France Ski Bargains - Skiing Holidays in France » Ski Events

Preparing for the ski season at the NEC Ski and Board Show

Alan — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:55:28 +0000

This year, the NEC will be playing host to well over 120 vendors and you will have the chance of getting your hands on the best ski gear that is available anywhere across the globe. Although winter is not officially here yet, one look out of our windows tells us otherwise, and that means only one thing, it is time to get ready for the upcoming skiing and snowboarding season.

As UK winters are generally grey wet a mainly dreary, there are many of us who are already chomping at the bit to get away to the really cold countries and find real winter snow. With all this in mind it is highly recommended that you head to the NEC in Birmingham this weekend, 28th-30^th October for this years British Ski and Board show.

This event promises you everything you could possibly need for the ski season, with shops, displays, talks and activities that between them offer everything you could possibly want or need to buy or prepare for the beginning of this years ski season.

The newest addition to this year’s event is Extreme Slovenia. The co-founder is Jo Yates and she says that on her first trip to Slovenia back in 2004 she fell in love instantly with it. She said that it offers something utterly unique as even though there is a very dramatic terrain it still feels unspoiled and untouched.

The British Ski and Board show promises to make this easy with a variety of huge indoor freestyle ski and board events running throughout the show where some of the top international competitors will be showcasing their very best in tricks and talents. Nothing makes us more anxious to get out there and start honing our skills than seeing a professional pulling off a Kangaroo flip or a can 1440 to our general wonderment.

However, that’s only one part of the prep that’ll be on offer at the NEC. There’s also going to be a huge number of workshops and talks aimed at getting you ready for the upcoming season. Activity wise there are going to be hands on fitness lessons, a cross country skiing run and a mini indoor slope so you can get a little pre-season practice in. Warming up is of course integral to all exercise. The features that surround the event will also draw many of us in with fitness talks, safety talks and kit demonstrations making sure we all are fully prepared for the season ahead. There will also be talks on everything from working a ski season to avalanches so you’ll have plenty to choose from.

The last parts to preparations are of course the ones we’ll probably be most excited about when we head to the NEC this weekend – the kit and the holidays. It’s all very well to watch other people on the indoor slops and to listen to all the talks but we’re going to want to grab some of the best kit and hopefully a great holiday too. “The NEC will play host to over 120 vendors this year and you’ll be able to get your hands on the best kit available anywhere in the world.” So if you’ve been itching for new skis or a new board this season you’ll definitely find something to wet your appetite. Then finally we of course have the holidays. If you’re generally an Alp skier then you’re going to be blown away by the sheer number of destinations on offer at competitive prices from dozens of vendors. There’s going to be displays and holidays on offer from the Alps to the Andes so you’ll be able to snap up a bargain at any budget.

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Meribel at the mid-point of the Trois Vallees

Alan — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:43:10 +0000

For skiers who prefer a lot of room and a lot of challenges, the area in the French Alps called Trois Vallees is the answer, and Meribel is smack in the middle of it. Highly favoured by the Brits, there’s as much English spoken as French, if not more, and the vast expanse of connecting runs offers countless possibilities for beginners and experts.

Meribel is part of the biggest interlinked ski area in the world, and a lift pass gives access to the rest of the wonderfully diverse terrain and visitor amenities in the surrounding resorts of Courcheval, La Tania, Val Thorens and Les Menuires. However, you won’t need to leave the boundaries of Meribel itself to find everything you could wish for in a winter sports resort.

Meribel has been in operation as a ski resort since the 1930′s, and it is doing a great job of keeping up with the times in terms of sophisticated interconnected lifts and outstanding snow-making and grooming capacity. There are plenty of gentle, perfectly maintained slopes for the novice, but for those who feel they have mastered the sport, there’s just no limit. Guides are available to take you to a pristine mountaintop that will challenge the most adventurous and experienced.

To an almost unique extent amongst the big French resorts, Meribel has developed into a state-of-the-art winter sports community that has managed to hold on to the charming ambiance of an old Savoy village. New buildings conform to the traditional architecture that fits the landscape, so you won’t find much that’s “tacky”, but you will find top quality restaurants and chalets as well as small, cosy pubs and cafes and easy-on-the-budget accommodations with all the comforts at affordable prices.

The village centre offers some excellent shopping opportunities, with a raised walkway running above the shops along its one-way street. You can find just about anything from a decent pair of gloves or a woolly hat to a ski jacket by Prada. Everything is “upscale” and most things are not cheap, but you might check out the bi-weekly market in town for unexpected bargains.

The nightlife is plentiful and lively for anyone with the stamina to ski all day and then go out to party. If you book your holiday during the ‘off’ season (i.e. not during the Christmas/New Year rush) you’ll pay less and have more freedom of slopes and lifts. Whenever you visit, boredom is one thing you won’t run into at Meribel.

