SNOGS - Snow Blogs
Caitlin Smith, Courchevel 1650
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Amazing off-piste skiing in Courchevel - 22/1/2012 11:23"If I never, ever ski again, I will die happy, say "Caitlin Smith of Le Ski after skiing 50cm of powder in the Three Valleys.
You know your day is going to turn out well when you have to wade out of your house of a morning. My two year old was neck-deep in the snow that had fallen overnight in Bozel, so I could only imagine the amount that had fallen on the peaks, 2000m higher... After a VERY long time spent extracting the van from the grasp of the "sensible parking spot" I'd picked, I wove my way up the hill to find a good 50cm in Courchevel 1650, so it was with much excited anticipation that I went through the "Alone People" queue and hopped onto the nearest available bubble lift and rang friends to find out where everyone was skiing. Thankfully my timing was perfect and I caught up with the girls straight away and we headed off in search of some fresh tracks. Did we find any? Yes, dear reader, we did! All day, in fact.. My friend Liz - who is new to Courchevel 1650 - was mightily impressed that at midday there was still powder to play in, and even more so at 3pm!
At the end of your season you can get a print-out from the lift pass office of all the lifts you've taken that winter. I'm pretty sure that the 6-man Chapelets will feature an unusually high figure, because that's the only lift I took all day. We were lapped several times by the boys who don't talk to each other on powder days, but us ladies had a truly splendiferous day! The snow was waist deep, there were pillow lines, face shots, cliff drops and the odd pause to search for lost skis... And plenty of giggles and smiling faces all round. It was one of those days when you think "if I never, ever ski again, I will die happy". I use the word 'epic' with hesitancy, but this season is turning out to be pretty bloomin' memorable. Unlike last year, when I think we had maybe 3 powder days, my 'everyday piste skis' are still in the cave looking forlorn as I've picked the 'Fat Caitlins' every time? Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report.
On a winning streak - 15/1/2012 14:16Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - January 15, 2012.
One of this week's guests smiled smugly to herself as she read a Courchevel blog on Saturday January 8: 'If you've booked a ski holiday to the Alps next week, you're onto some kind of winning streak and I suggest you go straight out and buy a lottery ticket'. Knowing that she was due to travel to Courchevel the following morning, she thought 'Why the hell not?' and promptly won a tenner! She has indeed struck gold with the incredible snow conditions - the best in 20 years, word on the street goes - and barely a cloud in sight all week. Temperatures have remained chilly (it is January after all), but that certainly didn't stop the bars and restaurants with sun terraces getting their deckchairs out. This has been my first week of piste skiing and I have loved cruising around the old favourites (Creux, Folyères, Chapelets) in the sunshine, carving up the deserted slopes in extremely flattering conditions. Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Etch-a-sketch skiing - 9/1/2012 10:06Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - January 9, 2012.
James rescuing the snowbound guests of Chalet Maurilisa. 'Snow has fallen, snow on snow' since I last wrote. And that snow has also been whipped up, chucked around and redistributed into very unusual places due to the crazy storm we experienced last week. Conditions have been incredible, yet thoroughly menacing in Courchevel over the last few days. Bring Your Sisters played après in the Bubble Bar on Thursday night and whilst the crowd inside were dancing raucously, the weather outside was doing a good job of redefining the word. The howling wind seemed to be coming from all angles and flinging snow up into the rafters of the buildings and into tiny crevices including the ears, eyes and nostrils of anyone foolish enough to want to go outside.
After the storm. Traffic was at a standstill and, whereas Alpine drivers are a pretty hardy lot, the general feeling was that hitting the road was certainly not a good idea at all - even then hardcore navette buses who seem to be totally weather-resistant were struggling to get to their routes - and with humungous queues and stories of people waiting for hours, I decided to give the journey back to Bozel a miss... Gales shrieked and shutters slammed all night in Courchevel, whilst in Val d'Isère everyone was sent home from the pub at 9pm and the roads were completely shut off to traffic from Bourg St Maurice up. A good reminder that even though it's all terribly civilised in the Alps, we are still at the mercy of what the mountains choose to throw at you. Talking of which, the avalanche risk has been 4-5 several times of late, which is pretty unusual and rather a sobering thought as you strap on your transceiver. However with some local knowledge you can certainly choose the safer spots and those who have been desperate to hit the powder have found incredible amounts of it.
Technical gear is required for etch-a-sketch skiing. Stories of face-shots and cliff-drops have been rife among those non-fair-weather skiers who don't mind pulling on their technical layers and getting on with it. Local photographer Duncan Walpole has a great phrase for making the most of the powder when it's dumping: 'etch-a-sketch skiing' - you can repeat the same run over and over again because the lines have all been wiped by the top up of snow! I have to confess I've not spent much time out on the hill of late, but when I have been out, it has been utterly amazing, I can't remember seeing snow like this since I started seasonnaire life in 2004. I'm not the bravest of souls (I'm a mum, you know) but the sheer amount of snow has meant I haven't minded being a bit more ballsy and even hopping off a few jumps - fantastic fun! Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Eighth season in Courchevel - 14/12/2011 20:11Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - December 14, 2011. I'm back! Season Eight in Courchevel 1650 for Le Ski, can't quite believe it. This summer we bought a house down in Bozel, which is at 865m in the valley below Courchevel, on the road out towards Champagny and Pralognan. In fact, hang on - maybe I should now be the Bozel correspondent? Although to be honest I have spent so little time there so far that I hardly know anything about it! That's all to be rectified starting from 'back to normal' week (w/c the one after New Years' Eve) when hopefully I'll have some free time to enjoy the place. Things at Le Ski are all extremely busy as usual at this time of year. Our first guests arrived to new snow in Val d'Isere on December 13, and our Three Valleys staff are in training ready for their arrivals on December 20, which means lots of practice meals (full English this morning, cake this afternoon, four courses tonight: yum yum but with a slight groan due to over-capacity).
