Simon’s Season: Courchevel and the 3 Valleys

At Erna Low HQ we’ve been asking our team members to write guest blog entries on anything ski related!  Simon in the sales team was happy to oblige and here he gives us the low down on where to ski and be seen in the ever stylish Courchevel and the 3 Valleys… with insider tips like these you can’t go wrong! 

Courchevel
After working a couple of seasons in Courchevel, I cannot recommend this resort highly enough.  One of the great advantages of this little piece of heaven on Earth is not only the variety of skiing, but also that it has extensive slopes for beginners as well as intermediates and advanced skiers and boarders.

Courchevel 1850
I worked my first season in Courchevel 1850 and though it has changed significantly since then, it provides a great base with immediate access into the main skiing area and into the 3 Valleys beyond.  This is the most expensive part of the resort, as the designer shops and Porsche 4×4’s will testify to – but there are still some good value options available – for a premium residence try Les Chalets du Forum, which sell out quickly due to their excellent location or for more value Les Ecrins, which is still in the centre of the action.

There are great off slope diversions in 1850, including a bowling alley, climbing wall and amazing tobogganing course which descends to Courchevel 1550, 300 m below.  You can rent toboggans in the sports shops and do as many laps as you can handle, returning to 1850 via the Grangettes bubble lift (included in your lift pass)

There is some excellent advanced skiing to challenge you here, including the couloirs on the Saulire as well as some long black pistes down to Le Praz, which are also normally very quiet.  The pistes down to La Tania are also excellent and a good stop for a quick drink before returning to the adventures above.

Cable car to top of Saulire, Courchevel 1850

Some other favourite runs include Marmottes, an undulating and very long run all the way down to Prameruel (which is the main link to Courchevel 1650) and Suisses, a real leg burner!

Fields of powder all to ourselves – Courchevel (Loze sector)

For beginners, the excellent Jardin Alpin area allows access to a varying length of green runs which allow good progression and the chance to feel like you are really skiing the mountain.  By the end of your first week, because of the excellent linked skiing, you should be able to ski over to Courchevel 1650 for lunch and back again.

Courchevel 1650
I am a big fan of Courchevel 1650 – it offers a more relaxed and ‘village’ feel compared to 1850, as well as some great value accommodation.  If you have a large group, Les Montagnettes – Les Chalets de la Mouria are a great option.  For smaller families, couple or small groups of friends, great value can be found in the Maeva Le Moriond apartments.  For those wanting to splash out, Le Portetta Lofts offer amazing luxury (but with a price tag to match).

There is a great array of blue and red slopes here and I would always find myself skiing here more than any other part of the valley as it was always so deserted.  The Signal and Chapalets are both modern lifts and allow to you ski various runs endlessly – I never bored of this area and the views over to the Vanoise Parc National will take your breath away.  There is also an excellent restaurant at the top of the Ariondaz bubble lift called the Bel Air, by Courchevel standards it offers good value and has a much appreciated 3 tier terrace, perfect for lounging in the sun with a beer.  Another great little restaurant/bar in the centre of Courchevel 1650 is La Boulotte, which offers great fresh food and hospitality.

Empty slopes in Courchevel 1650

Courchevel 1550
The smallest of the 3 Courchevel resorts but also the best value.  It is linked straight into 1850 by the Grangettes bubble lift and has a great local bar, called The Bar, which is a very popular and entertaining place for a night or two.  We have two good value residences in 1550, Les Brigues and Les Grangettes as well as a lovely family run hotel Les Ancolies.

Further afield
From Courchevel, you have two access points into the 3 Valleys, the largest linked ski area in the World.  I generally always accessed the other parts of the 3 Valleys via the Saulire, as this gives you the option of heading into either Meribel Mottaret or Meribel Centre, which is where the main onward lifts depart from.  Also the pistes from the top of the Saulire are great fun too!

Some of my favourite areas of the 3 Valleys, outside of the Courchevel Valley are:

Meribel
Mont du Vallon – 2 mega red runs descending from the highest point in Meribel.  I always warmed up on the piste to the right of the lift as you look up, before the main event to the left.  There is also some amazing off-piste around here (always hire a guide!).

