Easiski Newsletters

Christmas 2007

Well, it’s almost Christmas again, and so here comes the Easiski Christmas card and newsletter.

I hope you’re all well and that you’ve had an excellent summer. In LDA the summer was a bit of a mixed bag. We had cooler weather and consequently much better snow conditions than summer 2006, but fewer people came to ski! It was sad really, as I actually managed to ski the steep wall on the lower part of the glacier twice in powder (yes – powder) snow during August. I suspect that many people were put off by the relatively poor winter snow, and/or the very poor snow in summer 2006.

Anyway, I will exhort you all once again to try a summer in the alps. Generally pleasant weather during the day, shedloads of things for the whole family to do apart from skiing, and no problem sitting in the sun by the swimming pool. If you haven’t tried it – try it next year!

I don’t think any very major piste work has been done this summer but there have been additions to the snow fences at strategic points on the mountain to prevent new snow from being blown off again by the wind.

I hear that we’re expecting to open down to the Crêtes on 1st December, and I hear that there’s been an enormous amount of work going on to preserve every snowflake that falls and make sure they’re on actual pistes! The cannons have been working every possible moment, in spite of a reasonable amount of pre-season natural snow, so I think it will be possible to ski down to the village (although I don’t suppose it’ll be open). However, lots of snow is forecast for opening weekend, so by the week after we could be in for a bit of a treat.

From the Easiski point of view, the 25% deposits by PayPal have been highly successful, and have made my booking system much more secure. Advance bookings for 2007/8 are very good, so if you’re planning to come and haven’t yet booked, be warned – please do so pretty soon to avoid disappointment.

From a personal point of view, I’ve moved into a new apartment right on the Venosc cliff edge, which is beautifully quiet (too far out for most tourists), and with stunning views over the valley to the Aiguille de Venosc and La Muzelle. I’ve spent most of the summer doing DIY, including knocking down walls, building new ones, taking out doorways, constructing a kitchen of sorts etc… etc….I’ve just managed to sell the old apartment in the Waala, which is a relief as paying 2 mortgages during the quiet months is not to be recommended!

As usual, I will heartily recommend the shop Ski Extreme for all your hire needs, Cedric at Jacques Sports for boots, and Pascal at Sport Emotion if you’re at the Petit Plan end of the town. You can order your hire needs on my website (which is finally up to date) on the Easiski Specials page.

Also on that page you’ll find recommendations for various apartments to rent which belong to Easiskiers. They’re all in good order, so you can be sure you’ll be comfortable. They come in various shapes and sizes.

I don’t think I have anything else world-shattering to add, so I’ll wish you all a very happy Christmas and an excellent New Year. I hope I’ll see you again soon,

Spring 2007

Well, another winter season has finished now, and in spite of the inauspicious start it turned out to be a pretty good one in Les Deux Alpes.

In fact we had a fair amount of snow, and never had any problems in skiing down to the Cretes even in December. This made the untrue press coverage even more annoying. It was true that it was warmer than normal all winter (we had a couple of nasty cold snaps which seemed worse because they were such a shock), and that the snow below 2,000m was not brilliant. We could ski the face most of the winter, and the nursery slopes managed to keep going right up to the 3 rd week of April, but it wasn't quite the same as last year, which was exceptional.

No new pistes had been created last summer, but this winter I thought that the piste preparation and grooming was really marvellous. The quality of the snow was, for the most part, excellent, and we had a good few powder days throughout the season.

I didn't get over to La Grave as much as I would have liked, but this was because I was too busy teaching!

From the Easiski point of view, it seemed busier than ever, and with the inaugural “Over 50's” week (which was actually over 40) even March was pretty much full. I've already taken a couple of bookings for next winter, so, especially if you're planning to come in the school holidays, early booking is advised. There was also a fair bit more administration with the 25% deposit that has now been instigated. I'm sorry that it was necessary, but it did reduce the anxiety considerably.

Next winter there will also be a “More Mature” week, but it will not be limited to beginners, and I won't book the hotel, but will help arrange suitable accommodation as required. There is also likely to be a “nervous” week, specifically for those of you who are looking to improve your skiing confidence. Both these weeks are likely to be in March, but this brings me to another issue for next winter: Easter! As far as I can gather, some schools are taking Easter hols at Easter, and some will be taking them at the beginning of April – thus causing total pandemonium, particularly as many schools haven't yet published when they will have their holidays. The French, of course, have already published 2009-10!!!

