TJ's avalanche story can be found under Nov. 23rd as well as info on his 'Support Fund'.

Andy and Julia Patterson have started an on-line/telephone grocery shopping service. The prices will be much cheaper than Val, it will be seriously convenient with your groceries being delivered to your front door. Sound good? Contact them on 00 33 6 24 09 2009 from the UK or 06 24 09 20 09 from France, and their web-site is www.snowmans-larder.co.uk

Jean Marc Pic and Olivier Carrere have created a personal web site in English with the very latest in touring news which is at the following address and now has an English version!

Please send us your links to photo albums and videos as has Jean Ribart done and can be found on our links page and happy viewing!

TJ on YouTube .Thankyou Damon and Heather Peacock

May 8th.

If you ever need a break, Jacques and Sophie own a small hosteria , 150km. south of Bariloche (a ski resort where Bambi was filmed) in Patagonia on the Argentinean side. I have been there myself as it was a good stepping stone to the Patagonian Ice Cap which has the third biggest extension of continental ice after Antarctica . It's as far as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made it to. A fabulous part of the world, extremely scenic and wild with many possibilities and good value as well. Jacques is also a UIAGM certified mountain guide who "has a few tricks up his sleeve" and for myself and Suzanne its hopefully to the Australian far west for a tour of duty and I will be back.

May 6th.

The last day of the season was short but sweet as we had a minimum freeze and had to move quickly. I skied the Lavachet followed by a superb Sachette then the Altiport/Familial to finish the best season in fifteen years or so. Ray drove back with me as I raced back to England to spend the Bank Holiday with Gill, Millie and Katie, which was a lovely day and a wonderful reunion after three weeks without them. Thanks Ray for setting us up on Broadband and Wii-Fi, what a difference. Anyway, stay tuned for periodic news throughout the summer months and before we know it, winter won't be far away!

May 5.

There was an armed robbery yesterday evening just before closing time at the boulangerie (bakery) in the main street of Val d'Isere. Everyone was apparently tied up so that the robbers got away! Business was as usually today although everyone was on tender hooks so to speak...

May 3 and 4.

Red Ray 60 days in total! Well done. Lavacher, Sache, Super Cocaine and the Altiport were the choice for Wayne these last few days as they were spotless. Henry did a Mont Roupe for a photo shoot with Mark Junak yesterday. Whilst Chris and Suzanne skied the Lores yesterday and went up to the source de l'Isere for their last day. All in all perhaps the best winter season in the last fifteen years........

May 2nd.

Andreas finished his season this morning in style as we had superb spring snow conditions in Tignes. The clientele in Val d'Isere at the moment are skiing everywhere and at the wrong time leaving a wake of ugly, un-skiable slopes behind them, but fortunately Tignes is 'clean' compared to the mess up at the Fornet and around the classic spring slopes. I've two more days to ski and I'll probably spend them in the same area as we skied today. Chris and Suzanne had a huge day together as the 'skinned' to the Col du Montet then continued up to the Grande Aiguille Rousse. They had great snow all the way down, lunched at the refuge and then walked out on the summer path, arriving home around 3:30 PM. Well done! I'm busy packing and cleaning in preparation for a quick get-away Sunday after skiing to spend the UK Monday holiday with Gill, Millie and Katie. Michele has made a surprise last minute visit with her 8-month old baby Cassias and it's great to see her after a two-year absence. Tomorrow's forecast looks good with another sunny day in store and fingers crossed for another good freeze.

May 1st

Well, it didn't snow 30 cm's but we had between 10 and 15 cm's and a fabulous ski up at the Fornet. Between us we skied off the Laisinant, the Combe du Signal, the Grand Vallon, the big slopes between the Grand Vallon and the Vallonet, the Combe du 3300, the Pays Desert, the Col Pers, the Spatule, and the Familial. Not too bad a morning! Hopefully it will stay sunny for the next few days and freeze at night and I'll be a happy man. Chris finished today and will now do a bit of touring with Suzanne while Andreas finishes his season tomorrow, and I'm skiing until the end of the season, which is only three skis away. It has been a stunning season and even though the end is near and I'm ready for it, I'm going to miss it. Sadly there has been an accident involving a group of six tourers near the Pointe Basei on the French Italian border only a few kilometers from the Fornet sector of Val d'Isere.The accident happened on the last day of April.

Sports Report- What a tense match last night as Chelsea set up a great showdown with United in Moscow on May 21st. And what a final two matches of the Premiership with the title on the line, the relegation scrap far from over, and a battle for European places going on as well. Brilliant!

April 30th.  

I was the only one on duty this morning and with grey skies and a minimum freeze as well as doubts about how well the snow transformed yesterday, thoughts of potential 'stinker' entered my head. After a quick test off the Verte my worries evaporated as the snow was firm so we headed towards the Palafour where we skied one off the Palafour, another on the front-side of the Aiguille Percee, followed by an excellent Sache with five cm's of powder on the steep slope followed by perfect 'spring' to the bottom. We then finished with a quick Campanules and another 'stinker' was avoided, thank goodness! It started snowing around 2PM and 30 cm's are forecast on the Glaciers with 15 cm's expected at 2500 metres. Yahoo! And bring on the match tonight as Clive has invited a house-full to watch it at his place. Thanks Clive! 

