Doorstep Skis

Keeping Your Kit Safe

2012-01-27T04:38:00.000-08:00

Keeping Your Kit Safe

Lots of skis and snowboards are going missing in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz at the moment. Whilst we're very sure that the problem isn't unique to our resorts, there are some very simple ways to keep your kit safe.

When you think about it, ski kit is an easy target in a ski resort. Where else would you leave a couple of hundred quid's worth of equipment outside a restaurant or bar unattended for a couple of hours? The low levels of crime in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz make our resorts a great place to live, work and holiday. But in reality, we all need to pay more attention to our precious kit; the impact of it going missing could seriously affect your time in resort. In the last couple of weeks there have been quite a few thefts, mainly from outside of restaurants and bars on the mountain. Here's Yodel's guide to keeping your kit safe...

Lock your kit up

Some mountain restaurants have lockable ski storage areas for you to use, free of charge. But to be on the safe side, carry your own ski lock with you. These are small, simple devices and are available on Amazon from just £7.99! A small investment for a lot of piece of mind! If you don't have a ski lock, try to keep your skis or snowboard in sight at all times.

Loop your poles over your skis

While this might not prevent them from being stolen, it will prevent an accidental mix-up and it does make your poles harder to pick-up and carry away.

Separate your skis

If you don't have a lock with you and you can't keep your skis in sight, separate them. Put one on one ski rack and the other on another elsewhere. Or, swap a ski with a friend to make two mis-matched pairs. Most theives won't have the patience to search for the other ski.

Keep a record

Record the make, model, size and serial number of your skis, snowboard, boots and poles. You'll need these in the event of a theft as the local police will need them to record the crime.

Night storage

Almost all of the hotels, chalets and apartments in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz have secure 'boot rooms' for you to store your kit in overnight. Always use them and if it's a communal storage area, check that the door to it is locked at the end of the day.

Stay safe!

‘Super Smoothy’ Wins FWT at Chamonix-Mt. Blanc

2012-01-25T05:09:00.000-08:00

New Zealand’s ‘Super Smoothy’ Wins FWT at Chamonix-Mt. Blanc

Oakley White Allen lands on second podium of the season; Jackie Paaso wins women's title

By powder.com / Posted on January 23, 2012

From the Freeride World Tour — Winning a men’s ski contest on the Swatch Freeride World Tour deserves a place on the list of “hardest things to do in sport.” Sam Smoothy from New Zealand, who has battled through qualifiers and injuries over the last few seasons, proved that persistence always pays off and hit the top rung of the podium for the first time today in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France. (See the ‘Super Smoothy’ winning run, up top.)

In second place was one of the tour’s most consistent performers, Reine Barkered from Sweden. In third place was tour newcomer Oakley White Allen from the USA who, following his second place finish in Revelstoke, will go to the top of men’s ski rankings.

Smoothy chose the looker’s left line taken by a number of riders and looked to be fighting for a place on the podium with his control and fluidity in the upper face. Then he took a slightly different angle into the final section and dropped an absolute beauty of a cliff—longer, cleaner, sweeter than his rivals. Smoothy was almost speechless afterwards: “Winning here in the home of Freeriding, it doesn’t get better, it’s amazing”

In the women’s ski class, American Jackie Paaso, who delighted everyone with one of her trademark cliff jumps in the lower part of the face, took first place. In second was Angel Collinson, also from the USA and who seems to podium at every tour stop. In third, making it a great day for New Zealand riders, was Janina Kuzma.

Said Paaso, “I chose a line that suited my style and everything went to plan with two airs high in the face and another towards the end. I’m really looking forward to the next contest in Norway.”

The men’s snowboard contest saw local Chamonix rider Douds Charlet take first place followed by tour newcomer Ralph Backstrom from the USA and another French rider Aurelien Routens in third. The women’s snowboard contest was won by US rider Maria Debari. In second was French rider Margot Rozies, who has started the season in great form, and in third was another American rider, Shannan Yates.

The Swatch Freeride World Tour now moves on to Italy with a quick transit to Courmayeur-Mont-Blanc for the third men’s ski and snowboard contest of the season.

Find full results here, and a photo gallery here.

Men’s 2nd Place: Reine Barkered

Men’s 3rd Place: Oakley White Allen

Ski Food and Nutrition

2012-01-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

Rosie Smith is a nutritionist and helps ski chalets to write a hearty and healthy menu for their guests. She is currently working with Skiology and here she tells Yodel why food is such an important part of your ski holiday.

Before your holiday…

To make sure your body is in the best condition for ensuring you get the most out of your ski holiday, consume a healthy balanced diet. You will need to have optimised energy stores before the start of your holiday so you get the most out of your ski holiday.

During your holiday…

Your skiing performance whilst on holiday will be affected by several nutritional factors. Firstly, as something we tend to forget about when we are on the slopes, hydration is key to delaying the onset of fatigue – something we all experience during a hard days skiing. Not only do you fatigue quicker, the all too familiar mid-afternoon dip, but being dehydrated can affect your concentration which is crucial for negotiating your way down a slope – whatever level of skiing you may be at. But who feels like drinking whilst on the snow?!

Being at altitude means the air is drier so we exhale more water when we breathe. Being out in the cold, we generally don’t tend to think about taking on fluids during a hard days skiing. Combined with the notoriously inaccessible bathroom facilities on the mountain we simply don’t consume enough fluids – and no not the alcoholic kind! Lastly, if you don’t consume enough food and therefore energy during the day then you won’t have the energy to ski as well as you could or ski for as long as you may want to. Carbohydrates are the main fuel used by the body when skiing. If you don’t consume enough carbohydrate, then your muscles will have diminished energy stores, in the form of glycogen.

With sub-optimal energy stores, your body will become fatigued much easier and quicker, which will directly affect your skiing performance. In addition, carrying heavy equipment and the effect of altitude altering your metabolism, your overall energy requirements will be increased.

So what should we eat?

Firstly, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and even more so when you are going to be spending a day on the slopes so this meal should not be missed. Try to base this around carbohydrates; a warming bowl of porridge will release its energy slowly throughout the morning compared with a bowl of cereal or toast and jam. Try adding stewed, fresh or dried fruit to your porridge to include 1 of your 5-a-day. A glass of juice also counts as another portion (no more than 1 glass counts as a portion in a day) and will contribute towards your daily fluid.

Alternatively, a cooked option such as scrambled eggs on toast is a good healthy choice. To keep hydrated during a morning of skiing, try and plan in a quick pit-stop mid-morning for a hot chocolate or tea using this chance to have a snack and top up your energy levels. Good snack ideas are dried fruit, which are easy to take with you; a pancake with chocolate and banana or a cereal bar. If you have a backpack then take a bottle of water with you or even fill up your camelbak if you have one.

For lunch, again base this on carbohydrates such as potatoes or pasta or bread to top up fuel stores and energy levels to set you up for an afternoon of skiing. A bowl of soup and a baguette; tartiflette and pasta dishes are the kind of foods to have at lunch and are nice and warming. Remember to include some vegetables in your lunch, whether it's a side salad or vegetables or a vegetable soup to provide essential vitamins and minerals. Don’t forget to take on some essential fluids to keep you hydrated and avoid fatigue.

Once back in your chalet after a days skiing, thiswill be a key window of opportunity to replenish your energy stores so a slice of cake; bread and jam or a piece of fresh fruit in the afternoon are good foods to enable fast recovery. Of course don’t forget a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate to top up fluids! Remember, fluids don’t have to be in the form of plain water, they can be any liquid such as soft drinks, tea and coffee (in moderation) and even soups contribute as well. What you eat during dinner won’t have a major impact on your skiing performance or energy levels. However make sure you do eat something to make sure you have re-fuelled in preparation for the next days skiing. If you’re enjoying a fair amount of the apres ski and nightlife, make sure you have a big glass of water before you go to bed to help prevent dehydration and your performance the following day.

What would the perfect menu look like…

It should be something both balanced and nutritious while at the same time being something that you actually want to eat! You are on holiday after all! Some dishes I’ve recommended for this year at Skiology include:

Savoie diot stew with lentils instead of potatoes - the lentils act as a complex carbohydrate, giving a slower burning energy.
A Pyrenean bull fighters beef stew - beef is hard to digest but when it is slow cooked this makes the fibres and meat tissue easier to digest and the nutrients are released quickly.

Rock the Pistes Details Announced!

