Doorstep Skis

The lifts in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz are all now closed but what if you don’t feel ready to hang up your helmet quite yet? Yodel mag in Morzine has come up with a host of resorts set to stay open in the next week and if the snow conditions here are anything to go by, it will be an amazing trip. We recommend checking the website of the relevant Office de Tourisme before setting off to ensure what lifts are still open. Courcheval 1850 – Set to close: 27th April Drive time: 2 hrs 25 mins La Clusaz - Set to close: 29th April Drive time: 1 hr 14 mins Les Arcs - Set to close: 28th April Drive Time: 2 hrs 18 mins Val d’Isére - Set to close: 27th April Drive Time: 2 hrs 54 mins Meribel - Set to close: 27th April Drive Time: 2hrs 22 mins Val Thorens - Set to close: 27th April Drive Time: 2hr 35 mins Tignes – Set to fully close: 8th May Drive Time: 2 hrs 48 mins Yodel and Doorstep Skis also recommends sharing a car

Winter 2013 Lift Pass Prices Announced While we're all still loving the snow and having an amazing end to Winter 2012, the very organised people at Yodel magazine in Morzine the Portes du Soleil have just released the lift pass prices for Winter 2013. And here they are! Download the Portes du Soleil Winter 2013 lift pass prices here. See you all next winter!

If the beauty of the mountains could be poured into a pair of skis, Skilogik is what you would create. Skilogik skis are not only a thing of beauty but socially responsible and high performance, winning a string of ski test awards. The handcrafted skis predominantly feature natural materials and the company buys supplies from sustainable sources that care about the natural environment. They also plant a tree in place of every pair made and pay all their workers above the market rate. Yodel magazine in Morzine spoke to company founder, David Mazzarella about Skilogik and the ethos behind it. “The response to our work around the world has been amazing, it’s probably more focused in the US for now as we started in Colorado. The second most popular area for our skis is probably Europe. We get a really good response from France - I think you have a mindset that’s open to new things out there. I grew the company out of a passion for skiing since I was a kid and I was drawn to making

With the season end looming, it’s worth planning how you’re going to store your precious kit until next year. The guys and gals at Yodel mag in Morzine take us through some simple steps to make sure your boards are ready to roll next season; 1. Have your skis or snowboard tuned – or tune them yourself. 2. Leave a thick coat of soft (warm weather) wax on the base and edges – this will protect the edges from oxidizing (rusting) over the summer and will keep the base hydrated. 3. On your ski bindings, turn the toe and heel springs down to the lowest setting so that they aren’t under tension all summer – this will lengthen the life of your bindings. 4. Make sure your boots and liners are dry before you put them away. Try removing the liners to let them air dry and wash off any of that spring grime from your boot shells. Wrap your boots in a plastic bag with some small air holes before storing them away. 5. Store your skis and snowboards in a cool dry place, standing the

This is the second article in Much Better Adventures series of good news and inspiring stories that have caught their eye during the month. This month we were inspired to learn that a remote Swiss Valley community have voted against receiving tens of millions of pounds each in favour of preserving their cultural heritage and environment. The incredible vote was cast by the valley's 450 inhabitants this month after it was discovered that their area was sitting on a goldmine worth at least $1.2 billion. Whilst some locals were less convinced by the decision, the majority of folk in the Medel Valley voted against the retirement-plans-changing sum of money in favour of regional conservation. "The money would have been nice," said 17-year-old Nicole Venzin. "But what sort of future would we have if we ruined the environment?" Well said, Nicole.

Winter 2011/12 will be remembered as cold and snowy in France, at least in an arc stretching from the Vosges in the North to the Hautes-Alpes in the south. A two week freeze February saw the coldest temperatures since 1986. Strong northerly winds made the situation worse, freezing central heating pipes and diesel and leaving hundreds of motorists stranded. However the cold was bracketed by warm, but snowy, weather. Autumn 2011 The first generalised snowfall in the Northern Alps occurred on the weekend of the 8th October (20cm) and it seemed that we were set for another early season. In 2010 the mid mountain resort of les 7 Laux was able to open for the autumn half term week. Their earliest opening on record. First snow on the Chartreuse It was not to be, there followed 2 months of abnormally warm and dry weather. The situation was different in the Southern Alps. The high mountain passes of the Agnel and Restefond saw a weather system bringing 30cm of snow on the last w

A wee look ahead to 2013 Salomon Skis @ #SIA12.....some really tasty suff to look forward to... more

There’s been a new way to get around Morzine this winter. You can take a ‘Segway Authorised’ tour of Morzine along the river trail, do Morzine by night as part of a group tour or spend an hour circling Lac Montriond. For those of you not in the know, the Segway is ‘the world's first self-balancing human transporter’. It has two wheels and stays upright all by itself. You move backwards or forwards, left or right by leaning and steering on the handlebars. They travel at about 20kmph and can go for about 38km on one battery charge, which makes them fairly practical and very economical for the mountains. We think that this is a great activity, especially for groups. It’s a good way to get your bearings, it’s a nice alternative to snow sports and it looks like a lot of fun too! Price: From €35 for a 1 hour accompanied tour of Morzine Suitable for Children: The minimum age is 14 years Equipment: Helmets provided, Yodel recommends warm clothes! Contact: Bernard - +33 (0) 6 34 6