So much snow and so little time All is going well so far, although the 'poor Ski Guides' (who don't have to sit through health & hygiene, how to fold a towel, how to clean a loo etc) haven't been able to see too much of the Three Valleys so far as the visibility isn't so great. Everyone get your violins out... So conditions across the Trois Vallées are apparently rather good with plenty more snow forecast for the foreseeable, which is a relief to all of us who were in resort before The Arrival Of The Snow.
No-one could quite believe we were going to be living in a ski resort...but we certainly do now - the van has been snowed in and dug out, the maintenance man has been gritting, the people who didn't read their packing advice letter have been sliding around in their inappropriate footwear, and our wonderful photographer Jonty Wilde has taken some fantastic snowy snaps of our super-swanky new chalets. So it'll be quite a different season for me this time around, what with the commute and all. But I'm really looking forward to experiencing the whole shebang from a slightly different perspective and making the most of my ski-in, bus-out residence - when the snow is sufficient I definitely plan to do the 2000m vertical descent home from the top of Saulire as often as possible. Watch this space for the photos... Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. An actual report on the snow for a change! - 8/4/2011 14:38Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - April 8, 2011. If you're thinking about ski holidays for the last couple of weeks of the season: I skied this week in Courchevel, and this is what it was like... Those folks who are keen on geography, geology, climatography and other related 'ologies' would be very interested to see what they'd normally miss out on during a skiing trip - what it looks like in a ski resort when the spring comes. There are patches of green across the valley, and crocuses on the roundabouts, but you can definitely still ski! Using the sun to your advantage requires a bit of planning, but you can definitely have a great week with some really good skiing if you hit the right spots at the right time. One of the benefits of skiing with a tour op is that you can ask your resident experts where is best to ski and at what time. Your chalet hosts and ski guides will be able to help you plan where to be and at what time, and importantly: where does the best ice-cream and the coldest beers!
Deckchairs at Verdons I haven't been skiing in a little while for one reason and another, so I didn't quite know what to expect when we headed up at 11.30am on Wednesday. Underneath the Ariondaz bubble was rather muddy, but we could clearly see that 'up top' was still very white. As we came out of the lift station, it looked just the same as normal - Rochers and Ariondaz pistes were in tip top condition and as we skied down to Signal lift, there was a tangible atmosphere of joy that we get in the UK when the sun comes out for a change, people shedding layers willy nilly and general whooping and feeling holiday-ish. A lot of folks were skiing in jumpers/gilets rather than jackets, and a couple of brave souls (who evidently don't except to fall over) going as far as wearing shorts. There's an urban myth that a girl was spotted skiing in her underwear in Val Thorens this week, but this is probably just hopeful speculation on the part of the male population. As to the snow conditions - after a season in which ice featured rather heavily, it was exhilarating to be able to get a proper grip on those edges and really carve up the quiet pistes.
Jean Pachod run Pyramides drag was next on the hit list. Both runs down were sublime, and again: practically deserted. We went up again to see what Jean Pachod was like. It faces roughly north-west and is one of the runs that often gets a bit of scree into the mix at the end of the season and a touch of the vanilla icecream in the snowpack. We didn't expect much, but it was absolutely fantastic! We could have stayed in that little area for a good couple of hours and had a ball. One of the aims of the day was to spot one of the mythical creatures known as a marmot. My friend is doubtful of their existence having not heard a single whistle in three seasons (except from the displays in the local gift shops). They usually tend to pop up as the lifts shut down, but then, it's usually not this warm. With hope in our hearts, we headed up Marmottes six-pack. The run of the same name was definitely shut, being predominantly brown in colour - to be honest, this is the run that you'd never bother skiing after February anyway, it's too south-facing to be much cop once the sun comes out. We scoured the patches of brown and surveyed their little burrows expectantly, but I'm disappointed to report that for now, the masters of disguise eluded us so she is still convinced that they don't exist. We'd opted for our powder skis which really came into their own after our ice cream and sunbathing break. It had got to around 2.30pm and the layers of snow beneath the surface had started to warm up and the snow got a lot deeper. With that in mind, we decided to cruise home. But skiing down was still really good fun! There are little puddley patches here and there which it?s fun to ski through, although bear in mind that some are deeper than others! We did see one poor soul who had accidentally stopped in one and was rather wet as a result. Best to retain a sense of humour in these situations, I feel!
Ariondaz and Rochers pistes A few of the lower runs were shut so we opted to get the bus back to 1650, although we were rather disappointed not to ski our favourite run - Marquis - down into the village of 1650. It has been squashed and scraped by the fab team of groomers that we have in Courchevel, but it's still most definitely there and most certainly skiable. The moral of this story is that you are still going to enjoy your ski holiday. The sun is shining, and you're on HOLIDAY! If you're a beginner, get a morning lesson rather than try and teach yourself to ski in the tricky conditions, or perhaps get the first stage out of the way in one of the indoor slopes in the UK so that you can head higher when you arrive in resort. Relax, enjoy the sunshine and inhale the pine-scented mountain breezes. And - this is really important - remember your suncream! Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Advertisement  Scrambling in the face of danger - 28/3/2011 10:44Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - March 28, 2011.
