News & blogs

Jesse in Jackson, Wyoming has sent us details on a Safety First programme they are running. Whislt we may not all get over the America for our skiing I am sure it will be of interest to us all.  If you are heading to Jackson and want more information or booking details contact Jesse here.

Last week it was a delightful group of Kenyans all learning how to ski and generally ski teaching was fun and happy.  This week I’ve been plunged into Christmas week ‘cours collectifs’ and I’m grasping for the French, Dutch and German phrases for ‘get up yourself you lazy enfant, it’s the millionth time you’ve fallen over for no reason today’…

That the holiday season is upon us is evidenced by the English, American and Dutch accents that are now common in mountain restaurants and on chairlifts. But the Föhn wind is blowing from the south bringing milder weather - not what the mountains need in the run up to Christmas. Anticipating soft snow this afternoon, I headed for St Jacob in Haus in the Pillersee valley, a small resort that will be fun for a day, but is not somewhere that an experienced skier would spend a week.

Got into resort last Wednesday; one of the blokes I'm working for picked me up from Geneva. Not much snow as we headed up, and the same was to be said for resort.  I'm living in a place called Le Praz (pronounced Pra) which is at 1300. There are a few different resorts in Courchevel: 1850, 1650, 1550, Le Praz and Saint Bon - all well connected via a frequent bus service and also the 'bubble' lift. First week has been a lot of driving, mainly to Geneva but also Grenoble and heading all the way up to Val d'Isere! Couple of 13 hour days clocked in so far, with any luck that will even out into some nice days off.

If the green credentials of your ski holiday are becoming very important to you then the Paradiski area can let you indulge without the guilt. They have been working very hard to give their resorts renewable energy and here is the latest news from paradiski.com:

Now 100% of its energy is renewable it's even easier to keep carbon costs when visiting Paradiski by taking the train and staying in an eco-lodge.  Here’s how.

Worried about transfers to resort if you are travelling by train? here is the answer to your prayers. Those lovely people at Three Valleys Transfer are starting a new shared transfer service that will take you from the station at Moutiers for a set price. So no more haggling with taxis or worrying about being stranded, just book before you go and travel  in the confidence that your driver will be waiting for your train.  Read on for full details from Three Valleys.

Want to go to the ski shows for free? You are in luck - today we kick off our grand Facebook competition. We have 15 pairs to give away to either the London, Glasgow or Birmingham NEC shows which are all running in the next three weeks. That means that all things snowy - new kit, holiday offers, ski advice, talks, wine tasting, ski demos, loud apres-show music, etc - are soon to assemble under three vast roofs.

If you haven't booked your 2012/13 season ski trip then here are a few deals that might save you searching, or at least whet your appetite!