2012-01-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

Sauvages brought a whole new type of music festival to the pistes around the Portes du Soleil. Here's some of the line-up for this year's event kindly brought to you by Yodel ;

Described as 'the freshest French festival', the Rock the Pistes Festival or Festival des Concerts Sauvages as it was known last year is set to take place across the Portes du Soleil from 24th to 28th March 2012. French and international music groups will be playing on the slopes of the Portes du Soleil and the concept of the festival is certainly unique.

Over 5 days 7 acts will perform on specially erected stages in or near resorts across the ski area. And best of all, it's free with your lift pass!

Here's a few of the big names on the line-up:

Louis Bertignac – Saturday 24th of March at 1.30pm in Morzine-Les Gets

Ex guitarist of the famous French band Téléphone, Louis Bertignac has already released 6 solo albums, his last one being Grizzly – Ca c'est vraiment moi. He's the musician we can thank for Carla Bruni's 'Quelqu'un m'a dit'. A mix of blues, pop but also rock, you can also hear him opening for Johnny Hallyday's stadium tour.

Gérald de Palmas – Sunday 25th of March at 1.30pm in La Crosets

Well known French music god Gérald de Palmas has chose 2012 for his comeback. His first 'Best of' includes the best of his 7 albums such as J'en rêve encore (written by Jean-Jacques Goldman) and Tomber (Celine Dion translated it into Ten Days). Johnny Hallyday also recorded Gérald de Palmas' Marie. With 3 Victoires de la Musique (French music award ceremony) and 1 NRJ Music Award on his trophy shelf, Gérald de Palmas' comeback is much anticipated.

Archive – Wednesday 28th of March at 1.30pm in Avoriaz

British group Archive have been playing together since 1994 and have already released 8 albums. Their song 'You make me feel' has been used in a Levis advert. This year, Archive are back with their electro rock and trip hop sound (for which they first became known). After producing 3 songs on the Bleu Noir album of Mylène Farmer (famous French singer), Archive is back on the road touring Europe.

LYS are a French 4 piece who sing in English; they were on the same stage as Pony Pony Run Run, Philippe Katerine, and Radiohead; at both the Borderline and at the Printemps de Bourges. LYS also played regularly at the famous 93 Feet East club in London. But it's in 2011 that things really kicked off. Winners of the Warner Music competition during the Portes du Soleil's Festival des Concerts Sauvages, they got to record their first album in Warner studios. Produced by Steve Hewitt (Placebo's drummer) and Paul Corkett (producer of Bjork, Placebo, the Cure...), this album is eagerly awaited.

More acts will be announced shortly and Yodel will keep you updated! Keep an eye on the Portes du Soleil Facebook page too!

Big Mountain Battle!

2012-01-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

Coming straight from The States, Les Gets hosts the European leg of the Big Mountain Battle at the end of January and the beginning of February. Want to get involved?

The Big Mountain Battle is a team based event and is open to skiers and snowboarders of all ages and levels. It is a battle though... each team of 2 people must cover the entire mountain, passing checkpoints at lift stations, runs through the resort and hike around the mountain within 3 hours! Each team is given a course map and a team card and will be tracked by GPS - so no cheating! The top three teams with the best times across the circuit win!

Have a read of the rules...

There are 4 Big Mountain Battle events taking place in Les Gets this winter:

Saturday 21st January 2012 - The Igloo Battle

Saturday 28th January 2012 - The Ba Bar Battle

Saturday 4th February 2012 - The Zebra 3 Battle

Saturday 11th February 2012 - The Bowling Battle

It costs €10 per person / €20 per team to enter each or €30 per person / €60 per team if you'd like to compete in all 4 events.

HOWEVER! Courtesy of the lovely people at the Les Gets Office de Tourisme, Yodel has 2 team registrations to give away! All you need to do is answer this simple question - the first two entries win and get to become the official Yodel teams for the first ever Les Gets Big Mountain Battle!

At what time does battle commence on each of the dates above?

Send your answer to competition@yodelmagazine.com

Now check out the vid...

Krafty Kuts in Morzine

2012-01-12T04:30:00.000-08:00

Tickets are on sale right now for the Krafty Kuts gig at L'Opera in Morzine on 17th January- which we're all really looking forward to, so it was great to see Local magazine Yodel, having a quick chat with Mr Krafty himself (AKA Martin Reeves) about the Morzine gig...

The pioneer of breakbeat, funk, DnB and dubstep is renowned as one of the best DJ's on the planet. It's not every day that something like this happens in Morzine and it's the perfect warm-up for the Basscamp Festival, set for April.

Are you looking forward to playing in Morzine later this month?

Yes very much so always love playing at ski resorts especially here as I know you have some great runs which is a bonus.

Have you been to Morzine before?

I have not but have been doing my research and noticed you have some amazing runs and lots of dj's coming in over the next few months. Looking fwd to bringing some Krafty Bass & Beats for the first time.

L'Opera is Morzine's largest venue - what are you expecting from the crowd?

There are always good atmospheres in the ski resorts as everyone likes to party and enjoy the music. I have played ski resorts from Canada to Switzerland and France and the crowds love dirty beats must be the altitude.

Have you got any new tricks or tunes that you'll be pulling out of the bag for the Morzine mob?

Plenty of that instore as I have been busy in the studio making new tracks for my LP World Tour so loads of exclusive Monsters to play for sure !

If we see you at the bar, what you drinking?

My favourite tickle is Coffee Patron or a Cranberry vodka & red bull

Tickets for the gig are available in advance for €15 - more on the door. You can get yours from Le Tremplin, the Cavern or Attack Attack or call Justin on +33 (0) 6 78 34 19 09. Visit the Facebook page.

It goes like this...

4.00pm - 8.00pm - Apres with the awesome Hustle boys and Basscamp residents

8.00pm - Midnight - Pre party at The Cavern

Midnight - Krafty Kuts and The Hustle at L'Opera

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Morzine Down Days

2012-01-07T04:52:00.000-08:00

Most groups have a skier who isn’t desperate to be on the mountain every day and most people have a day of the week where the prospect of spending another 8 hours solid skiing or snowboarding just isn’t appealing.

Bearing this in mind, Local rag, Yodel, have put together a couple of ideas for those of you wishing to take some time out. Here's what tey haad to say...

Morzine is not just a ski resort but a lovely Alpine town too. As well as spending time exploring the shops and businesses of our lovely town, there are also all sorts of other activities to get involved with, rain or shine. Welcome to the world of the down day....

Enjoy Yourself

Relax and enjoy yourself at the new swimming pool complex in the heart of Morzine. Newly built for December 2011, the complex features a new swimming pool measuring 25m x 15m but that’s not all there is to enjoy. There is also 3 saunas and 2 hammams to complete your pampering experience. The separate kids and learner's swimming pools can only add to the serenity, peace and quiet of your trip to the complex!

Get Sporty

There are loads of indoor sporting activities to enjoy at Morzine’s Palais de Sport located under the suspension bridge. There’s a huge indoor ice rink so you can practice your figure skating and a climbing wall to perfect your skills ready for getting up the real mountains in the summer.

Contact: 04 50 79 08 43

Get Involved

The Office de Tourisme helps to organise all sorts of fantastic activities every week of the winter season. Typical weekly events include children’s workshops and historical tours. Every Wednesday morning there is also a local market by the Carrefour supermarket in Morzine. To find out more about what’s on in Morzine this month, see our events page in the centre of the magazine or the events calendar on our website.

Contact: 04 50 74 72 72

Toboganning

Enjoy the classic thrill of toboganning in Morzine. At the bottom of the La Clusaz lift there is an area dedicated to the past time. It is the perfect family activity, which the kids and the big kids of the family can all participate in. You can rent or buy sledges very cheaply in sports shops throughout the town.

Ice Skating

Morzine is home to its very own open air ice rink in the centre of town, close to the tourism office. It’s the perfect way to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery while still being able to ice skate. The rink is usually open every afternoon and evening and everyone is welcome.

Treat Yourself

Head over to the Massage du Monde Spa on the Rue du Bourg to indulge in some heavenly treatments. The spa offers wraps, exfoliating treatments, hair removal and all the usual beauty treatments you can expect to enjoy at a spa. Go on, you know you want to!

Contact: 04 50 74 61 97

Catch a Film

There are two cinemas in Morzine showing plenty of films with English subtitles so you can still enjoy them even if your French isn’t up to scratch. There are also English film showings throughout the winter.

Le Colibri Contact: 04 50 79 00 86 Le Rex Contact: 04 50 79 03 05

Watch a Hockey Match

The Morzine Avoriaz Penguins are based in the Palais de Sport in Morzine and it is well worth going to a match during your time in Morzine. The fast paced and exciting nature of the game means it is enjoyable to everyone rather than exclusively to hardcore sports fans. Check Yodel’s event listings for details of the Penguin’s home games this winter.

