The Ski Holiday Blog

Tag Archives: Val d'Isere

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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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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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 surprisingly interesting history of La Plagne

By Matt Simpson | Published: August 2, 2010
La Plagne is one of several “mega-resorts” in the northern Tarentaise area of France. La Plagne is made up of 10 different villages with each offering a completely different ambiance. This means La Plagne generally has something for everyone, from unmatched ski access and amenities of Plagne Centre, to the quiet and secluded traditional alpine village environment of Les Coches. Having spent 2 seasons in La Plagne and 5 years defending its honour here at the Interactive Resorts sales office, I thought it the right time to open your eyes to the interesting history behind its development. 

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Eurostar to the Alps on sale this morning

By David Froom | Published: July 13, 2010
Although a majority of our clients tend to book a package with flights and transfers included, a growing number now make their own travel arrangements to the Alps and the direct Eurostar services to the Tarentaise are always very popular indeed. This year there will be the usual two direct services, one leaving London St Pancras on Friday evenings, arriving in the Alps early on Saturday morning, and one leaving on Saturday mornings which arrives on Saturday afternoon. Sadly the Snow Train via Paris, with its famous disco carriage, will not be running this year.

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Val Thorens 2010 – 4 days and counting

By David Froom | Published: April 13, 2010

Here we are, another season has come and almost gone and this Saturday the Interactive Resorts crew are heading back to the mountains for one last week of skiing, sunshine, fun and games before summer. The last three years of the official company trip have all been to Val d’Isere but this year promises to be a complete change as we’re heading to Europe’s highest resort of Val Thorens!

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Les Portes du Soleil, Val d’Isere, Verbier and a lot of motorway!

By Isabel Evans | Published: February 9, 2010

Working for a ski company means that familiarisation trips out to resort and the chalets are part and parcel of the job. Perk yes, but absolutely necessary! It is essential for us to know as much as we possibly can about each chalet we sell, to avoid any kind of disappointment once clients reach resort. This time round, James and I jetted off to, well, everywhere. Val d’Isere, followed by Verbier (I wouldn’t recommend that trip, it’s a long way, especially on a hangover!), followed by Les Gets, Morzine and finally Avoriaz. We saw loads of chalets and thought we would share our honest opinions.

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Powder skiing in Val d’Isere

By Rob Taylor | Published: February 5, 2010

Looking for a last minute deal can be risky business because there comes a point when prices don’t go any lower and holidays just get sold. If like our group you were dead set on going to a specific resort then having not got anything sorted by Thursday for a holiday intended to start on Saturday is perhaps a little foolish. We were all pretty worried on Thursday morning because prices stayed where they were and it was looking like the group was going to split with my friend Oli and his brother Guy heading to a different resort. Magically it all came together in the afternoon after I spotted a ridiculous deal staying in the chalet Hotel Gelinotte in Val d’Isere.

The view that greeted us looking down into the Chardonet bowl - mind blowing!

The view that greeted me looking down the couloir on 21st January

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