Category: Chalet Dairy 2009

The weather has been fabulous in the last few weeks. The girls finished school for 9 weeks at the beginning of July, they had a couple of  School Trips out before. her are a couple of photos taken in La Sassiere, near Val D’Isere/Tignes.    The first week of the holidays for Anneha was spent with Ski Club doing roller blading, orienteering, and biking. She had a great time and Ffion and I went to the lake and swimming pool whilst she was away.  The outdoor pool in Bourg is now open and they have got sunbeds now, which is an added bonus. Its one of the only places you can arrive at midday and still get a bed. We went back to the UK to see family and friends and had a good time. The Tour de France went really well and the weather was superb for it. It passed over the Col de Petit St Bernard (where we ski over to Italy) and then directly through Bourg St Maurice. There was a real party atmosphere and lots of freebies to be had. We have been to lots of BBQ’s and its so nice just to be able to eat your dinner outside. We are looking forward to our week in Malaga with the Weetmans and then my sister is visiting in Aug for a week with her children. Anneha and Fi have already made the Itinery. The girls are riding every week and loving it.The stables are in Bourg St Maurice.                                             Jonny is starting the Tour de Mont Blanc next week with Mike and Alex (friends) and is looking forward to that. Will write again soon.  

We made our first trip over to Italy last week. We went to the market in Aosta ( about 1.5 hrs drive ) and then had a look around. Its a beautiful place and very Italien, as you would expect of course. We had a lovely Cappachino in a cafe and pizza in the square. We stocked up on Parmesan and Olive Oil, not forgetting the homemade pasta we bought for dinner. There was very little snow going over the Col de Petit St Bernard, definitely a lot less than this time last year. Here are a couple of photos of the Town of Aosta.    We had a trip to Lake Annecy too, one weekend. It was a beautiful day and we went on the beach and to the Lido, which was free at that time of year , and the girls had a wonderful time. We can understand why the French don’t need to go anywhere else other than France for their holidays.  Below are a couple of photos take at Lake Annecy,     The rivers are up at the moment with snow melting fast high up. The rafting looks action packed at the moment. Today we went climbing to a local spot. There are barbeque pits set up so we took some charcoal and plenty of food and had a real feast. It was Fete de Papa day here in France too so the girls made Jonny a cake which we took with us. All the kids climbed and us adults managed to get a go when we could persuade the kids to take a break. The local Climbing Club had set up a high Zip Wire so they were all on that too. Great day. Jonny has been in the forest collecting wood for next winter. Heavy going as we got big trees this year. Jonny is also in the process of building us a Pizza Oven on the terrace, which we all cannot wait to try out. The girls are back riding again, im itching to get back in the saddle too, I really miss it. The outdoor pool in Bourg opens tomorrow (22nd ) which means everyone will know where to find us. Either there or Plan D’eau with the lake. Still have availability for the Chalet, only £500 for the week, self catered.    

Jonny completed the Haute Route (tour from Chamonix France to Zermatt , Switzerland over the mountains ) and had a fabulous time. The weather and conditions were perfect meaning they got some great photos and views.  They completed it in 4 days as opposed to the normal 6.  The team had all trained hard which meant the guide Al Powell could push them to finish in 4 days. It was well worth all the hard work they put in before hand. His lightweight kit proved to be just right and the extra weight of Anneha’s Spongebob Square Pants didn’t hold him back. Jonny did get a chesty cough on the last day which meant he found the going tough on the last climb. They witnessed a huge serac fall which unnerved them a little , and saw huge crevasses. At their highest point it was a total whiteout , and the route down was full of crevasses The guide Al Powell who had only his compass bearings and experience to get them down, was faultless and got them all down safely.  He had an amazing time and is looking forward to another trip again next year. Here are some photos from the trip.       We have had a busy few weeks closing down the chalet and then visiting UK for my brother in laws 40th for a long weekend, before heading down South for a break when the girls were off school.  We had a lovely time in Port Grimaud with great weather. Swimming has started at school so I help twice a week with that.  The girls have only 5 weeks left before they break up for the Summer. The chalet is gettiing booked up for the Summer. The Tour de France passes through Bourg St Maurice 21st and 22nd July  this year. The Col de Petit St Bernard over to Italy has just opened this week so a trip to the Aoste Valley will be on the cards im sure soon. The lifts in Les Arcs open early this year on 27th June 2009 for walking / mountain biking. We still have weeks 27th June – 4th July and 15th – 22nd July free for anyone wanting to come over for a holiday. Bookings  have started coming in too for next Winter , we are holding prices as of last year for early bookings so please get in touch. At the time of writing this the euro against the pound has improved, it was 1.15 yesterday, hooray!!!  At least when you stay with us you know all your drinks, food etc is included in your sterling price so you don’t need that much spending money. We are also doing packed lunches if needed to help make savings whilst you are here.    

