I was recently offered the opportunity to head out to Morzine (due mostly to a last minute ski deal which I was lucky enough to find), to sample the resort and the fantastic chalet Amis. I naturally jumped at the chance. Any altitude snobs amongst you will no doubt scoff at the idea of visiting Morzine on the 12^th of December due to it being only 1100 metres high. Morzine has a real trump card though, and that’s Avoriaz. Even though the Morzine/Les Gets ski area wasn’t open for the duration of my stay, Avoriaz is a simple gondola ride away and provides more than enough skiing for a short break.

We caught the early flight out Sunday morning and we met our private transfer at Geneva airport. On the way up to resort, we were enveloped by thick, freezing fog and naturally, we were a little worried that the day’s skiing would be wiped out. On the final turn before entering Morzine, we rose above the clouds and glorious blue skies and sunshine beckoned. As Morzine is a relatively short 1 hour transfer from the airport, we were ready to strap on the boards at 11am. Our hosts whisked us up to the Prodain gondola and we were snowboarding before you could say “Val Thorens can kiss my a***”.

Skiing Les Portes du Soleil

The open plan living and dining area in Chalet Amis

Morzine is a fantastic resort for any level of skier and part of the vast Portes du Soleil ski area.  Not only can you ski Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz but Champery, Chatel, Morgins and numerous other smaller resorts are all just a few lifts away. Because the ski area is SO vast, there really is something for everyone, from the high alpine style terrain of Avoriaz to the picturesque tree runs down to Chatel and Les Gets. For those of you that enjoy a good terrain park, you are spoilt for choice here. The famous “Stash” terrain park, a all natural terrain park built in conjunction with Jake Burton of Burton Snowboards, and many of the other resorts in the ski area have some incredible parks to offer the most discerning freestyle enthusiast.

Morzine has some great nightlife and après spots to enjoy. Perhaps the most famous of which is Bar Robinson, or “Bar Robbo’s” to the locals. I have to say, in all the bars in all the resorts I have been to, Bar Robbo’s is probably the oddest. The French would call this sort of bar a “Zinc”, a real old school spit and sawdust alpine bar but it’s the atmosphere which puts Robbo’s ahead of the crowd. This is probably down to the copious amount of Mutzig  lager consumed in the establishment. For those of you that haven’t tried this alpine staple, by all means do, but take it one pint at a time. I’m sure the locals have lost count of the amount of holiday makers that Mutzig has left it its wake. Bar Robbo’s is not the only night spot, you can also try Dixie bar, Coyote, Le Crepu and the Tibetan bar to name but a few.  

Ski Chalet Amis in Morzine

Morzine at its best!

 We were lucky enough to stay in the gorgeous chalet Amis, a contemporary chalet of very high quality. It is a 10 minute stroll into town and the Super-Morzine gondola is no more than 7 minutes walk away, so the ski access is very easy. The Chalet does provide a comprehensive driver service in the mornings and afternoons in case the 5 minute walk to the lifts in full ski gear is a little too much for you. The Amis boasts all the mod-cons you would expect from a chalet of this quality, boot-warmers, outdoor hot tub, roaring fire and fully en-suite bedrooms. There’s also a games room, with table-football and a Wii! This extra room could be a God-send for those of you with kids in tow, keeping them occupied whilst you enjoy your after dinner cheese and port!

 The service itself was exemplary, Gus and Kat looked after us in the chalet, their food was of an incredibly high standard and they steer well clear of chalet clichés such as the ubiquitous Boeuf Bourguinon. Their roast duck with chilli and ginger drizzle was a delight! What really sets the service apart from that of other luxury chalets was the delivery. One can often feel molly-coddled in other chalets of this quality, whereas the team here focus on delivering a much more low-key and genuinely friendly service.

Matt stayed in chalet Amis courtesy of TG Ski. for more information on the chalet, Morzine or any of the other destinations mentioned in Matt’s post, please give our London sales office a call or visit www.interactiveresorts.co.uk.

