Ski Independence Blog
Posts Tagged ‘chamonix’
New Year, New Snow
January 4th, 2012Having witnessed one of the snowiest Decembers on record across the Alps; picture perfect conditions over the Christmas week, and a short lived spell of mild weather for New Year, the Alps are now getting ready for the first dump of 2012…and it’s another big one! With some European resorts already reporting more snow to date this winter than the whole of last season, the Alps are now enjoying some of the best snow conditions in the world. Below is a quick round up on where to find the best snow conditions.
The resort of Solden reported the most new snow across Austria last week. Following an impressive 1.1m of fresh snowfall, the clouds parted giving way to some great on and off piste conditions. St Anton also has some fantastic conditions with an upper snow depth of 298cm and has a further 65cm forecast this week. Lech despite having slightly less snow is still in great condition with 240cm lying on the upper slopes.
>>> More information on ski holidays in Austria
The picturesque resort of Lech
If you are looking to find the deepest snow in Europe, head to the the traditional village of Saas Fee in the Swiss Alps. The resort currently has an on piste snow depth of 340cm and another 20cm forecast for the end of the week. Not far behind, and forecast for another 40cm of snow this week, is Verbier where you will find a piste depth of 300cm.
>>> More information on ski holidays in Switzerland
A recent powder day in Verbier.
Following some truly incredible snowfall in the past month, France is undoubtedly the place to ski in Europe. As the forecast predicted; the snow has continued this week with a further 20 – 30cm falling and a further 50cm forecast tomorrow (Thursday). Many resorts around France including Chamonix, Les Arcs and Tignes are already reporting snow bases of over 3m with both fantastic on and off piste conditions.
>>> More information on ski holidays in France
125cm of fresh snow at the top of the Funicular in Tignes!
Conditions also remain good in Canada where most resorts in Alberta and British Columbia are sitting on snow bases of well over 2m. Following an incredible November with over 11ft of snow in areas it looks like the slight dry spell in December has come to an end. In the past 7 days Whistler welcomed 125cm of fresh snow, taking the accumulated snow fall to date this winter to 449cm! Further inland Fernie also saw a good snowfall, with 61cm hitting the mountains over the past week, bringing the snowpack up to 175cm.
>>> More information on ski holidays in Canada
Whistler following 100cm of snow in 7 days! Photo: Coast Mountain Photography
Despite snowfall in the USA being lower than last winter, many resorts are still reporting good on piste conditions. One exception in the USA, and matching its big mountain skiing and snow record, is Jackson Hole who had a welcome dump of 75cm last week allowing the resort to open in full.
>>> More information on ski holidays in the USA
Celebrating New Year and 75cm of fresh snow in Jackson Hole. Photo: Chris Figenshan
For first hand advice on where to find the best snow conditions and accommodation offers, call a member of the Ski Independence team on 0131 243 8097, visit our website or request a quick online quotation.
Did someone say it’s snowing!?
December 6th, 2011Following one of the warmest and driest Novembers on record, in both the UK and Europe, it now seems as if winter is truly upon us. As temperatures dropped over the weekend all eyes became focused on the snow reports, hoping and praying that it could only mean one thing…snow is on the way!
After weeks of waiting and speculation on when the snow was going to arrive, Saturday evening witnessed the first substantial fall of the winter across the Alps. As curtains twitched on Sunday morning it came to the delights of many that winter had arrived, and as reports started circulating the UK media and social networking sites on Sunday I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to breathe a sigh of relief!
Not only did it snow on Saturday night, it continued into Sunday, Monday and it’s still snowing today in many European resorts. In Val d’Isere up to 80cm of fresh snow has fallen over the Fornet Glacier, 50cm over Solaise and 30cm over Bellevarde. Meribel, Courchevel, Les Deux Alpes and Val Thorens have also been blanketed by snow, however the clear winner with close to a metre of snow is Serre Chevalier which now has an upper base of 190cm, the best in Europe!
Looking ahead over the next 24 hours and into Wednesday evening, Snowforecast is predicting some rather staggering figures. Chamonix is forecast to received up to 64cm, Alpe d’Huez and Les Deux Alpes 60cm and Tignes and Val d’Isere 35cm. And with temperatures set to stay low, I think it’s safe to say we are back on track for a great season in the Alps.
