A snowy April weekend in the Alps with Team Erna

Following our blog post the week before last, the Erna Low team returned from the snowy Alps last Monday after an amazing weekend in their new favourite resort, Montgenevre.  Read on to hear all about their trip…

Looks like January but trust us this is the current April snow conditions!

At silly o’clock on Friday morning, we met at Gatwick and boarded an Easyjet flight to Grenoble.  We all caught up on some sleep on the flight and 3 hour transfer to the resort, which took us through the Tunnel de Frejus over to Italy – as the Col du Lautaret was closed.  Going through the Italian resorts, we could see the great snow cover still lining the roads and we weren’t disappointed when we reached Montgenevre.  It was cold and snowing, so it was settling nicely and we were all getting very excited about the conditions that awaited us on the mountain.

Inside the lovely Chalets des Dolines

The boys couldn’t wait, so headed up the mountain that afternoon to get a feel for the area. The girls, however, took a slightly more leisurely approach and ventured to the resort centre for lunch, followed by a spa session at the luxury Residence Le Chalets des Dolines.

Cold and snowy conditions - Meet the ladies that lunch (Vic, Polly, Nicky, Emily and Sappho)

We were given several two bedroom apartments and found them to be very well appointed, with large living areas, modern kitchens and beautifully soft beds.

The spa area offered sumptuous facilities, with views of the surrounding mountains from the pool. It’s safe to say we made the most of this, as well as the Jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms. There’s nothing better than a bit of pampering after a hard day up the mountain.

Le Chalets des Dolines luxurious pool and spa area

On the Saturday morning, we were all booked in with A-Peak – the ESI ski school in Montgenevre.  Emily, who had only ever had one days ski lessons at the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead (see past blog here), had her first ever lesson on the mountain, whilst the rest of the team were led by Sebastian, an A-Peak guide and instructor to explore the local ski area.

Approximately half of the Montgenevre ski area was open as the resort is starting to close down for the winter (too early we say, given the current superb snow conditions!).  The base is currently 70cm at the bottom and the top 120cm deep. Much to our delight, we found fresh powder all over the mountain.  Coupled with quiet pistes, we really felt like Montgenevre was our own personal playground for the weekend.

Amazing snow conditions

Sebastian took us up the main lift from the resort, the Chalmettes, which has both chairs and bubbles. He explained this was perfect for taking a group of ski school children up in one go, if parents were worried about their little ones being on a chair lift alone.  Montgenevre have put a lot of thought into how to make children (and parents) happy, and has been rewarded for its efforts with the ‘Famille Plus’ label resorts strive to achieve.  For example, there’s a large beginner area at resort level, a number of calm green runs easily accessible for all, dedicated sledging areas for different age groups and from the top of lifts there is often the choice of green/blue/red runs which meet at the bottom, giving everyone a chance to ski at the own ability.

Starting out with A-Peaks's Sebastian

Sebastian explained for the more adventurous, there is some great off-piste available in the area – even for those without much experience.  A-Peak can organise off-piste guiding for half days or full days to show you where to go and how to do it, as well as drive you back when you can’t ski back to resort.

There are three ski area/pass options available to guests; one covers Montgenevre only and is sold per day, ideal for beginners or visitors.  The most popular is the ‘Mont de La Lune’ covering 110km of pistes and includes the neighbouring Italian resorts of Claviere and Cesana (and no you don’t need to carry your passport with you to ski there!); while the largest ski area available is known as the ViaLattea (aka The Milky Way), which easily rivals the 3 Valleys with 400km of pistes.

Ouch - Joe's tremendous face-plant!

Philippe Chartier, the manager of the Skiset shop located steps away from both the residences we feature in Montgenevre, explained to us that in order to make the most of the ViaLattea it is well worth investing in a guide as their local knowledge will ensure you make the most of your time on the slopes, showing you the best there is to offer.

Montgenevre itself is a beautiful traditional resort, which is expanding with a new area to the far side of the resort where our accommodation was located.  The resort has a selection of restaurants and bars to suit all budgets and tastes and is easily navigated along a promenade style level main road through the resort.

Team EL on the slopes

All in all, we had a great few days in Montgenevre and we’ll definitely be highly recommending it to our client’s, especially families and beginners – now we’ve had firsthand experience of this amazing resort.

GETTING TO MONTGENEVRE:-

• Drive with our inclusive Eurotunnel crossing from the UK (ferry options also available) – 10hrs drive from Calais (which is the same time it takes to drive to our other family favourite resort of Arc 1950)
• Fly to Turin/Grenoble/Chambery airports and hire a car or book a transfer to resort – 1.5hr to 3hr transfer to resort
• Take the train from the UK to Oulx (indirect) followed by a 30min transfer to resort.

Last ones standing (Joe, John, Vic and Gary)

8 blissful days in Val Thorens…

Victoria returned brown faced and a little bruised back to the office this Monday after a week of adventure on the slopes of Val Thorens, below she recalls her trip for our Erna Low blog…

A leisurely journey…
Leaving home at 5pm Friday afternoon we caught the train to London, after arriving at St Pancras we settled into the Eurostar queue and worked our way through to the departure lounge ready for our overnight journey.  When you know you have a designated seat on the train, there is none of the hustle and bustle we had normally experienced on budget airlines which made a nice change for us!

