Ski Blog

Tignes opens for business

phil.griffin@archant.co.uk — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:20:00 GMT

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

sally.fairbrother@archant.co.uk — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:19:00 GMT

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

lee.glanville@archant.co.uk — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:11:00 GMT

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

phil.griffin@archant.co.uk — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:42:00 GMT

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

phil.griffin@archant.co.uk — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:46:00 GMT

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

phil.griffin@archant.co.uk — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:20:00 GMT

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

phil.griffin@archant.co.uk — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:06:00 GMT

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.

Conrad Sutcliffe talks abouts skiing in December

phil.griffin@archant.co.uk — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:02:00 GMT

EVER thought about skiing before Christmas but been too afraid to try it? You tell yourself there won’t be any snow, the lifts won’t be open and the bars and restaurants will all be in mothballs. So why take the risk?

They are all reasonable worries. But in the age of the Internet it is possible to check out resort opening dates – including ones that have been brought forward thanks to early dumps of snow – and get some first tracks in before the hordes arrive for Christmas and the New Year holiday. If you have a bit of nerve, access to the Internet on the move, a hire car and somewhere to stay, you can have a skiing experience that will never fade from the memory.

Certainly our three-man party – myself, photographer David Morgan and fellow journalist Phil Griffin – won’t forget our whistle-stop tour of the Alps, during which we skied in France on Monday, Switzerland on Tuesday and Italy on Wednesday before getting two more days in France before flying home with a week left to do the Christmas shopping!

The mechanics of the trip were relatively simple. We located an apartment in the village of Argentière in the Chamonix Valley, booked three return flights from Bristol to Geneva with Easyjet and picked up a hire car when we landed. An hour and a half later we had dumped our bags in the flat and retired to the nearby Office Bar to plan day one of our tour.

Having checked the Chamonix website in advance (www.chamonix.com) we knew a limited number of runs were open in the Grand Montets area roughly two minutes drive from our base. After a leisurely breakfast, and a quick trip across the road to replace some of last season’s worn out kit, we motored down to the lift pass office and bought a day ticket for the Grand Montets area.

Okay, the skiing was a little limited, but the place wasn’t exactly crowded either. By the end of the day we were on nodding acquaintance with most of the other skiers on the mountain. But there was more than enough snow to keep us occupied for around five hours, including a 2km red run down the mountain back to the main gondola. Just the thigh-burning exercise needed to get the ski legs working again. And with a discounted lift pass costing 24 euros – less than £17 at the rate of exchange – who was complaining. Not us as we weaved down virtually deserted slopes.

From our pre-trip research we already knew that Crans Montana (www.crans-montana.ch) and Verbier (www.4vallees.ch) across the border in Switzerland had been open since the last week of November. Over dinner in the Stone Bar on Monday night we opted for Verbier as it was a shorter drive. Argentière is barely 15 minutes’ drive from the frontier and from there it is a short hop to Martingy, where we picked up the E62 and headed east to Verbier Verbier styles itself as the Four Vallees, although when we visited only one of them was open and that was somewhat restricted. But we were able to get almost 3000 metres up the mountain to the Col des Gentianes and explore the reds and blues that had already been bashed in readiness for the start of the season proper. If we needed any reminder that Verbier was getting ready for the season we got it approaching a coffee stop at La Chaux when a maintenance worker skied past us carrying an extendable ladder over his shoulder!

During five hours slope time we skied everything worth skiing several times – plus one stone-littered run we probably should have avoided after the first sortie – and came off the mountain well satisfied. The worst part of the day was the drive home, particularly the leg down the mountain back to the E62 behind what seemed like every road-mender’s truck in Switzerland, although a provisioning stop at the Co-op just outside Verbier lifted our spirits as the prices were less than across the border in France.

Our dining options in Argentière were a little limited that night as the ‘official’ opening of the resort wasn’t for another four days. We ate well in La Rencarde – which has the benefit of a wireless Internet connection which laptops can be hooked up to for a quick check of the following day’s options. Over tartiflette, a few beers and an entertaining chat with a group of Parisian window cleaners in the village doing some sprucing-up work, we settled on Courmayeur as the destination for day three. If it’s Wednesday, it must be Italy… A quick check on the worldwide web (www.courmayeur.com) confirmed the lifts had been running since November 25 and there was enough snow around for 80 per cent of the pistes to be open. Well worth the trip then. When the weather is right and the right lifts are open you can ski from Courmayeur to Chamonix.

