The expression ‘hidden gem’ can often be overused when it comes to ski areas. It seems to cover every resort that does not appear in the mainstream holiday brochures.
But the reason not many people from the UK go to these places is because these ‘hidden gems’ are usually quite small with a limited lift system.
After months of tasting, French Alps specialist Ski Amis has announced that their brand new and vastly improved menu has been finalised for the coming season. The team have been working extremely hard to create a more focused collection of new dishes whilst keeping a few of their old favourites.
Mont-Sainte-Anne ski area in Quebec, Canada celebrated its 50th birthday this season. And most remarkably the centre has found that one of its employees, Claire Labossière, has been there right from the first year in 1966.
Peak Retreats is offering its clients a brand new luxury 4* apartment for this season. Chalets de Layssia is situated in the heart of the very attractive, traditional resort of Samoëns.
Plus, another addition this season in the recently built Kalinda Village in Tignes is the Kalinda Flocon apartment extension located within two new buildings.
In the two seconds or so it took to rotate 360 degrees in mid-air – my care-free world of powder-filled hedonistic pleasure transformed into a stressed-out world of nauseating pain!
My anticipation of this late March day could not have been higher. The previous evening thick snowflakes began to fall from the chilly night skies over the affluent French resort of Courchevel 1850 and when I peeked through my bedroom curtains at the luxurious Chalet Montana the next morning there was a fluffy blanket of boot high powder.
If you have always dreamt of heli-skiing and are keen to explore the joys of deep powder heli-skiing in British Columbia Canada then you should sign-up for one of Pure Powder’s evening presentations in October/November, taking place in London, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
When Dave McCoy celebrated his 100th birthday
in August, he only had to look at the many photos of Mammoth Mountain lining the office walls at his Californian home to remind him of everything he has achieved during his full and eventful lifetime.
The photos bear witness to the remarkable story of a living legend without whose drive and determination Mammoth, as it is today, might not exist.
Dave’s achievements include opening Mammoth to skiing in 1941 before getting a permit for a permanent ski location there in 1948, allowing him to bring Alpine skiing to southern Californians.
In later years, he launched his Mammoth Lakes Foundation, helping the town grow around the resort.
Luckily for the millions of people who 
have enjoyed skiing and snowboarding there over the last 60+ years, he ignored the advice of locals who warned him the location was ‘too high, too windy, and too steep’.
Dave first saw Mammoth’s potential aged 21, while working as hydrographer. In 1935, he and some friends built his first rope tow out of an old truck frame and engine to haul skiers uphill; later, he even sold his beloved Harley-Davidson to raise funds for equipment.
Today, Mammoth Mountain is a sprawling resort that draws 1.3 million skiers and snowboarders annually, with outdoor adventurers and mountain bikers doubling that figure in summer.
Over the years, Dave declined many offers to work on other resorts for big money. “I was working to make things good at Mammoth Mountain,” he told his local paper, The Press
Enterprise.
“I always looked at how tomorrow would be better. I never worried about money.”
Dave last put on his Salomon skis 10 years ago, but his unbridled enthusiasm for new projects continues. This year, after eight years of research, he
licensed his latest venture, a new vehicle that runs on solar power.
There’s no doubt that Dave’s adventurous spirit combined with his vision has had spectacular results, but for him it’s fun, not business, that lies at the heart of his achievements – and his long life.
“Everyone has a different life, but longevity happens because you do something fun,” Dave said.
“I just wish I had a hundred more years. There are a hundred more things I want to do.”
Happy birthday Dave!
FRANK BALDWIN found a load of nut cases when he visited the quirky ski area of Corvatsch in the Engadine Valley
When you think of St Moritz, it conjures up images of swanky hotels where the rich and famous stay while enjoying the skiing or the excitement surrounding the famous Cresta run, ice polo world cup, ‘white turf’ horse racing and other activities which take place during the winter on the town’s frozen lake.
After courting each other for several years, two Austrian ski areas have settled into married life after tying the knot with a new €13.5m gondola. ROB FREEMAN raises a glass of turnip schnapps to celebrate
James Bond may be able to save the world with a twinkle in his eye and a few gadgets provided by ‘Q’, but even he would have had trouble overcoming the hurdles we encountered trying to get photographs and information about his exploits on skis and snowboards.
The off-piste ski area of La Grave in the French Hautes-Alpes has a unique atmosphere that attracts skiers from all over the world. But, as British ski instructor CHARLOTTE SWIFT explains, a question mark hangs over the future of this French mecca. March 2014
DURING a British university championships in Tignes a few years back a couple of students embarrassed themselves when, after a night time snow storm, they spent all morning digging out their car – only to find it was the wrong car.