After the recent Nordic skiing trip to Champagny, we decided that rather than cruising around the beautifully-groomed pistes of Courchevel week in week out, we should partake in a weekly activity to broaden our horizons and local knowledge. And lo, Monday Club was born; entry to which is permitted upon formal application proceeded by a highly-competitive selection process. The first rule of Monday Club is the total opposite to that of Fight Club: we are obliged to relate our anecdotes endlessly to other non-members. The following tale has been duly related (and enhanced) many times since... Deferred until Friday last week, Monday Club's trip was to be a picnic down at Lac de la Rosiere - to the very far left of the piste map of Courchevel - in the beautiful sunshine that we have been enjoying of late. One new member complained within seconds of setting off that he had been mis-sold the 'experience' by the rep as the meander down to the lake had already turned into a scramble. What's more, a nearby sign reading 'danger' soon proved to be a warning that some of us were wearing inappropriate footwear; those in shoes specifically designed to have more technical features than your average skate shoe still managed to slip on the frozen waterfall, grabbing onto the steel rope just in time to save themselves tumbling 50m down a frozen ravine. Not a great start...
Thankfully the rest of the journey down to the lake was fairly trouble-free. Despite numerous icy patches, we'd opted for the quick and steep route, all managing to grab onto enough trees and rocks to successfully negotiate our way along the path with no more than the odd scratch or bruise. An interesting discussion soon took place on the ratio of hand versus foot use on a 'walk' compared to a 'scramble'... After a brief pause to admire the serene beauty of the lake (I really would recommend a trip down there if you're in town - I haven't included a picture so that you'll be even more surprised when you get there!), we decided to stomp up the track on the Dent du Villard to a hut with a bench to enjoy our picnic. As we ate, we admired the fine view of Courchevel: despite the lack of recent snowfall the mountains are looking, well, like a ski resort! The surrounding south-facing peaks are fast developing a browny-green hue as the grass springs to life, but looking back up towards the Courchevel Valley you can really see the benefit of north-facing slopes and appreciate the amazing job that the team of pisteurs do in the dead of night while we're all tucked up dreaming of fondue and fat skis.
It all went downhill after lunch, both literally and metaphorically. As time was on our side, we opted to descend the track towards Bozel rather than retrace our steps. However, it soon transpired that the somewhat carefree attitude to health and safety in France meant that we weren't as armed with information regarding the potential dangers of our undertaking as we might otherwise have been. The track commenced with clearly-defined edges and destination, but before long we found ourselves weaving through, under and around trees and wading through deep snow before emerging into a rather bare-looking area of very soft scree. It was a bonus that we had a science teacher in our midst. A brief geological assessment concluded that this was indeed very soft rock which was rather prone to sliding. We could potentially lose our footing and slip down the gully, or have rock slide from above onto us. Quietly and quickly we picked our way across the non-path back into the safety of the trees to breathe an enormous sigh of relief.
Scrambling through the scrub and wondering when the path was going to reappear, we were overjoyed to find a tree with a red and white stripe on it. What it meant, we had no idea - but at least this was proof that at some point in the last 25 years there had been a human being passing this way! The terrain turned from soggy rock to mossy undergrowth and we began a vertiginous descent into the forest. And then, miracle of miracles: a sign! With writing on! Grateful that it read 'Bozel' and not 'Albertville', 'London' or 'The Moon', we jubilantly bounced through the woods practising freestyle jumps and spins off the rocks and logs until we popped out into the sunshine of Bozel. At 800m, there was a distinct smell of spring in the air. We refreshed ourselves on the terrace at the Saint Roch in town and waited for our lift, feeling very much like we were on holiday. We live in a little resort bubble and although we all love it, it feels good to escape sometimes... Since returning from our 'walk' we have been informed that the Dent du Villard contains a large proportion of gypsum - the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale (that's right, talc is the first). This means that it is extremely unstable and prone to crumbling and landslides, especially at this time of year when the snow is melting and there's a high proportion of water in the surface rock. Needless to say, I highly recommend that you don't follow our path - stick to the wide paths! But do go and see the lake... Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Advertisement Mo March continues - 27/3/2011 09:13Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - March 27, 2011.
Race day Last year's very successful and highly amusing Valley Rally was repeated for Mo March 2011, resulting in a substantial yield for the charity pot and a vast number of silly photos! Teams of four were encouraged to come in fancy dress and partake in as many different alpine disciplines as possible - skiing, blading, boarding, telemark etc. The most ridiculous discipline unfortunately involved my team - the four of us adopting the minority sport of 'tandem skiing' for the day (one pair of loooong straight skis, two pairs of bindings) and dressed as horses. Yes, I have enormous bruises. Not known for shying away from the dressing-up box, the colourful congregation of seasonnaires assembled at Rocky's Bar in 1650 to admire costumes and collect the first clue, along with a Jaegerbomb and a glass of cider which also contained a whole egg. This was to be carried round the course and those with intact oeufs at the end of the day were to be awarded extra points. Many skiing ensembles from previous decades were dusted off for the occasion, some of the Le Ski guests even lending splendid one-piece suits to their chalet hosts! In a (highly successful) attempt to replicate 1850 chic, those seasonnaires who drove out - rather than struggling with the easyJet baggage allowance - donned fur coats and hats with elegant jewellery and accessories fashioned out of that classic foundation of Alpine fancy dress - tin foil.