La Plagne was opened in 1961 as an attempt to invigorate the area’s stagnating economy. The area was very much reliant on its farming and mining industries but this was not enough to keep the younger generations happy and they began a mass exodus to the nearby cities such as Chambery in search of bright lights and excitement. It wasn’t until 1961 that the various local dignitaries formed an association charged with reversing this worrying trend. The main driving force behind this association was a Dr. Borrione, who was not only the then mayor of Aime (the largest town in the local area) but also a member of the “Maquis” (French resistance) during the second world war, he was even arrested twice and managed to escape on both occasions! During the war, the mountains above Aime were resistance strongholds, with the mines providing invaluable protection from both the vicious winters and the Nazi occupiers. He was also a medical visionary years ahead of his time, being the first doctor in France to have experimented with Polio vaccinations and succeeded in vaccinating the whole of the local population by 1954.

Dr. Borrione’s role in the genesis of La Plagne cannot be overstated, because of his various achievements, he was one of the few members of the local society that was trusted by each of the four different areas. These areas (Macot, Aime, de Longefoy and Bellentre) were always separated by a deep sense of loc

The Biolley drag lift in its original form

al rivalry and therefore finding a figurehead that all areas could trust was a huge turning point in the early years. Dr. Borrione had his heart set on building the first lifts and accommodation on the “Plateau de la Plagne”, but encountered major resistance from the thenowners of the land. It was privately owned and the main protagonist (who was actually a close personal friend of Dr. Borrione!) refused to sell his land. Subsequently Dr. Borrione decided the only course of action was to take the nay-sayers over to Courchevel to show them what a winter resort can do to help the local community. After having met several local dignitaries, business owners and workers, several were persuaded that a ski resort represented the best chance of saving their community but not everyone was onside. In 1960 Dr Borrione met with the Director of the mines who explained that they would be closedwithin 10 years. This effectively ended anyresistance to the idea of developing a ski resort in the area.

 Dr Borrione then enlisted the legendary skier Emile Allais to give technical advice in laying out the ski area. They took a helicopter trip together in April 1960 and identified two potential pistes, now named Biolley and Grande Rochette. Allais was so impressed by what he saw, he wrote:“La Plagne has some extraordinary possibilities; it will be the most original resort with guaranteed snow and guaranteed sun”.The project was now inevitable and the first 2 drag lifts and 4 pistes were opened in April 1961.

An early photo of Plagne Centre

The original resort was opened on the La Plagne Plateau and is now called Plagne Centre. The ski village itself was designed by Michel Besancon. His revolutionary idea was to build a ski village with an emphasis on convenience. All original hotels and apartments were ski to the door and the main shopping area was all indoors in an effort to make the whole experience accessible to all ages and ski abilities. This was a dream that has certainly been achieved, with La Plagne offering arguably the most convenient overall ski access of any resort in the area (including its more fashionable competitors!) This design proved to be very popular and was the catalyst that caused the massive expansions constructed throughout the 70s and 80s. The ski area grew to encompass the nearby villages of Champagny, Les Coches and Montalbert. Over the next few years, more purpose built resorts were added to the traditional alpine villages; Aime 2000 was constructed in 1971, Plagne Villages (originally called Super-Plagne) was opened in 1972, Plagne Bellecote in 1974, Plagne 1800 in 1981, Belle Plagne in 1982 and Plagne Soleil in 1990.

The most recent and perhaps, most important development was the construction of the Vanoise Express, a cavernous double decker cable car built to link La Plagne with its neighbouring resort of Les Arcs. The new mega resort was named Paradiski and now boasts over 425km of skiing and 141 ski lifts. When you compare this with La Plagne’s humble beginnings (2 drag lifts!), these are remarkable statistics, achieved over a relatively short period of time.

La Plagne is very much a purpose built ski resort by its very nature. Purpose built can sometimes be a dirty word in this industry, and whilst it is never going to be as aesthetically pleasing as Val d’Isere or Meribel, it does offer such convenience in terms of ski access, that La Plagne will continue to be a very popular resort with British skiers.

For more information on La Plagne or any of our many resorts please email us or call our London sales office

Do you love skiing or boarding? Could talk about ski holidays all day?