Meanwhile, it's now turned cold and miserable, is raining at resort level, and snowing above around 2,000m! Maybe this is the snow that never fell in April? At any rate, the more the merrier, so we can start the summer season off with a bang.

We're open from 16 th June until 2 nd September this summer, and as ever, I'd like to encourage you to come along if you haven't yet firmed up your plans for your summer hols. The earlier the better, of course, from the point of view of the best snow, but even in the school hols there's a fair bit of good skiing to be done, and all the other activities as well.

The Mondial, in All Saints week will be 27 th October to 8 th November so the Snowheads PSB this year will again be at the beginning of November rather than the end of October.

Of course I would like to encourage all of you who haven't already done so to join Snowheads ( http://Snowheads.com ). It costs nothing to join, you don't get any spam, but you do get lots of useful and interesting info on every subject under the sun, including skiing!

At the end of the season I again went to Val Thorens with the Snowheads End of Season Bash, which was highly successful. We had more than 80 people there, some good skiing and lots of fun. I've come to the conclusion that Snowheads are almost invariably nice people. Of course the week convinced me more than ever that LDA is the place to be. No comparison!

I shall be putting any new ideas or special courses up on my website, so please do check it from time to time, however I shall be removing the Snow Diary, as I post conditions daily on Snowheads and most days I also manage to put up a picture as well. It doesn't make sense to duplicate the work. That's another good reason to become a Snowhead.

A quick ad: I'm selling my apartment in LDA because I've found one I like better, so if you're in the market (or know anyone who is) for a studio that will sleep 4, let me know. The price is €80,000, but is negotiable for a quick and private sale. I shall be putting a page on the website asap, but am heading back to the UK tomorrow morning, and probably won't be able to do it until I get there. In the meantime, there are details on this thread on Snowheads: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=25788 I'm afraid it's several pages long, but the main info is on the first page and the link to some photos.

For the meantime, I hope you have a great summer, and if you don't come summer skiing then I hope to see you next winter.



