A year ago today, I stayed up until midnight and applied to be part of Dots Dozen. It’s a scheme run by British brand ‘whitedot’ skis that gives twelve people each year the chance to get reduced-price skis. I won…
Tag: skis
Ski dominoes ahoy
This is a familiar sight outside bars and restaurants all over the Alps. Everyone piles their skis up against a wall or fence and someone accidentally knocks them all down. The guilty person usually scurries away hoping nobody has noticed,…
Alternatives to downhill winter sports #1
Cross-country skiing. What a dumb thing to do when there are chairlifts that take you to the top of a hill so you can enjoy the slide down. And that’s why it’s taken me until this year to try it…
Let it snow, then rain, then snow
One of the most noticeable and amusing things about living in the French Alps is how quickly conversation turns to snow when winter approaches. Months before the resort is due to open, people start predicting what sort of season it…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: health & safety, La Balme, La Clusaz, local, safety, skiing, skis, snow, winter
Haggling with the big guns
I talked about the art of the haggle at French garage/car boot sales (called a vide grenier ) in the past. Haggling doesn’t come naturally to me, but last weekend at the St Jean de Sixt vide grenier, I found…
It’s never really summer in the Alps
Yesterday was a really beautiful day for Le Bélier marathon here in La Clusaz, France. Participants who climbed the five peaks of the resort either walking from 7.30am or running from 9am were grateful for the cooler morning temperatures after…
The history of skiing
Each year, La Clusaz holds a show to illustrate the history of skiing. This involves a torchlit descent by the local ski instructors who mingle with traditionally-dressed skiers to show how skis have changed over time. Free hot chocolate keeps…
Heidi skis
Yes, there’s a brand of ski called Heidi Ski and they come from Switzerland. I tried some out at last weekend’s ski test held in Le Grand Bornand just up the road and I was really impressed. Despite the off-piste…
Le Bélier race and cow bells
Le Bélier (the name of a local goat-like sheep whose head forms the logo for La Clusaz) is a 27km course around the five peaks of La Clusaz (click here for the map if you want to see the route),…
Piste fashion for kids
Following on from my last post about fashion, this one is about kids. I’m not a parent, but I was a kid on the piste, and I remember my parents wanted me to look cute, but more importantly, identifiable from…