Rosie in furs The multifarious activities at the checkpoints around the Courchevel Valley included exchanging clothes with team members, a run through the park (not so easy on your first day on your new discipline!) and piggy-backed apple-bobbing in icy water followed by eating sweets out of a bowl of flour - not ideal when wearing goggles as visibility on the cloudy day was already rather poor! Needless to say, there were horrible things to consume en route, the worst being a shot of garlic-infused beer. Not recommended on a first date with your one true love... The rally conveniently terminated in Pub Le Ski Lodge in La Tania, where the teams unpeeled themselves from their soggy costumes and enjoyed the dulcet 2/3 Irish (1/3 Welsh) tones of the Bring Your Sisters boys, on fine form on St Paddy's Day.
Mo March T-shirts crop The infamous Bring Your Sisters boys have kindly provided the soundtrack to Mo March, participating fully in the moustachio-ed month of mayhem: they also provided the entertainment on Race Day, another event with a substantial harvest both financially and photographically. The stade in Courchevel 1650 provided the gates, the wonderous snow-drills and the microphone for another day of silliness in aid of charity. The Le Ski team, hospitable as ever, arrived with a sumptuous range of salads and accompaniments to the BBQ which were enjoyed by racers and cheerleaders from as far afield as Val Thorens and even Val d'Isere.
Aerodynamic positioning Already famous on both WL2S Courchevel 1650 Snogs, the verbal expertise of Mr Ewan Mackie was yet again put to fine use as he commentated on the racing, often delving into the personal lives of the contestants to explain their recipes for success or individual racing style! The rather slow spring snow resulted in a rarely used slalom technique. Mo March will culminate in a prize-giving on Friday 1st April and the revealing of the final total raised (race day already brought in well over 2000 euros for Huck Cancer and Disability Snowsports UK). Watch this space... Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Advertisement It's still snowing! - 19/3/2011 12:36Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - March 19, 2011.
It's been snowing and it's still snowing! Which is splendid news for us folks of the Northern Alps. Here's a picture of the foot of the slopes of Courchevel 1650 on Friday March 18 to prove that there is most definitely snow in the Alps. There was masses of snow up top on Thursday, and although the off-piste was rather heavy and the avalanche risk high, the pistes have been improved no end by the top-up. Today's cooler temperatures will hopefully mean some lighter powder, although everyone in resort is still rather nervous of avalanches. I'd also like to share with you this video which was taken last week on a beautiful day's nordic skiing in Champagny-en-Haut. I've never been before and would HIGHLY recommend it: incredible scenery and good exercise teamed with an excuse to wear tight clothing - what more could you want?! Two of our crew decided that they had mastered the standard 'going forward' discipline; this is their attempt at 'nordic freestyle'. (Please note that Spandex has now withdrawn its sponsorship of these two candidates.)
Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Advertisement And so, Mo March begins? - 6/3/2011 08:54Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - March 6, 2011.
You'll all have heard of 'Movember', right? When blokes endeavour to develop a hirsuite upper lip for charity? Well we miss out on all that fun in the Alps, so a couple of years ago in Courchevel 1650 a few of the resort's hairier members got together and decided to create 'Mo March'. Advertisement The month kicked off on St David's Day with the traditional 'Shave Off', in which all participating males trooped along to the Bubble Bar, shaved with a proper razor (losing on average eight years in the process!) and had their picture taken as evidence that they commenced with a blank canvas. Prizes go to 'tashes with most growth, best style, most sponsorship and of course for those who - despite much massaging and preening - don't manage to gain substantial coverage: the bum bluff award. There are rules of course - the most important one being that it is most definitely CHEATING to grow a beard all month, then shave everything except the moustache at the end. Moustaches must be shaped as soon as the stubble appears and areas surrounding the 'tash must be kept clean-shaven throughout the month. They then embarked on the cut-throat (sorry!) process of gaining as much sponsorship as possible for their nascent 'tash. Sources of sponsorship range from resort friends (politically tricky, as of course sponsors don't want to show favourites!) to, most lucratively, their customers - if they're working in a bar or chalet hosting, this is a great way to add readies to the pot. March promises to be a fun-filled festival of facial foliage, and much more besides...Also on the menu is fancy dress, three-legged pub golf, buy a boy (so that the ladies can join in!), ski raffles, a valley rally, a race day and a prize evening - all in the name of charity. All money raised goes to Huck Cancer and Disability Snowsports UK. Last year's Mo March participants managed to cobble together a splendid £5.5k for the combined charities. For more information on Mo March, contact marcus@huckcancer.com Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report.No more flipflops - 27/2/2011 09:09Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - February 26, 2011.
Welove2ski powder! We can't really complain about five-plus weeks of solid sunshine, but we knew we REALLY needed some snow when we started we joking about 'the tents' instead of the chalets, or donning flipflops and heading to the balconies to sunbathe instead of skiing. Now I'm a big fan of sunshine, don't get me wrong. This year the slight lack of snow has meant we've tried some fun new things - cross-country skiing being the latest and most amusing venture. Cross-country lesson 1: The skis are not meant for normal pistes; take the bus and walk. Cross-country lesson 2: Always go the correct way round the track, otherwise you will go very fast downhill and the only way to stop is to fall over.
However it was definitely time to stop messing around on skinny skis and dust off the fat planks. Some of us have been suffering withdrawal symptons more than others, but across the board there was a tangible air of excitement verging on hysteria when the curtains were opened and the forecast had come true! Our craving for the white stuff meant that we definitely weren't going to bother waiting for the sun to come out before we got stuck in. The trees were duly skied out within the first hour or two. Conditions were a bit varied and sometimes technically challenging, but this was our first fix in a long time and we just didn't care.
