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Take a look at these images of the SnowAttack party that took place in Puy Saint Vincent, France, last January.

Some said it was the best party ever, so see you there this year!

For summer 2009, Méribel offered Segway circuits to its visitor for the first time. Different activities using these ”standing scooters“ were proposed from initiation courses (5€ for about10minutes) to discovery guided tours (40€/person for 2 hours in groups of 5). These vehicles’ speed is limited to 5-6 km/h, which is the average human walk speed.

Since Méribel always keeps in mind the environment when developing activities for its visitors, Segway tours is a very suitable choice. These allow safe guided “walks“ that respect the calm and quietness of the nature, and are not disturbing for walkers and other users of the paths.

Méribel is studying the possibility to make its Segway fleet available for winter activities as well. Fiss, in Austria, started last year with this winter discipline, but Méribel would be the first French ski resort to offer it. To see what it would look like, here’s a video prepared by Fiss:

While it definitely would be interesting to try riding a Segway, I somehow feel it shouldn’t be considered as a “discipline“. I fail to see what’s the added value of using a Segway at 5-6 km/h to discover the natural beauties of a region, compared to a good old promenade on foot on the paths. More expensive, less physical, more attention put to going around and less on what’s going on around…

What do you think?

It’s time to plan!

This is a quick reminder to those of you who have been talking with you friends and family about celebrating the arrival of 2010 with your ski/snowboard gear on. It’s certainly not too late to plan it but do it quick.
Ski resorts and hotels/residences or apartments now offer New Year deals but the closer the celebration is, the higher the prices and the fewer the available accommodations. For example, the Puy Saint-Vincent ski resort now offers a 10% reduction in about 10 of its accommodations if reservations are made in September at the latest. You then get 5% off in October and pay full price after that. By experience, the bigger apartments (6+ people) are rented faster and if you are fussy about ANYTHING, you need to be quick because you might not find suitable accommodation later.

Take a look at what the celebration looks like in Tignes, France:

Isola 2000, in France, is part of the Domaine du Mercantour. It is located in the southern section of the Alps (Alpes maritimes), less than 100 km from Nice. Since the Mediterranean is so close—you can see it atop the summit of Sistron on a clear day—it is plausible to ski during the morning and have tea by the sea in the afternoon.

The resort might not be very big but offers all activities usually found in bigger resorts. During summer, visitors can go on different hikes (with or without a guide), rock climbing, horseback riding and fishing. The resort’s swimming pool caters for families and beautiful cycling paths allow the discovery of the resort. The more adventurous can go mountain biking or try the «Isoliane» adventure course.

The resort of Isola 2000 lies at 2000 meters and has 2000 hectares of skiable terrain to offer during winter. You’ll warp down the longest run for a nice two kilometers on over 120 km of pistes. There is one snowpark and 40-some combined runs. The breakdown of these is 30 beginner runs, 4 advanced and a dozen intermediate. See plan. There are 22 lifts to keep you chugging down all day long and if that’s not enough, there’s also snowmobiling, ice-skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and heliskiing and many more activities to keep everyone busy.

Isola 2000 can really be considered a discount family ski destination: there’s more beginners’ and bunny hill options here than in many bigger resorts, and no lack of ski schools. Plus, the resort never feels overcrowded, as the crowd almost always stays below what can be handled, and holiday apartments, the ideal accommodation for families, abound.

Because of all this, a family skiing holiday in Isola 2000 is really an affordable option in the Alps, even during high season.

1 area, 2 countries, 12 resorts-villages, countless activities included.

In my opinion, the Multi Pass Portes du Soleil is THE tool to fully take advantage of mountain holidays in the Portes du Soleil area, whether you intend to visit the French side, the Swiss side, or both. Valid until September 21st, visitors can by it at local lift and tourist offices. A day pass costs 6€ and a season pass, 50€, but if you stay at one of the numerous participating accommodations, it will cost you as little as 1€ per day of your stay to access all included activities.

The Multi Pass Portes du Soleil is valid in:
France: Abondance, Avoriaz, Châtel, La Chapelle d’Abondance, Les Gets, Montriond, Morzine, Saint Jean d’Aulps.
Switzerland: Champéry, Morgins, Torgon, Val-d’Illiez - Les Crosets -  Champoussin.

It grants its beholder unlimited access to the following installations in each of the above-mentioned resorts: tennis courts, swimming pools, mountain-lifts, bus shuttles, cultural sites and tourist road trains.

I actually fail to see why anyone would visit the Portes du Soleil area this summer and NOT get a Multipass, at least for a few days!

Mountainboarding, also called offroad boarding, dirtboarding, grass boarding or all-terrain boarding is a quite recent sport (which might explain why enthusiasts have not agreed on how to call it yet). Let’s put it like that: mountainboarding a hybrid mountain summer sport, halfway between snowboarding and skateboarding, where sportsmen and women ride a device comprised of a board with bindings and wheels. They can go downhill or on jumps and quarter-pipes and so-on Here’s what it looks like:

Mountainboarders already have their magazine: MountainBoard.net and although you can now mountain board in many ski resorts, only a few mountainboard schools are found. The most reputable is the one found in Les Saisies, France, where is also held The World Mountainbord Downhill Championship. I think I’m gonna give it a try!