Below is a selection of images from today’s webcams around Europe (as you can see, it’s snowing pretty heavily!).
Val d'Isere webcam over looking the Folie Douce at the top of La Daille
The Biollay piste which is just above the village of St Martin de Belleville
The view at La Chaudanne; the central lift station for Meribel.
The centre of Le Arcs 1950
Ski Independence have a fantastic selection of hotels and apartments across Europe, many of which have early booking offers available, saving you up to 30%. In addition to great accommodation savings, we also have fantastic offers on Swiss Rail transfers and Kids can rent for free throughout France!
For more details on any of our offers or advice on what accommodation or resort is best for you, call a member of the Ski Independence reservations team on 0131 243 8097 who will be happy to help. Alternatively you can request an online quote by clicking here.
Its Snowing!
October 12th, 2011As resorts across the southern hemisphere close their doors to skiers and boarders it’s now the turn of Europe, the USA and Canada to get in on the action. After a week of newsletters bombarding my inbox with “It’s Snowing” in the subject line I’m in no doubt we’ve now seen the first significant snowfall of the 2011/12 season on both sides of the Atlantic.
In Europe, the Swiss Alps were the winners with up to 80cm of fresh snow falling. In France, Les Menuires in the Three Valleys also fared well with up to 40cm and Chamonix, Courchevel and Meribel awoke to a moderate covering of snow on Sunday morning. After a month of no resorts being open in France, Tignes re-opened the Grande Motte Glacier which will now remain open all the way through until May 2012.
Monday morning in Chamonix under the Autannes chairlift. Photo: Compagnie du Mont-Blanc
Across the pond it was Whistler making the headlines with their video “First turns of the new season in Whistler”. Making the most of the fresh snow on the Blackcomb Glacier skiers Callum Pettit and Mike Douglas were choppered up to sample some of the fresh powder. Here’s how they got on……”Watch first turns of the season”
Moving south into the USA, Mammoth reported 40cm of fresh snow followed by similar reports from Park City, Squaw and Jackson Hole.
Over 20cm of snow fell in Panorama, Canada.
With another El Nina year predicted and significant early snow already falling, we’re preparing for a bumper winter season. We’ve got some outstanding Early Booking Offers throughout France, the USA and Canada but deadlines are fast approaching so be quick.
For expert advice on your perfect Winter 2011/2012 holiday call us on 0131 243 8097 or fill in an email quote request by clicking here.
The best of Chamonix, without the crowds
July 15th, 2011The latest addition to our range of French resorts, we’re pleased to be featuring Vallorcine for Winter 2011/2012.
Considered by many people to be a true hidden gem, Vallorcine is an authentic and unspoilt mountain village located at the end of the Chamonix Valley, just before the Swiss border.
It’s the perfect choice if you’re looking for a peaceful retreat, great value, and all the benefits of a large ski area without the drawbacks of big crowds.
Stay in Residence L’Ours Bleu for great quality self-catered apartments – ideally located in the very heart of the village and close to the Vallorcine gondola.
Picturesque Vallorcine in the Chamonix Valley
Call the reservations team on 0131 243 8097 to find out more and to check availability.
Annecy 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Games
May 18th, 2011This morning Annecy & the other 2018 Winter Olympics candidate cities are making their presentations to the IOC.
The purpose of the meeting in Lausanne is to allow the three 2018 candidate cities, Munich, Annecy and PyeongChang in South Korea, and the IOC members to discuss the finer elements of their bids and to give IOC members an opportunity to put questions to the cities prior to the final decision on the 6th July 2011 in Durban, South Africa.
Annecy 2018 Winter Olympic bid delegation stand before their presentation to the IOC members at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Photo: Reuters
France are hoping that their sporting luck continues following the announcement yesterday that they won the right to stage golf’s prestigious Ryder Cup in 2018, the first time it will have been staged in mainland Europe for 21 years. The last time the Winter Olympics were held in France was in 1992 in Albertville, with Grenoble hosting in 1968, however with neither of the other two competing bid countries having held the Games – they will have to put together a good fight. Germany were close to holding the first ever Winter Olympics in 1916, however they were cancelled due to the outbreak of WW1, and it was Chamonix which in fact held the inaugural Games in 1924.