We weren’t that lucky and had to drive through the Monte Blanc tunnel, which was no great hardship as the entrance on the French side was within 15 minutes of our apartment. The 38 euro return toll was a bit of a shock, but less than half an hour after setting off we were getting lost in and around Courmayeur trying to find either the main lift station or one that was open. Another shock was the cost of a day ticket at nearly 37 euros, but we were told the mountain was almost fully open so why quibble? The pain of parting with our cash was quickly eased by the lift-station attendant holding the gondola for us to lumber through the turnstiles and round to the door. Bet he doesn’t do that during February half-term week.

The Courmayeur website was spot on. Having got up to Plan Chercrouit, and stowed our gear in lockers at the Noleggio ski shop and headed for the top of the hill. Two lifts later we emerged at Cresta Youla with two stunning views to drink in. On the left was the awesome sight of Mont Blanc. Immediately ahead of us was a wide-open red run and not another skier in sight. It was deserted. At times like that you really appreciate the magic of the mountains. We gorged ourselves all day at Courmayeur until there was nothing left to ski. Before lunch we skied the Chercrouit side of the piste map. After an excellent – and surprisingly inexpensive lunch at the mini-resort of Plan Chercrouit halfway up the mountain, we followed local advice and switched to the Val Venny side.

By the time we dragged ourselves reluctantly off the mountain and back to our hire car, it was starting to get dark. Could it get any better? We didn’t think so. But by Friday we had to admit we were wrong. Day four took us down the Chamonix Valley and on to Megève where we had an unexpected bonus of free lift passes. True there were only a handful of lifts to take advantage of as the resort wasn’t fully up and running yet. But it was a nice gesture by the lift company and went some way towards getting over the 26 euro bill for two cups of coffee each and one cake between the three of us during a walk around town.

The Rothschild banking dynasty had a lot do with the emergence of Megève as a winter resort around 80 years ago. Judging from the coffee shop prices in the town and the restaurant menus on the mountain, it pays to be a well-heeled banker to go there. With only half-a-dozen runs open, we had our fill of Megève not long after lunch and wound our way back down through St Gervais to Argentière and an early night in the bar planning our fifth and final excursion. A casual conversation the previous night in the Rusticana bar with a couple from Scotland had tipped us off that there was great skiing to be had at Les Houches (www.leshouches.com) where almost all the marked pistes were open.

The chance to have a crack at the Kandahar – the black run used for Men’s World Cup round in February – made our minds up for us. It snowed all night and was still coming down the following day when we loaded up our trusty VW Golf estate and pointed it towards Les Houches and the Bellevue lift station. There was fresh powder to be had and we couldn’t wait to get our ski tips in it. Courmayeur was good. But Les Houches was better. Round and round we went on semi-deserted pistes with the powder coming up to the top of our boots. With tree-lined pistes and charming mountain huts to stop at – one reminded me of an old-fashioned British transport café with its smoke-filled interior and reasonable prices – it was a day to remember for all the right reasons.

After a late lunch at La Cousna restaurant next to the Bellevue gondola, and a delightful chat with a father and daughter from Marseilles, there was just time to squeeze in two more runs – the last one down the Kandahar to finish on the highest of highs.

Back in the summer when we started planning our pre-Christmas excursion, fellow skiers of our acquaintance were quick to tell us we were mad heading for the Alps in the second week of December. We proved them wrong with a bit of careful planning. My advice to anyone thinking of following in our ski tracks is to do the same. Head for Geneva on a cheap flight then pick up a car at the airport. We covered almost 500km during our six-day stay and it was worth its weight in gold to us. Use the Internet before you go, to see where the snow is and find accommodation, and have some way of logging on when you get there. We had laptops with mobile phone connections, but it probably would have been much cheaper to use computers in bars and restaurants. And don’t be put off by people who say it is a ‘crackpot’ idea. Those same people were the most jealous ones when they listened to our stories when we got back. As for the cost, we paid about £75 each for flights, around £300 split three ways for our hire car and £250 for our apartment. Lift passes were generally discounted and – even with Courmayeur included – it cost us less than £75 for the week. Wining and dining accounted for around £100 each. Total cost per head was around £425 and it was worth every penny.

