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If you like to sample the very best of the local cuisine when not on the slopes, this press release from Savoie Mont Blanc should, er, whet your appetite...
More stars for Savoie Mont Blanc The 2015 Michelin guide is out and more stars have been awarded to restaurants in Savoie Mont Blanc. There are now 36 Michelin starred restaurants in the area: 2 x 3-star, 12 x 2-star and 22 x 1-star, so a total of 52 stars. La Bouitte in Saint Martin de Belleville got a third star, l'Atelier d'Edmond in Val d'Isère got a second star and three restaurants were awarded their first stars: Le Bois Prin in Chamonix, L'Ekrin in Méribel and L'Epicurien in Val Thorens. 
Photo courtesy of Flocons de Sel, Megeve Here is the full listing of Savoie Mont Blanc's starred restaurants: 3 stars Flocons de Sel (Megève) – Chef Emmanuel Renaut La Bouitte (Saint-Martin-de-Belleville) – Chef René et Maxime Meilleur 2 stars Le Clos des Sens (Annecy-le-Vieux) – Chef Laurent Petit Yoann Conte (Annecy/Veyrier-du-Lac) – Chef Yoann Conte Le Bateau Ivre (Le Bourget-du-Lac) – Chef Jean-Pierre Jacob Albert 1er (Chamonix Mont-Blanc) – Chef Pierre Maillet Le Chabichou (Courchevel) – Chef Michel Rochedy Pierre Gagnaire pour Les Airelles (Courchevel) – Chef Pierre Gagnaire Cheval Blanc (Courchevel) – Chef Yannick Alléno La Table du Kilimandjaro (Courchevel) – Chef Nicolas Sale Auberge Les Morainières (Jongieux) – Chef Mickaël Arnoult Jean Sulpice (Val Thorens) – Chef Jean Sulpice Le Kintessence (Courchevel) – Chef Nicolas Sale L'Atelier d'Edmond (Val d'Isère) – Chef Benoît Vidal 1 star Million (Albertville) – Chef José de Anacleto Le Belvédère (Annecy) – Chef Vincent Lugrin La Ciboulette (Annecy) – Chef Georges Paccard Auberge Lamartine (Le Bourget-du-Lac) – Chef Pierre Marin Atmosphères (Le Bourget-du-Lac) – Chef Alain Perrillat-Mercerot La Grange à Sel (Le Bourget-du-Lac) – Chef Gilles Blonay Côté Marché (Chambéry) – Chef Alexandre Ongaro Le Bistrot (Chamonix Mont-Blanc) – Chef Mickaël Bourdillat Azimut (Courchevel) – Chef François Moureaux Ô Flaveurs (Douvaine) – Chef Jérôme Mamet La Ferme de l'Hôspital (Saint Julien en Genevois/Bossey) – Chef Jean-Jacques Noguier L'Auberge du Père Bise (Talloires) – Chef Sophie Bise Le Farçon (La Tania) – Chef Julien Machet Le Prieuré (Thonon-les-Bains) – Chef Charles Plumex La Table de l'Ours (Val d'Isère) – Chef Alain Lamaison 1920 (Megève) – Chef Julien Gatillon La Table de l'Alpaga (Megève) - Chef Christophe Schuffenecker Le Sérac (St-Gervais-les-Bains) - Chef Raphaël Le Mancq Le Bois Prin - (Chamonix) Chef Denis Carrier L'Ekrin – (Méribel) Chef Laurent Azoulay L'Epicurien – Val Thorens Chef Jéremy Gillon Le Strato (Courchevel) – Chef Sylvestre Wahid Savoie Mont Blanc Tourisme is the Tourist Board for the Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments. Savoie Mont Blanc covers two thirds of the French Alps and boasts 110 ski resorts. www.savoie-mont-blanc.com Twitter @SMBIntl |
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Cowell? I was thinking that looked a bit like Jabba the Hutt...