Rumours of sunshine over 1850 got us heading higher. Some of the group had stayed the previous night in a refuge in the valley we were heading to and had gone to the valiant effort of putting in the first tracks in the morning, so we knew we were good to go. Expecting a slightly tough run down with sneaky rocks poking out and some of the old 'dust on crust', we were ecstatic to find that the first face was utterly incredible - we put in our turns in luscious, deep, silky soft snow.
Some of us put in more turns than others Our chests fit to burst with our racing hearts, we eyed up our next lines and greedily pushed onwards. Each of us was desperate for the next hit, yet no one wanted to get to the end of playtime in this secret garden, with its open spaces, craggy gulleys and the sound of pure, mountain silence. The end duly arrived, as it always does, and so we skated, hiked and scooted back to civilisation. We'd had enough to keep us going until the next time. Let's just hope it's not so long coming. Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Abseil in 1650 - 8/2/2011 21:14Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - February 8, 2011.
I'll start with a little update on the snow conditions in Courchevel. Yes, we still need some snow, but if you're a bit cunning about the pistes you choose to ski on (easy if you use Mont Blanc as your North) you'll still find some really nice skiing, especially on higher runs. The recent warmer weather means it's a bit softer underfoot which is great for huge carving turns, and - I can't stress this enough - the weather is GORGEOUS! Courchevel is a pretty happy place to be right now - seasonnaires are loving the warm sun on their backs, and our Le Ski guests are making the most of the buzzing mountain restaurants, working on their goggle marks to show off to the office when they get home! Still, some of us have been yearning for a bit of adventure away from the pistes, so on yet another beautiful sunny day, we gathered a few talented climbers, some rope and harnesses, and ventured off into the wild white yonder for some action. The mission: to abseil down 'the rappel couloir' and ski out.
The idea was to get a few snaps for Fork Tree Skis, and with Courchevel 1650 being the alpine home of the 100% custom skis, 11 of us congregated with our kit in the village for a pre-abseil coffee, a spot of binding adjustment and some general banter. The two of us girls were feeling a tiny bit nervous and giggly at the prospect of setting off on quite a gnarly expedition with 'the boys', who tend to ignore comments about hot chocolate stops and - God forbid - conversation about things other than skiing! So reigning in our extra-curricular chat, we concentrated on the task in hand. Strapping our skis to our backpacks for the hike up the ridge to the top of the couloir, we came across a range of interesting snow conditions: crust, sugar, slush, but no powder... Ah well, what did we expect with the avalanche risk being 1/5?! When we arrived at the top, our team of climbers jumped into action. The first task was to locate the bolt to hook the gear onto. Not easy, given the fact that a large and rather solid cornice had built up just on the lip of the couloir... Carefully placing a rope around a sturdy-looking rock, Gav lowered himself down to scrape, shovel, and then jump up-and-down on the snow to try and find the bolt and remove the bulk of the couloir out of our way. Safe in the knowledge that his mum wouldn't be upset (she's a climber too) we watched nervously as he dangled over the edge. Once the bolt was located, the ropes were set up and it was time for the off. The experienced climbers went down first to check out the lie of the land. Then it was my turn! Big moments (such as starting uni, my driving test, going into hospital to have my son) tend not to sink in until right at the last minute. So even though this was my first-ever abseil, my heart didn't start pounding until I was putting the harness and my backpack on and peeping over the edge. Safely in the hands of proper climbing instructors, I was shown the ropes (sorry!) and I stepped backwards off the edge of the world. The mixture of rocks and snow under my ski boots was a little disconcerting, as was the view down the narrow gulley (word of advice: never look down), but as soon as I started lowering myself the adrenelin ensured I had a huge grin on my face, and I was so busy concentrating on what I was doing that I forgot to look at the view! Before I knew it I was at the bottom of the rope and it was all over. Jonny came to unhook me and send the harness back up to the top, and I started clambering down to my friends who were waiting in the couloir to start the short ski back to the piste. The less said about the ski down, the better. The snow wasn't great - despite having never seen sunshine - and looking back up at our lines we had a good laugh at how crooked they were. But we didn't really go up there for the ski down - we all came back buzzing from the abseil itself, and it was great to be away from civilisation for the afternoon. Discussion in the pub afterwards led to the fact that the lack of powder has meant we've had to look further afield for fun, but still found ourselves having a pretty bloomin' great time! Thanks to Jonny Kaye from the Funky Fox for the pictures. Fork Tree photoshoot pics will be coming to forktreeskis.com soon!)
Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Snow polo and comedy in the Trois Vallees - 30/1/2011 17:18Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - January 30, 2011.
Testament to the skills of the piste-bashing team in Courchevel is this polo pitch just above the famous Altiport. The Polo Masters Tour came to Courchevel 1850 on January 27 this year for some fearsomely fast polo on snow. The tour, which also takes in Val d'Isère and Megève is an annual event which sees the world's top players come to compete in ski resorts for a proper test of riding and mallet-weilding: none of this nancying around on grass. My thanks to Andy Lloyd for taking the pics - Le Ski's professional photographer-cum-chalet host!
Andy also went skiing with Gavin the other day. Just because there's no powder, doesn't mean there's no point popping the old skis on and enjoying the pistes. Granted, most of us tend to keep the skis on the actual snow, but whatever floats your boat, Gav! Meanwhile, your interpid photographer has been watching someone else take pictures for once. Every two years we have the effervescent Jonty Wilde come to resort and take shots for our brochure and website. The Le Ski team were fantastic as ever, helping us out in their spare time by cooking and modelling; thanks guys!
