More snow and a new look website

Thats right, it continues to snow across the Alps with more today and tomorrow, some great conditions, so get involved!

We have also put some new photos of the Bourg chalet online and as they are so good, we set about redesigning the website to compliment them! New Montchavin ones in a few days, but check Bourg out now: www.chillchalet.com//chalets/bourg.htm

Snow across the Alps

As Pete Tong would say, we continue… to get snow all the way down to Bourg, half a metre has snowed at 1600 with more higher up, with more snow due next week. We still have availability so check out www.chillchalet.com and we are offering a 20% discount between now and the end of the season, so come and stay for the bargainous price of £44 per person per night

EXTREME!!!

Hey all,

Just a quick one to post a picture of a route my friend Sascha and I did last weekend:

New in-house nanny service

We’ve always provided child care for guests in our chalets, but we are getting more and more requests for nannies from other chalet companies, so we decided to set up a company called Alpine Child Care which is an agency providing nannies on an hourly basis.

I will be working full-time and we have 4 other nannies on the books already. If you’re interested have a look at the website at www.alpinechildcare.com. I’d be interested to know what you think.

What has been going on?

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, well, for the last month or so, we have been damn busy riding powder, looking after guests and generally bombing about doing all things Chillchalet. It has been a crazy period, loads of snow, family to hang with, dogs to walk, cars breaking down, Helen learning to snowboard, guests that stay forever, oh yes, you name it, it has happened.

The snow is now officially amazing, Lucy and I had the best day in La Plagne yesterday. If you have never been there or to our chalet in Montchavin, then you really should give it a go, in all the years I have been riding, yesterday rates as one of the best ever, powder everywhere and not many people, isn’t that what we all strive to find?

Something else popped up today, a video that got me dreaming of snowboarding back when I was 17, a classic in the snowboard world and if you have about an hour or so to spare then I recommend you check it out:

Snowboarders in Exile

Yes we do mean it – free accom in Les Arcs / La Plagne

I’ve had a couple of emails since the last post asking if we are serious about letting people stay for free for the first week of the season. Well we are, and there are no catches. It will probably have to be on a B&B basis rather than our usual dinners with wine etc, but it will be free.

It’s just too depressing to think that the place will be empty on what is going to be a wicked week, so if you can get yourself out here, and can pay for your lift pass, you are very welcome to come and make the most of all the un-tracked powder with us.

We’ve just ridden powder all the way down to Bourg!!!

Riding down to Bourg on the 26th November 2008

It’s a first for November.  We got so frustrated at looking at all the lovely powder on the mountains of Les Arcs and La Plagne, but not being able to ride it until until the lifts open on the 13 December, that we decided to drive up to Les Arcs 1600m and mission it back down to Bourg st Maurice cross country.  Have a look at the Paradiski Piste Map and you can see that we followed the red run from 1600, then went under the funicular all the way to Bourg.

We had to climb over a few fences, and dodge a few bramble bushes on the second half but the snow was amazing – deep and fluffy powder all the way!!  We are going up again tomorrow, and this time we are going to drive to the highest point we can get to by road at 2000, and hike up to the top of a piste which will take us all the way down to Villaroger. On the Paradiski Piste Map it’s the red run from the top of the Lanchettes lift – 5km of un-bashed, un-tracked piste!!!

There has always been snow in October and November, but I don’t remember it ever being this heavy and consistent so early, so it really is boding well for the season ahead.  The lifts open on the 13th Dec (here you’ll find the Les Arcs and La Plagne lift pass prices) and because most chalet companies don’t open until Christmas week the whole Paradiski resort will be very quiet, so we are expecting a week of first tracks all over the place in Les Arcs and La Plagne.

Although we discounted our accommodation by 20% to £41 for catered accommodation we still have loads of spaces for the first week. If the place isn’t full of people making the most of the powder on the first week it will be a criminal waste, so if the reason you can’t come is because you can’t afford it, come anyway and just don’t pay.  We can’t bear to think of it all going to waste, and money isn’t every thing after all.

Chris and Lucy

Two foot deep powder this week

We had snow down to 800 metres last week and it has stayed cold, so the snow is hanging around right down to 1800 metres. A group from Bourg rode 2ft of powder in Tignes this week and Les Arcs is still white, so it’s all looking good for the snow base for this coming season. Here’s the view from one of our balconies

View of La Rosiere from Bourg st Maurice

Tour de France 09 is coming to Bourg st Maurice

The route for the 2009 Tour de France has been announced. Stage 16 of the Tour is ending in Bourg St Maurice on 21 July and stage 17 is starting on July 22. If you are interested, have a look at:

* Stages for the 2009 Tour de France
* A large map of the Tour de France 09 route
* A Velo News Article about the announcement

It’s Snowing!!!

I am sat in the dining room of our chalet in Bourg, and as I look out the window I can see that it is snowing, which I think you’ll agree it’s pretty bloomin’ exciting!!

Apparently it is going to snow all week, and if it stays cold afterwards we will be looking at a brilliant base layer for this winter season’s snow.