Snow Thieves Winning "Battle of the Boards" - For Now!

2012-01-04T04:25:00.000-08:00

After having some of our own rental equipment go "missing", we came across this encouraging report which shows there might just be light at the end of this dark tunnel...Read on

And to see how easy we/you/everyone makes it for the theives, have a quick look at this little clip....View

Lights, Camera, Action!

2012-01-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Morzine, Avoriaz and Les Gets have more than their fair share of talented photographers as the front covers of magazines regularly testify! Yodel magazine investigated and came up with a few tips from the best of the best to make sure you get the photos your holiday deserves.

Robbie Davies - Apresimaging on Facebook

To make your photos really stand out and have that ‘wow’ factor, you must experiment with your camera. Try different angles, foregrounds, backgrounds and focus. Never let disappointing images get you down – let it be a learning curve and think positive! Practise makes perfect!

Stewart Monk – www.reelfunmedia.com

Keep your equipment organised – if your kit was expensive it needs looking after so you’ll need to store it, pack it and carry it correctly. Use a faster shutter speed or a sports setting to capture action on the hill.

Damian McArthur – www.damianmcarthur.com

Look after your athletes. Without them you are a landscape photographer! If your waiting for your camera to come back up to room temperature but you need to begin the editing process straight away, take the memory cards from the camera and use a card reader. But seriously, leave the camera in the bag!

Neil Sharp – www.sharpography.co.uk

As a general rule of thumb when taking portrait shots, it’s best to have the sun behind and over either shoulder of the photographer. This means you won’t be shooting directly in to the sun and it won’t be shining directly into the eyes of the subject, causing them to squint.

Jacquie Cutler – www.jcutlerphotography.co.uk

Don't be afraid to use the flash, even if the sun is out! When photographing children it can be hard to get them in the correct position – if they are between you and the sun use your flash to off-set the brightness. To practise your skills find out about local events and experiment – if you're in the park for example, try looking for different angles to shoot from.

Emily Turnbull – www.emilyturnbull.com

Freezing conditions can considerably reduce battery life in cameras so carry spare batteries in your coat pocket. You don’t want to miss out on anything! It’s often difficult to handle your camera and it’s functions properly in the cold, especially if you’re wearing chunky gloves! Try wearing a thinner pair of gloves underneath your regular gloves to give you better control of the camera.

Jack Terry – www.jackterry.co.uk

Always allow your camera to come back up to room temperature before viewing your pictures to avoid the risk of moisture damage to circuitry. To make the snow look white rather than grey, over expose your photos by 1 f stop.

And Jack’s top-secret snow sports camera setting that works every time.....

Aperture f 5.6, shutter speed 1/1000 sec, lenses to have ideally 1 wide angle/fish eye, 24-70, 70-200

Yodel is always looking for talented new photographers to work with in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz. Get in touch – info@yodelmagazine.com

Safe Not Sorry!

2011-12-28T05:10:00.000-08:00

Far be it from us to preach to you all as you’re actually more likely to find most of the Doorstep team stoking the flames of any party during the course of the winter season, than dousing them, but...

Yodel have very responsibly teamed up with the British Consulate and the UK Foreign Office to bring you an important safety announcement. There are loads of sensible ‘dos’ and ‘don'ts’ when living in a ski resort and ignoring the risks could bring an early end to your season... or worse.

Insurance

You will need a specific kind of insurance if you plan to ski or snowboard this winter. This might sound obvious but your annual multi-trip insurance might not cover winter sports – check the small print and don’t just assume that it does. Season snow sports insurance is available but again, check exactly what your policy covers. If you’ve heard those rumours about pisteurs asking for credit cards before recovering broken skiers from the mountain, you’ll know how important the ‘mountain rescue’ element of your insurance policy is. Your European Health Insurance Card is also essential as it can drastically reduce the cost of medical treatment if you do get injured. There’s loads of information and links on snow sports insurance on the yodel website.

On the hill and off the piste

Off-piste is the area of a snowy mountain that hasn’t been treated, groomed or ‘pisted’ into an official run. Despite being ridiculously good fun, off piste snow sports have a much higher risk of causing an avalanche compared to skiing or snowboarding on a pisted run. There are loads of rules on piste etiquette and how to off-piste safely. We’ll leave those to the experts but remember – never go off piste alone, stay within your ability level and always wear a transceiver in case the worst does happen.

Ski Lift Graveyard

2011-12-23T22:18:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered what happened to the famous "red eggs" in Les Gets? Yodel mag had a nosey around to see what happened to these iconic lifts!

In Winter 2010, the famous red

bubble was replaced by a new...red bubble! The new bubble eliminated the long set of stairs involved to get skiers to the start of the lift.

It also changed from being a four-seater to a six-seater lift and became quicker and comfier. In our excitement we may have forgotten our dearly departed friend. But just what exactly happened to the old lift?

If you have made a trip down the mountain you will already have seen their new home, albeit temporary. The old red bubbles currently lie at the bottom of the road into Taninges just waiting to be bought and loved. If you haven’t already seen them, you’ll be pleased to know that everyone has the opportunity to buy their very own piece of Les Gets history. The red bubbles are currently for sale at the Bric a Broc in Taninges but such an iconic piece doesn’t come cheap; it is said that the bubbles are priced at around €1000 delivered!

The red bubble has always been the main access to the slopes for the many beginners who come to the resort with their families to take advantage of the resorts novice-friendly nature. Les Gets’ learner skiing access has been an important aspect of the resort since the first ever Ecole du Ski Francais was opened here in 1940. Since then the resort has gradually been developed and enhanced to the thriving resort it is today.

Within this reputation perhaps one of the most iconic status symbols of Les Gets has been the red bubble lift. We’re all for the development that has improved the lift system in Les Gets and it’s also pretty cool that there is still a famous red bubble in our resort.

Off Piste Insurance

2011-12-20T12:57:00.000-08:00

Summary

This article seeks to answer two questions, why we need to be insured when skiing and boarding off-piste and which policy suits us best.

Why Insure?

If you have a winter sports accident the following costs may be involved:

Search, recovery and transport to hospital, first aid
Hospital costs including operations, medicine and other equipment (wheel chairs, crutches, etc)
Repatriation, return of children, replacement driver
Third party liability
Criminal and civil proceedings
Compensation for days missed from holiday, including lift passes, guides, ski/snowboard school etc
Lost and broken equipment

We'll take a look at each of these points in the rest of this article .

The Trip Advisor Ski Index 2011 / 2012

2011-12-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

When the 2012 Ski Index was released this week, Yodel magazine were dead keen to see where the resorts of Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz featured...

So imagine our surprise to find neither Morzine OR Les Gets featured on the Trip Advisor list! All the other regulars, such as Chamonix, Val Thorens and Meribel are there...

Avoriaz does made an entry though, holding up a very respectable 13th place. Considering it's height and guaranteed snow, the ski-in, ski-out resort offers amazing value for money, even if it's not the cheapest on the list.

We've applied Trip Advisor's very own criteria to the list to place Morzine and Les Gets in their rightful places ourselves. And here you have it! Morzine's in at 3rd place and Les Gets at 4th place! We've also asked Trip Advisor to explain the absence of Morzine and Les Gets on their own index and we just want to make it clear - Yodel has modified the table below to include Morzine and Les Gets ourselves. The original Trip Advisor table didn't include the two resorts.

The Facts & Figures!

Morzine

We averaged the nightly rates of Morzine hotels found on Trip Advisor and got an average nightly rate of £60.48

We averaged a day ski hire package (skis, boots and poles) at 3 Morzine ski hire shops and converted this into GBP using the exchange rate on 25th Nov '11 (1.167633501 in case you're wondering) and got an average package price of £21.40

The local area lift pass for Morzine & Les Gets is £25.26 when converted using the same exchange rate according to www.skipass-morzine.com

The average price of a meal (the average meal being burger and chips according to Trip Advisor) in 3 local Morzine restaurants is £8.56

The average price of a bottled domestic beer in Morzine is £4.71

Morzine Total = £120.41

Les Gets

We averaged the nightly rates of Les Gets hotels found on Trip Advisor and got an average nightly rate of £72.40

We averaged a day ski hire package (skis, boots and poles) at 3 Les Gets ski hire shops and converted this into GBP using the exchange rate on 25th Nov '11 (1.167633501 in case you're wondering) and got an average package price of £21.40

The local area lift pass for Les Gets and Morzine is £25.26 when converted using the same exchange rate according to www.skipass-morzine.com

The average price of a meal (the average meal being burger and chips according to Trip Advisor) in 3 local Les Gets restaurants is £8.96

The average price of a bottled domestic beer in Les Gets is £4.99

Les Gets Total = £133.01

Nice one Yodel

French Avalanche analysis for winter 2010/2011

2011-12-15T05:03:00.000-08:00

French Avalanche analysis for winter 2010/2011

During the 2010-2011 season in France there were 29 avalanche fatalities in 19 incidents. On the face of it a fairly typical year. However the overall figures hide a concentration of fatal avalanches in the border region with Italy and in the months of December and March which saw 58% of fatal incidents. Ski touring incidents as well as the seriousness of incidents both continued the recent upward trend.