We’re looking for highly motivated, passionate and fun people to come and join the leading ski sales team in the industry. Our ambition is to be the best company to work for in the ski industry as we know this means you’ll give our clients the very best service. We are looking for ski seasonaires or passionate skiers who are looking to use their experience in ski resorts as a stepping stone to a career in the Ski Industry in the UK. Graduates or experienced sales people are also welcome to apply but a keen interest in winter sports is a must. You may think that the time you have spent in resort has no meaningful application in the UK job market. You would be wrong! Your time and experience in the Alps is invaluable to us and our clients who demand detailed first hand resort knowledge and guidance before booking their ski holiday.

What’s in it for you?

• Basic salary to £18,000

• Unlimited in season commission

• End of season bonus

• Earnings potential of over £25,000 pa

• Monthly team rewards

• On going training and development

• Opportunities to grow and develop within Interactive Resorts

• End of season ski trip

• Annual Keswick Beer Festival trip

• Plus plenty of social events and antics

Here at Interactive Resorts we combine hard work with a lot of fun. For more info about ‘Life at Interactive Resorts’ check out Chris Callaghan’s blog post.

Since Interactive Resorts was formed in 2004, we have never stood still; our rapid success stems from constantly reviewing and developing the way we manage our business. We firmly believe that by investing in our staff and our systems, we will ensure that our clients and operators get the very best service. Good people are hard to find and even harder to keep.

We’ve made a huge effort to provide our passionate team with a professional yet relaxed working environment.

Please send your CV and covering letter to Matt@interactiveresorts.co.uk if you would like to apply.

This small resort nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, the resort offers skiing so completely different to what most of us have experienced. Not only is the setting quite spectacular but the culture is very different. No Fondue, Genepy or Jaeger-bombs here. In fact, Après-ski in general is not as you may have experienced in the past, no alcohol whatsoever but this is made up by the fact that the delicious lamb kebabs (a local delicacy) are the only equivalant at the favourable exchange rate of only 7p a pop.

The Himalayan paradise of Hetteyi

Now, onto the serious stuff, the skiing. The resort boasts 55km of pistes, not the 3 Valleys but a fair size for a non-alpine resort, most of the runs are very gentle. The most staggering fact though is 99% of the snow is actually man made!! The area is so arid that there simply is not enough precipitation to warrant a ski resort. However, the area is so cold that once snow is present, it stays! There has been heavy investment in the snow making facilities, making the resort surprisingly snow sure.  

As the resort is so far off the beaten track, celebrities have been flocking to the resort to enjoy a hassle free ski holiday, entertainment stalwarts such as Russ Abbot, Paul O’Grady and H from Steps have all been seen strutting their stuff here.

 A week’s holiday starts at £799, this includes flights and transfers to Kathmandu and accommodation in a very basic sheep hut. The holiday is self catered, which can be an issue as there is precious little food in the area so you are best off taking your own food with you.  

If you are interested in this trip of a lifetime, please call us on 02030800202 and ask for Chris C, our Himalayan specialist.

Working at the sales end of the ski industry, you always come across chalets that make you think “I wish I could stay there”, so when the opportunity arose for several friends and I to stay in one such chalet, we naturally grabbed it with both hands. Chalet Seeberger has long been on my hit list for several reasons:

1. The chalet is as central as you could possibly want.
2. The catering is of a very high standard.
3. The wines served would be good enough to grace a quality restaurant.

The chalet does not come with flights and transfers included in the price so we pounced on some very good value Easyjet Gatwick to Innsbruck flights and hopped on the train up to resort. Whilst the traditional package holidays give you the ultimate convenience, I do think that making your own way to resort is a great adventure and part of the holiday itself. For those of you that haven’t done this journey, once you arrive at Innsbruck Airport and proceed into the main hall, directly outside the terminal is a bus-stop. Hop onto bus route F which is clearly marked with Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) and after a short 15 minute drive through Innsbruck you arrive at the station. The trains run about twice an hour and take an hour and a half. The route itself is spectacular, starting off in the valley before winding its way through the mountains before reaching St Anton Am Arlberg itself. This is another great thing about the resort, the train station is right in the town centre so after a brief but chilly walk of approximately 300m, we were warmly welcomed into Chalet Seeberger.

