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.
Ever wondered what happened to the famous "red eggs" in Les Gets? 
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!
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.
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.
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.