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J2Ski Snow Report - January 29th 2015
Started by User in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, 10 Replies |
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I'd expect chains to be obligatory for resort access until at least Tuesday TBH!
And, yes, wrap up warm but enjoy the powder; it'll stay fresh all week at those temps. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - January 29th 2015
Started by User in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, 10 Replies |
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Where are your driving from? A lot of snow has fallen already, and there is more to come, so you do need to expect to be driving in it. If your car has winter tyres, and you have chains, you'll be fine - just take it easy and use one of the "chainage areas" to chain-up if you have to. Gloves and torch where you can get them and practice with the chains before you're covered in snow... 8) Apologies if teaching granny to suck eggs... There may be a break in the snow tomorrow morning before it starts pelting down again in the afternoon, but that's a long-shot (might allow Iceman's plane to land anyway!). |
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J2Ski Snow Report - January 29th 2015
Started by User in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, 10 Replies |
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J2Ski Snow Report - January 29th 2015
Snow Report Summary Snow, snow and more snow this week... This Week's Headlines - Up to three feet of snow so far in the Alps in recent days, lots more expected. - Winter storm Juno helps resorts in New England build their bases. - Great conditions in Scotland as wind drops and sun comes out after fresh overnight snowfall. - More snow in Eastern Europe. 
La Clusaz this evening The return to a normal snowy winter in the Alps is continuing with the rate of snowfall, already good over the past fortnight, ratcheting up a gear. The heavy snowfall expected in the current storm sytem began yesterday. The most optimistic forecasts are estimating as much as six feet (1.8m) of snow could fall on parts of the French Alps by Saturday morning. How correct they turn out to be remains to be seen, but at least 'significant' snow is expected in most Alpine areas. In most cases now the main issue from the unusually mild start to the winter - thin cover down at resort level - is becoming a memory as bases build right to the foot of the slopes. It's snowy in the Pyrenees, Eastern Europe, Scotland and Scandinavia too and whilst 'Winter Storm Juno' was not quite the Hollywood Armageddon blockbuster movie type event promised it has dumped significant snow on ski areas in New England this week. In the forecast - Travel this Weekend??? The next few days are the ones to watch - heavy snow is already falling in the NW Alps, and this is forecast to continue - off and on - for the next 3-4 days. It's likely that many areas will see accumulations of over 1 metre, and even 2 metres in a few places over that timescale. If you're travelling around The Alps this weekend you will need to be fully prepared for very snowy roads and possible road closures (we are hearing that the Col des Aravis will close tonight - expect other high passes and roads to be shut at times). And beyond the storm; more cold, more snow... for The Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites over the next week. The biggest falls are likely to be to the North and West of the Alpine region but useful snowfall is forecast for just about everywhere mountainous. So be prepared for challenging conditions at times, with poor visibility and some quite cold temperatures and possible strong winds at times... but conditions underfoot, on-piste, are going to be generally superb next week. Please go carefully, if venturing off-piste, as heavy snow on top of a still unstable base will lead to some large avalanches over the next few days. Check the J2Ski Forecasts regularly for the latest updates! The Alps Austria Resorts in Austria (and Germany to their north) have been reporting more substantial snowfall than those of the other big four Alpine nations over the past week, and like others the rate of snowfall is increasing. Most areas have seen 50cm or more of fresh snow in the last week, most at least a foot (30cm) and some nearly three feet (90cm). At the snowiest end of the scale, St Johann And Fieberbrunn report 80 and 85cm accumulated respectively. Lech (which reported 35cm yesterday, 25cm more today) has had more than two feet of new snow, as has Flachau and Pitzal, whilst more than 59cm has been reported at Mayrhofen and St Anton. France There's been snowfall across France, particularly in the last 36 hours, adding 20-40cm to bases across the country. Very heavy snow is expected to continue over the coming days with up to 1.5 metres more forecast for some