 A few more photos from the last week of the season!            

The last week of catered guests has been and we have just another 2 weeks until the skiing finishes in Val D’Isere, with Tignes staying open another week.  Paradiski is open for another week .  I was up in Val yesterday and it was snowing with about 20 cm of fresh powder . Today is lovely and sunny again. We have some guests arriving next week self catering to get some last minute boarding in then it will be out with the mountain bikes. We have had a fabulous season with great snow and bookings this year, thankyou to everyone who came to stay.  We were able to ski all the way down to Villaroger until 11th April this year, just having to download on the bottom lift for the last week. Snow coverage that last week was great and we skied over to Italy which once again was empty on the pistes.  Here are some photos from the season.  Summer bookings are going well so please get in touch if you fancy a break in the sun. We have 1 week left in July and then the last 2 weeks of August are free if you want to come when the lifts are open. Failing that any other week from May to Dec are available. Jonny left Sunday to start the Haute Route. His training has gone well and he feels fitter than last year before the trip got cancelled. I spoke to him last nght and he was in Champex. They are going to Verbier today and staying in the Montfour hut tonight. His crampons and skins both broke yesterday  so he was doing a repair job last night.  He is away all week so will try and give an update in the next day or so. The girls are back to school after the Easter holidays. Amelia leaves at the end of the week and is going back to the UK initially before more travelling and working. We are back to the Uk for a long weekend for my brother in laws birthday then a short break in the South of France when the girls are off school in May. The Valley is turning greener by the day and the tulips and daffs are finally coming uo in the garden. Mario our neighbour is not well at the moment, he suffered a small heart attack last week so will be taking things steady this Summer. Albert who lives in the big chalet infront of us (where we park the cars) is also in hospital after a back operation and not sure when they are moving back up to Le Loissel. We are all looking forward to the Summer now , the tent will be coming out and Jonny is hoping to build a pizza oven on the terrace. Will write again soon.    

The season is passing so fast. We’ve been very busy with lots of tops up of snow. We did actually have about 10 days of continuous sunshine, where the temeratures rose to about 17 degrees at 1000m, however its come back cold again in the evenings and the last 2 days have been snowing. Jonny and I have  just had a lovely morning in Villaroger. The powder was light, on piste as well as off. We were still getting fresh tracks at  11.30 am which just shows how much we have had.  The photos below show what great coverage we have got, snow right down to the Village and no stones/rocks in sight. This means a great end to the season mid April. Once again late snow is forcast for this Valley!These photos were taken this morning. The lift one is the bottom lift in Villaroger, near la Ferme.     Ive added a photo next off Anneha from her race the other week and a picture of my Girls Ski in Ste Foy 2 weeks ago, it was a beautiful day and great to catch up with everyone as we are all so busy!     We had the long weekend with The Birks’s and Co, trip over to Italy another highlight. Lots of people we haven’t seen for years have been recently. Our friends Mick and Sally who we did a season in Val D’Isere with 12 years ago recommended us to their friends, who broughts other friends, then we had Mick Matthews from Sutton, Ruth and Hector, who is sister to Anna and Jim who we also worked with in Val. Sam and Mark who lived in Silsden but are now living the dream in France came up for a few days too. So its been great catching up, thankyou all for coming. The photos below are of Anthony, Shiv, John and Gareth in Italy, first time Shiv has ever been and she skied there, and then the other is Neil and Nigel Howden in Ste Foy , top of the third lift.      The Whitlams brought us a great curry from England, its one thing we really miss. Even Jonny’s Indian Kofta cannot beat a proper Indian Takeaway. Christine’s suitcase went back much lighter after she had given us all our goodies. Jonny’s training for the Haute Route is in full swing. All his extra light kit is holding up to the training too, he’s loving his new Movement skis. Only 3 weeks to go and he’s skinning at higher altitude now.  Still no sign of flowers in Le Loissel as we still have so much snow. Arthur the stag is still making an appearance morning and afternoon except he has lost his antlers now. Anybody wanting to come for during the Summer, please get in touch as weeks are getting booked up.          