Olympic/Tougnette – an under visited part of the Meribel valley – quiet blue and red runs with good snow conditions.

Cote Brune – similar to the Mont Vallon area – great fast red runs and the main return route from Val Thorens – leave some energy in the tank for the return.

Venturing further afield - Top of Mont du Vallon, Meribel

Val Thorens
Pointe de Thorens – the highest point of the Val Thorens resort, offers a fantastic red and generally good snow as it is on a glacier.  Watch out for the high winds!

Cime de Caron – an amazing journey to the top by cable car and even more mind blowing descents.

Grand Fond – various fast red pistes.

La Folie Douce – the only need for ski or board boots here is for dancing on the tables.  If you have been to the Val d’Isere version – this is much more fun (remember your fancy dress).

Orelle – the magic 4^th Valley.  I always accessed via the Grand Fond lift as the pistes from here to the Plan Bouchet, where the Orelle lifts head up from will made you scream for joy.  The highest point in the 3 Valleys (or should we say 4 Valleys) is here and is a must for any strong intermediate/advanced skier.

La Folie Douce, Val Thorens – a great place for friends, music, beer and bananas!

Les Menuires / St Martin de Belleville
Jerusalem – this red run into St Martin just keeps on going and giving.

There are a lot of great cruising runs in Les Menuires that are fantastic for the afternoon sun, but the one stand out area for me is La Masse – a huge hulking piece of mountain that nobody seems to bother with (so keep it quiet).  Long red and black runs are the order of the day here and some great off piste opportunities too.  Just beware the run back towards Les Menuires gets narrow and moguled towards the bottom.

La Masse – don’t tell anyone

Our Top 15 Money Saving Ski Holiday Tips

As featured in the Erna Low Ski Report 2011/12, we bring you our Top 15 Money Saving Ski Holiday Tips:

1. Book early – and take advantage of precious Early Bird discounts of up to 20%

2. Choose lesser known resorts – cheaper accommodation, cheaper lift passes and cheaper après ski

3. Self drive – you know it makes sense. Convenient with kids; fun exploration on your journey; use our free Eurotunnel FlexiPlus upgrade for maximum freedom

4. Self cater – less expensive than catered chalets and hotels; easy on tired children; relaxed and informal; masses of top end, spacious and elegant accommodation to choose from

5. Choose off-peak dates when you can but if restricted to school holidays, opt for Christmas or Easter rather than New Year and Half Term

6. Purchase groceries before you reach the resort – buy in the valley or bring supplies with you so you have total control over your Euro household expenditure. Remember staples like coffee, preserves, dishwasher tablets – fill your boots!

7. Pre-book your extras – take advantage of preferential ski hire, ski school and lift passes available through your tour operator

8. Take it with you – that’s not just food but expensive sun screens, essential sunglasses, ski accessories – hats, gloves scarves – it’s miserable without them and expensive locally

9. Free ski passes – there are some great offers for young kids and senior skiers in some resorts such as La Plagne and Les Arcs

10. Keep your après ski costs to a minimum – and still have fun. Check out free events such as night time ski descents; take the family swimming or ice skating; hire a toboggan; pack your favourite books, games and DVDs to avoid expensive local impulse buying

11. Stock up on bumper packs of snacks; pack a picnic for the slopes, it’s still the same view and the same sun – but don’t forget the waterproof travel rug; enjoy produce the from local bakeries and delis

12. Watch where the seasonnaires and students hang out; guaranteed to be good value. Just party and they’ll soon overlook your age!

13. Check out Happy Hours – a different bar every day if you’re organised. You do deserve it after a hard day on the slopes. Just remember to leave after 60 minutes!

14. Avoid an avalanche of hidden costs - Check your provider charges for roaming costs making and receiving calls and voice mails. Internet? Sign up for Skype

15. Money – consult a site like Martin’s Money Saving Tips for best deals on credit cards – using plastic overseas can result in a mountain of hidden charges. For currency purchase – pre-purchase online using services like HiFX, compare websites, commission, delivery charges and exchange rates

Sleet or slush? Changable conditions greet our rep in La Plagne

Easter conditions report from Tim in La Plagne…

The weather in the Alps has been very changeable over the last few weeks with January style temperatures of -20 for a while and then a very warm period last week, with rain up to 2000m.

