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Protect your Brain is Snow Centre’s Campaign

Alan — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:07:06 +0000

Protect your Brain is Snow Centre's Campaign

Essential Travel, a British insurance company, is waiting for approval from its parent company, Thomas Cook, to enact a new ‘no helmet, no coverage’ policy next season. Safety while skiing is essential to the company, as it insures every season as many as 25,000 skiers.

Raising the requirements of safety will lower the severity of accidents, and ultimately the costs to the insurance company. They would like other insurance companies to follow suit as well. The British Medical Journal’s research shows that a helmet can minimise the risk of head injury by up to 35% while skiing, which is even higher, 59%, for children under 13.

Hemel Hempstead’s Snow Centre requires children under 16 to wear helmets, whether skiing or engaged in other activities on the snow. Safety for children is mandatory on the snow at the Centre. This safety protocol applies to all ages involved in race training, all kinds of competitive activities, lessons Levels 1-4, freestyle activities, and ringos.

Whenever you purchase a lift pass, a protective helmet is included at no extra fee. Although the Snow Centre wants to encourage safety for those who enjoy snow sports, it claims that any skiers or snowboarders who are older than 16 have the freedom to choose whether or not they will practice safe snow activities.

Insurance company Essential Travel came up with its new policy as a reaction to shocking figures from Austria which state that, compared to last year, double the amount of boarders and skiers have died on the Austrian slopes, while there are still two months of the season remaining.

However, the official NHS Choices website reacted to these findings with the following message: “Skiing-related head injuries are rare: based on the study’s data we estimate that one head injury would be expected for every 11,111 skiing outings. It is important to bear this low risk in mind.”

Enjoy more time on the snow for less at The Snow Centre Following the brilliant take-up of the January All Day Lift...

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Bun-J-Ride Saint-Jean-de-Sixt

Alan — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:06:26 +0000

The Bun-J-Ride amusement is a strange find in the sleepy little village called Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, France. It was brought by its nearly maniacal inventor and bungee jumping adventurer and expert, Jean-Francois Michelin.

Its location was selected because of its vicinity to the ski slopes of la Clusaz and Grand Bornand in the French region of Haute-Savoie. The bungee jumper built a ramp 40 metres above a river and then two cables were strung out to the riverbank, opposite. Rubber bungees were attached onto the cables.

The Bun-J-Ride opened in 2009 and ever since, people have been paying good money to ski, cycle, or sled along a 28-metre ramp, get hurled into the air and slide easily to the opposite side. It is a near-death illusion that hasn’t disappointed a single tourist yet.

Jean-Francois Michelin has spent a lot of time convincing hesitant participants that Bun-J-Ride could be 100 per cent safe. It shouldn’t be a difficult sale because, so far, the amusement has proven to be 100 per cent safe. It isn’t the figures these reluctant adventurers don’t trust; it is their own eyes.

Everyone has a story about their experience on the Bun-J-Ride and most are about how certain they were that they were going to die. The funny thing is to hear that riders were no less certain of imminent death the second, third, fourth or fortieth time they took to the air on Bun-J-Ride.

It seems that Jean-Francois Michelin (who has been a thrill-seeker in New Zealand, Indonesia, and Normandy) has found the perfect spot for his death-defying amusement, among a collection of nearly maniacal skiers, boarders, and sledders in the mountains of France.

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Tobogganing in Les Arcs

Alan — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 05:58:50 +0000

Les Arcs, the famous French ski resort is about to add the attraction of tobogganing to its winter slope experiences this year. It was recently announced that the resort shall open a new toboggan route that may well become the largest in Europe.

The route will be found in the village of Arc 2000 and will feature a 400 meter elevation and a 3 kilometres length. The toboggan is an increasingly popular winter sport and can already be found in New Zealand, Australia, the U.S., and other parts of Europe, including 3 more resorts in France.

In Europe, for many years, you could only find toboggan routes in Switzerland and Austria. This was until a few years ago, when Courchevel opened the first toboggan route in France and was thereafter followed by Les Menuires and Val Thorens.

The Les Arcs track will reportedly have age restrictions as it features some wickedly sharp turns and children under 12 will probably be denied access to the route. Nonetheless, it promises to be the most exciting toboggan route in Europe and well worth the try for anyone who has never taken a turn at toboggan.

Les Arcs has already reported receiving many inquiries about the new route and when it will open. It is hoped to be done in time for this ski season.