In over a third of the incidents reported to the ANENA.org last season (fatal and non-fatal) more than one person was taken by the slide. Even more worryingly 50% of the fatal incidents involved multiple victims. There are clearly improvements to be made with group management (safe stopping places, group spacing when skiing and climbing) as well as route choice. Also of note were at least two fatal incidents where airbags were deployed as well as other more successful deployments, although some on clearly major routes in marginal conditions. Airbags are moving into the mainstream for both off piste skiing and ski touring but the number of deployments compared to market penetration may indicate that some users are taking greater risks.

http://skirando.com/images/avalanche/avalanche-analysis-2011.pdf

Report from Pistehors

Mutzig - The Seaonaire's Favourite!

2011-12-13T05:23:00.000-08:00

Aaaah, Mutzig. The beloved beer is such an institution in this area - though not everyone would agree the morning after!

There are so many myths attached to the Mutzig name; some say it can vary between 4% and 12%, some say it is stronger in Morzine’s Bar Robinson than anywhere else. But what is the history behind this amber nectar?

Mutzig was initially brewed in its namesake town in the Alsace Province in France on the border with Germany. The brewery in Mutzig was founded in 1810 by Antoine Wagner and continued to produce the beer even when it merged with the three other breweries in the Alsace province. This formed a company called ALBRA (Alsacienne de brasserie), which was bought out by Heineken in 1972 who continued the production of Mutzig. The original group also continues to produce a beer under the Mutzig name but it is now made in the Fischer brewery in Schiltigheim, in north eastern France.

Did you know that apart from in Europe, Mutzig is also extremely popular in Africa? It is brewed in at least three countries across the continent; Rwanda, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

There are two different types of Mutzig; the regular one and Mutzig Old Lager, which is the really potent one! Mutzig may vary in strength but all we know is that it will most likely affect you in a way you are not used to so be careful when you drink it. There’s a very clear reason why most people choose to drink this fantastic beer in demis not pints! For the latest info on beer and food in Morzine havee a look at local magazine Yodel's site here...

Party Time!

2011-12-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

The Portes du Soleil is going BIG this winter with 3 fantastic festivals to keep us all entertained. Get these dates in your diaries quick sharp.

The Basscamp Festival, Morzine - 2nd - 6th April 2012

Following on from his wildly successful après gigs at Le Tremplin last winter, local DJ Justin Bull (single - he asked us to put that in) is cranking things up a couple of thousand decibels this winter. If you were one of the hundreds of d&b (that’s drum and bass my friends... welcome to the sound of your winter in Morzine) fans stomping all over Le Tremplin terrace last winter, then you’ll need to buy a Basscamp Festival wristband to get the most from your winter season.

With big international acts such as The Correspondents, Foamo, Thomas Gandey, Benny Page and Slipmatt mixing up house, electro, D&B and dubstep already on an ever-expanding line-up, wristbands are selling like hot cakes. They are just €100 each and give you access to all the après, night time and late night gigs, free entry into ski and snowboard competitions and stacks more besides. On the final day of the festival there’ll be a ginormous fancy dress, 80’s inspired street party slap bang in the centre of Morzine. We’ve never seen anything like it before.

For more information on the Basscamp Festival and to grab a discounted seasonaire wristband go to www.basscamp-festival.com

Avoriaz Night Parties - 28th Jan - 10th Feb 2012

Attracting attention and pulling in punters from across Europe, the Avoriaz Night Parties are becoming something of a mountain legend. And when Avoriaz starts to party, it doesn’t stop for a full 2 weeks! Some of the biggest DJ’s in electronic music will be in attendance, flocking to Avoriaz from as far afield as Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and Moscow. There are 50 separate nighttime events during the Avoriaz Party Nights festival, including outdoor après ski sessions, warm up parties in resort bars and banging club nights until the wee hours of the morning. The nights are also themed, we suspect by someone with a big imagination! Will you go out on Yeti Night? Or will you wait until Snowstorm Night? We suspect that most of Avoriaz will be in attendance for Singles Night (for the laugh if nothing else) but will you then still be able to make it to Ski Instructors’ Night? Or perhaps you’ll make it to them all? We’d highly recommend making the effort.

For more information on the Avoriaz Night Parties go to www.avoriaz.com

The Ebouelle Contest, Les Gets, 20th - 24th March 2012

Back for another year of music and snow sports madness, the Ebouelle Contest is Les Gets’ big resort-wide festival. It is a mix of snow sports, international music and graphic arts. Ski and snowboard test events, exhibitions and workshops pack the festival programme each day, followed by big party nights at 3 Zebra Bar and the Igloo Chalet Club each night. Amateur and professional skiers and snowboarders compete alongside each other in jib, road gap and airbag competitions, all with the accompaniment of piste- side bands. There’ll also be a huge stage in the centre of Les Gets, on which live bands and DJs will get the resort shaking! Last year an art contest was added to the wider Ebouelle Contest and it returns this year. Groups of artists are given a creative kit made up of usual materials, with which they must create a symbol of the contest and Les Gets.

For more information on the Les Gets Ebouelle Contest go to www.ebouelle-contest.com

The Burton Stash

2011-12-08T01:29:00.000-08:00

The Burton Stash is well known and loved to Avoriaz locals and visitors alike. For those of you who aren’t aware, The Stash in Avoriaz is a giant ecological snow park.

The park is a 100% natural playground to allow all the fun of shredding without the guilt of environmental impact. The American snowboarder and founder of Burton Snowboards himself, Jake Burton, designed the park. Burton’s philosophy is to create a specialised area, which caters for a mixture of both freestyle and freeriding while also conveying the important message about environmental protection.

Even the signs that will direct you to the stash are designed to be ridden and are carved by Bob King, the renowned chainsaw artist. The Stash does not use metal or plastics but instead relies on wood, trees, dirt and rocks to create the natural park. Avoriaz, with its brilliant reputation as a snowboarding centre and having an excellent park crew was Burton’s first European choice for the exciting project. There are now Burton Stash sites situated in The United States, Austria and New Zealand.

The Stash has a vertical rise of around 1500ft and is almost a mile in length. It is the perfect location for development, as Jake Burton stated; “The Stash was born from absence”. The Stash provides a place for both parents and children who both have an interest in freeriding to spend time on the mountain together. In the stash you can enjoy being in the heart of the forest while appreciating the safety of secure terrain.

Three slopes of varying degree join up half way down and lead to a cabin hidden in the middle of the pine trees. The cabin is the place to share messages about how you can responsibly limit damage to the environment.

The Stash is also great for perfecting wide turns in powder owing to the large expanse of un-groomed snow which winds in out of the trees in the Lindarets forest. There are many hidden modules to The Stash and it’s necessary to ride it several times to discover the entire splendor it has to offer.

It is always the goal of both Avoriaz and Burton for the The Stash to target parents and their children from intermediate to advanced level to enjoy riding backcountry and freestyle together. But don’t be put off, The Stash is there to be enjoyed by everyone who has an appreciation of brilliant snow playgrounds set in natural terrain.

Les Gets Excited About Winter!

2011-12-08T01:26:00.000-08:00

Les Gets is a resort that has been enjoyed for years due to its charm and unique character. Luckily none of this is lost as it consistently works on new developments and improvements. Yodel magazine looks at what’s new and what we can look forward to in Winter 11/12.

The consecutive 5 hour ski pass

This year, instead of having to decide between the morning and afternoon for a half-day ski pass you can simply start skiing whenever you like. The new ski passes will simply last for five consecutive hours from when it is first used. We think it’s the perfect way to avoid the slope rush hours, it allows greater flexibility and you can treat yourself to that lie-in!

