For the second year running, Jason Atherton (now 4 Michelin stars worldwide) and Claude Bosi (straight at 2 Michelin stars with his new venture, Bibendum), join inaugural genius Sat Bains (2 Michelin stars) for an incredible experience curated by Heston Blumenthal in Courmayeur, Mont Blanc, from 20 to 23 March.
Heston Blumental curates the Mountain Gourmet Experience 2018 in Courmayeur
The added twist is the unexpected presence of Marcus Wareing, who enjoyed the first 2 experiences so much, he has come back for more!
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Guests from the UK, Canada, Dubai, France and Ireland will converge on Courmayeur for 3 days of epicurean alchemy provided by the stellar chefs and their support team composed of 10 chefs from the UK.
A total of 190 skiers from 25 countries will participate from 12 to 18 March
The World Cup slopes, Avet and Àliga, will once again be the stage for this competition, consisting of 8 trials in the technical and speed disciplines
350 volunteers will take part in this sporting event requiring all the technical and organisational rigour of a World Cup final.
Grandvalira is the largest resort under one lift ticket in Andorra. Photo courtesy Grandvalira.
Grandvalira officially announced today that the European Cup Finals for men’s and women’s alpine skiing will be held from 12 to 18 March on the Avet slope in Soldeu and the Àliga slope in El Tarter. The European Cup finals are the last trial before the 2019 World Cup finals, the largest sporting event in the history of Andorra. The event will consist of a total of 8 trials: two in technical disciplines on the Avet slope in Soldeu (slalom and giant slalom); and two in the speed disciplines on the Àliga slope in El Tarter (super-G and downhill).
If you look at a ski map of Les Trois Vallées (3 Valleys of France)- the largest ski domaine you see in the middle of the map Meribel, which is known as the heart of Les Trois Vallées. This could be a great resort where to base yourself if you want to ski all over the three valleys. But maybe you should look a bit lower, at 600 meters, it is an easy way to get to, and is connected to all the rest of the three valleys. I am talking about Brides – les – Bains.
Sauna cabin at Meribel- Photo courtesy of Brides-les-Bains Tourism Office.
Maybe not thought as much as a place to stay, but Brides -les -Bains is a town that is opened 11 months of an year, instead of only some months in winter and a couple in summer. Therefore, this makes a bigger population of all-year residents, and prices are much cheaper. They do not need to make in three months their year’s earnings. Rates are between 30 to 50% lower than at the high-altitude resorts in the Three Valleys.
In one report from Swissinfo.ch – a 40-year old hiker and a 57-year-old cross-country skier lost their lives in two separate avalanches in the Swiss Alps in recent days.
Arolla3-photo.
The hiker was a in a group of four that were swept away by an avalanche on Saturday near a steep gorge at 3,600m above the village of Arolla, which is popular starting point for hiking and ski tours. Rescue services managed to reach them and they were transported to hospitals in Martigny and Sion. However, the 40-year old woman from Valais died on Saturday night in the hospital. The other three hikers are recovering but are not in danger of losing their lives.
Finally the day for our annual family ski trip started, and we’ve left home at 4 AM in the morning to take a 7 AM Eurotunnel. It was freezing cold and the motorway seemed a bit icy. We made it in great time to the Eurotunnel in Folkestone and we were allowed to board in early – Just a quick coffee and porridge for me, a bacon butty for my husband and some croissants for the boys with some good coffee before boarding on the train.
The Eurotunnel Folkestone roof was decorated with a ski theme. Photo by The-Ski-Guru.
We were before 8 AM in Calais -first thing to do is to remember to drive on the right! I dare not drive on the other side of the road, I needed to learn how to drive on the left side in the UK and it confused me a lot. Luckily, my husband is better for doing so.
I am back from holidays with backs full of dirty clothes, have done three full loads and I am not ready yet to put all away…. but promise that will make a report of our fantastic trip… when I feel human again!
Going up the gondola, one happy child – Photo by The-Ski-Guru – Pila, Aosta Valley.
I need a holiday from my holidays! More soon!
The-Ski-Guru
Featured Image: Mum and kid riding the chairlift together- Pila Ski in the Sky, above the city of Aosta – Photo – The-Ski-Guru.
In the meantime, you can keep on reading more ski news at The-Ski-Guru
Follow us through our hashtags #theskiguru and #skinewsatyourfingertips in social media.
Or you can read more on driving to the mountains tips here.
If you want to choose where to go and ski in Europe, you can start by comparing the resorts’ ski passes rates.
Swissinfo.ch published a very good table with all the ski resorts’ lift ticket rates – which is good to see when planning a ski holiday – even though the price of the lift ticket is not all, and it accounts to only a 6% of the ski holiday, but, every little helps!
This is not an exhaustive list, but you have something to compare. I am assuming that the prices within the Dolomiti Superski area, are showing all the same rates, as they must be selling the Dolomiti Superski lift.
To keep on reading more ski news at your fingertips, keep on coming to The-Ski-Guru
See us on social media following our hashtags #theskiguru #skinewsatyourfingertips
The mountain village of Les Diablerets has launched it’s own local currency, called the “Iserau” to help save an endangered ski area and secure the village’s future.
There is a trend in Switzerland where some complementary currencies are popping up as ways of raising funds and encouraging people to buy and think local.
The message to save the Isenau lift – this was a major campaign that united all the people in the mountain village.
The Panoramic Mont-Blanc lift finished in the ground after suffering very weird conditions. A thick ice cover, thicker than the width of the cable covered a very long stretch of cable creating a very heavy mass, which made the cable collapse.
The Mont Blanc Panoramic Lift has fallen to the ground due to the weight of ice on top of its cable.
Nested in the border of the division of Trentino and Sudtirol, with terrain in both provinces, Val di Fiemme is a very special place. This incredible natural landscape heritage of the Lagorai Chain, Pale di San Martino and Latemar Group inhabited by 60 million trees that originate from a millennial culture, amidst two national parks houses a large ski carousel of 5 ski areas, with 110 km of downhill slopes, 150 km of cross country skiing tracks, snow parks, 4 sledding runs, 4 ski-kindergarten and a 1 km of parabolic downhill.
The pistes in Val di Fiemme are very well groomed and long. Photo courtesy: Val di Fiemme.
The views in Val di Fiemme are spectacular, it is a very long open valley, which does not feel enclosed at all, with lovely views wherever you see.
People can stay in the towns of Cavalese, Predazzo, Tesero, Ziano and Varena. Cavalese at the base of the ski resort of Alpe Cermis. There is also some lodging at the base of the Ski Center Latermar in Pampeago and in the base of Obereggen (this last base area of same the Ski Center Latemar is in the province of Sudtirol, as opposed of the rest of Val di Fiemme that is located in Trentino).
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