The Trois Vallées ski area The Trois Vallées ski area hosts the liveliest skiing throughout...

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Legs Of Steel ski movie

Alan — Sun, 15 May 2011 06:23:00 +0000

If you want the good old days to return when rock soundtracks accompanied ski movies and the mandatory wipe-out scenes then the latest from Legs Of Steel will be to your liking.

LOS has now followed their highly successful debut of The Pilot with Nothing Else Matters, a show sure to win the Austrian filmmakers an array of new fans when it is released exclusively online this autumn.

LOS has left a unique mark, the past few years, on the international freeski scene partly because of their impressive skiing skills but also due to the excellent camaraderie between the band of brothers and crew.

They formed in 2009 in order to focus on a project unique to them and their own ideas which simply stated are to have as much fun as humanly possible. Starring in the new project are Fabio Studer on the jumps, Sven Kueenle charging lines and Lucas and Tobi Mangold two young guns appearing for the first time internationally.

Not only is he hard at work with Nothing Else Matters, Andre Nutini is also filming for five webisodes of behind the scenes to be shown exclusively on redbull.com. These will give the viewer behind the scene action and bring you closer to what it is all about to make a ski movie.

The first episode shows the back country of St Mortiz followed by a great session in the Swiss resort Davos and then on to France and a Red Bull event in Vars. In other upcoming episodes you can see what the crew get up to both on and off the mountains and what happens as they luck out on their British Columbia trip.

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Monster ski challenge brings in charity cash

Alan — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 05:11:18 +0000

Siobhan Hall raised over £60,000 after being part of a monster ski challenge to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Trust. The Douglas based ICM companies finance director took part in Tignes, France in the three day event 2011 Monster Skiers. Siobhan is committed to working with the MS Society where she is a committee member of a local chapter and wants to raise awareness of the illness.

She rose to the difficult challenge of skiing more than 30,000 vertical feet daily with her nine member team of which four members, including her suffer from MS. The team skied more than the 90,000 foot requirement because of their passion and drive helped out by the mix of teammates, she added.

Cool skiing temperatures of -4C and almost 100% sunshine made Tignes and the Alps a great place for the event with spectacular and intensive faced paced runs as they were remained motivated the entire time because of those with such generosity to sponsor them.

Ex-RAF pilot Mike Laver founded the Monster Ski Team in 2006 when he was diagnosed with MS and the first event took place in 2007 and he has retrained as a cabinet maker after having left the RAF.

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Rock On Ski and Snowboard Tour

Alan — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 02:48:02 +0000

The Rock On Ski and Snowboard Tour at Avoriaz will feature lots of exciting entertainment, equipment, events, and contests. There will be an exhibitor’s village where you can try as many as 40 snowboard and ski brands for free. There will be drawings and contests with opportunities to win your preferred brands of equipment. Music will mix with skiing and boarding at every site.

This year there will even be a dedicated area for children’s workshops. Here, youngsters can learn to snowboard from professionals. Equipment, goggles, and clothes are all available to rent. Avoriaz ski passes are free for children 10 and under.

A snow park will be created for the weekend with features composed from musical themes like a piano box, wall ride radio, air bonk, rail guitar, and turn table. Professionals will compete in the Shred Zone. The winner will receive a new Gibson guitar amp.

The highlight will be Saturday night’s Freestyle Ski Show. The show is a dramatic freestyle presentation with professional skiers underscored amid lighting and musical effects in the centre of the resort.

The Rock On Ski and Snowboard tour promises to be an event of a lifetime. It is the perfect combination of winter sports, enthusiasm, and music. This won’t be a quiet weekend on the slopes, and that’s for certain.

The combination of snow sports, music, contests, exhibits, and professional demonstrations is like no winter carnival you have ever attended.

Discounted lift tickets will be available and in order to test equipment, identification will be required. Go to www.avoriaz.com now to find out more.

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French ski resorts music festivals

Alan — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:14:07 +0000

French ski resorts celebrate the season with festivals, like the music festivals in Whistler and Telus, and Mayrhofen and Snowbombing, or the events like the Winter X Games at Tignes or international Polo at Davos. Nobody, however, is doing it this year like Avoriaz.

There, a total of six festivals will be held for snowboarders, skiers, and partiers.

It all begins with the start of Rock On for snowboarders and the Come On festival for skiers. They both feature live music, DJs, and freestyling on 11 and 12 December 2010.

Next, will be the Snow Energy event that will run 24 to 26 January 2011. It will feature music and freestyle, as well, with a few fancy dress events as a compliment to the festivities. Then the roof blows off with the Avo Night events running an entire week. Demos by day and clubbing by night continues from 29 January through 5 February 2011. There’s even speed dating in the offing.

