Attenborough Reaches the North Pole at 83

Sir David Attenborough tells how he overcame the perils of cracking ice, blizzards and dodgy knees to stand on top of the world!

Read the full Article Here at The Times On Line

Last Week Skiing in Paradise (Paradiski)

We are having a fabulous week (the last week of the ski season).  They skies are blue and the snow is holding up well due to the unexpected fall over Easter.  Best to get out early in the morning and ski until early afternoon.  The Aguille Rouge was a superb ski and so was the “bierre” in the sunshine!    And it is so quiet on the pistes ……. a very magical week and a time to refresh the old brain cells!

 

 

 

And if you would like to watch our video here it is

La Plagne 6000D Mountain Race

The winter season is not yet over but already momentum is building for the legendary mountain race – The 6000D.

The race which is “run” in July each year was pioneered some 20 years ago as a cross country race over undulating terrain.  This has now been finely tuned to take runners through all of La Plagne’s villages (Plagne Montalbert, Campagny en Vanoise, Montchavin-Les Coches and La Plagne’s high altitude villages).  The race passes through 10,000 hectares of forests, valleys and trails and crosses the Vanoise National Park.

Nowadays there are two choices – the Original 6000D over 55 km and a 3000m total ascent and a new challenge, the Ultra 6000D which is over 110km and a 4600m total ascent.

There is also a children’s race “The 6D Kids”.

Registration for the races will be later this month (April) with on-line entries at www.la-plagne.com

So …………………. if you fancy a really adventurous summer break then look no further ………… and after all that hard work what better way to recover than in a beautifully appointed chalet in a traditional farming village with views of the La Plagne valley and mountain side.

If you have the team – we have the accommodation – Chalet Le Passeu - just drop us an email and we will do the rest

Grand Raid Comes to Paradiski

The 2010 edition of the Grand Raid race reaches its penultimate stage in the Paradiski ski area (La Plagne, Les Arcs and Peisey Nancroix) on April 10th.  The race is sponsored by Gore-Tex

The race which is open to both amateurs and professionals usually attracts some 600 competitors who race in pairs. The competitors can compete on skis (Telemark  or traditional skis), snowboards or monoskis.

The Grand Raid was launched in 1992 by Hervé Favre, the founder of the Evolution 2 ski school, with the aim of helping people discover and enjoy the mountain environment.

This year’s nine stages have been held on the ski slopes of Espace Killy, La Rosière, La Clusaz, Avoriaz, Val Cenis, Sainte-Foy, Les 2 Alpes.  Paradiski is the penultimate stage and the competion concludes in Chamonix the following week.

The trophy - Les Cuisseaux d’Or  will be awarded to the team that comes first in the overall ranking of all nine stages.  Les Cuisseaux d’Or translated means “golden thighs” – I wonder why!

With the new snow over Easter weekend the slopes of Paradiski look set to present some challenges to the competing teams and we wish them all the best of luck.

Happy Easter – Fresh Snow Falls Across The Alps

Easter skiers will be greeted with excellent snow conditions in the Alps.

Up to a metre of fresh snow has fallen in the last week and more is forecast for the Easter weekend – don’t take our word for it check out the webcam

What do you do if you don’t ski?

We thought we would put ourselves in the place of some our friends and family who ask “what is there to do out in The Alps in the winter because we don’t ski”

This weekend we are spending a few days finding out what it is like if you don’t ski.

First of all it is mid March and we have beautiful weather – crisp and cold at night and lovely cloudless sunny days.

Yesterday we took the Vanoise Express from Plan Peisey (Les Arcs) to Les Coches (La Plagne) with a “Pieton Pass”.  Walking alongside where we would normally ski we got to see views we would normally take for granted, to look at old buildings falling apart but lovely nevertheless and time to just appreciate the peace and quiet.  In the afternoon we put on our raquettes (snow shoes) and made our way along a footpath in the Vanoise National Park armed with our cameras.  Not only did we have a fabulour walk alongside the river but we were lucky to see not one but four Ibex grazing on the mountains!

Here is one of the photos we took just to prove it

 

To find out more about the Alpine Ibex here

We also got to see the Traineau a Chiens (dog sledding) and the horse drawn sleighs.

Tomorrow we are off to Tignes to walk across the lake and on the glacier and maybe take in some sunshine along the way.

Ski Insurance – Don’t Leave Home Without it!

 

I was recording a video the other day following my recovery from a rather bad accident some year ago and it occurred to me that most people who ski don’t think about what would happen if they were involved in a skiing accident or stumbled upon one.

I was very lucky because I was skiing with some lovely people who all rallied round and did the right things and I was safely taken off the mountain in the dreaded “blood waggon” .  Classically it all happened on the first day of skiing before lunch and in lovely sunny conditions in the springtime in Val D’Isere.  This was back in 2003 and well behind me now but I thought that this was a good opportunity to say “thank goodness I had ski insurance”

Ever since we started skiing back in 1991 we have had ski insurance from one of the market leaders in the activity holidy market – Snow Card.  In those days it was necessary for skiers to carry proof of medical and rescue insurance in the Alps.

Even today we continue to use Snow Card and recommend it to our guests although they are of course free to choose their own ski insurance.  When researching insurance just make sure that it fits your needs – you can find cheap insurance on line but it may not cover everything you need.  Particularly pay attention to “off piste” skiing cover.  Just a few centimeters away from the piste markers can constitute “off piste” and that is where you may run into a bit of trouble.

If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident do not be surprised if the “pisteurs” temporarily lay claim to your skiis and poles.  This is normal and a sort of insurance of its own to ensure you pay for your recovery off the mountain.

Our advice is always to carry your ski insurance documentation with you as it will give  them the comfort they need to get you where you need to go with the least hassle over money.

I found this article posted by the Daily Telegraph on How to ski safely on the slopes and hope that you will find it of interest.

Did I return to skiing?  After two years of operations and recuperation and a few tears on the first time back on the slopes – absolutely yes!