Thankfully the snow is now back in force with cooler temperatures and more snow due above 1200m over the next couple of days.

In Paradiski even when the spring snow gets slushy in the afternoons there is always something to keep you busy. I recently tried cross country skiing for the first time, and now that my legs have stopped aching, I can look back on it with some satisfaction!

Tim making it cross-country

There is a large network of trails around the la Plagne ski area which are also fun to walk if you don’t fancy the unknown quantity of free heel cross country skis. I took several falls due to trying to manipulate these skis as I would alpine skis and I can tell you it doesn’t work!

We’re at the Winter X Games in Tignes…

The X Games come to Tignes and Erna Low’s roving reporter, Tim,  follows them there!

Since their launch in 1995 the Winter X Games have come to be known as one of the biggest freestyle skiing and snowboarding events on the calendar. Until now they have never been hosted in Europe, but Tignes has scored a contract for 3 seasons, starting now.

Over several days, the programme consists of Slopestyle and Superpipe disciplines, of which I saw the mens’ ski Slopestlye (a series of enormous jumps and rails for riders to show off their talent) and the snowboard Superpipe (which is like a normal halfpipe but ENORMOUS).

Slopestyle at the X Games

If the pipe doesn’t look that big take note of the small blob on the left hand side between the first 2 floodlights. Well, that’s an upside down person a few metres in the air!

The Pipe

The games have lots of things going on to attract an audience including a show of crazy people on skidoos who also like to spend time upside down very high in the air.

While I was in Tignes though I did catch up with some past seasonaire friends who were getting involved in the X-citement.

X-citement!

There are lots of evening activities and promotions including world class Djs, but I had to get back to La Plagne, where they are no doubt celebrating local rider Kevin Rolland’s victory in the ski superpipe.
Former Erna Low rep, Rick saw Rolland’s winning run and said that it was incredible how high the skiers can launch themselves.

Check out www.winterxgameseurope.com and you can see Rolland’s run below…. class!

The Olympics Win Gold In My Book

With the Vancouver Olympics now over, Cody sums up his views from his first hand experience…

There have been a couple of times over the last couple of weeks where I’ve been a little ashamed of my British routes. I remember overhearing (read: eaves-dropping on) some guys in a bar talking about how another article had been written that just ripped the Olympics apart, and they finished that conversation with: “…. and guess who wrote the article? The British (of course).”

night lights

The Olympics received a lot of bad press from the British, and it’s a bit confusing because, to me, criticising these Olympics is like criticising Elmo. Who could do that?! In reality they’ve been absolutely in…..sane.  I’m gonna go and throw modesty to the wind and tell all the doubters that I should know because I’m here! The Olympic buzz in Whistler never came to rest. Every night different artists played a gig at the bottom of the mountain and the medal ceremonies, to massive crowds that were living off the pure excitement of the games. The Swiss practically took over the village, and every time they won gold they marched down the street ringing those frickin cowbells. The different events all told their own stories, from Shaun White achieving legendary status in the half pipe to Canada taking down the USA in the ice hockey final, completing their revenge. I was even fortunate enough to attend the ski jumping and one of the ice hockey games (Canada vs Switzerland baby) as well as skiing to the side of the Dave Murray downhill and watching all the speed skiing. Being here in the flesh at such a historic moment is one of the greatest things I’ve ever done and I’ve loved every moment. Canada were excellent hosts, and I would advise anyone who’s read otherwise to listen to me instead. It’s just a media angle. GO CANADA GO!

me and my academy colleagues ready to win gold!

Well this was more of a cranky rant than a blog on this occasion but I think Vancouver should get the credit they deserve for pulling out all the stops and hosting an amazing Winter games. In addition I once again have no higher praise for Alltracks Academy, in this instance for providing me with the time to enjoy both the Olympics and my skiing equally.

crowds enjoying the atmosphere

The best off piste skiing in France?