Avoriaz will switch the pace on 18 to 25 March with its Jazz Up festival. This event combines live jazz with spring skiing and features jazz bands in all the clubs, cafes, restaurants, and bars of the resort for the duration of the experience.

Next, international headliners will play the Great Outdoors Music Festival from 2 to 9 April. The concerts will take place at no less than 20 separate sites scattered throughout the mountains. When thinking of who will be playing, attempt to think of bands that have popularity in France, like Black Eyed Peas, Gossip, and Duffy.

Finally, comes the Grand Spring Equinox Party running 23 to 25 April. This seasonal celebration features wakeboarding, snow volleyball, and rooftop resort entertainment.

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French ski season starting early in 2010

Alan — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 03:12:02 +0000

Several ski resorts throughout Europe are beginning their seasons early. This is due to the recent snow in the highlands of the Alps.

Austria reports the largest number of tracks opening with Zolden, Kaunertal, Stubai, and Pitzal open right now. Another ski region at the Tiefenbach glacier in Zolden will open October 2.

France has become one of a number of countries offering early skiing upon the opening of Tin resort. Of course, France does not offer as much skiing opportunity as Austria overall.

Skiing will begin October 2 on Titlis glacier just above Engelberg resort in Switzerland.

The Italian Dolmolites have made skiing available at Passo stevia and Val senales. Snow levels there have risen to 1m after recent accumulation.

So, if you are anxious to ski, you need not wait. The snow has begun in these places and so has the early skiing. Get there before the bookings start accumulating faster than the snowfall.

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Full moon skiing in France

Alan — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:04:03 +0000

It is not uncommon for French and Swiss ski resorts to open their slopes for full moon skiing and snowboarding. The practice has been conducted on some slopes for more than twenty-five years. If you have never had the thrill of skiing or boarding at night under the full moon light, you have got to try it.

You ski after the slopes are closed; it’s a world of snow light and surrealism. It’s also a great thrill ride down the mountain. The usual schedule is skiing and snowboarding until sunset, and then you enjoy a dinner on the mountain, while you wait for the moon to rise. When the moon is up and the snow aglow you make your descent to the resort in nothing but pure moonlight.

In France, you can book moonlight skiing at la Clusaz and Les 2 Alpes. While skiing in Switzerland, experience the moonlight ride at Zermatt.

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February France Monster Ski event

Alan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:04:21 +0000

A charity that is focused on helping those with multiple sclerosis enjoy a better quality of life is on the lookout for snowboarders and skiers to sign up for their February France Monster Ski event.

The Monster Ski offers enthusiastic skiers the chance to ski over 90,000 vertical feet for three days and is organized to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Trust aimed at skiers with an intermediate skiing level.

Participants in the event will be responsible for skiing the vertical side of Mount Everest for three days in a row at the Tignes resort from February 3^rd to 7^th of next year.

A spokesperson for the MS Trust stated that while the event may seem intimidating, those that are capable and confident on the slopes and are in good physical shape will find that they can meet the challenge.

The spokesperson added that the charity event is a great way to cover the expansive Espace Killy ski area while taking part in a charity event that will help change the way people live with a chronic condition that affects their quality of life.

Each participant in the Monster Ski event must pay £150 to register for the event and raise at least £1,700 in pledges in order to participate. The price tag may seem steep, but it does include transfers, flights, three day lift passes, accommodation, and ski guides.

Those that are interested in taking part in the Monster Ski charity event can register online at www.mstrust.org.uk/monsterski or call Laura Percival on 01462 476707 at the MS Trust.

Previous events held in Whistler, Colorado, and Engelberg have raised around £250,000 to support the MS Trust.

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French and Austrian summer ski resorts disappearing

Alan — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:51:19 +0000

Ski resorts in Austria that used to be one of the prime locations for summer skiing are starting to slowly decay, with one of the largest resorts in Austria, the Zolden, announcing that this will be the last summer that it is open for summer glacier skiing.

Throughout the greater part of the nineties there were around 40 ski stations in Zolden, all of which served tourists in the summer. However, today there are less than half of these ski stations still open for summer skiing due to the decrease in viable glacial runs for alpine skiing during the summer, due to global warming.

French ski resorts are facing the same problem as the country, which was once predominantly known for offering alpine skiing year round, is announcing that many summer ski resorts will close their doors.

Among the top resorts that will no longer offer summer skiers refuge are La-Plagne, Val Thorens, and Alp d’Juez. Those planning to travel to another resort in France for summer skiing should be aware that many have changed their summer schedules.

Thus, the Tignes resort which normally stayed open from spring into summer will not only offer summer skiing in 2010 from the middle part of June through late August. Skiing will also be open for half the month during the months of May and September in Tignes.

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