Conrad, David and Phil flew with Easyjet from Bristol to Geneva (www.easyjet.com), hired their car from Europcar (www.europecar.ch) and stayed in accommodation found via (www.mediaski.com).

Wayne Sharpe and friends visit St Foy near the mega resorts of Tignes and Paradiski.

phil.griffin@archant.co.uk — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:56:00 GMT

I have passed the turning to St Foy many times over the years on my annual pilgrimage to Tignes or Val d’Isere but never given it a second thought. In December of 2005, I was given a taster of its delights.

After finding the cheapest flight from the Midlands to the Alps - that being Fly Thompson from a cattle shed they call Coventry airport to Leon for £48 (inc taxes), we arrived at the Leon car rental at 9.40am French time. Three of us hired a Renault Kango that looked like a bile-green bread van – ugly, but oh so practical, and we were soon on our way. Two and a half hours later were had passed through Bourg St Maurice and were just about to turn past La Thuile to Sainte Foy.

First impression of the village was it was very French; pretty little houses in classic local stone and wood style. You could not really tell where the Village turns into Ski resort. We stopped off at the supermarket, later found to be the only one, for those essentials of milk, eggs, teabags and (surprisingly) English bacon. The guys, being hungry, also grabbed one of the rotisserie chickens filling the outside air with smells that could not be resisted. Across the way was the tourist office, where we were welcomed and exchanged 104 Euros for lift passes.

There we were given a report on the snow conditions: No new white stuff for three days but plenty of powder all the way down to the village. A short drive up the hill, past the ubiquitous Premier Neige chalets, saw us at the chalet Col Du Mont Half an hour later we were out of the chalet and straight on to the blue slope down to the chair. Whilst waiting for my colleagues, I had a quick look round and saw the usual meeting places for ski school and two free magic carpet lifts being used enthusiastically by a handful of children. The nearest restaurant, situated at the base of the home run, looked busy - with mostly French families eating out on its sun terrace.

A quick look the board indicated we were at 1550 and the top lift was at 2620. Don’t let this low start height put you off though - the resort has an uncanny habit of holding powder-type snow. The guys arrived after stopping to pick up a crepe for pudding and we were off on the first lift. You have probably gathered now that we are not rush-around-types, but are little more leisurely. - In fact only I could actually ski, my pals were boarders - but we had all decided to snowboard on this trip to take advantage of the powder.

At the first station There are two restaurants at the intersection of three main runs - a blue , a red and a red mogul field. We only ever used one of the restaurants though, as it was in direct line off the lift and all the resort staff seemed to use it. The plate du jour was always good, followed by a pichet of red, and some cheese for myself and cake for the others. Well it was cheap and we were on holiday! It was one of these lunch times during our mingling with the resort staff that we discovered the Joys of Genepy (what a pretty little flower). And the fact that the village was growing fast as dutch builders cash in on the demand for traditional-style but very modern accommodation. With only three lifts , a fourth is due in 2006 - you could be fooled into thinking the skiable terrain is limited. This could be true if you are not even ever so slightly adventurous and wished to stay on piste for the whole week. From the top station there are only two marked runs down - a red and a black. I must admit not doing either all the way down as the off-piste is inviting, vast accessible and easy. The off-piste area is marked and you could start doing the easy routes down to the second chair then progress up to the Traverse and the longer routes to the bottom lift. Although long, it would be difficult to get lost as all routes seem to lead back on to piste or itineraries straight back to village. This is what is so good about St Foye: you can be adventurous but still feel safe. There are several routes that we didn't get time to do as they required a guide and they are very long.

The run to Monal is apparently a classic. We intend to go out in March to do all the itineraries especially now we have shared a bottle of sloe gin with a friendly ski Instructor who owns the Iceberg Bar in the village. We took two days out to visit the Espace Killy and Le Paradiski areas. Although extensive, the snow in both resorts was tracked and icy when compared to St Foy, which is clearly down to the number of people using the slopes. We never queued for a singe lift, compared to Val, and twice in the week we saw both the Val d’Isere and Tignes race teams practicing here.