 Tim shares the secrets on the best off piste skiing in France…

Mention the words off piste, backcountry or freeride and the French resorts that spring to mind are probably the likes of Chamonix, Val d’Isère, St. Foy, la Grave to name a few. It’s unlikely that high on the average list would be the family friendly resort of La Plagne. More well known for its extensive beginner and intermediate terrain, few are aware of the joys that lie outside the marked runs.

La Plagne - a resort for beginners and intermediates?

Perhaps what makes la Plagne so great after a fresh dump is the very fact that most people are slow to leave the designated pistes, even for just a little play in the powder that beckons only a few metres away.

Fresh tracks on the Friolin Bowl

The terrain that awaits them if they do is extensive and rivals many of the aforementioned big guns. I have to mention at this point that those wishing to discover it should do so with the correct equipment and a professional guide. Other contributing factors include the management’s reluctance to open the higher lifts straight after fresh snow. This might seem like a disadvantage, but it means the powder hungry can make the most of the lower sections and have a second powder day awaiting (if their legs can take it) once the full area opens.

Powpow...

I remember a few years back, on a day trip to Chamonix, being shocked by what I saw in the lift line. Over half the waiting crowd had helmets on and a significant portion were equipped with harnesses, ice screws, ropes etc. All very sensible for an area with so much glacial terrain, but also an indicator of just how quickly any easy fresh tracks will be obliterated and how quickly the ante will be raised if you want to go in search of more.

A freeride Mecca is always full of other eager freeriders and there was much excitement in the valley that day about what turned out to be only 5-10cms of very light snow over an unforgivingly rocky base. I was cautious about damaging my equipment and was surprised to see a small crowd of people huddled round a guy who appeared to be about to drop into a tight couloir with dubious snow cover. As he leaned forward from his perch I was about to shout “’ere mate, you’re still roped to the barrier”, when I realised that there was a photographer climbing up his back trying to get a good shot with the logo on his hat and his ski tips pointing into the void. I left the tourists to find out for themselves that he had no intention of skiing it.

On my first day skiing la Plagne many years ago, I took the gondola up to the glacier only to be greeted by a mogul-filled black run, or a rickety old chair lift to a narrow, snaking red cat track. Not very inspired on first impressions until you realise that these lifts give access to some wonderful off piste itineraries including the Friolin bowl, the Rochu sector, the Cul du Nante and not least the north face of Bellecote. A mythical descent off the back of our highest peak, descending all the way to the nordic ski area of Peisey Nancroix. Not a piste marker in sight for the whole route and entrance points varying from a simple traverse to 45 degree couloirs that you have to rope into.

WHEN THE WEATHER SETS IN THERE IS STILL PLENTY TO DO, WITH SOME EXCELLENT TREE SKIING, WHERE YOU CAN SPEND A WHOLE DAY (OR EVEN A WHOLE WEEK) AND NEVER DO THE SAME ROUTE TWICE.

Powder in the trees

I COULD GO ON, BUT THERE ARE NEW ITINERARIES CALLING, THAT EVEN I HAVEN’T SKIIED AFTER 2 SEASONS, SO ALL THAT REMAINS TO SAY IS GET OUT HERE AND SEE FOR YOURSELF. ACTUALLY, COME TO THINK OF IT, I HEARD CHAMONIX IS PRETTY GOOD… YOU SHOULD PROBABLY GO THERE INSTEAD.

Discovering the snow parks of Espace Killy…

Hannah is continuing to conquer the slopes of Val d’Isere and Tignes on her ski season and discovers the snow parks…

After weeks of bad weather and white outs, Val d’Isere is finally getting its share of sunny days including blazing temperatures of -4 degrees! So with less bad weather comes the scary prospect of checking out the snow parks. Yes, very daunting to ski towards a massive ramp and not know what’s behind it, especially when there always seems to be someone watching – oh well, got to start somewhere. And then there’s actually landing the jump and not leaning back too far so you don’t fall flat on your backside (can you tell that I’m well practised at  falling over yet?!). But that’s no problem now when visiting the snow park at the top of Val Claret in Tignes due to the most amazing invention ever! Yes, I’m slightly obsessed by the air bag at the bottom of one of the red jumps – amazing!

