Travel
Te Alpaka, Tignes le Lac: Whilst you might be better having your first après-ski beverage in the lively Loop or tiny Jam Bar, come 7pm the place to be for Brits is the Alpaka Lodge so grab a sofa by the wood-burning fire and enjoy the craic. Te new chef is providing great food at a very reasonable price, so you don’t have to venture out in the cold in search of your evening meal.
Grizzly Bar, Tignes Val Claret: For après-ski, this is very cool in V.C. Not the cheapest place to drink, but lots of fun. Difficult to tell the landlord and the bear apart!
Top 5 Off-Piste Kit
Skis: For purist ski touring, you’d want ‘Black Diamond’ or ‘Trab Maestro’ skis. But, for something that will ski really well downhill as well, both on and off piste, there are better options. Te men’s Scott Crus’Air are superbly capable for freeride and touring because of their strength/ weight ratio. However, for ultimate performance my brother would go for the awesome new ‘ Volkl V-Werks RTMs’ made from carbon and titanium at a rather pricey £1100. Tere are not many in the UK, but ‘Snow & Rock’ had a few in stock. Like my brother, I also skied ‘Volkls’ last year, but this year I would switch to the new ‘Scott Laylas’. Tey are a phenomenally lightweight all-rounder, so easy to ski for the smaller female skier. On the other hand, if you can afford it and you really love her, buy her a pair of Lacroix skis (from £1000 up to £7000) – ‘Snow and Rock’/’Harrods’ stock them in the UK.
Bindings: Tis is a little bit more technical than the average ski & binding package bought by most holiday skiers. You need a hybrid binding with which you can skin uphill as well as chasing downhill over all terrains. My family use both ‘Marker Barons’ and ‘Fritschi Freeride Pro’ – they have their own followers and both are great. However, if I were to have the money to buy new this year, I would have to go for the
Boots: Tese are hugely important to how well you ski and to your skiing enjoyment. Because foot shape and bio-mechanics are such personal things, no single model is right for everyone. You have to go to a really good boot fitter and try on lots of boots – and make sure that you buy a custom-fitted foot-bed for them. Nonetheless, if you are really keen on the backcountry stuff, ‘Black Diamond’ and ‘Scarpa’ are the makes that everyone raves about.
Airbags: If you are spending a lot of time off- piste, you are inevitably exposing yourself to the risk of being caught in an avalanche. An airbag minimises the chance of being buried and is becoming standard kit amongst the people that I ski with. Either the ‘ABS’ or ‘Snowpulse’ can be recommended – we have both in our family.
Avalanche Rescue Kit: Not so sexy perhaps, but you cannot ski off-piste without a transceiver, shovel and probe. If you don’t want to buy it, you will have to rent it, no buts or maybes. However, it’s no use if you don’t know how to use it!!
Finally, if you are a technophile, you’ll love the new Oakley Airwave Goggles with integrated GPS, maps, Bluetooth communications and heads-up display (actually a bargain at £500 when you think about it).
Cabaret de la Fruitiere, Folie Douce, for the whole of February: Tis should be amazing – a cabaret on a stage built at 2400m! Tis is new this year, so I can’t comment but wouldn’t miss it.
Classical Concerts, old Val d’Isere, March: the other end of the cultural spectrum, people say the musicians are of a very high calibre and the venues are gorgeous.
Speed Riding: for an extreme participation event that you can do yourself in Espace Killy, this is definitely at the leading edge. Simply(?) strap a small parachute/paraglider to your back, ski down off-piste, then when you come to a cliff drop just keep on going and then keep skiing when you land. Very James Bond and the most fun for adrenalin junkies at under €200. Lesson in the morning, fly solo in the afternoon. If my father can do it, so must I! Contact UCPA or
sevenspeedriding.com
Top 5 Events
Te X Games, 22-23 March, Val Claret: Tis is a major international extreme sports event. Competitors include most of the world’s big names in freestyle skiing, snowboarding and even snowmobiles.
technically brilliant new Dynafit TFT Radical Sts – astoundingly tiny but immensely strong.
Te Brits, 23 – 30 March, Val Claret: Follows on from the X-Games, it will feature half- pipes, boardercross and floodlit entertainment. Interestingly, Tignes seems to be double booked this week. It is also the venue for European Gay Pride week – so, something for everyone.
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