Les arcs would like to remind holiday travellers that the other big event scheduled to take place there is the European Film Festival. No small affair in itself, the Film Festival will run 11 to 18 December 2010.

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The joys of skiing in France

Alan — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:34:07 +0000

For those that love to ski, there is little that can hold a candle than sailing down the slopes of France. Whether you are out on the slopes enjoying some of the best downhill runs in the world or heading across some of the top cross country trails, France is known as a skier’s paradise for everything it has to offer the winter sports enthusiast. Featuring some of the best scenery of any slopes in the world, the contoured runs and fresh alpine air helps seal the experience as something that is to be cherished forever.

While in France on a ski holiday you need to make sure you try out some slopes on the Alps. France is known for its Alp ski pistes and given that the Alps sit on the France/Switzerland border you can even pop over and visit the Swiss for a bit while out on the slopes. Plus, you do not have to worry about lugging your equipment around since there are dedicates ski shops spread out everywhere that are aimed at pleasing tourists resulting in some excellent ski hire bargain prices.

Another reason to head to France for a ski holiday is because it is home to the famed Val d’Isere resort which is a large ski expanse spread out of the Alps. Best known because of Jean Claude Killy, the resort area is a tourist attraction because of its near perfect seasonal conditions.

In addition, the resort has plenty of accommodation options and pistes for every skill level so that everyone on your holiday can enjoy a challenge on the hills. Plus, the surrounding area is built for après ski activities with plenty of refreshment areas, activities, and hotels to choose from making it a great place for singles and families on holiday.

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Global warming may push skiers to different areas of France

Alan — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:08:39 +0000

The looming spectre of global warming may be an unexpected boon to skiers planning their holidays in France this winter. Even as sometimes conflicting reports continue to come in from various climate-monitoring agencies and economic forecasters, ski resort owners and promoters in France are looking on the positive side and working to make sure they offer Europe’s best deals to skiers this year. This country has been one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world for years, and businesses that cater to the industry want to make sure it stays that way.

Statistics based on expectation of a continuing warming trend indicate that winter sports may become unavailable in areas under 39,000 feet in elevation, which would include about half of the alpine regions of France such as Haute-Savoie where Chamonix is located.

However, skiers should check out the multitude of options offered by less well-known areas such as the Pyrenees, for example. Ski resorts that offer excellent family packages, superb instruction and nightlife equal to any on the more beaten track are making irresistible offers, especially if you plan your holidays for early or late in the ski season.

The general attitude of ‘make the best of it’ that prevails amongst the ski industry in France applies to all regions, so savvy skiers can find a terrific deal most anywhere if they take some time to do their research.

For instance, many resorts, hotels, apartments and chalets are cooperating with the travel industry to put together great all-inclusive packages for weekends or weeks. Check with some of the ski holiday sites such as Crystal and Thomson to find what may turn out to be the best holiday you’ve ever had.

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France is most popular with expert boarders

Alan — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:25:59 +0000

Skiing holidays have been known for quite some time as a luxury sport popular among the famous and rich. As such, it is no surprise that the British royal family also enjoys skiing with Prince Charles regularly heading to the French and Swiss Alps for two weeks with William and Harry.

In fact, the Prince has made the trip so frequently that the main cable car on top of Gotschnagrat is referred to as the Prince of Wales.

However, the market has loosened up in recently with the spread of budget air and lower costs in general for holiday packages helping increase the popularity of ski holidays in France every year.

Travel agent, First Choice Holidays, have determined that the top skiing destinations for holiday are France and Austria as both countries continue to experience an increase in the amount of UK travellers heading to the slopes.

A spokesperson for the travel company stated that France is most popular with guests that are expert boarders and skiers while those who book Austrian holidays are in search of great skiing and traditional accommodation. They continued to state that they have seen an increase in families searching out French holidays.

Investors looking at France get an added bonus from the leaseback scheme because French law dictates that an overseas investor can purchase a property and then lease it back to a management company who handles the property.

This allows for a steady stream of income and that there is still income during the off-ski season.

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Fine tuning your skiing skills in France

Alan — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:10:31 +0000

Regardless of whether you are an expert skier or a novice skier, France is the best place to head if you want to try out the skills you have.

One of the best places in France to fine tune your skills is in Chamrousse, which is found about 30km from Grenoble at the end of the Belledonne mountain range. One of the best parts about this resort, is that not only is it a great place to hone your skills, but there are often great cheap travel deals available for the resort as well.