Freestyle Areas

Wannabe freestyle skiers can improve their techniques in safety with the new airbag. The enormous inflatable cushion measuring 15m x 11m provides a
gentle landing and maximum security. These techniques can also be perfected at the Cross District and at the Jib District with its rails and jumps. For those interested in freestyle, the boardercross in Les Gets is also just a year old. It was designed by Les Gets ambassador and Olympic champion Deborah Anthonioz and is one of very few installations of its kind in France that has the capacity for international competitions. It measures 523m covering a vertical distance of 124m so while it is open to the skiing public, a minimum level of 2* is recommended.

GPS ski tracking

Skiers can now rent GPS equipment from the lift pass offices to take out and record all their ski information for the day. Simply connect to the Internet later that evening to find out how many kilometres you covered and where your ski route went as well as your maximum and average skiing speeds. Worried parents can also use the equipment to give their teenage children some freedom on the mountain and allow themselves relief from constant worrying. The sets mean that parents can relax in the knowledge that their children can always be located in real time.

A Bashing Good Dinner

The Grand Ourse restaurant on Mont Chery is offering a very special treat this winter. For two nights each week, the restaurant will be open in the evening and will only be accessible by...piste basher! Every Wednesday and Thursday you can be driven to 1750m and enjoy their impressive panoramic view by moonlight. You will also sip champagne and relish a delicious dinner menu created by Head Chef Gary Massey. Places can be reserved by calling: 06 79 42 58 86.

Morzine Premier- The Art of Flight.

2011-12-03T11:59:00.000-08:00

This is certainly one start of season event that you won't want to miss. Mountain Mavericks, Mint Snowboard School and Just Snow Camps have teamed up to bring the year's best snowboarding movie to Morzine.

A lot of hype has surrounded the Travis Rice & Curt Morgan Art of Flight movie. It cost a suspected $2 million to produce and premiers have taken place right across the globe. On Wednesday 14th December it's Morzine's turn!!!

Here's the details!

Location: Colibri cinema in Morzine (next door to L'Etale)

Time: Doors open at 7pm, film starts at 8pm

Tickets: €5 on the door - the first 20 through the door get a Quiksilver goodie bag / treat

After party: Happy hour prices at the Cavern and a free shot with your cinema ticket.

See you all there!

www.just-snowboard.com

www.mountainmavericks.com

www.mintsnowboarding.com

Big thanks to Yodel Magazine for keeping us up to date. Read more

The magic on the bottom of your skis!

2011-11-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

Its a fascinating subject- well, it is to us ski wax geeks!, but here's a little insight into the eco friendly waxes we use in the workshop at Doorstep Skis-

MAGIC POTION designs and distributes the eco friendly “wax” for alpine, snowboard and Nordic skiing. MAGIC POTION is an innovative & ecological formula designed as a substitute for traditional waxes. Its originality lies in its high gliding performance combined with it’s long term efficiency.

FAST, EASY,EFFICIENT, and especially MOUNTAIN FRIENDLY

• MAGIC POTION is an ecological “wax”. It contains no paraffin or fluorine additives.
• Its formula is composed only with non-toxic, environmentally-friendly ingredients.
• In contrast to traditional waxes, MAGIC POTION does not gradually disintegrate in contact with abrasive snow and does not leave any harmful residue on the mountain.
• Our products are 100% biodegradable

You‘ll be doing nature a favour by choosing it!

MAGIC POTION is the 9th french company donating 1% of their sales to support environmental associations, and make things change.

Made in the French ALPS

To read on click here

Ski Host-ski training course date's!

2011-11-29T06:43:00.000-08:00

Bit of a title there, but does exactly what it says on the tin!

Pete at Freedon 2 Ski is offering the following ski host training course date's in Avoriaz.

Dates and times:
Tues 13th Dec: 1.30-4.30pm - 3 spaces left
Wed 14th Dec: 09.30-12.30
Thurs 15th Dec: 09.30-12.30 and 1.30-4.30pm

They meet in Avoriaz, at top of Les Prodain Telepherique.
Private chalet sessions and mixed one's too.

Ski Hosting Course info:
A 3 hour course aimed at ski and snowboard hosts working for quality chalet businesses in the PDS. The course is designed to equip, help provide knowledge and confidence to new and returning ski hosts. This will enhance your product as the ski host will be better prepared to serve your clients on the hill.

Session Content:
Customer care, the ski way code, practical group leadership and safety, to include - mixed ability groups, chair lift safety, weather hazards, snow hazards & general mountain hazards, a practical accident scenario / dealing with incidents, resort awareness, what to do and what not to do, where to ski and where not to ski.

Numbers: 4 - 8 in a group.
Cost: £35 per person. Payable by credit / debit card or bank transfer.

Many of you know that Pete work's as a Trainer for Basi and examine's the Basi Level 1 and 2 instructor courses. He'll cover a lot of the above content in these courses.

To book or for more info, better contact Pete pretty sharpish!

Pete Hughes - Director
Freedom 2 Ski Ltd
Personal Ski Coaching

UK mobile: 0044 (0) 7762 59 66 22 (From May - Nov)
FR mobile: 0033 (0) 673 049 412 (From Dec - Apr)
mail: pete@freedom2ski.com
net: www.freedom2ski.com

Freedom 2 Ski Limited, Registered in Scotland No. 379487 Registered office. 17 Springvalley Gardens, Edinburgh EH10 4QF United Kingdom

Winter Driving Tips

2011-11-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

With snow forecast going into the weekend, local mag "Yodel" asked Ian McKeller, an advanced driver trainer registered with the Driving Standards Agency in the UK for his tips on staying safe on the mountain roads this winter.

Ian runs skid prevention courses in the UK and in Morzine so we asked him - how does a skid happen?

'A vehicle skids when one or more of the tyres loses normal grip on the road, causing involuntary movement of the vehicle. This happens when the grip of the tyres on the road becomes less than the force or forces acting on the vehicle.

A two-wheel drive vehicle with winter tyres will outperform a 4x4 with normal tyres. Snowchains are essential as the local police may insist you fit them before ascending to Les Gets, Morzine and Avoriaz. Know how to fit them.

You're at risk of skidding on snow, ice and heavy rain while driving in the Alps in the winter. But remember - wet mud, damp leaves & oil cause sudden slippery patches too. Look out for cold spots in shaded areas such as under trees where black ice can form. A change in road surface & worn road surfaces can also cause your car to skid.'

How can we avoid skids?

Leave plenty of room for manoeuvre, reduce speed and increase the distance you allow for stopping. On slippery roads a vehicle can take up to 10 times the normal stopping distance.

Use a higher gear in slippery conditions to avoid wheel spin, especially when moving off or travelling at low speeds.

On slippery roads aim to brake, steer, accelerate, and change gear as smoothly as possible, so that the grip off the tyres is not broken.

Avoid speed or acceleration, which is excessive for the road surface.

Steer in the direction you wish to go.

What should we do if we start to skid?

Release the accelerator an...read on

Morzine- The virtual tour

2011-11-28T05:12:00.000-08:00

If you've not already seem it then the Morzine tourist office has a great virtual tour of the area, seen in all its glory with a full coating of snow. Check it out and then tell us you don't fancy going skiing or snowboarding in Morzine, Avoriaz or anywhere in the Portes du Soliel!....LINK

Economy drive: To The Alps by car

2011-11-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back we had a quick look at the cost of taking trains to the Alps so how does it comparewith packing up the car and heading over...

Well, driving to The Alps can often work out cheaper and more ecological, especially with four or more people in the car. It also allows you to pack as much luggage as you want and there's no waiting around for trains, taxies or coaches to and from the airport.

Access to a car in The Alps also enables you to take daytrips to surrounding resorts, towns, and cities. Self-catering guests can also save money by accessing out-of-town supermarkets which are considerably less expensive than resort shops.

The cost

Eurotunnel is offering journeys to Calais from £58 each way, per car this winter and ferry company SeaFrance is offering crossings from £23 each way.

SeaFrance recently researched the total costs for a family of four travelling to Chamonix in France on a week-long holiday, comparing driving with flying. SeaFrance concluded that it costs from £263.32 on SeaFrance/self-drive; £625.41 with easyJet; and £662.59 with British Airways.

Prices were based on a week-long break in January. The ferry/drive cost included ferry fare, fuel, and motorway toll costs from Calais with SeaFrance, while for the flying costs included airfare, ski carriage, parking at the airport, rental car from airport and fuel costs. Read on...

