Messages posted by : admin
|
Les Arcs will add its latest six seater chairlift this winter with the installation of the new Arpette chair. The aim of the new lift is to carry skiers more comfortably and quickly to the top of Arc 1600/1800 ski area, and to get to Arc 2000 area much faster.
The new lift replaces the old double chairlift that was also called "Arpette" as well as the "Col des Frêtes" lift. So the overall lift count (and one element of the environmental impact) at Les Arcs will decrease again, whilst speed and capacity increase. The new lift will be much faster than the old ones, moving at 5.5 metres per second and the capacity will be doubled on the route from 1500 to 3000 people per hour. The ascent will take only four-and-a-half minutes compared to 11 minutes before, and will be much more comfortable. In addition some 300,000 Euros has been invested this year, as every year, in improving the pistes, the safety and the signposting in the area. There will be upgrades to the Arc 2000 Glacier with improvements to the Arandelières and Aiguille Rouge pistes. To make access to Villaroger easier, these two pistes will be realigned for greater convenience and easier access to the glacier for everyone. Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc |
|
|
Six of the first 11 hotels in France to be awarded Five Star status are in Courchevel.
A recent change to French accommodation assessment has allowed hotels to claim 'five star' status in line with the maximum level in most countries around the world. Previously the highest grade a French hotel could achieve was 4 star deluxe. The hotels now rated five star are the Amanresorts Mélézin, Annapurna, Les Airelles, Cheval Blanc, Kilimandjaro and the Lana. Courchevel joins four other ski resorts worldwide that claim to have at least five, five star hotels. Swiss resorts Crans Montana and St Moritz as well as Seefeld in Austria claiming five each. The twin villages of Lech-Zurs, also in Austria, claims to have seven – the most in the world. However more Courchevel hotels have applied for five star status and are currently in the assessment process, so the resort could ultimately have the most highly starred hotels in the world itself. Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc |
|
|
Sounds like a good deal!
8) ...this is it! There is no cure; only the fleeting relief brought by more mountains and more snow. |
|
They do discount heavily for last minutes. We got a 50% deal and paid around that when we went in April (booked on the Tuesday, left on Saturday). We were at the Berangere too! Would definitely do the same again; thought the Mark Warner staff were absolutely top there and the location's great. |
|
:?: ...yeah, but how long ago was that? No way would the Vallee Blanche give you any kind of trouble el bandito. I coped fine way back in my pre-Optimum days (so would have been skiing old-school style on skinnies). It is no worse than a decent Blue for most of its length, albeit with the rather crucial difference that you will likely survive if you fluff a turn on an actual Blue... You do need to be able to turn and stop accurately as there are a couple of points (depending on snow cover) where you have to pick your way down amongst huge chunks of ice and between crevasses. IIRC that's where two glaciers merge? For most of the route you're in vast open spaces at a fairly shallow gradient. Important to follow the guide, precisely, as this is almost all glaciated and the crevasses below the snow go all the way to the centre of the Earth and you'll be eaten by dinosaurs and your remains frozen for all time (think that's what he said, but my French wasn't up to much...). It is 20-25km, with no way out, so you do need to be reasonably fit. Depending on snow you may be walking the last few km too. The other thing you need is a head for heights. Before you get your skis on you need to carry them down the arrete... :shock: ...edging down a steep ridge that has a steep drop of several hundred metres on one side, and around 1500 metres on the other, does concentrate the mind. It needs to be on your "must do soon" list, Tony. :thumbup: It shouldn't be compared to the North Face, however; that is for nutters... 8) ...and Phil Ingle. :shock: |
|
I forget... 8) But surely, if a ski resort wishes to be taken seriously, then a full range of exotic (but fair trade) coffee and matching barristas should be available? New Zealand is one step away from being regarded as a "proper" skiing destination - they just need Lavazza coffee! |
|
|
Perisher ski resort received 32cm (13 inches) of fresh snow in 24 hours last Wednesday/Thursday July 22nd/23rd. The new snow turned the resort's snow slopes in to a powdery paradise. To-date an accumulated 191cm (6.3 feet) of snow has settled across the resort, comprising 71cm (2.3 feet) in June and 120cm (four feet) since the beginning of July, allowing Perisher to offer excellent riding conditions across its four resort areas.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc |
|
|
Possibly this weeks oddest news item... but then again, coffee matters!
Coffee sales reached record numbers at Coronet Peak in New Zealand during the country's recent school holidays as skiers and riders bought 25,814 hot beverages between them. Although they expected high numbers, Jenny Graham, Food and Beverage Manager at Coronet Peak said 25,000 was "just amazing".
Ms Graham praised staff for keeping up with the demand without any problems. "It was a huge ask to keep up," she said. "All our staff came to us as fully-trained baristas, and were then put through intensive training by our coffee supplier Douwe Egberts. Two baristas can operate one machine at a time, allowing us to serve customers very quickly." Coronet Peak has a new Head Chef this year, Peter Becker of Waiheke Island, and Ms Graham said this season was the first time he had ever seen snow.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc |
|