April 29th.  

What a fantastic day we had today! Yesterday's rain cleared long enough for a re-freeze but when we awoke to see snow in the trees in the village it was game on. I put my goggles in my bag just in case but when we arrived at the top of Bellevarde Tignes and the Motte were in clear blue skies. We started with some lovely snow off the Verte, then entered the Borsat North from fairly high up to access a long pitch to the bottom. From there we skied the meadows down to the Funicular and on up where we had a great run on the Glacier from the summit down to the Leisse Chair. We then skied the little Face Nord and 161-turns later started a short 'skin' to the Tour du Balme, which was excellent as well. Henry and his friend Ginny skied with us and it was great to have him along. Chris skied with just Greg and the two of them took no prisoners on another big morning. Andreas was suffering with a 'chemical reaction' after the Val d'Isere Open, which slipped from his grasp on a 'technical' hitch. He finished joint-first on score but the other fellow had a five handicap to Andreas' four. (That will teach you for being so good and not lying about your handicap Andreas) Anyway, were not too sure about tomorrow's weather but rumour has it some snow may arrive for Red Ray and Penny's arrival as Red aims to notch up 60 days this season, and keep his job! Have fun at Old Trafford you Man U supporters such as Eric H, Chris and Matt, John F, Geoff and Ant, and I'm sure I've forgot one or two of you.

April 28th.  

I've some great news for you as it's raining in town as of 3PM, which means snow upstairs and a chance of a morning or two of powder followed by some 'clean' spring. Most of the spring slopes are now trashed and this rain/snow is a chance of a superb finish if people give the spring slopes a chance to transform properly over the next couple of days. I had the day off and Chris was working alone with a minimum freeze and he managed a good morning with the Lavachet, Sachette, and Campanules. Andreas is trying to win back the Val d'Isere Open title today but I haven't heard any news of yet so I'll keep you posted on that one tomorrow. I'd like to thank Jim and Dave for their hospitality the last few nights with some wonderful meals and great company. Thanks boys! I'm also looking forward to the Champions League matches Tuesday and Wednesday night, which should be nail-biting!

April 27th.  

After another decent freeze Chris and I decided that we couldn't do better than yesterday so we returned to the Kern, Lavachet, Sachette, Campanules, and Familial for another excellent morning of spring snow. Andreas and Henry returned from a very successful three-day tour where they had great skiing mixed with some partying refuge style. Well done boys! I am not too sure of the weather forecast but we all hope for a freeze with some sunshine for tomorrow

April 26th.  

After a slightly colder night and with a deepening transformation it was game on this morning. Chris and I opened with an outstanding Kern, which we skied as far down as possible before cutting back to the Upper Chairlift. We then skied off the Verte en route to the Altiport and Lavachet to ski perfectly smooth snow again. From there the Sachette was brilliant top-to-bottom, followed by an excellent Campanules before finishing off with a very good Familial. Clive said, "That's how I remember spring snow" as everything we skied was clean. I had Ellie along, as well as Dave C from Mountain Masters, who along with Clive kept us laughing. Rupert, Nick, Kay and Stephen have had a great few days with Chris as the past few mornings have been getting better and better. I think we're in for another good day tomorrow but rumour has it the weather will deteriorate next week. We won't panic quite yet as the forecast as often been wrong!   Sports Report- Just watched Chelsea v Man U at Clive's and what an exciting match it turned out to be with Chelsea winning 2-1. United are still in the driver's seat for the Championship although they aren't quite firing on all cylinders of late. I like the look of the Hammers leading Newcastle 2-0 but there is a long way to go and the Magpies have been a pain over the past couple of seasons.

April 25th.

Unfortunately there was cloud cover again last night so the re-freeze wasn't quite as solid as we were hoping for, but there was a better transformation of the snow-pack from yesterday's heat and we had a great morning of spring skiing. With the re-freeze being minimal we needed to be quick and move an hour ahead of the regular spring schedule. I started off the Borsat before skiing a superb Tour du Charvet into the Couloir du Mt. Blanc, where the freeze gave out just at the entrance of the Couoir and we needed to side-slip down to the bottom section. From there it was straight to the Col de la Madeleine and we just made it down as the freeze was giving up, then two Arcelle's back to the piste to avoid the bottom, followed by the Mattis trees back to the piste to finish. Chris skied the Borsat before heading to the Cabin de la Garde and then the Col Pers to finish. Andreas and Henry started a three-day tour so good luck to them on the weather front as we all pray for a cold night followed by another sunny day or three. Jean Marc starts a tour tomorrow around La Grave and Kristina has gone with him so Suzanne will be answering the phone for a few days. Thanks Suzanne! I had Bernie-the-boot do some new foot-beds tonight and I'm really looking forward to trying then tomorrow.

April 24th.  