Once boarded we settled into our Standard Premier seats which we had booked via Rail Europe (Erna Low’s rail partners) with our complimentary on board magazines and were soon enjoying a delicious meal and glass of red wine before dozing off for the night.  Waking the next morning to a tasty breakfast and cup of tea we disembarked at Moutiers and were heading up the mountain on the local bus service www.altibus.com and arrived into Val Thorens at 7:30am.  Paying that little extra for the Standard Premier seats was well worth it for a rested and relaxing journey ready for the slopes that day.

An early morning start on the slopes…
We grabbed a cheeky pain au chocolat (when in France!) and headed to the nearest Skiset shop, Goitschel Sport 2, to hire our equipment.  The staff were extremely helpful and at that time in the morning we had the shop pretty much to our selves.  We then picked up our 3 Valleys lift passes and we were off…. Saturdays are changeover days for most and staff are usually busy working, so the slopes are surprisingly quiet with only a few locals and other lucky holiday makers out on the mountain.

A place for some much deserved rest…
After a day exploring Val Thorens we headed back to the residence for 5pm, grabbed our bags from the luggage room and found our small but perfectly formed studio in the Belambra Residence Les Olympiades.  Yes it is a basic apartment, but it has all you need to get by for a week and is well situated in the middle of the shops, restaurants and is pretty much ski in ski out – what more can you ask for at a bargain price!?

The v.large ski area…

Getting blinded by the white out

With our 3 Valleys ski passes we were able to visit the Meribel and Courchevel ski areas, although we found ourselves mostly sticking to the Belleville Valley, Meribel Mottaret and our home turf of Val Thorens, it was a pass worth having for that extra freedom.  There is so much on offer for everyone, from excellent beginner areas and tranquil pistes to black mogul fields.  It is just as easy to get around on just blues with a red thrown in for a quick thrill as it is if you are hardcore and just want reds and blacks in your life!

The resort…
Val Thorens is quite the party resort and the students and seasonnaires very much out did us every evening!  It is broken up into different zones and with a little exploring you can find restaurants and bars to suit all tastes, plus a club or two for those late night revellers!  The resort also has a sports centre, which was packed every evening and a bowling centre with pool/snooker tables for hire which we made the most of while waiting for our return bus on the Saturday evening.  It certainly has a lot going for it, not just a high resort in the huge 3 Valleys – there is no chance of being bored in this resort!

The après ski…

Cheers!

The après ski on offer is pretty unique too, with two rather special bars La Folie Douce and 360 degrees bar up the mountain banging out tunes with (mostly neon coloured) skiers and boarders chilling and dancing the afternoon away!

The activities…

More cheese please!

One evening we booked a meal in a mountain restaurant with Prosneige (a ski school company we work with in Val Thorens).  It included snow shoeing up to the restaurant and a sledge down afterwards with a three course meal and local Savoyard wine all for about 50€ per person.  It was such a lovely evening and after devouring a huge slab of raclette cheese I could barely move after eating so much!

We also gave the 6km long toboggan run a go on the Friday afternoon, my husband can be quoted as saying it was one of the best experiences of his life, while despite my initial enthusiasm and having begged him to do it with me, I think i’ll be giving that kind of speed a miss in the future!!  I have many a bruise to remember the experience!

Excited to hit the taboggan run - little did I know...

The journey back…
Day 8, we packed our bags and left them at reception, then hit the slopes and made the most of the sunshine and quiet runs once again.  After killing some time with a crepe and a pool game or two we were on the bus heading back to Moutiers before we knew it.  We waited until the hoards had gone though the Eurostar check in and cruised through with no queues with about 20 minutes to wait before the train arrived and took us back to Blighty.

Eurostar served up yet another lovely meal and we got our sleeping kit out (a nice blanket, eye mask and ear plugs supplied by Eurostar) and settled down for the night.  Waking up our breakfast was served and we were home by 11am on Sunday.

Travelling by train is by far the best and most leisurely way I have travelled to the Alps, it is all just so easy, no hassle – I would highly recommend it!

Shoestring skiing

Victoria, our admin manager, heads to the hills on a budget.

As usual for me I needed to organise last winter’s ski holiday on a budget.  I do this because I try to get as many holidays out of my spare cash as possible rather than one big one!

Left me more to spend on looking the part!

I chose Les Deux Alpes as I’d heard rave reviews about the skiing and night life and I also knew I could organise really cheap flights with Ryanair from Stansted to Grenoble, which would give an easy transfer at either end.  I also chose to go in March to avoid the school holiday prices and busy slopes.

So we got the local bus to the airport early Saturday morning and when we arrived in Grenoble we transferred to the resort with Ben’s Bus, which is a low cost ski transfer company.  The buses ran according to the flight arrivals and departures so it was easy to hop on the bus at either end without worrying about timing.  It cost approximately £43.50 per person return, which is a bargain compared to car hire or private taxi transfers.