Matt, Interactive Resorts' sales manager, at the high point of his snowboarding career

The rooms in the chalet are all very spacious and all have their own cavernous en suite bathrooms. I know this may sound a little vulgar, but ours even had a urinal! Once settled in, we headed out to sort ski hire and get the week’s first Flugel down us before settling back down in the chalet for a delicious meal. I cannot praise the chalet staff enough; on the third night in the chalet we were served with one of the best chalet meals I have ever eaten (and I have eaten quite a few…) The fillet steak with pepper sauce was cooked perfectly and this was followed by a delicious Crème Brulee. The wines served with the meal were a Cotes-du-Beaune and a Sancerre, both went down very smoothly.

The next morning we awoke to a blizzard, but having a St. Anton skiing veteran in our group we decided to head out and brave the conditions. We spent the day in and around the trees just above the resort, sticking to the Galzig gondola and the Gampen chair and enjoyed powder run after powder run before falling into Bar Cuba for some much needed refreshment. That’s about the last I remember of that day…

The next day we awoke to bright blue skies and deep powder. During our sumptuous breakfast we decided to head over to Lech. The bus to Lech leaves from the bus stop right outside and takes about 25 minutes. It’s not free but good value at roughly €3. Lech is an absolutely stunning resort and picture perfect in a way that only the Tiroleans manage to achieve. The Lech ski area is very different to St Anton - it is made of long sweeping blues and reds but also offers a first rate snow park as well as the most lift-served off piste that I think I have ever seen. Despite it being so accessible, we were finding plenty of fresh snow throughout the day! We found the “Ski Tour” runs to be of great help as they are unpisted runs but marked on the map, making it very easy to find first rate off piste terrain.

The next day was another bluebird sky affair, and seeing as this was our last day on the slopes we decided to get some serious kilometres under our belt. We started very early and managed to get to St Christoph, Stuben, Zürs and Zug before heading back to the (in)famous Mooserwirt for some Euro-Party and Jaeger-bombs. For the uninitiated, the Mooserwirt is a reason it itself to visit St Anton. Picture the scene, you have just finished an epic day enjoying some of the best powder you’ve ever seen, you come across a seemingly innocuous looking mountain restaurant and settle down for some well earned drinks when suddenly the windows are blacked out, the disco ball descends and the Final Countdown from the aptly named 80’s band Europe blasts out of every speaker in the place. This sends locals and tourists alike crazy and before you know it it’s 8pm and you’re tackling the short but precarious ski home to try and make it back to the chalet in time for dinner.

Finally, some good news for the British skier! As of Wednesday the 1st of July, restaurants and cafés in France will enjoy a massive cut in VAT which will, in turn, be passed onto their customers. The French Government is hoping that this will help the pound-wielding holiday maker cope with the strength of the Euro and make France a more attractive destination.

On my last year’s ski trips I found the price of mountain restaurants to be so prohibitively high that I took a packed lunch onto the hill most days. This new tax cut will make things that little bit more affordable and the lunchtime tartiflette will be making a comeback next winter!! It also makes your night out (when the chalet staff are off) that little bit more affordable and those cheeky jambon mozzarella paninis that touch more enjoyable.

If you are looking to get the most for your money next year, there are some phenomenal bargains around at the moment. The “Buy One Get One Free” lift pass offer has been extended again, offering a saving of up to £90 per person. This will expire on the 19th of July. We also have a simply astonishing offer in La Plagne for New Year, offering £499 per adult and £310 per child. This is for a catered chalet but not travel to resort, you also have lunch provided at the chalet!!

And now some bad news, quite a few ski operator brochures are going to be released over the next few weeks. When this happens prices tend to go up and there is an initial flurry of bookings. This means the prices will be higher and you will not have as much choice if you leave it much longer to make a decision. If you are going skiing next year with a group and you haven’t booked yet, it makes financial sense to book sooner rather than later.

For details of some of these offers, please click on the links below:

La Plagne – New Year ski holiday for £499 per person.
http://www.interactiveresorts.co.uk/ski_offers/1663

Lift pass deal – 2 for 1 Lift Passes.
http://www.interactiveresorts.co.uk/ski_offers/1611