resorts. Currently Valfrejus and La Grave, unusually, top the French snow depth league at 2m, but most resorts now have quite healthy bases at top and bottom. Most recently, today there have been healthy snowfalls (typically 20-30cm) reported right across the French alps with Chamonix, Avoriaz, Flaine, Megeve and others all posting big accumulations. Italy So far most of the fresh snow has fallen to the north and west of Italian areas although Cervinia – in the NW corner of course, did report 20cm of fresh snow in the last 24 hours, while nearby Courmayeur and Pila got slightly less – but they were about it for Italian snow this week, with nothing fresh reported in the Dolomites after last week's healthy snowfall. Bases remain largely good however, in fact Madesimo, with a reported 1.7m (nearly six feet) on lower slopes and 4.3m on upper runs has the deepest claimed base in the world at present. Elsewhere most Italian areas have 50cm+ on lower runs, a metre plus higher up so are in good shape on groomed trails. Switzerland Swiss resorts have shared in the big snow in the Alps of the past few days and placed second after Austria for snowfall to date – with quite a few posting 60-75cm accumulations in the last few days, among them Crans Montana (a foot of it overnight yesterday), Leysin, Murren, Arosa and les Diablerets. Most other areas have had 30-50cm and the snow is just expected to increase over the coming week. Lower slope base depths are again now good (30-90cm mostly, although unusually Europe's highest ski area, Zermatt, has posted the smallest at resort level with 10cm,although there's c2m up on the glacier). Up top it's typically 1-2m although Engelberg and Andermatt both have more than 3m/10 feet. Scandinavia Scandinavia's snowy winter continues, once again Voss in Norway has reported the most fresh snow (50cm this week) and deepest base (195cm,) but there have been more good snowfalls at resorts in Finland, Sweden and elsewehere in Norway. Pyrenees There's not been so much new snow in the Pyrenees although 10-15cm has fallen in Andorra and much more is in the forecast. But overall bases are down on where they were at the start of the month and runs are hard packed, with little off piste skiing worth having to be found. Bases are still fine on the pistes though – around 50cm at resort level, over a metre at the top. Eastern Europe There's been about a foot of fresh snow at slopes in Bulgaria and they're due a big snowfall too, with about double that in the forecast for the next week. Depths are 40-60cm at the base of the slopes, a metre more up top. It's a similar story in other Eastern European resorts. Scotland Scottish ski areas are in great shape for February thanks to ongoing snowfalls this week, scheduled to continue through the weekend and in to next week. So far the strong winds which can cause operational problems have not been too much of a factor and so most areas are largely or fully open with great snow conditions. The country's new sixth area in the Lowther Hills down in the Borders has also opened for the first time in the past few weeks, with lift served nursery slopes. The volunteer team are working on the final stages of installing a 400m tow for the main slope. North America Canada Not a huge volume of fresh snow in Canada this week with Banff and kicking horse topping the charts with around 20cm each, but most other areas reporting only a centimetre or two. Base depths are largely good though so that's not a huge problem and rather more snow is expected in the coming week than the one just past. USA It has been east coast ski areas which, unusually, have seen the most fresh snow in the US this week as Winter Storm Juno dumped the white stuff. Attitash in New Hampshire has reported the biggest accumulation so far at nearly two feet, but most other areas in the region including Sunday River in Maine and Killington In Vermont have had at least a foot to 18 inches. It's a powder day there today. Out West the fresh snow has been much more modest with an inch in Colorado but resorts in California, which need it most reported two or three inches falling yesterday. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - January 22nd 2015
Started by User in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, 12 Replies |
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Lots to write about this week! :lol: :thumbup: |
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Our favourite French Loon has another tough day at the office in "One of those days 2"
Grab a coffee, kick back and enjoy... I've had many trips here over the years... but have never spotted the tunnel! :shock: |
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Great write-up from a great trip - again! Thanks Tony - looks like Club Med is about the best (only?) option for keeping control of your budget in Switzerland...
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