New Year. However, it is worth checking www.skiworld.ltd.uk for last-minute Christmas bargains.

“We like to think we have something for every pocket among our 12 properties,” he said.

“At one end there is the flagship accommodation like Du Fornet and the Chalet Tolima, where Eddie Jordan stayed with us last year, down to budget chalets like the Sylvia and the Bazille.”

Having had a look round the Chalet Du Fornet just after breakfast on Tuesday morning, I can confirm it certainly as a flagship location looking down the valley towards Val d’Isere town.

As far as the eye can see it was a winter wonderland of snow-dusted pine trees and traditional stone and wood-build chalets with chimney’s puffing out smoke. Christmas in your mind’s eye or what?

Val d’Isere isn’t the most-Anglophile resort in the Alps, Morzine and nearby Tignes would probably argue over that title, but 36 per cent of its winter visitors are United Kingdom passport holders. The Brit skier will feel at home, try rugby theme bar Le XV or the Underground pub, but it isn’t Blackpool by the snow.

French ski resorts tend to fall into two categories – purpose built, like Avoriaz and Tignes – or developed around an existing village, such as Chatel or Les Gets in the Portes Du Soleil.

Val d’Isere falls into the latter category, and is all the more interesting visually because of it.

“Our architecture is a bit of a hotch-potch because the town has developed over the years,” said Jane Jacquemod.

“There is the old village around the church, some buildings from the 1960s when the chalets started going up.

“Around 20 years ago a conscious decision was made to build in a traditional style. Buildings have columns at the front and there are a network of interesting alleyways to explore.”

Certainly, Val d’Isere is less of a hard-core ski centre than near neighbour Tignes, which is no bad thing. The two resorts compliment each other rather well.

The ski-from-first-lift-to-last light brigade are more at home in Tignes than Val d’Isere, where the relaxed approach is highlighted by the number of attractive-looking lunch spots dotted around the town centre and foot of the slopes.

Val d’Isere town is 250 metres lower than Tignes, which means it is below the tree line and a little less bleak when the bad weather sets in. It is also a touch warmer, although these things are relative when one is minus nine at dusk and the other a ‘balmy’ minus four!

What the neighbouring resorts do share is one of the largest 100 per cent linked ski areas in Europe, if not the world. Lift-ticket salesmen and women in the Dolomites and the Portes du Soleil will tell you their passes cover 400 km and more of pistes. They do, but they aren’t linked like the Espace Killy.

In many other resorts all over Europe you will have to take a bus or a train to get round the circuit. Not in the Espace Killy. All 140 marked pistes, serviced by 96 lifts and covering 312 kilometres of snow, are linked. You don’t have to take your skis off unless it is so sit down at one of the piste-side restaurants for a vin chaude or a café noir.

Hotel and chalet accommodation was snapped up like hot croissants in Val Thorens.

Val Thorens first claim to fame is it is the highest ski resort in Europe. At 2350 metres in the town centre, at 3230 metres at the top of the highest piste, there is nowhere higher.

Great height means low temperatures – when we visited the temperature has dropped to minus-10 degrees centigrade at night – which means once it snows it’s a while before the white stuff melts.

Val Thorens didn’t have too much pre-Christmas snow last winter, but more than made up for it after Christmas. While resorts lower down had grass sticking through the piste tops, it was business as usual until the end of April.

Julien Clatot, the assistant press attaché in Val Thorens, said this season’s early snow falls had meant a double whammy in terms of bookings.

“Last winter, when there wasn’t too much snow about, Val Thorens was snowsure and a lot of people remembered that when they came to make their bookings this winter,” said M Clatot.

“Most visitors only have one week when they can go skiing and they want to be certain there will be snow.

“Because if the early snow falls this winter, we were able to open our resort a week earlier than usual. We intended to open in November 25, but opened on November 18 as it was possible then to ski back to the resort, which is our criteria for opening.

“When people saw we already had snow in November, there was a second surge of bookings.”

Val Thorens is part of the huge Three Valley’s network of resorts that includes Courcheval, Meribel and Les Menuirs, to name just a handful.

Val Thorens alone operates 29 lifts serving 140kms of slopes. Almost 80 per cent of the prepared pistes are either blue or red graded, so mileage hungry intermediates will love the place.

A reasonable skier, such as your correspondent, can make a day out of a modest circuit to Courcheval and back – with time allowed for a decent lunch on the way.

One piece of advice worth noting for any first-time visitor to Val Thorens is wrap-up warm. This time of year it’s a warm day if the temperature gets to minus five!

Conrad Sutcliffe and photographer David Morgan travelled to Val d’Isere as guests of Skiwold (www.skiworld.ltd.uk) They stayed at the Chalet Hotel Le Fjord for three nights before moving on to Val Thorens, as guests of the local tourists board. While in Val Thorens they stayed at the four-star Fitz Roy Hotel (www.hotelfitzroy.com).

Christmas isn’t the most expensive time to go skiing – the week after is. For the best deals, check prices in early January before the month-long round of French half-term holidays start.

A six-day adult lift pass covering the Espace Killy – Val d’Isere and Tignes – will cost 198 Euros, around £140 in sterling. Children under 13 pay 148 Euros. Adults aged 75 or over get a free lift ticket – not that there are many takers – on production of a passport at the sales desk.

There are three underground car parks in the village and it pays to use them. Street parking is limited to 15 minutes and penalty notices start at 100 euros each. Persistent offenders can expect to have their cars towed away.

A Val Thorens lift pass, which covers all 600km of slopes in the Three Valleys area, will set you back a cool 215 Euros. Passes are free for the over 72s. Val Thorens is aiming to create a car free environment so expect to be directed to parking area on the edge of town and look for a shuttle bus to your accommodation.

Do-it-yourselfers can fly from Exeter to Chambery every Saturday during the ski season with Flybe. Hire a car at the airport and it is a two-hour drive to Val d’Isere or Val Thorens. Mini-bus transfers are easy to find on the Internet. It can be cheaper to fly Easyjet from Bristol to Geneva, but allow at least an hour more to get to either resort.

Richard Pryor visits Saas Fee

Where is it? In the valley next door to Zermatt and the Matterhorn, perched on a shelf of pastures at the base of a horseshoe of mountain peaks. Transfer times of between 3-4 hours from Geveva or Zurich. Sion airport is roughly an hour away but little used by the package tour operators. The skiing: High glacier skiing over 3500 meters. Poorly laid out system of lifts with walking between the top of the cable car and gondolas to reach the highest underground railway in Europe. This reaches the rotating restaurant with brilliant views all around. Being a glacier, off-piste skiing is strictly forbidden. With only two proper blacks, advanced skiers will find their opportunities limited. Lift pass covers Saas Grund (very pleasant, long lift up, two long reds down) and Saas Balen, which was shut when we visited. Apres Ski: Lively apres ski with a wide choice of indoor and outdoor venues Resort: Picturesque village set in bowl surrounded by mountain peaks. The entire village is car free and peaceful. However, this is spoilt by scores of electric milk float-type buggies that whisper through the narrow streets. The resort has a complete range of hotels, chalets and self-catering available. Who won’t like it: Very limited for advanced skiers. No off-piste, two good snow board parks but very limited beside that. Because of the glacier, all short lifts in the ski area are T-bars that can be re-positioned as the ice moves. Who will like it: Long cruisey reds, once at the top, very little poling even on the blues all the way down, limited main runs, so you can't get lost. The ski school is very good (I didn't use it), so ideal for mixed intermediate groups.