Val d'Isere staff photoshoot You will laugh. We certainly did. A big thumbs up to the Funky Fox team in Courchevel 1650 for providing a change from the usual evening's entertainment and putting on a comedy night. Marcus Brigstocke was of course brilliant, although he didn't manage to get much of his political satire in for the holidaymaker/seasonnaire crowd. The adorable Alun Cochrane had us all in fits talking about mopping up oil spills with kitchen roll. Carey Marx could have easily offended the entire room with his potty-mouthed repertoire, but we couldn't help but snigger at his technically crafted one-liners. An absolutely fantastic night, and we hope the packed room means that it'll be repeated in the future.
Oh yes - for those of you who actually tune in for a snow report, I can confirm that the snow cannons have been toiling away, spraying masses of man-made snow onto the pistes, which are in surprisingly splendid condition, given there's been a lack of recent snowfall. You'll come across the odd icy patch which mean you're best to get those edges sharpened, but there is genuinely some really nice piste skiing to be had out there. Our guests leaving this weekend have also enjoyed a full week of al fresco lunches in the sunshine; not something you'd expect in January! This said, we have snow due in the next couple of days which will be good - about time the Austrians and Swiss stopped hogging all the precipitation... Click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Telemarking in Courchevel 1650 - 16/1/2011 13:50Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - January 16, 2011. It may be peeing down with rain in the UK, but our Alpine weather has remained stoically sunny for the past few days. The clouds rose slowly from the valley on Wednesday and haven't been seen since
In April this would mean springlike slush, but in January the cooler temperatures have produced a nice layer of sugary snow on the pistes. Best to stick to those runs that see most sunshine (not hard in 1650!), as the tendency has been for shady pistes to be prone to the odd icy patch. Time then, to turn to other acitivites for entertainment! Being in a ski resort en plein soleil, obviously the mountains are still the main attraction - friends have been spotted heading off on day-long ski tours into the peaks beyond the Les Avals valley, snowshoeing through the trees, bussing to other levels of the valley for walks and a change of scene, and this Saturday, a couple of us went back to the beginning and hired telemark skis for the day. With our regular telemarking friends unavailable for tips, we asked Nadine in Francis Blanc Sports for advice: "I can't really remember," she said, "you have to sort of start with a snowplough in a lunge?" I will confess that I have had a go at telemarking before, but this was several years ago and ended in frustrated tears! You know what they say about not getting your partner to teach you to drive? The same goes for telemarking. Feeling rather apprehensive, we popped into the Bubble Bar for an energising coffee and to shed a few layers in anticipation of excess perspiration.
After delaying the inevitable, we then bravely marched up to the nursery slopes, awkwardly giggling whilst struggling with our bindings. We snowploughed to the top of the ferocious-looking green run that is Belévèdere. In an incredible stroke of luck, we'd spotted a gaggle of New Generation telemarkers on the way down as we clung onto the drag-lift. This meant we had advance warning about which foot was supposed to come first when trying to turn! After a few lunging warm-ups, it was time to embark onto our first turns... oddly, the sensation of the transition came back to me and as I lunged, thighs steeled and teeth gritted, I managed to do two successive turns in a more-or-less correct position! My compatriot Nicola, who was a complete beginner, fared less successfully! Her legs simply would not do what she wanted them to, and she ended up - very frustratedly - in a peculiar snowplough at the end of each turn. After three runs our technique went rapidly more downhill than we were travelling - thigh burn and foot cramp had set in and we decided it was definitely time to head home! No wonder first-timers complain so much! It was a valuable lesson to us - as fairly experienced skiers, we both think nothing of skiing down steep blacks and bumps. but today we were finding a section of the nursery slope very tight, and some of the undulations too steep to turn on! And that's not to mention those IDIOTS whizzing past us at top speed on the way home! We will certainly be more sympathetic to those venturing on their first turns from now on... PS Talking of trying new things, we're all very much looking forward to the Funky Fox?s first Comedy Night on Wednesday January 19! Marcus Brigstocke of Altitude Festival is performing live, along with Carey Marx and Alun Cochrane. Tickets are a bargain ?13 from the bar. click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Ladies' Day! - 12/1/2011 16:16Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - January 12, 2011.
The six of us girls were hoping for great things this Monday. Snow on Sunday night had us all excited about a powder day, and so we rushed home after our morning shift to sling on our backpacks and check the batteries on our transceivers. No boys allowed! Most of them are injured anyway, so there was no-one to ban giggling and chatting and we were under no pressure to hurry up rather than stopping to photograph the pretty snow-covered trees! As we headed up the Ariondaz bubble, it soon became clear that sticking to the trees would be the best plan of action - heavy cloud had enveloped the resort all morning. Disappointingly, the snow wasn't all we'd been hoping for - nice on top, but with a significant crust underneath. Ah well, we'd make the most of it anyway. Heading up the usual Aiguille de Fruit, we emerged from the cloudy skies below and were delighted to be greeted by warm sunshine!
Rubbing our gloves together gleefully, we did a run down into the Chanrossa Bowl which didn't suffer from the crusty base of the lower pistes.Joining us was gnarly snowboarder Mickael, who patiently waited for us ladies as we faffed around doing 'turns'. Arriving one-by-one and whooping for joy, we headed for Creux Noir to check out the lie of the land. A few people had made tracks into the area already and there were still a few rocky areas to avoid, so we decided to go to the skiers' left of 'the needle' - the Pointe Emilienne just under the Aiguille de Fruit. The trek to the top was a little taxing for the first hike of the season, but well worth the effort. We reached the top, regained our composure and peered over the edge. Yours truly was instructed to head down first (what luck!) and heart pumping all the way I made the first tracks down into the bowl, pulling up with a massive smile and rosy cheeks at the bottom. The others soon joined me at the bottom, all with similarly huge grins. Girls being girls, we all made mental notes to slap on the SPF50 EVERY day. Even if it begins with thick cloud, there's often a silver lining! Still, gogglemarks enhance the cheekbones...
click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Four seasons in one week - 8/1/2011 19:12Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - January 8, 2011.