Shame I'm just about to stack it!

Difficult to hurt yourself (not impossible!) and a nice comfy landing means you can pretty much try anything you want; I’m very much tempted to try some back flips next time I go out! Although there is one downside which is the queues that build up, so I would defiantly recommend having a go in the morning rather than afternoon. The Tignes park feels like more of a run so I prefer it but the Val park also has some great jumps and is worth a visit. So in short if you feel like trying your hand at some amateur hot dogging then I would definitely suggest trying some jumps and tricks here on a Espace Killy ski holiday…

Half way there… a season in Val Thorens!

I’m sat in The Frog and Roastbeef Val Thorens in the 3 Valleys during apres ski and enjoying a fabulous hot chocolate with brandy and whippy cream. Mmm mm mmm! Nothing like a strong tasty wee number to warm the cockles after a chilly day on the mountain!
It’s been a rather unusual season so far. Cold, cold, cold weather with regular snow falls. Whoever believed all the hype about global warming? – I’m into my 21st season and I don’t think I’ve ever felt it colder on the hill! That’s been the fantastic news this season for all us snow lovers. You don’t have to go to Canada to find yourself some of the most fantastic snow conditions on the planet. On piste there’s groomed runs with soft perfect snow, whilst off piste there’s lots of the light white fluffy stuff to roll around in!
Normally by this time of the year we’ve had some seriously hot days and that makes the snow melt. When it becomes cold again, we’re left with solid hard icy pistes. Not so much fun unless you have Bode Miller tuned race skis on and you know how to handle them!
The added bonus this year is the fact that with the recession came a dip in the holiday market, and it means great deals to be had in some of the best resorts in the world and really quiet pistes for us to charge around. Even this week as the February holidays kick in, there’s hardly a lift queue in sight.

Simon at the Frog's Karaoke fundraiser!

It’s my first season in Val Thorens so I’m not sure how things normally are here, but this season just keeps getting better and better! Regular snow falls, followed by amazing blue sky days, followed by ripping the turn down to the new apres ski hotspot to hit the mountains – Le Follie Douce! It’s the same recipe as the one in Val d’Isere that’s been pumping out loud tunes with brilliant musicians and entertainers for years. Our new party place has all the same ingredients but with a bit extra thrown in at every turn. The terrace is brand spanking new and the inside has been extended and totally refurbished. Add to that a high quality state ot the art stereo system and you have yourself a noise that’s almost capable of starting an avalanche – Whoop whoop whoop!

The night life here is as good as it gets in France with bars and clubs everywhere. Once you come off the mountain from a hard day on the slopes and a couple of drinks at the Follie Douce,  you ski straight into the Frog and Roastbeef to a warm welcome from the English staff who work there. You can chat about your days entertainment up the hill whilst watching any of the top sporting events on the big screens they have on every wall. If you decide not to return back to your apartment you can stay and taste some of the best burgers ever made. I truly believe that if the boys at the Frog ever wanted to open a world wide global burger establishment, they’d absolutely wipe the floor with the competition! I find myself eating there almost every evening!
If you fancy a more rocking atmosphere après ski then there are several bars including The Tango, Sneskos or The Saloon that have live music on most days of the week. I tend to avoid these places however as the years haven’t been kind to me and as I’m now knocking on the door of the big four zero, I’m becoming more of a Victor Meldrew than a hard core party animal!

I’m actually considering buying a ski property in the mountains at the moment because with the dip in the English market for purchasing apartments has come a massive drop in prices. This more than compensates for the poor strength of the pound to the euro with a good property now available from between 70-100,000 euros (or even less if you want a shoe box!). I’m actually considering building a property empire out here just now and retiring to a life of fresh mountain air within a stress free environment which is a million miles away form life back home! What makes this prospect even more appealing are companies like CMS Maintenance who are based in the Belleville Valley. It’s taken a long time to happen, but these guys are all English tradesmen who can carry out every aspect of any renovation works or re-decorations to an extremely high standard and will be totally reliable and cost effective too. Add to that no language barrier and therefore no communication issues and you can see why the CMS boys are doing really really well for themselves. I’ll be booking them for my first project!