Overall, St Foy is a great place to have as a base, especially if you have car as Tignes, Val, Les Arcs and La Plagne are all within 20 minutes. But I warn you: like us you will be spoilt by the unhurried atmosphere, empty pistes and excellent snow of St Foy and will end up returning.

Criticisms? Limited piste skiing, but what there is is good and un-crowded. At 3pm we were finding sections of piste that were still groomed. There is a shortage of nightlife, although there are four bars and live music at weekends. Following early apres ski and a sauna, dinner, we shared the driving and traveled into Val for party nights. Our group stayed at chalet Col Du Mont, a private chalet owned by Nick www.skisainte-foy.com It sleeps 12 and has a sauna - most importantly is ski to door. The Official Resort web site is www.saintefoy.net

Lee Glanville talks about her holiday in St Anton, Austria

phil.griffin@archant.co.uk — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:52:00 GMT

ST Anton is a serious skiers' paradise - there are miles of testing runs and, if you feel the need to venture elsewhere, the lift pass entitles you to ski in the upmarket villages of Lech and Zurs.

After many years of skiing in first Italy and then France, it was my first foray into Austria, and what an eye opener it was. From the time we hit Innsbruck airport, Austria was an example of efficiency and was no more expensive than France - even in the mountains. The locals are friendly, keen that you enjoy their village and, for someone who can manage a stilted conversation in French but can only manage a round of beers in German, what was even better was that almost everyone speaks perfect English! Ski hire was a bar-coded dream "try different skis every day if you like, but these should ensure you keep up with your husband!"
proved good advice. Even the highest mountain loos were much more than a hole in the ground!

Wilma Himmelfreundpointner, deputy director of the St Anton tourism office, advised us to make the most of the sun - and for three days we did, all the while wishing for some snow to cover the icy patches. Best runs included the reds down to Stuben, highlighted by a lengthy run down a marked off-piste skiroute, which our boarder friend Wayne encouraged us to try, “it's only a red”.

Rechecking the piste map that night confirmed, as we had feared, that the route was an extreme black! A great run down Happy Valley, a long blue after a drop down black 10, suited every skier in our group. But, be warned, it gets very busy in the afternoon. Best start, and finish, early and head for either the Krazy Kangaruh or, for some real Austrian apres ski, the Mooserwirt and prepare to boogie in your ski gear. Don't forget though you will have to ski back down the home run to St Anton village at 8pm when both bars shut.

The chance for a turn down the Olympic Bobsleigh run in Igls, with a medal-winning driver behind the wheel, proved well worth the bus ride. The run is only open for eight weeks each year - if you get the chance go - it’s great. Overnight on Tuesday we had our wish for snow and enjoyed some great powder on the Rendlebahn the next day - again the marked ski routes saw low-risk, off-piste fun. Thursday was a truly black day and shedloads of soft powder kept both skiers and boarders happy.

Downside was the rain at village level but we only stopped there for lunch and soon headed upwards again - and later back to the Mooserwirt. Snow continued and, with added wind, Friday was almost a white out. Twenty-minute queues for the main cable car led to mid-station and only a black down - and that after crossing a stretch of mountain so windy we thought we may be blown off - if only we could see where the edge was!

Once over the side, it was possible to see the lovely piste. As a friendly instructor pointed out to a female skier in our group: “It is very romantic,” before adding: “are you here with your husband?."

Lunch in a log cabin, fire blazing, with thick snow falling outside was romantic, but the skiing after lunch was tricky and we soon called it a day. St Anton is a great skiers’ resort - and there is a great well-being centre with sauna, steam room and indoor/outdoor heated pool if you fancy the afternoon off. Be warned though, no cossies in the sauna. But I wouldn't advise the resort for beginners or small children unless booked into the excellent ski school. A first-timer in our group found it very testing and much preferred the wider, groomed blues of Lech. It is not that there aren't plenty of blues in St Anton but they do get busy, mainly in the afternoon, as all head for the apres ski. Ah well, as we sang in the Mooserwirt, "Que sera, sera..."

To find out more about St Anton visit http://www.stantonski.co.uk/ or contact the tourist office on: info@stantonamarlberg.com Our party stayed in a Crystal chalet but check out the glorious Hotel Alteposte in the town centre.

Phil Griffin tackles the Vallee Blanche

phil.griffin@archant.co.uk — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:34:00 GMT

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!