Interview with Chris Davenport

2011-11-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

Nice little interview worth watching featuring the world famous ski mountaineer Chris Davenport. Inspirational stuff that's got us chomping harder at the bit for the snow to arrive...Watch

Morzineweather.com

2011-11-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

Get live video updates direct from the resort, and indeed direct from the pistes this season with Morzine Weather. To give you a taster of what to expect this season, check out their "remember last year" vid here.
The boys at Morzine Weather will let you know exactly how the pistes are skiing, what shape the snow's in, what's forecast and just about anything else you need to know from the hill. Live and direct!

Emergency! Emergency!

2011-11-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

If you're in and around Montriond you've probaly seen it, but if not then there's been a British ambulance parked outside the Tabac for quite a while now. Some folks like Yodel, worried that it was stolen and someone was moonlighting as a British paramedic in Morzine! Now we know the full story and it is an absolutely brilliant one...Read on

Transform you carving..

2011-11-10T23:22:00.000-08:00

Ski Skills #1 - Transform you carving - with Warren Smith Ski Academy. Some fresh ideas on how to get the most out of yourself, and your skis. Check it out on- http://vimeo.com/6925178

The new swimming pool complex in Morzine

2011-11-07T23:36:00.000-08:00

Ou est la piscine?

It's been two years in the making but finally we are just a couple of months away from the opening on the new swimming pool complex in Morzine. Details have just been released from the Morzine Office de Tourisme.

Here's an artists impression of how the new building will look, with the Super Morzine bridge above and the existing outdoor swimming pool in the foreground.

The new indoor swimming pool in Morzine will open on 17th December - it coincides with the opening of the lift system in the resort. The new swimming pool itself is 25m x 15m and the complex also includes 3 saunas, 2 hammams, a learners pool and a kids pool. The whole site has been constructed with sustainability in mind - it has a grass roof and the pool is heated from the town's wood fired generators.

We've tried to get confirmation on the entry prices for adults and children to no avail! We'll let you know as soon as we have them.

A new lift will run from the top of the ticket office at the Super Morzine to the skate park at the bottom, opposite the Palais du Sport, making access to the new swimming complex easier during the winter. The new lift is expected to open in February.

After a hard days skiing or snowboarding what could be better!

Ski School for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

2011-11-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

Ski School for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad is a series of apps that will help all levels of skier develop and improve their ski technique with a series of simple, effective lessons. Each app has been tailored to a specific level of skier, from absolute beginner to advanced, and will guide the user through the natural skiing progression.

Watch high quality videos, filmed in stunning scenery, presented by professional ski instructor Darren Turner. The videos are accompanied by intuitive cue cards to help reinforce the topics and enhance your learning experience.

The apps have been designed to complement on-slope tuition with a qualified instructor; to clarify the basics, give you a head start and make sure your skiing is heading in the right direction. www.skischoolapp.com

Snow Clothes - What to look for...

2011-10-31T00:29:00.000-07:00

It's definitely got to that time when a little ski shopping spree is in order. The helpful guys and gals at Yodel thought you might like some handy tips on what to look out for and what to avoid. Read on...

Camber vs. Rocker vs. Flat

2011-10-27T23:23:00.000-07:00

For Those About To Rocker (We Salute You)

With so many relatively new options on the market today, deciding whether you want to rent a reverse-camber (aka "rockered") snowboard or a more traditional cambered board – not to mention the additional option of a “flat” base – can seem almost impossible.

We hope to make your decision a little easier by breaking down the different options on the market today, by shape, by brand/model, and by riding style, so you can choose the snowboard (or even skis these days) that will take your riding to the next level. Check out the video for the visual lowdown, then read on for more detailed information.......more

Cheap Morzine & Les Gets ski lift passes!

2011-10-22T02:35:00.000-07:00

Winter lift passes for Morzine / Les Gets and the Portes du Soleil have now gone on sale online. Not only that but discounted rates, of up to 30% off, are available if you buy your ski pass early. Details as follows:

Discounted Morzine / Les Gets ski passes

Morzine / Les Gets lift passes are available for 20% discount until 31st October.

The earlybird rates are available for 6 to 14 day ski lift passes.

Discounted Portes du Soleil ski passes

Portes du Soleil ski passes are available for 10% discount until 4th December.

Cheap rates are available on 4 to 30 day lift passes.

Earlybird season passes for Morzine / Les Gets

Buy your season pass for Morzine / Les Gets and get 30% off before 15th December.

Snow Camp ski-a-thon

2011-10-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

Snow Camp ski-a-thon to be held in Morzine

Snow Camp is the UK's only charity designed to help disadvantaged inner-city youths using snow sports and life skills. For the past two years they have held this 3-day snowsports event that involves skiing or snowboarding a over 150km in 48 hours including a night ski session and a night mountain hike. There is also a celebration party organised by the charity on the last day to commend everyone on the money raised.

The event is open to people of all abilities and is sponsored by Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports. Last year 33 people took part in the event and raised over £30,000 for the charity.

Snow-Camp has grown steadily from supporting just 7 young people in 2003, to supporting over 600 inner-city young people and all funds raised from the event will go towards this work. To find out more about the charity and details on how to enter this event, visit www.snow-camp.org.uk.

New Kids Ski Club for Morzine

2011-10-20T05:03:00.000-07:00

Do you have dreams of making your kids in to future Olympic ski champions? Or are you looking for a fun and relaxed way for your children to learn to ski?

There's a new kids ski club in Morzine with spaces available for local children throughout the winter. Louise and Christophe at Easy2Ride told Yodel all about it...see more

Skis, Snowboards and Airplanes

2011-10-15T01:58:00.000-07:00

Do the big airlines flying to Geneva keep changing their baggage allowance and ski and snowboard carriage charges just to confuse us?

Yodel kindly picked through the small print for us. Here's the latest stats...

Get a train to Morzine!

2011-10-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

All Aboard! Yodel investigates the Snow Train

Local rag, Yodel, having been looking into the various ways that you can get to Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz this winter, either to start your season or for your holidays. Not so well known is that you can actually get a train to Morzine, Les Gets!

Snow Carbon have a cool website dedicated to telling you all you need to know about train travel to your favourite winter sports resort. But the best demonstration of how easy it is comes with their video clips.

Snow Carbon list 35 ski resorts that are easily accessible by train. Les Gets, Morzine and Avoriaz are three of them and there are two journey options: Read on..

Salomon FreeSki October Teaser

2011-10-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

Ski Club Launches Fitness

2011-10-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

London, UK – With new high speed ski lift systems replacing meandering chairs and gondolas, and ski design evolving all the time, it’s now possible to cover huge areas of terrain in half a day. Gone are the days of half hour lift breaks between each run, leaving many skiers wondering why they’re feeling the burn at mid-afternoon when they used to ski until the lifts closed.

read on..

The Big Job!

2011-10-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

There’s quite a bit going on up in those mountains at the moment. Big monsters that you can’t see are at work, changing the landscape in preparation for the winter.

Yodel magazine in Morzine spoke to the mountain management company Serma in Avoriaz to find out what it takes to get a mountain ready for the ski season. Read on...

Ski carriage costs increase!

2011-09-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Ski carriage costs increase by up to £15 per journey
26th September 2011

Over the past few years there’s been a marked shift in the cost of carrying winter sports equipment abroad. Research conducted for metrosnow.co.uk by travelsupermarket.com shows that since last year the cost of carrying ski or snowboard gear on a flight has increased by as much as £15 per set of equipment for a return journey.

Travelsupermarket.com assessed the cost of kit carriage in 2010 and in 2011 for 10 major airlines serving popular winter sports destinations. The findings showed that five of the airlines have increased their charges while a further two have altered their policies regarding winter sports equipment carriage.

Thomson shows the greatest increase in ski carriage prices since last year. In 2010 the airline charged £25 return for ski or snowboard kit whereas this year it is charging £20 each way, a hike of £15 per journey.

UK Ski and Snowboard Shows

2011-09-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

As the temperature drops, feet are getting itchy in excitement as everyone looks forward to the prospect of winter.One of the best ways to get in the know about everything new and exciting for the 2011/12 ski season is by visiting one of the many ski shows held over the interseason. But how to choose? Click here to see Yodel's guide to all the ski shows.

All Go in Avoriaz!

2011-09-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

Avoriaz is the highest resort in the Portes du Soleil by some distance and massive changes to the resort's infrastructure and facilities are underway. Here's what's new for this winter and what's to come as part of this huge €200 million project...click here

99 days till start of the new season!!

2011-09-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

That's it- just thought it was worth mentioning we're into double figures and the count down has officially begun. We're not getting too excited or anything like that...well maybe a little bit!

Avoriaz- official lift opening dates.

2011-08-12T02:18:00.000-07:00

Avoriaz Official Lift Opening dates for season 2011/2012

10th December 2011 until 22nd April 2012.