Inversion in the valley Conditions in resort have changed a lot since the New Year! We commenced 2011 with a photogenic few days of inversions in the valley down to Moutiers - the clouds nestled their way up the hill to wrap us in their frosty blanket, leaving a thin layer of ice crystals on everything in their path. Over the nouvel an, the world and his wife were on the slopes of Courchevel, shoe-horned into skisuits purchased the first time colourful ski wear came around, (and before middle aged spread set in). The pistes were handsomely groomed overnight and stayed in great nick until the subsequent evacuation over the weekend. On Monday, the sun came out and we ripped up the empty slopes, dodging the odd beginner and feeling very much at home, on top of the world!
Empty Biollay run Biollay was utterly sublime - we made sweeping carving turns on the deserted piste, hitting the rollers with confidence on the perfect snow. A couple of us headed up the Saulire cable-car to check out the infamous Grand Couloir, reputedly the steepest marked piste in Europe (I'm sure I'll be corrected on that?!).
The notorious Grand Couloir Advertisement We staggered our way down the narrow path that puts off the majority of skiers, and headed tentatively onto the first bumpy section. The main couloir was surprisingly flat and the snow was in top notch condition as it stares directly at Mont Blanc - due North. With knees and jaws steeled to a wee workout, we picked our way down the car-sized bumps back to civilisation on Combe de Saulire! Great fun. Such great fun in fact, that we headed up there on another quiet day; Saturday (smug us with our Sunday changeovers!). The bumps were somewhat larger, but again the snow so high up was lovely, comparing it, as we were, to the lower pistes which have been quite hard-packed the last couple of days, due to the warmer temperatures. It's so nice to feel the sun on your face in the perennial sunny spot of the Chanrossa lift!
Thinking about next week, with the snow due to arrive on Sunday, got us excited about venturing across the foreboding rocks to the adjacent couloirs. Think of us, won't you, when you're making your first round of office teas for the week on Monday morning? Sorry! click here for our Courchevel Resort Report. Abandon your pudding! - 31/12/2010 15:32Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports from Courchevel 1650 - December 31, 2010.
Saulire view May I just recommend that if you are still waiting for your dessert at 3.45pm in the Folie Douce in Val Thorens, that it might be prudent to abandon your pudding, click into those bindings and head rather promptly eastwards if you want to get back to Courchevel. Because yesterday, I opted to stay and finish my very delicious pudding, and had to be rescued by a kindly friend with four wheels in order to complete my journey... Advertisement What a fantastic day off though - it was almost as if I was on a skiing holiday! I had arranged to meet some visiting friends at the Folie Douce for a spot of steak, cheese and dancing. So I headed out at midday and was somewhat disheartened by the substantial queue for the Ariondaz Bubble in 1650. Not wishing to be late, I cunningly scooted up to the Belevedere drag, whizzed down to Granges and up Signal, Roc Merlet and Marmottes to test out the Fork Tree Skis I'd borrowed for the day. They were a good 20cm longer than my usual pair, so took a bit of getting used to but I coped admirably down the somewhat icy pistes of Niverolle and Aigle into Mottaret. I have to confess my knowledge of the Three Valleys isn't quite as good as it should be after six seasons, and I did have to pull out my piste map on Plattieres to work out my next moves. But in the end I made to the famous terrace in time for a spot of sunbathing while I waited nearly an hour for my tardy friends to arrive!
Yum! Lunch was utterly delicious in La Fruitiere. In view of the time limit we had a liquid starter of Sancerre, then tucked straight into the mains, sampling the scallop pasta, braised lamb shank and haricots blancs, steak and chips and confit of duck washed down by a Crozes-Hermitage which, fittingly, was a wee bit late arriving.
Dessert The high clouds began to veil the weak December sunshine, so we headed into the pale interior for dessert. Time ticked by quickly as we gazed longingly at the cheese selection in which we knew we wouldn't be able to partake. As the minutes passed, we reviewed my path home, estimating that I had approximately 48 seconds down the long run into Mottaret... but the other customers were enjoying their final course with such relish that I couldn't bear to miss out. We raced through the delectable desserts, pausing only for the occasional nod of appreciation and photo. It was 4pm by the time I was squeezing my way through the clomping throng on the terrace. Thankful to find my borrowed skis still in roughly the same place, I hurriedly got myself ready and rushed down the darkening pistes to Mottaret. I was still racing down Ours towards the sunset in a full tuck position when I checked my watch and realised that I definitely wasn't going to be ending my day on the slopes of Courchevel. I slipped my mobile phone under my helmet and rang for help, which kindly appeared in a little silver Skoda in La Chaudanne to drive round to 1650 for the requisite Thursday dose of Bring Your Sisters in La Boulotte.
Rescue! Arriving (inevitably) some 20 minutes late, we were dismayed to find a bouncer on the door who wasn't allowing any more admissions. While our friends boogied away inside, helpfully smiling and waving, I seized the opportunity to swap footwear. I know it's cheating to change out of ski boots for apres, but there is a highly likely prospect of being crowd-surfed so it seemed a sensible move. The bouncer eventually let the queue inside, and in thanks, was sent up into the air on raised hands for the final song! As a friend of mine always says: "These are the days you remember".