I booked a cheap self catering studio apartment close to the Diable cable car with an accommodation supplier we work with at Erna Low.  My view was that as long as it was clean and tidy it wouldn’t matter if it was small and when we got there we were pleasantly surprised.  We had a lovely kitchen area, balcony and the sofa bed didn’t take up all the living space.

Our Skiset ski hire shop was located just around the corner and we picked up our lift passes when we picked up our accommodation keys.  It was all very easy.

We went shopping at the local supermarket to buy our food for the week which was where we were in for a shock.  Due to the change in the exchange rate everything was so expensive and we knew then we wouldn’t be able to afford much, but we managed somehow!  So each morning we had porridge to last us as long as possible and we took energy bars up the mountain to try to avoid snacking on food up there where the prices were even more extravagant.  We even came back down to the apartment at lunchtime as we were completely gobsmacked by the prices up the mountain!  This worked easily for us as we were only about 50-100m walk from the cable car.  Then we headed back up the mountain afterwards.

In the evenings we scouted the happy hours and found two great bars which had bargain pints on offer, the Polar Bar and The Secret, so we even managed to enjoy après ski on a budget!

For dinner we tended to cook up something in the apartment to save on the cash, but we also ventured out to sample a couple of the local restaurants.

All in all it was a fun, energetic and bargainous holiday!  As it was a while ago I can’t remember the exact total cost but I vaguely remember it costing no more than £500 per person, including spending money for the week.  That’s not bad for a ski holiday!

Victoria Lincoln, Administration Manager, Erna Low

There’s something about Serre Che…

THE ERNA LOW TEAM HIT SERRE CHEVALIER – January 2009

Bags were packed, excitement was high and an escape from the office was imminent. The Erna Low team were heading off to explore Serre Chevalier for the weekend in order to find out the answer to the question ‘Why send our clients to Serre Chevalier?’ 

Ten volunteers had signed up to test out the brand new 4* Best Western Premier Chantemerle before its official opening (1st February 2009) and to explore the Serre Che ski area all in the name of research and high level commitment to customer service. And to have fun of course!

Flying from Gatwick to Lyon, the team transferred to resort (3 hours) by mini bus shuttle organised by Peace of Mind Holidays, an agency who offer help with travel and activities during your stay in Serre Che.  Having arrived at the Best Western Premier Chantemerle, we found our accommodation to be excellent – the residence offers 51 apartments in total, ranging from 1-3 bedrooms, decorated in a contemporary style and fully equipped for those wanting to self-cater with kitchenettes and offering spacious and comfortable living areas. All apartments offer balconies with views across to the ski area. We were soon ensconced in extremely comfortable beds and looking forward to the weekend ahead.

Before heading to breakfast, we were accompanied by Claire Lacassagne, Sales and Marketing Director for SPACE Group(the company that developed the Best Western Premier Chantemerle) for a tour of the additional facilities offered at the residence – a gourmet restaurant and bar and a ‘spa’ centre including indoor/outdoor heated pool. Guests are able to book on a B&B basis or eat in the innovative restaurant and/or indeed take away dishes should they not wish to self-cater. Being so centrally located, it was then only a 5 minute walk from the residence to the foot of the slopes and chair lifts.

The team enjoying lunch on the mountain

After kitting ourselves out at the local Skiset shop, we joined our guides from Peace of Mind Holidays (aka POM) and on slightly wobbly legs headed off in the sunshine up the first chair lift. The ski area looked vast and we were informed that there were 4 different areas, all of which we would be covering. Having split into two groups – one for the more adventurous who were off to find fast runs and off piste and one group for those who preferred to cruise the blue and red runs – the answer to our principal question was soon becoming apparent. The ski area in Serre Chevalier is vast and varied. With over 250km of piste and skiing up to 2800m, there is something for everyone and more than enough to keep you going for a week’s holiday. With tree-lined pistes, great panoramas, board parks and boarder cross, the ski area also provides plenty of entertainment – try the Smurf Village (a short off-piste run of huge ‘blobs’ of snow) for a giggle! Mountains restaurants were also excellent providing a good choice of food for a pretty reasonable price.

In the evening we headed to the UNESCO heritage town of Briancon and visited the medieval cité where Spirit bar provided welcome refreshment. Being made up of a series of historical French towns, Serre Chevalier also caters well for those with non-skiers in their group. An excellent dinner was had back in Chantemerle and then, although nightlife is limited, we found a small cosy bar offering great mojitos and wiled a few hours away!

After another excellent fun-packed day on the slopes, this time will fresh snow falling, we headed back to the UK from Grenoble airport, just 2 hrs from Serre Che.  Overall, the weekend was a resounding success and certainly proved to our team that Serre Che is a great destination for UK clients offering excellent skiing for all levels, a wide range of accommodation including the latest in Alpine luxury such as the Best Western Premier Chantemerle.

Visit www.ernalow.co.uk for a full range of fantastic ski holidays available to Serre Chevalier!