Bring it on!!

How Green Can Skiing in Morzine be?

2011-08-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

Truth be told- Skiing ain't a very "green" pastime, however, as much criticism has leveled at the industry as a whole we are at last seeing some movement in the right direction. Besides our own contributions to CoolEarth , this season in Morzine sees more than 30 chalets signed up to a new voluntary programme to reduce water and energy consumption in collaboration with muchbetteradventures (website championing sustainable travel) and which has received backing from independent charity, The Travel Foundation. The charity have their own ongoing Make Snowsports Greener campaign where they advise resorts on how to make savings of up to 25 percent on utility bills. Full Report.

We're Hiring Staff for season 2011/12

2011-07-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

Looking to work a winter season? Want to be part of a motivated team with plenty of time to ski and snowboard? Then do not delay and get your CV off to info@doorstepskis.com. We are looking for ski hire technicians with good communication skills, flexibility, enthusiasm and the ability to work under pressure.

Our rental business is based around providing our customers with a superior, personal service, and as you will be at the fore-front of this service, we’re looking for sharp, adaptable, and motivated individuals who can work on their own, or as part of a small team.

The position includes; servicing of rental equipment, fitting and fine tuning of clients rental equipment, delivery and collection of equipment, stock administration, as well as maintaining and cleaning of vehicles.

Applicants should preferably have some skiing or boarding retail/fitting experience, and a real enthusiasm for winter sports is a must.

In return we’re offering you a good weekly wage, accommodation (if required) and plenty of time to ski.

If you're interested, you're over 24yrs, have a Full UK/International driving license, and a EU passport or a valid French Working Visa then please apply with a simple CV and a quick personal note telling us about your ski experiences. Send applications to info@doorstepskis.com.

Local Peak skied in June!

2011-07-13T01:36:00.000-07:00

You and I may have hung up our skis and boots at least until next winter but that's not the case with high mountain guide Gilles Sierro, who last month completed an epic descent of the Dent Blanche- part of a range of 4000+ metres peaks which provide a stunning back drop to skiing in the Portes du Soleil. Incredible given that we didn't receive quite as much snow as usual and with higher than normal seasonal temperatures in April. I guess the moto is, if you look hard enough, you'll find some skiing. Enjoy- http://vimeo.com/25561304

Hiring for 2011/2012!

2011-06-30T01:36:00.000-07:00

Four Weeks to Go!

2011-03-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Just in case you’ve been led to believe the season is all over in Europe and more pertinently here in Morzine I’m here with a little post to set that particular record straight.

For sure it has not been one of our best snow years, particularly if you are a powder hound but the pistes have been in great condition all year. What snow we have had has stuck around as there has been none or very little rainfall which is the real snow killer. Sunny warm days which we are getting frequently now obviously melt the snow but at a much slower rate.

Some of the team managed to score a Saturday morning off today and we went for a little blast on the two slopes that end directly in Morzine – Le Stade and Piste B. Although there may be a little grass surrounding them the pistes themselves are 1-2 meters thick and are offering up some great spring skiing right into the heart of Morzine.

What can be better than blasting around on sugary soft snow until around one pm and then heading for a restaurant for a boozy lunch in the sun? Although we’d like to do a little more of that it’ll be back to the day job for us fitting up people for this week’s skiing. The foot will not be coming off the gas as we make the final push to the end of the season which is still 4 whole weeks away – yes four !

The season ends 24th April and there is plenty of snow to carry us that far, particularly up in Avoriaz, merely a lift ride away, where the altitude helps to slow the progress of spring.

Get it whilst you can!

End of Christmas, roll on half term

2011-01-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

The season is well and truly under way now, the Christmas period feels like a distant memory and the weekly ski hire output has dropped a touch from the peak holiday period. We are still busy but our international team of ski technicians comprising of a Scotsman, an Englishman (no Irishman) and a few Antipodeans (NZ or Oz? I can’t tell the difference but don’t tell them I said that) are a well drilled team making for an effortless hire experience. Things will ramp up to a peak for the half term period but we’ve got it covered with our most extensive, newest, shinyest hire fleet ever!
Weather wise the season has been average, we have had some good dumps of snow and some mint powder days but we have also had some warms spells that have eaten away at the snow. The latest warm spell succeeded last Wednesday’s powder day but the good news is that the temperature is dropping again back to the well below zero daytime temperatures you would expect at this time of year.
I’ve just returned from the shop having serviced my skis. I had to get in early before the servicing team come in tonight to finely tune the remaining batch of last week’s skis. These guys have got it nailed, servicing up to 100 pairs of skis overnight. And just in case you were wondering we do service and repair work too. We generally turn around servicing overnight although sometimes whilst you wait. If you need razor sharp edges and a super fast race finish using environment friendly waxes then you know where to come.

Tune in soon!

The Season Starts

2010-12-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

The season has now rumbled into life here in Morzine, the Portes du Soleil and for that matter Doorstep Skis. A Bluebird powder day kicked off proceedings last weekend 04th/12 which was more than welcome. The previous week had been bucketing down with snow and everyone in resort was itching to get up there and make some tracks.

You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out that a base building up so early is a good thing regardless of whether you got to ski it that weekend or will have to cool your boots until your ski holiday comes around later in the season. Hopefully the weather has started as it means to go on, cold and snowy!

The Doorstep ski team have been blowing the cobwebs away (returning staff) and getting the new guys into line (and by new we mean to Doorstep, all have previous ski tech experience and have multiple seasons behind them). The local seasonnaires working for our partner chalets, who will be serving you up with your gourmet chalet super, have been kitted out with their skis and snowboards.

This weekend was again a good ski weekend, yesterday was the pick of the days with sunshine skies, today a little more cloudy. The snow is mint on account of those cold temperatures, perfect for blasting around the pistes and in places a little off piste too.

We have begun to fit out our first early bird guests with our mostly new stock and are getting some favourable reports back on the new range of skis we have on offer. Everyone’s a winner but enough for now…tune in next time.

Ski the Best!

2010-10-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

They're here! Our all new Exclusive range of skis in which we'll be offering the discerning customer the chance to ride the top of the range, best money can buy, skis from the manufacturers that we deal with. Whether you like on piste racing, freestyle, freeride or just like posing at the pub after a day on the hill then get a look at our- if we may so ourselves- rather delectable, range of Exclusive skis.

Helmets Reduce Head Injury Risk

2010-07-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

Ski Helmets Reduce Head Injury Risk: Canadian Study; Ski helmet use reduces the risk of head injuries and does not increase risk of neck injury, a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has found.

The report, published Feb 1, 2010 in CMAJ, states helmets reduce risk of head injury by about 35 percent. It also found that adults--but especially children--who wear helmets do not increase their risk of neck injuries.

"What we found wa, effectively, that there was a reduction in head injury risk with helmet use but no associated increase in neck injury risk with helmet use, author Brent Hagel of the University of Calgary told The Toronto Star.

The report, based on analysis of data that dates as far back as 1991, was initiated in part to "debunk the concern that children, who have a higher head-to-body weith ration than adults, might be more vulnerable to hurting their necs in a fall because the protective headgear made them more top heavy," The Star reports.

A Later Easter

2010-06-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

Next winter will see the Easter holidays much later than previous years. At the moment, the main weeks of the Easter holidays are going to be the the weeks of the 11th and 18th of April.

Many people will look at those dates and decide that Easter is surely too late to go skiing. Fear not, as they could be mistaken. It's currently May and the high altitude resorts of Val d'Isere and Avoriaz have received more snow this week.

Over the past three seasons, many of the high resorts have started to look a little bare towards the end of March, then enjoyed fantastic spring snow throughout April.

With such good end of season snow, there are a selection of operators looking to offer Easter skiing right through until the last week of April.

All new 2011 K2 skis - are they off their rocker?

2010-01-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

The 2011 K2 ski lineup ALL has rocker. And the all-conquering Apache series is kaput. And the Hellbent is now 132mm wide underfoot. The last of these statements was going to be true, but who would have put money on the rest? Wow! Big news...read on

Fancy a ski with Alain Baxter?

2009-12-11T00:29:00.000-08:00

Those nice people at Alpine Learning Curves Ski School in Les Gets have organised a sensational day's skiing with the one and only Alain Baxter. Joe at ALS tells us 'you'll get the chance to ski all day with the highlander, tips and coaching on the go. It's a great chance to ski and talk to a top class athlete and have loads of fun at the same time!!" Costs are £100/person/day and keeping to sensible sized groups. If you're interested contact Joe at jbeer@alpinelearningcurves.co.uk.