Chamonix 1924 - Ice Hockey
Highlights from the 2010/11 Season
April 20th, 2011As the majority of ski resorts start to close for the season and our minds turn to the 2011/12 season, we thought it would be nice to share a few of the Ski Independence team’s highlights from the past season; on and off the slopes, from the world of social media to memorable runs.
Pip – European Product Manager
February half term is one of the busiest weeks of the whole ski season, with hundreds of families heading across the channel by means of Eurotunnel, flights and ferries for their annual trip. So it is always an anxious few weeks in the run up before, which this year wasn’t made any easier by reports in the British press of poor conditions. However, heart rates decreased and smiles spread across the office when we started to receive word of fresh snow throughout the Alps – hurrah!
My second highlight was my personal ski holiday to Méribel in March. We were blessed with amazing sunshine and snow conditions were much better than anticipated, which is pretty much the feedback which we are getting from clients. Spring days with long lunches in the sunshine can only but put a smile on my face!
Sunshine and blue skies in Meribel
French Ski Resort iPhone Apps
January 26th, 2011If you’re heading off to the slopes this season and want to keep track of the latest snowfall, check out the piste maps and see what’s going on off the slopes then check out the resorts’ iPhone app.
French Ski Resort iPhone Apps:
Les Houches Scores 10/10
January 4th, 2011As part of our on going customer service, every client who travels with Ski Independence receives a post-holiday questionnaire. We always strive to improve the quality of our holidays and these questionnaires provide us with the opportunity to do this.
It is always a pleasure to read how much you have enjoyed your holidays and even better when we can share this information with others. Tim, from Sussex, recently returned from a trip to Les Houches, where we can confidently say he had a great time. Here’s what he had to say about his trip:
- The Skiing In Les Houches
We wanted a comfortable apartment for Christmas and skiing for 2 beginners and 2 half decent skiers. Your advice to go for Les Houches with its excellent learner area at the top of the Prarion telecabine and long runs through trees for the better skiers was perfect. More challenging skiing, as you pointed out, is available at Argentiere and Les Tours just down the road, but these areas were restricted with many runs closed through avalanche warnings so we stayed in Les Houches throughout and were fine, with fresh snow most days we were lucky but, as you had told us, snow making machines on the major runs means there is always skiing there, even if limited by weather conditions and they were blasting out even when it was snowing to ensure good coverage for the downhill race they hosted just after our stay.
Great skiing for all abilities in Les Houches
What’s new in Europe for 2010/11?
July 16th, 2010It may be the heart of summer but the excitement for the next ski season is building and our new 2010/11 brochure will be out in 14 days! We have some great new properties in our European program to whet the appetite, here are some details:
Chamonix is a mecca for skiers and boarders alike and it’s great to have 2 new hotels in our program that are in the centre of the town.
Hotel Le Morgane
Hotel Le Morgane: This modern and centrally located hotel offers guests a stylish yet comfortable place to stay in Chamonix. The hotel offers rooms on a B&B basis so you have the choice of trying out the towns many dining options or even sampling the onsite Michelin star restaurant “Le Bistrot” for some culinary delights.
Hotel Les Aiglons: Just 5 minutes from the town centre and at the base of the Aiguille du Midi cable car you can expect a luxurious yet affordable option here with a fantastic outdoor heated pool and great restaurant “Le A”. Here you have a choice of B&B or half board.
Flaine is becoming more and more popular every season and is ideal for families and couples alike.
Le Refuge du Golf: Le Refuge is a brand new apartment complex of a 4 star standard but very good value for money.
The skiing is accessed by a free shuttle bus service and the onsite facilities include a bar, restaurant and an indoor pool. We have 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartments here.
Video Snow Report from Chamonix – 7 April
April 7th, 2010It’s hard to believe that these are Easter conditions!
Check out the snow conditions in Chamonix, thanks to Seb Montaz at Chamonix Guiding.
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