	Christmas 2007 Well, it’s almost Christmas again, and so here comes the Easiski Christmas card and newsletter. I hope you’re all well and that you’ve had an excellent summer. In LDA the summer was a bit of a mixed bag. We had cooler weather and consequently much better snow conditions than summer 2006, but fewer people came to ski! It was sad really, as I actually managed to ski the steep wall on the lower part of the glacier twice in powder (yes – powder) snow during August. I suspect that many people were put off by the relatively poor winter snow, and/or the very poor snow in summer 2006. Anyway, I will exhort you all once again to try a summer in the alps. Generally pleasant weather during the day, shedloads of things for the whole family to do apart from skiing, and no problem sitting in the sun by the swimming pool. If you haven’t tried it – try it next year! I don’t think any very major piste work has been done this summer but there have been additions to the snow fences at strategic points on the mountain to prevent new snow from being blown off again by the wind. I hear that we’re expecting to open down to the Crêtes on 1st December, and I hear that there’s been an enormous amount of work going on to preserve every snowflake that falls and make sure they’re on actual pistes! The cannons have been working every possible moment, in spite of a reasonable amount of pre-season natural snow, so I think it will be possible to ski down to the village (although I don’t suppose it’ll be open). However, lots of snow is forecast for opening weekend, so by the week after we could be in for a bit of a treat. From the Easiski point of view, the 25% deposits by PayPal have been highly successful, and have made my booking system much more secure. Advance bookings for 2007/8 are very good, so if you’re planning to come and haven’t yet booked, be warned – please do so pretty soon to avoid disappointment. From a personal point of view, I’ve moved into a new apartment right on the Venosc cliff edge, which is beautifully quiet (too far out for most tourists), and with stunning views over the valley to the Aiguille de Venosc and La Muzelle. I’ve spent most of the summer doing DIY, including knocking down walls, building new ones, taking out doorways, constructing a kitchen of sorts etc… etc….I’ve just managed to sell the old apartment in the Waala, which is a relief as paying 2 mortgages during the quiet months is not to be recommended! As usual, I will heartily recommend the shop Ski Extreme for all your hire needs, Cedric at Jacques Sports for boots, and Pascal at Sport Emotion if you’re at the Petit Plan end of the town. You can order your hire needs on my website (which is finally up to date) on the Easiski Specials page. Also on that page you’ll find recommendations for various apartments to rent which belong to Easiskiers. They’re all in good order, so you can be sure you’ll be comfortable. They come in various shapes and sizes. I don’t think I have anything else world-shattering to add, so I’ll wish you all a very happy Christmas and an excellent New Year. I hope I’ll see you again soon, Spring 2007 Well, another winter season has finished now, and in spite of the inauspicious start it turned out to be a pretty good one in Les Deux Alpes. In fact we had a fair amount of snow, and never had any problems in skiing down to the Cretes even in December. This made the untrue press coverage even more annoying. It was true that it was warmer than normal all winter (we had a couple of nasty cold snaps which seemed worse because they were such a shock), and that the snow below 2,000m was not brilliant. We could ski the face most of the winter, and the nursery slopes managed to keep going right up to the 3 rd week of April, but it wasn't quite the same as last year, which was exceptional. No new pistes had been created last summer, but this winter I thought that the piste preparation and grooming was really marvellous. The quality of the snow was, for the most part, excellent, and we had a good few powder days throughout the season. I didn't get over to La Grave as much as I would have liked, but this was because I was too busy teaching! From the Easiski point of view, it seemed busier than ever, and with the inaugural “Over 50's” week (which was actually over 40) even March was pretty much full. I've already taken a couple of bookings for next winter, so, especially if you're planning to come in the school holidays, early booking is advised. There was also a fair bit more administration with the 25% deposit that has now been instigated. I'm sorry that it was necessary, but it did reduce the anxiety considerably. Next winter there will also be a “More Mature” week, but it will not be limited to beginners, and I won't book the hotel, but will help arrange suitable accommodation as required. There is also likely to be a “nervous” week, specifically for those of you who are looking to improve your skiing confidence. Both these weeks are likely to be in March, but this brings me to another issue for next winter: Easter! As far as I can gather, some schools are taking Easter hols at Easter, and some will be taking them at the beginning of April – thus causing total pandemonium, particularly as many schools haven't yet published when they will have their holidays. The French, of course, have already published 2009-10!!! Meanwhile, it's now turned cold and miserable, is raining at resort level, and snowing above around 2,000m! Maybe this is the snow that never fell in April? At any rate, the more the merrier, so we can start the summer season off with a bang. We're open from 16 th June until 2 nd September this summer, and as ever, I'd like to encourage you to come along if you haven't yet firmed up your plans for your summer hols. The earlier the better, of course, from the point of view of the best snow, but even in the school hols there's a fair bit of good skiing to be done, and all the other activities as well. The Mondial, in All Saints week will be 27 th October to 8 th November so the Snowheads PSB this year will again be at the beginning of November rather than the end of October. Of course I would like to encourage all of you who haven't already done so to join Snowheads ( http://Snowheads.com ). It costs nothing to join, you don't get any spam, but you do get lots of useful and interesting info on every subject under the sun, including skiing! At the end of the season I again went to Val Thorens with the Snowheads End of Season Bash, which was highly successful. We had more than 80 people there, some good skiing and lots of fun. I've come to the conclusion that Snowheads are almost invariably nice people. Of course the week convinced me more than ever that LDA is the place to be. No comparison! I shall be putting any new ideas or special courses up on my website, so please do check it from time to time, however I shall be removing the Snow Diary, as I post conditions daily on Snowheads and most days I also manage to put up a picture as well. It doesn't make sense to duplicate the work. That's another good reason to become a Snowhead. A quick ad: I'm selling my apartment in LDA because I've found one I like better, so if you're in the market (or know anyone who is) for a studio that will sleep 4, let me know. The price is €80,000, but is negotiable for a quick and private sale. I shall be putting a page on the website asap, but am heading back to the UK tomorrow morning, and probably won't be able to do it until I get there. In the meantime, there are details on this thread on Snowheads: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=25788 I'm afraid it's several pages long, but the main info is on the first page and the link to some photos. For the meantime, I hope you have a great summer, and if you don't come summer skiing then I hope to see you next winter. ©Charlotte Swift				Search Easiski