Ride Hard Ride Safe

2009-11-21T01:59:00.000-08:00

Henry’s Avalanche Talk ( HAT) aims to help off-piste skiers and boarders understand for themselves how to stay safe and have more fun. HAT has been helping off piste skiers and riders to get more from the mountain for 15 years and have now produced online versions of their avalanche talks which means you do not need to attend a live event. HAT will provide you an insight on skiing off piste, understanding and awareness of the avalanche danger and development of off-piste skiing skills. Read More...

Update- Snow on the hills!

2009-11-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

The hills around Morzine, above 1200 metres, were looking lovely and white this afternoon. Its set to be unsettled for the rest of the week so more of the white stuff on it's way. It's nice to look out of the window as we unpack this season's ski hire equipment and see the snowy peaks. Who knows- a wee hike might be in order for the weekend.

Re-cycling Snow- The Future?

2009-10-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

In the little Jura resort of Mijoux, rather than let snow melt they are keeping it in storage over the summer and reusing it in the winter. A report from the French Government says that 250MW/h are used to make snow in France in a season so this could be quite an energy saving. What an idea! Could we see Morzine and Les Gets following suit. Read the full article..

What's the perfect ski for you!

2009-10-20T03:55:00.000-07:00

It's a tough question. Your more likely to end up on an unsuitable for your ability ski than a downright bad ski. There's just so many choices and variables when it comes to choosing a ski that it can all seem a bit too much. To give yourself a better idea of the different categories and styles of skis available, have a look at the Ski Finder on Ski Press.com. It's not a definitive search but it'll certainly give you an idea.

Portes-du-Soleil signs deal with ecologists!

2009-10-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

After a five year battle the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil have signed a deal with ecologists. The ski area intends to invest CHF 100 million to 2024. The deal will see pistes removed, an upgrade of ski lifts, more snow making and protection for wetlands. Great to see the area taking pro-active measures and here's hoping more and more businesses and resorts ( come on Morzine ) get their heads into the big environmental question.

Ski holidays in short supply for next winter

2009-10-10T03:24:00.000-07:00

There have been a few reports in the UK press over the summer months about a supposed decrease in the number of ski holidays available. It's true that some large tour operators, such as Crystal, have cut back on the number of catered chalets they are offering for 2009-10. Last winter's weak pound against the euro meant that many ski holiday companies, whose revenue is in sterling and expenses in euros, were caught with too many beds to sell and rising costs. Naturally they have adopted a more cautious approach for this winter. Read on..

Are Skiers and Snowboarders Prone to Head Injury?

2009-10-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

There is growing evidence that the risk of head injury and of loss of consciousness increases when a person is not wearing a helmet and falls while skiing or snowboarding, according to a new report published in the fall 2009 issue of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. Traumatic brain injury accounts for 50% to 88% of skiing and snowboarding fatalities. There is evidence that helmet use prevents mild to moderate injury. Read the whole report.

Don't call it boarding-apparently!

2009-09-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Nice quirky article on the Whitelines website arguing the merits of calling snowboarding 'boarding', or calling boarding 'snowboarding'. Get it. Our website's strap line reads 'skis and boards direct to your door' so I guess we come down somewhere in the middle, although, there's a movement in the Doorstep Skis camp to have everything labeled 'snowboarding'- you know who you are! Have a read at the article and see which side of the fence you come down on.
h ttp://whitelines.com/features/magazine/dont_call_it_boarding.html

In Deep

2009-09-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Our vote for best looking new ski movie for the 2009/2010 season goes to Matchstick's production- In Deep. Between hiring and repairing skis and snowboards we'll have this dvd on loop to get us pumped up for hitting the slopes.

El Niño Returns!

2009-09-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

El Niño Returns to Morzine. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the climate is in an "El Niño" condition now and that condition is expected to last through Winter 2009/10. Both 1995/96 and 2005/06 were El Niño winters and ski participation levels for those seasons were excellent. Happy Days.

Doorstep Skis

Keeping Your Kit Safe

Keeping Your Kit Safe

Lots of skis and snowboards are going missing in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz at the moment. Whilst we're very sure that the problem isn't unique to our resorts, there are some very simple ways to keep your kit safe.

Lock your kit up

Loop your poles over your skis

Separate your skis

Keep a record

Night storage

Stay safe!

‘Super Smoothy’ Wins FWT at Chamonix-Mt. Blanc

New Zealand’s ‘Super Smoothy’ Wins FWT at Chamonix-Mt. Blanc

Oakley White Allen lands on second podium of the season; Jackie Paaso wins women's title

Ski Food and Nutrition

Rosie Smith is a nutritionist and helps ski chalets to write a hearty and healthy menu for their guests. She is currently working with Skiology and here she tells Yodel why food is such an important part of your ski holiday.

Before your holiday…

During your holiday…

So what should we eat?

What would the perfect menu look like…

Rock the Pistes Details Announced!

Sauvages brought a whole new type of music festival to the pistes around the Portes du Soleil. Here's some of the line-up for this year's event kindly brought to you by Yodel ;

Louis Bertignac – Saturday 24th of March at 1.30pm in Morzine-Les Gets

Gérald de Palmas – Sunday 25th of March at 1.30pm in La Crosets

Archive – Wednesday 28th of March at 1.30pm in Avoriaz

Big Mountain Battle!

Coming straight from The States, Les Gets hosts the European leg of the Big Mountain Battle at the end of January and the beginning of February. Want to get involved?

Saturday 21st January 2012 - The Igloo Battle

Saturday 28th January 2012 - The Ba Bar Battle

Saturday 4th February 2012 - The Zebra 3 Battle

Saturday 11th February 2012 - The Bowling Battle

At what time does battle commence on each of the dates above?

Krafty Kuts in Morzine

Tickets are on sale right now for the Krafty Kuts gig at L'Opera in Morzine on 17th January- which we're all really looking forward to, so it was great to see Local magazine Yodel, having a quick chat with Mr Krafty himself (AKA Martin Reeves) about the Morzine gig...

Are you looking forward to playing in Morzine later this month?

Have you been to Morzine before?

L'Opera is Morzine's largest venue - what are you expecting from the crowd?

Have you got any new tricks or tunes that you'll be pulling out of the bag for the Morzine mob?

If we see you at the bar, what you drinking?

Morzine Down Days

Most groups have a skier who isn’t desperate to be on the mountain every day and most people have a day of the week where the prospect of spending another 8 hours solid skiing or snowboarding just isn’t appealing.

Enjoy Yourself

Get Sporty

Get Involved

Toboganning

Ice Skating

Treat Yourself

Catch a Film

Watch a Hockey Match

Snow Thieves Winning "Battle of the Boards" - For Now!

After having some of our own rental equipment go "missing", we came across this encouraging report which shows there might just be light at the end of this dark tunnel...Read on

Lights, Camera, Action!

Morzine, Avoriaz and Les Gets have more than their fair share of talented photographers as the front covers of magazines regularly testify! Yodel magazine investigated and came up with a few tips from the best of the best to make sure you get the photos your holiday deserves.

Robbie Davies - Apresimaging on Facebook

Stewart Monk – www.reelfunmedia.com

Damian McArthur – www.damianmcarthur.com

Neil Sharp – www.sharpography.co.uk

Jacquie Cutler – www.jcutlerphotography.co.uk

Emily Turnbull – www.emilyturnbull.com

Jack Terry – www.jackterry.co.uk

Yodel is always looking for talented new photographers to work with in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz. Get in touch – info@yodelmagazine.com

Safe Not Sorry!

Insurance

On the hill and off the piste

Ski Lift Graveyard

Ever wondered what happened to the famous "red eggs" in Les Gets? Yodel mag had a nosey around to see what happened to these iconic lifts!

In Winter 2010, the famous red

bubble was replaced by a new...red bubble! The new bubble eliminated the long set of stairs involved to get skiers to the start of the lift.

Off Piste Insurance

Contents

Summary

Why Insure?

The Trip Advisor Ski Index 2011 / 2012

When the 2012 Ski Index was released this week, Yodel magazine were dead keen to see where the resorts of Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz featured...

The Facts & Figures!

French Avalanche analysis for winter 2010/2011

French Avalanche analysis for winter 2010/2011

Mutzig - The Seaonaire's Favourite!

Aaaah, Mutzig. The beloved beer is such an institution in this area - though not everyone would agree the morning after!

Party Time!

The Portes du Soleil is going BIG this winter with 3 fantastic festivals to keep us all entertained. Get these dates in your diaries quick sharp.