Crowd- surfing Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report. A white-out Christmas - 27/12/2010 10:09Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports on from Courchevel 1650 - December 27, 2010.
Okay, so we always dream of a white Christmas. But a white-out Christmas? Good old Père Noel brought us at least 20cm of fresh powder as fluffy as his beard on December 25. But visibility was pretty poor, and we had to stick to the trees immediately above 1650. Still we had great fun mucking about and headed back rosy-cheeked and happy in time to knock up full Christmas Dinners for our guests. We were less happy to wake up on transfer day to discover the skies had cleared. Transfer day is a no-skiing day, and so we missed out on the fresh powder and perfect visibility above the treeline. Fortunately, there was still snow about on Monday, and some of our staff donned their beeps and backpacks for a spot of hiking around the Creux Noir area. Conditions on-piste were also excellent, with very low temperatures - meaning great snow and well-earned stops for vin chaud! Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report. Women's World Cup comes to Courchevel - 22/12/2010 17:55Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports on from Courchevel 1650 - December 22, 2010.
Around 10,000 people turned up to watch the final of the Women's World Cup Slalom on Tuesday 21st December. The race was won by Austrian Marlies Schild who put 0.78 seconds over Tanja Poutiainen, 1.98 over Tina Maze and a whopping 2.25 seconds or more over the rest of the field. It took nearly all summer to complete the reshaping of the mountain and reputedly over two million euros to prepare the course, and the international race authorities were so impressed with Courchevel's organisation that they have already requested a repeat next year.
Most of the Le Ski staff and friends turned out to watch the racing and were enormously impressed to see the action unfold at such close quarters. You could hear how icy the course sounded and marvel at the power in the competitors' turns.
Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report. Race day! - 21/12/2010 09:42Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports on from Courchevel 1650 - December 21, 2010.
What's this? A traffic jam in Courchevel? Unheard of! It's because the Women's World Cup is being held today in Courchevel 1850, for the first time in no less than 30 years. Pictures of speedy ladies to follow later today... Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report. Unexpected powder day - 21/12/2010 08:12Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports on from Courchevel 1650 - December 21, 2010.
There I was, walking around the village thinking: "Hmm, bit slushy underfoot - will have a little cruise around the pistes as the off-piste will probably be a bit naff but it'll be good to get some fresh air?" Two hours later I was persuaded into taking the backpack with the obligatory avalanche gear in it - just in case - and WOW! What an afternoon!
Sam's new skis Four of us (one on ridiculous, brand new pow-killers) headed up the Aiguille de Fruit chair-lift in Courchevel 1650 and had our pick of fresh lines in really decent powder. Here's Marcus, (part of the Le Ski establishment and founder of charity Huck Cancer ) having a very lovely time, also on his new Fork Tree skis!
Marcus DEFINITELY the best day of the season so far! (Ok that's only the third time I've skied, but hey...) Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report. Great snow - if you can get here - 18/12/2010 22:07Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports on from Courchevel 1650 - December 19, 2010. The last few days have been super-busy with Le Ski in Courchevel. Our first guests are due to arrive on Sunday 19th, to great snow conditions. Our fingers and toes are currently crossed that they'll be able to get here... Thursday was our first staff day off and everyone enjoyed a free lesson, very kindly provided by the wonderful New Generation team. Our many returners even learnt something about improving their lazy seasonnaire technique! Conditions were hard and fast, but the pistes were in very decent nick considering there'd been no snowfall in a while - the pisteurs do an amazing job over here. We then enjoyed well-deserved apres in La Boulotte with Bring Your Sisters, and their newest member on drums. On Friday morning we woke up to heavy overnight snowfall (only a teeny bit annoyed it hadn't arrived for day off!) and the snow continued all day whilst we had a busy day preparing the chalets for their first visitors. The morning commute was a bit hairy, but you have to get your powder fix somehow, eh Nicola? Word is that a thaw is now on the way, but there's more snow in the forecast for Christmas Eve. Up here, a white Christmas is a certainty... Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report. Cirque de Soleil, Robbie Williams, Christina Aguilera and Rod Stewart come to Courchevel - 15/12/2010 19:38Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports on from Courchevel 1650 - December 15, 2010.
Alpine gossip at its finest: everyone in Courchevel is talking about the Ukranian birthday party. The lights you can see in the photo above are coming from a large, recently-erected tent just outside 1650 where Cirque de Soleil, Robbie Williams, Christina Aguilera and Rod Stewart (not to mention an ice-skating horse!?) are apparently due to perform for a rich Ukranian's 50th birthday. Tickets just 80k euros per person (as opposed to Christmas with Le Ski from £499!)... Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report. Ariondaz bubble opens in Courchevel 1650 - 12/12/2010 14:22Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports on from Courchevel 1650 - December 12, 2010.
The Ariondaz bubble in Courchevel 1650 opened yesterday. Conditions are hard-packed and fast, and the drop in temperatures means the snow cannons are hard at work. Our ski guides are preparing for their first guests on the hill with New Generation ski school, while the chalet hosts are on cleaning training...! Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report. ...and we're off! - 8/12/2010 12:45Caitlin Smith of chalet specialist Le Ski reports on from Courchevel 1650 - December 8, 2010.
Le Ski has arrived in Courchevel! The Bubble bar is open and buses full of new seasonnaires are regularly rolling into town! Bring on Winter 2010-11! First diary date - 21st December 2010. It's not often the World Cup of skiing comes to town - so we'll all be lining the course to see just how gnarly these ladies are. Click on the link for our Courchevel resort report. | ||
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