The skiing in this area is absolutely awesome as anyone who’s been out to the 3 Valleys will testify to, but when that’s combined with perfect snow conditions and a good number of blue sky days, you’re guaranteed to return home from your holiday with a smile on your face that’ll be difficult to remove for some time to come!

Top tips to get the most out your ski holiday to Les Arcs

With half term now in full swing and lots of our clients already out for their ski holiday to Les Arcs, Louise shares some valuable tips and seasonnaire secrets for the best way to enjoy the slopes!

• The morning sun shines on the runs of Villaroger and the Col de la Chal area of Arc 2000, so, on a sunny day, head to these areas first to enjoy the warmth of the sun and first tracks bathed in sunlight.
• If the clouds close in and the visibility is poor, head for the trees.   The fantastic tree lined runs of Vallandry are well protected from the elements and the trees provide a great contrast in flat light.
• To avoid the queues in the busy weeks, ski through lunchtime (12-2pm).   You will almost have the runs to yourselves, even on the busiest of weeks and you avoid overcrowded restaurants.
• Avoid the ski school start times (9am and 2.30pm in February) on the lifts out of the villages.  Villards in Arc 1800 rarely has queues and is right next to the very popular Transarc.
• Try and include a Saturday in your ski holiday to enjoy empty runs.
• There are free lifts in all of the resorts on a Saturday and Sunday.   They are:  Pierre Blanche in Arc 1600,  Chantel  in Arc 1800 and St Jacques in Arc 2000.  These are great for beginners or to get a few runs in on your first day without spending out on a full day pass.  Beginners can continue to use these lifts after the weekend with a points card.  Each trip will cost 1 point at 3.50€ a point.  Cards can be bought with 1, 5, 10 points for use on any day in your holiday.
• If any lifts have to close in poor weather (usually those giving access to the other side of the mountain), use the buses.  There is a free bus service running every 20 minutes between the resorts giving you easy access to the whole mountain wherever you are staying.  Often it will be completely different weather on the other side of the mountain and you can still access sheltered tree runs even if the linking lifts are closed.

I’m finally a ski instructor!!!

Cody qualifies on his ski instructor course in Canada!!

So I’m in a bar, I’m talking to a girl, she asks about what I do, and I reply “welllll I just happen to be a qualified ski instructor and I do a lot of private lessons (hinty hinty hint)”. Now I feel less guilty when I say that since it’s actually true! I think that was the motivation that drove me through the draining exam process over the last week.
Over four days we were assessed on both our skiing and teaching ability. For the first two we were assessed purely on our skiing and for the second two our teaching.  The night before the first day I could barely sleep through the nerves, and the long trip up the Whistler gondola was a tense one. For me that is. Most people were pretty chilled, but I naturally get nervous about these things, but after my first run I was absolutely fine. Skiing does that for me; it calms me and gives me a “what the heck?” attitude. From then on I just let my skiing do the talking, or at least until Wednesday when it became a matter of teaching. Then my nerves came back…. teaching is a whole new ballgame. You could be the best skier in the world and still fail on your teaching. I even remember listening to “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley the night before to calm me down. I’d done a lot of practise teaching before this, but when you have to do it for real the pressure starts to come down on you.

Me as a fully fledged ski instructor

In the end I taught a good lesson though, without being interrupted by the examiner, a huge relief, since he would only do so if you slipped up. On Thursday, we finished at midday, and I retired to my flat (an excellent piece of ski property) before heading back into town to get my results at 3.30pm. Waiting for the envelope that held my fate seemed even more important than waiting for my A-level results, and I wasn’t disappointed by what I saw inside. A strong pass, and that night everyone within Alltracks Academy went out to celebrate and got absolutely car-parked (drunk).  Sadly I can’t really describe that (I think there was a club………I know there was alcohol).
Now I’m living the dream, I remember sitting at home planning this almost three years ago, and for it to have finally happened is the most rewarding feeling I’ve ever had (forget school). Now I have a new qualification, a new achievement and a new chat-up line.