For those who have an extensive amount of France skiing time under their belt, heading to the demanding runs are well worth your time, since some of the runs at Chamrousse have even been used for Winter Olympic events.

Those without a strong background can instead head to Chamrousse ski school where you can book a onetime lesson to brush up on your skiing or a few sessions in order to learn some new skills.

On the other hand, if you are a moderate skier, you may want to try out Nordic skiing lessons in order to learn how to get down some of the most difficult slopes of France in a new fashion without your boot attached to the ski.

Even more, if you want to learn how to do the tricks and flips that professional skiers perform, you can head to the Aero Style School where instructors can help you with freestyle skiing manoeuvres.

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Skiing in Les 3 Vallees

Alan — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 02:09:48 +0000

When it comes to skiing in France, it is hard to find a resort area better than the slopes and amenities found within the Savoie region. Already one of the most popular resorts found in Europe, the French Alps of the Savoie offer peaks that can present a challenge even to the most experienced skiers.

However, the Savoie Alps also offer a great place for those without extensive ski skills since there are so many slopes that there are suitable challenges for all ski levels.

For those who are planning a Savoie skiing adventure, the best place to start is Les 3 Vallees also known as the three valleys to English speakers. From this point you can get ski passes to eight of the best French ski resorts each of which has something new to offer you.

One of the resorts you should make a special effort to visit is Courchevel located in the Tarentaise Valley which offers a landscape covered with many bars, restaurants, and bars as well as five separate altitudes filled with entertainment for you to enjoy.

From the top of the region, you can see 600km of perfectly maintained pistes that are set against the stunning backdrop of the Mont Blanc and Les Ecrins massif.

While exploring in the Savoie region, you will also want to take a moment to try out the popular run of Combe Saulire which faces North and has some of the best snow cover in the area. The best time to hit this particular run however is in the morning because during the prime daytime skiing time it becomes quite busy.

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Who says the ski season is over?

Alan — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:20:46 +0000

It is hard to figure out exactly when the ski season ends and another begins due to the fact that somewhere around the world there are at least thirty ski areas that are still open. Although mid-May may seem to the be the quietest seasons in the Southern hemisphere, many of the leading resorts of Europe open in the summer for boarding and skiing on the glaciers.

Adding to the debate about where the season actually starts and ends, is the fact that now there are five countries in Europe with glaciers that avid skiers can enjoy- France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and Norway and even more glaciers in the US and Canada.

Austria rules as the place to head for summer skiing with eight different summer glacier ski areas that are still open although Tux is the only resort that is open every day of the year. Luckily, it also boost one of the largest ski areas in Europe for summer skiing.

In France, all of the ski areas close during late spring, but reopen again from mid-June to August. Among those that you can enjoy for a late spring run are Val d’Isere, Les2 Alpes, and Tignes.

Italy on the other hand offers the Passo Tonale ski area open until the end of June with Passo Stelvio opening at the end of May until September. Also opening in June is the Val Senales.

Switzerland is the place to go for those who want to tackle the highest slopes, since the country offers the highest ski lifts that stay open in Europe during the summer up to 3,899m. They also boost one of the only year round open ski resort and offer summer verticals of up to 880m.

Finally, Norway offers smaller ski areas for those looking for a quainter break including the Galdhoppigen, Folgefonn, and Stryn resort areas that sport base depths of 4m.

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The cross country skiing nubie option

Alan — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 18:38:54 +0000

Attempting to jump into a snow sport such as snowboarding or skiing can be hard, which is why choosing a starting plate such as cross country skiing may be a better transitional sport. This is due to the fact that cross country skiing can help build up your endurance levels and allow you to better adjust to activities that take place in colder weather.

While cross country skiing, it is a good idea to wear a digital watch so that you can time how long you can continue skiing without a break and week by week you can see your body grow stronger as your time increases.

Once you graduate from cross country skiing, downhill skiing can help improve your balance and flexibility while at the same time toning your legs and building your abdominal strength without straining your tendons, joints, and back. In fact, depending on the type of skiing activity you choose a day on the slopes can burn around 600 calories per hour.

Before hitting the slopes, however, there are a few safety tips that you should keep in mind. To begin, with you always want to make sure that you wear the proper safety gear including a ski helmet which should be a top priority.

Also, you should take care to make sure you sure you stay hydrated properly throughout the day because on the slopes it is quite likely you will notice that you are becoming dehydrated until it is too late.

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