The Ski Holiday Blog

Tag Archives: France

End of the Season – Val d’Isere Beckons!

By David Froom | Published: April 12, 2011
 It’s been a funny old season in the ski industry this year. Early season snow was excellent and peak week bookings strong; all the signs pointed to another season of superb ski conditions and a bouyant industry. The first couple of weeks after Christmas were paradise for the lucky ones who had booked that date as they offered good snow, blue skies and sunshine. After that though, we all started to get a little worried. By the end of January there had been no fresh snowfall all year in most major French resorts and this continued into mid-February for some places.

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Brand New Super-Tarentaise Gondola Plans Released

By David Froom | Published: April 1, 2011
A new lift development costing almost 200 million Euros and linking the major ski areas of the Tarentaise was unveiled yesterday to widespread excitement among the ski industry. The new gondola, named the “Super-Tarentaise” will start in Le Praz (Courchevel 1300) and cross the Bozel Valley to La Plagne, before rising above the Bellecote Glacier, over to Les Arcs and finally liaising with Tignes via the spectacular Aiguille Rouge peak. The journey time between Courchevel and Tignes will be just under an hour, thanks to the revolutionary new technology being used in the construction, which will give the gondola a top speed of 50kph between stations.
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Fresh Snow Across the Alps

By David Froom | Published: February 16, 2011

It’s been a while. According to an old pal who still lives in Chamonix and posted on facebook this morning, it’s been 36 days. Some resorts might even claim a longer drought, but what we do know is that the worst is over and that there is fresh snowfall in most major resorts right now. The whole ski industry has been nervously checking weather forecasts, looking to the sky and I’ve seen a few videos of snow dances being performed in various resorts since the New Year. Happily, I’m glad to be able to say the Guardian’s article yesterday, predicting the possible end to the entire season in mid-February is nothing short of a scaremongering fabrication. Even if it didn’t snow again between now and Easter, all major resorts have excellent infrastructures in place to ensure that the vast majority of their pistes remain open all season long thanks to their numerous snow cannons and creative use of piste bashers. Read More »

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Skiing off the Beaten Track

By David Froom | Published: February 15, 2011
So you think you know everything there is to know about skiing in Europe? Done the Three Valleys? Of course you have. Val d’Isere and Tignes? Without a doubt. Les Arcs, La Plagne, La Rosiere? We cover all of these resorts time and time again in our blog posts and for the majority of the holidays we sell. Some of the more niche destinations are also becoming well travelled roads amongst the UK ski package holiday market. Chamonix, Morzine, Zermatt and Verbier have all become popular destinations in recent years and whilst a blog with this title would have featured them a few years back, these days we send so many people to such destinations that they simply no longer qualify as anything other than mainstream. Not that there’s anything wrong with the mainstream resorts, mind you. They all have superb modern lift systems, large ski areas, established ski schools and the altitude to ensure good conditions all through the season.

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Matt’s Morzine Ski Weekend

By Matt Simpson | Published: February 1, 2011

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 12th 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.

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Flora and Mike Ski the Three Valleys

By Mike Woodruff | Published: January 27, 2011
For early season snow and bluebird skies most people wouldn’t dream of mentioning Meribel. At 1400 metres, it doesn’t have the makings for good early conditions. But on our recent trip here, we were pleasantly surprised.
 

Flora and I had the pleasure of staying in the beautiful chalet Phoebe in Meribel in early December. The chalet was absolutely fantastic and we had to be dragged (literally in some cases!) out of the front door when it was time to leave. After starting off getting on the wrong plane and blagging my way to Val Thorens, I was eventually met by our rep Haigham, who showed us around two brilliant ski in/ ski out chalets – the Catherine and the Olivier. The lovely terraces overlook the piste, and the warm welcome of coffee and cake was much appreciated after the journey. The chalets are a short walk into the town centre of Val Thorens and its nightlife. They offer a short ski down to the Plein Sud lift, giving us a head start on the fresh powder. Comfortable bedrooms and a sauna will give you a good rest after a day on the slopes. Read More »

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Club Med – All Inclusive Ski Holidays have never been so good!

By Chris Callaghan | Published: January 24, 2011
Club Med in Peisey-Vallandry
Club Med in Peisey-Vallandry
  • Return flights and transfers
  • Accommodation
  • All meals (including lunches) with wine, beer and soft drinks
  • Unlimited drinks and snacks
  • Ski and snowboarding lessons
  • Local Ski Pass
  • Mini Club and Juniors’ Club
  • Baby Welcome
  • All leisure activities

As far as business models go for ski companies, you have to go an awfully long way to beat the example set by Club Med, as I found out in Les Arcs last week. I received an invitation to stay for 4 nights in the 4 star Hotel Club Med Peisey Vallandry to see what all the fuss is about, and I have nothing but good things to say!

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A 5 Star Holiday in Val d’Isere

By David Froom | Published: December 22, 2010
Mention early season skiing and a few resorts always spring to mind. For the best early season snow record, some of the best chalets and service in the Alps and a generally superb time, Val d’Isere is close to unbeatable. Nick and I had the pleasure of staying a few nights last week in Chalet Chablis, one of the Bellevarde Lodges in Val d’Isere.

It wasn’t your typical ski break, as we only actually spent two nights in our sumptuous surroundings. Sadly, trips out to view chalets are fun but all too often short-lived. We won’t dwell on that though, instead I’d like to focus on the superb surroundings and brilliant organisation which meant that we came back feeling as though we’d been away for a whole week Read More »

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Meet the Interactive Resorts team!

By David Froom | Published: September 10, 2010

Interactive Resorts is now established as the UK’s biggest ski specialist travel agent. Unlike some other agencies, we deal only in Ski and Snowboard holidays which means our specialist knowledge of ski resorts is unrivalled in the industry. Not only that, but we’re completely independent, which means that when you deal with us for your Skiing or Snowboarding holiday, you’ll receive completely impartial, objective advice and help with choosing your holiday. In order to provide such a service, we dedicate a lot of time to picking only the very best people to work in our sales team. Everyone in our sales department has done at least one season in resort, with some having done upwards of 5 seasons abroad. This is the first in a series of “meet the team” articles which will profile some of our staff members old and new and give you the chance to find out about the people who make your holidays happen.

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The history of Val Thorens in the Three Valleys

By Holly Waddell | Published: August 6, 2010

From St Martin de Belleville through De Bettaix and Les Menuires all the way up to the breathtaking heights of Val Thorens nestled at 2300m above sea level, the Val Thorens Valley and its neighbouring resorts of Meribel and Courchevel make up Europe’s largest and most popular ski area. So how did it all come about…?

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