We’ve had more snow since I last wrote and conditions have been good all season. Bookings have been good and we cannot belive we are nearly 3/4 the way through the season. Jonny is training for the Haute Route. He is climbing  at 500m an hour , but wants to go faster. The red wine consumption decreased when our good friend Karl Cook left the Alps last week. Training is now back on track. He is looking forward to going and they have a good team of locals going from here. Half term week on the slopes was surprisingly quiet and the guests had a great time. Weather was lovely too. Its  snowing again today. Anneha competed in the Villaroger Grand Prix and did well. She was not on the winning podium but didn’t miss a a gate and got down in a good time.We were all cheering for her. She loved it too. Ffion is skiing much better , we took her out most days during the school holidays and she’s been having lessons too. Its really showing in her confidence. She loves to go off the sides and follows Anneha everywhere. Here is a link to a powder day Jonny and I had in Villaroger about 3 weeks ago. The snow was amazing. Look out for my fall and Jonny hitting the tree. Click here We still have availability(the whole chalet due to a cancellation) 4th – 11th April 2009 , Easter week, so please give us a call if you are interested in coming to stay.          

We have been so busy over the last few weeks, ive not had time to do much updating!!! Its been mine and Jonny’s birthdays in the Month of January and we were lucky enough to have friends staying at the time. This meant we could celebrate in style and we certainly did. We had a lovely lunch in Bellieu Fume in 1950 and even had powder on my birthday. Snow has been fabulous since I last wrote. We have had a few more trips over to Italy and enjoyed Villaroger to ourselves again after a big dump overnight, meaning they kept the Lanchettes closed. Ive attached a video showing “the Girls”(Jo, Sarah, Lorraine, Emma and Becky) enjoying the foot of powder we had on the piste in Villaroger, keep the sound up its hilarious. Click here. Darren, Tony and Joe kept us entertained with their Mutsig antics. they made it into the basin, the first ones to do it this year. The boys trip went well, Andrew, Mike, Andrew and Tony got plenty of miles under their belts and some great falls, especially the one in Italy Andrew ,when you fell off the edge. We have the Halifax/Sowerby Bridge party in now who are a great bunch. They are all doing really well with their skiing, and we are aiming for an Italy trip by the end of the week,depending on the weather. The World Championships are on in Val D ‘Isere as we speak. Anneha went on a  school trip yesterday to watch the Women’s Super G. We saw her on Eurosport that day and the class were interviewed on the radio. She came back with her face painted red, white and blue , swinging a Swiss flag, bless her. She managed to get a few autographs , unfortunately not Bodie Miller’s for me!!!  Conditions could not be any better at the moment , we are certainly having an great season to date. Bookings are good , with space still available for anyone not yet booked in. Here are a few photos from the past few weeks, happy days!!!!                                                       The last photo is BEAUTIFUL VILLAROGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    

We’ve had 3 days of snow this week, meaning powder conditions this week. All the guests have had a great week with mixed weather. Sun to start then closing in to snow overnight , showers of snow on and off throughout the day but with the sun breaking through the cloud during the day. The Valley looks so pretty.  Sue, Jim, Graham, Jonny then, Jackie and Ruth , Harry and Lisa, Carlie and Al all got on great despite not coming together. The trip out to Italy was another highlight and something some of the guests thought they would never do!!! It was my birthday yesterday and after a ski in Villaroger with fresh snow we headed to the beautiful restaurant Bellieu Fume in Les Arcs 1950 with friends. It was so nice and we sat outside as the weather was sunny. More snow today with more forecast means an awesome week for the girls from Keniworth, the boys from London and the boys from Arnside, La Ferme are you ready!!! To watch the videos click the highligted word!!!. Powder in Villaroger Day in Les Arcs     

We have had a busy last week with Roland Hopkins and his friends here, mixed ages and mixed abilities but by the end of the holiday everyone was skiing all round Les Arcs, so well done. Credit must go to Adam the instructor who came out with them for getting them to that level. We also saw The Weetmans and The Buntings , along with Mark. Credit Crunch lunches proved a great success and very economical (packed Lunches) , given the current climate. We had a fabulous trip to Italy on the Friday where we found fresh powder. Superb weather and superb conditions made it the trip of the week. We made it to our hot chocolate stop and our favourite restaurant for pizza. Here are some photos from the day of Carolyn and Vieto,The Buntings and Mark. We have also made a little video so click here to watch it. Any videos we take will be posted on diary pages or you can look on You Tube under Skivillaroger.