You want to go canyoneering in the Alps this summer? This video, shot in on the Canyon des Oules de Freissinière right by Puy Saint Vincent should convince you that the resort is the place to go for a great experience. Here is a link to Puy Saint Vincent canyoneering webpage. Moreover, accommodation in Puy Saint Vincent is always affordable, regardless of the season.

The now famous Mountain of Hell (Episode 10!) takes place in Les 2 Alpes from July 17th to the 19th, 2009. Here’s a nice video from a previous episode.

In short, during the Mountain of Hell event, amateurs and pros get to pleasantly enjoy the great freeride venues of Les 2 Alpes. It takes the form of an open to all mountain bike downhill event with a practice day and two days of competition. For the downhill derby, participants will ride the 2 Alpes’ glacier, offering 2500 meters of vertical drop over 25 km, so the event is for amateurs, yes, but maybe not for newbies.

Exactly 400 riders can take part in the downhill derby and, at the time of posting this, only 26 places were still available. Quickly register here and don’t wait too long for booking your accommodation in Les 2 Alpes either, places are filling up quickly.

See you there!

If you want to golf in an exceptional setting, you definitely need to try golfing in one of the alpine resorts.
What if other members of your family/group do not like to golf? Well… European resorts usually offer a wide range of summer activities, so you can even add rafting, mountain biking, and even skiing on glaciers to your well-deserved golf holidays. Here are some interesting destinations:

FRANCE
Chamonix:
The Golf Club de Chamonix offers an 18-hole golf course designed by the world famous Robert Trent Jones Senior. The club is located between the Mont-Blanc range and the massif of the Aiguilles rouges, in a truly magnificent location. Chamonix is also first-class destination for mountain biking.
Tignes:
Tigne’s 18-holes golf course is also set in beautiful surroundings. Because of its glacier, Tignes also enables summer ski so why not plan a golf/ski summer holiday. That should certainly please the whole family!

ITALY
Bormio:
The 18-holes golf course in Bormio, also called “Fornace”, is a creation of the architect Mario Verdiedi, of St. Moritz. The basic principle of the course design is to conform to the original configuration of the land and all of its curves. Summer skiing is possible just a few kilometres away from Bormio proper, and mountain biking is, here again, a very popular activity.
Courmayeur:
The Courmayeur golf course was designed and built in the 1930’s by Briton Peter Gannon. At that time, golf was a sport for the privileged but more and more people every year learn the basics of this timeless sport. When in Courmayeur, mountaineering is also a must-do.

SWITZERLAND
Crans-Montana:
Crans-Montana is truly a premium destination for golfing. Asides from the famous course used for the European Masters, one of the most important European golf competitions, two other 18-holes courses are to be found within the 20 kilometres area of Crans-Montana. Two 9-holes courses allow the beginners to play without handicap and many options for golf courses are available. Crans-Montana is also a good destination for hiking and biking enthusiasts, and also to indulge yourself in one of the numerous spas of the resort.
Zermatt:
Even if people have been playing golf in Zermatt for about 20 years, the Golf Club Matterhorn was inaugurated in 2004. The closest place to stay if you intend to show off your skills on this 9-holes course is Täsch. Here again, you can plan your ski-golf vacations because summer ski is possible on the Matterhorn glacier.

Bourg Saint Maurice resort: for adventure seekers. This resort is the most animated in the area, it boasts a wide offer of adrenalin packed activities: from white water rafting and canoeing to paragliding and hot air balloons rides and, of course, mountain biking. There are 10+ marked VTT routes.

Arc 1600 resort: for those in need of relaxation. The Arc 1600 invites you to the most giving spa, providing from first quality massages to professional beauty care. The well preserved historic scenery of the resort contributes as much as the relaxing massages to put vacationers in a peaceful state of mind.

Arc 1800 resort: when one feels sporty. The resort provides diverse sports activities that suit all tastes, among which are tennis, wall climbing, high-altitude golfing, and of course you can always go for a hike on one of the numerous footpaths.

Arc 1950 resort: for romantic getaways. The magnificent snow-covered mountain ranges and other breathtaking sceneries are all yours in this resort, one of the highest of the French Alps. If you’re just a bit lucky, you will get to admire a kestrel or two. The graceful ballet of those colourful and elegant falcons will without doubt add to the romanticism of the Arc 1950.

Arc 2000 resort: for nature lovers. Plenty of hiking and walking trails are to be found and be on the lookout for marmots, as they like to hang out around there. It is very well connected with the other resorts by shuttle buses, gondolas and chairlifts.

With its diversity, Les Arc imposes itself as a dream summer mountain holiday destination. Accommodations are found in all above mentioned resorts forming Les Arcs, and they as diverse as they are plenty. All types of lodging are available: hotel rooms, apartments, chalets, residences, etc. will provide you the perfect place to rest with your beloved, your friends or your family during your mountain vacations. And if France is famous for its après-ski, in the summer months Les Arcs also has a wide enough choice of restaurants and «après-bike» venues to have a full French experience!