France
Arc 1950 Le Village, the most recent addition to the Haute-Tarentaise resorts, enchants its French and international visitors every season by offering access to the Paradiski slopes from a selection of colourful 5* ski-in-ski-out residences, together with a combination of high-end services, car-free streets, pretty shops, varied restaurants, and its exceptional entertainment programme. A true ‘art de vivre’ of winter sports.
Travelski Express, which this season reintroduced a ski train service to the French Alps, issued a recent statement concerning the travel situation to France which said: “With the continued restrictions on travel between the UK and France Travelski regrets to confirm the cancellation of the Travelski Express departure planned for the 21 January.
Val Thorens is traditionally always one of the first French resorts to open for the season. After not being able to ski last winter because of the pandemic, CATHERINE COOPER joined thousands of people who could not wait to get back on piste at the opening weekend
The pretty French resort of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the 3 Valleys is a foodie heaven and this season there is another new restaurant on the menu.
The Maya Altitude is located on the slopes at the top of the Tougnète ridge. From here diners can enjoy a spectacular panoramic view from the terrace at 2,400m.
From 7 January to 4 February and from 7 March to 1 April, 2022 the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc valley is offering its guests FREE group ski lessons
For all ages and all levels of expertise, guests will be able to benefit from free lessons in downhill skiing (both on and off-piste), cross-country skiing, ski touring and even kinder garden skiing.
Researched and refined by VIP SKI’s guests over 30 years, Bear Lodge is a brand-new signature complex located at Arc 1950.
The 30-bedoom hotel, Bear Lodge, can accommodate 60-80 guests each week, and Bear Suites can cater to a range of 4 – 14 guests.
European tour operator Travelski (www.uk.Travelski.com) has launched rail inclusive packages from St Pancras station direct to six major ski resorts in France.
The Travelski Express train will leave St Pancras on Friday evenings arriving into Moutiers and then Bourg St Maurice the following morning.
Covid-19 and Brexit have turned traditional chalet holidays upside down this season says Ski France. Therefore, the company has come up with a new concept – contactless catered chalets.
Ski France has more than 50 contactless catered chalets across the French Alps located in top resorts such as Val d’Isère, Tignes, Méribel, Courchevel, La Tania, La Plagne and Alpe d’Huez.
Couples, husbands and wives, or even families which are divided by those who ski and snowboard and those who don’t could find the solution to a satisfactory holiday together surrounded by the snow covered mountains in the French resort of Méribel, part of the world famous Three Valleys.
The Chalet Company has added more properties to its portfolio in Meribel and to give you a taste of what you can expect they have put together some virtual tours on their website – you can even hook them up to a VR headset, to really feel like you’re right in the chalet.
The Chalet Izia luxury apartments in Val d’Isere.
Help kick of 2022 with two fabulous short break packages from Esprit Ski to get you and your family back on the slopes again. Available from the 4th to 8th January, Esprit Ski are even offering FREE and half price child places.
The village of Megève in the French Alps is a ski (and snowboarder) lovers paradise. With over 400km of immaculately prepared runs, catering for all abilities, it is easy to see why visitors return to the medieval cobbled streets of Megève year after year.
Is it possible to take his family skiing during February half-term without breaking the bank? IAIN MARTIN from The Ski Podcast set off for the French Pyrénées to find out
Queues, heavy traffic, an almighty dent in your bank balance? Why on earth does anyone go skiing at half-term? Probably because for many families with schoolchildren, this is one of the few times during the season it is possible to ski together because of term times etc. And this often also means prices are at a premium. I wanted to see if it was possible to have a family February half term ski trip on a budget, so I set myself a target of £2,000 for my family of four.
Ski Amis, the French chalet specialist, has announced it has ceased trading on its website. The statement said: “It is with great regret that we have taken the decision to cease trading effective from Monday the 30th November 2020.
A demonstration was organised yesterday (Monday 30 November) in Les 2 Alpes in an effort to get the French government to change its decision to close ski resorts in France during the festive period because of the covid pandemic.
Hotelplan, the umbrella company for Inghams, Ski Total, Esprit and Flexiski, has cut more ski and snowboard holidays this season by reducing the number of ski chalets and chalet hotels on offer. The group has also suspended trips to Finland until next winter due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
by Lulu Sheard
With climate change at the forefront of many people’s minds, resorts are reacting to calls for them to become more eco-friendly. The large La Plagne ski area in France, for example, is introducing more measures to protect its Alpine landscape and reduce its environmental impact.
by Lulu Sheard
Ben’s Bus, the airport transfer service to resorts throughout the French alps, has now opened bookings for this season’s services to and from Geneva, Grenoble and Lyon Airports. The company will continue to run all their routes for the coming winter season, with added safety measures such as restricted numbers travelling on each bus and regular cleaning of the interiors.
by Lulu Sheard
Skiers and snowboarders have had some encouraging news from Chamonix for the coming season when the resort announced that several lifts in the French ski resort have opened again for the summer after being closed due to Covid.
Eurostar will not run its iconic Ski Train this winter. A campaign, Save the Ski Train, has been launched in an attempt to persuade the cross channel railway service to reinstate this service.
Since 1997, the train has run twice weekly from London and Ashford to the Tarentaise region of the French Alps, dropping skiers at Moutiers, Aime la Plagne and Bourg St Maurice stations, a short hop by bus or taxi from 16 major ski resorts, including Méribel, Courchevel, La Plagne, Les Arcs, Tignes and Val d’Isère.