Today was one of the trickiest mornings of the season. Yesterday afternoon's cloud cover kept in the heat and put a crust on what was wonderful powder but the clouds also stopped the suns rays from properly transforming the snow. The result was no powder or spring and a delicate situation. We found that mid-altitude and away from the sun (meaning west and north) worked because anything in the sun had already lost its support and we managed a decent Sachette and little play on the Lavachet. It was hot and sunny today so tomorrow we should have some proper spring snow and we're expecting a better re-freeze than last night, which was minimal. We now off the Gourmadine's 2nd Annual BBQ!

April 23rd.

After a cloudy start the clouds dissapated quickly and the sun shone for most of the morning. We all headed to the Fornet for a 'maximum-turn' session, which was greatly appreciated after the flat-light of late. We skied off the Laisinant, under the bubble (very good), Combe du Signal (superb), two Combe du 3300's (slightly wind touched but still really nice), Pays Desert (same), and a Col Pers to finish. Chris went first and dropped out of sight and when he didn't answer my radio calls I started to worry about him. I skied down over the dome and there h was below me swearing and poking around in the snow as his radio had flown out of its holder and landed somewhere in the deep snow. I called on mine to try to trace it but no audible clues could be heard. Finally I found it by dragging my pole through Chris' track, which was a bit lucky. Anyway, we continued on to finish off an excellent morning of powder skiing. The forecast is for sun tomorrow followed by three or four hot days with June-like temperatures. Should be interesting!

Sports Report- What a match last night! Unless you are a Chelsea fan you had to feel for Liverpool giving up such a painful goal at the death. I hope tonight's game is just as good and I've a feeling that Man U are really going to strut their stuff in the Nou Camp. Should be great!

PS Boy, I got that wrong! I've never seen Man U look so ordinary in attack. They were toyed with the entire match, showed absolutely no creativity, but bravo for hanging in there and keeping a clean sheet under intense pressure. They must have had some injury problems as Sir Alex's team selection seemed a little strange to me but well done fellow-Calgarian Owen Hargraeves who played brilliantly out of position at right-back. Anyway, bring on next week's re-matches!

April 21st and 22nd.

(21st) It snowed around 25cm's overnight and continued during the day, giving TJ excellent conditions to finish his season. He skied up at the Fornet in the Combe du Signal, Combe du 3300, and finished over the Col Pers with just enough light to travel comfortable. I was down the valley just outside Annecy playing golf with Andreas, who played off of 4, which is jolly good and fun to watch. I was rubbish but still managed enough good shots to stay positive. Chris had the day off as well as it's calming down and although the snow is still falling the resort is empty. The forecast is for more snow tonight before it clears on Wednesday and a high pressure system moves in.   Sports Report- The Hammers finally won a match, the bottom is getting tighter as Bolton won again, and Tevez saved Man U with a last minute equaliser. Good stuff but I'm really looking forward to the Champions League on Tuesday and Wednesday and will be well installed in front of my tele. And on the Ice Hockey front, the Calgary Flames forced Game Seven with a 2-0 win in Game Six over the San Jose Sharks.    April 22nd.   We saw TJ off in style last night with a great evening in the Bars Des Sports and I snuck away en route to the Blue Note, where Chris, JM, Suzanne, Kristina, Jo H, David, Ali, and Brian ended up until 2AM. Anyway, this morning we were presented with more snow, flat-light and enough wind to keep many lifts closed during the morning. Still we had an excellent ski with a run on the Solaise piste, one on the OK, then the Campanules, the Combe des Lanches, the Col du Palet and a Familial to finish. The forecast is for slightly brighter skies tomorrow, which would be nice, with a sunny day on Thursday, then it's 50/50 whether the high-pressure arrives or not. I guess will just take what we get and get on with it!

April 19th and 20th

The 19th started off cloudy but by the first lift the skies had cleared and we were on for a stunning 'maximum-turn' with 10 to 30 cm's of light powder. My team skied off the Laisinant Chair, one under the Vallon bubble, a Grand Vallon, a Combe du Signal, a 3300, a Pays Desert, and then a superb trip over the Col Pers to finish. All the teams skied similar runs and for those who finished their season, it couldn't have been a better day to bow out towards summer. Anne C skied beautifully after a two-year absence and it was nice to see her back! I had a five-hour lunch with Blue and his girlfriend Nina, and I've been suffering ever since with 'beer-poisoning' followed by some sort of 'chemical reaction'. Thanks for helping me home TJ and thanks Rob for the get-together with Marie B.   The 20th was another excellent morning with Chris and Andreas skiing wonderful powder followed by spring in the Sachette while TJ had a great morning off the Motte. (I stayed in bed) Tomorrow is TJ's last day of a very positive few weeks here but unfortunately the forecast is for rain to around 3000 metres. Let's hope they've got that one wrong! Stay tuned!

PS The forecast was totally wrong as it's snowing in the village this morning and TJ should have a great last day.

April 18th.

It was an unexpected bonus morning as the sun was shining and the forecast gloom didn't arrive until late-afternoon. Chris and I returned to the Sachette because it was so good yesterday and we enjoyed an equally good ski today while TJ skied the Tour du Charvet before heading up to the Motte. Andreas had the day off and worked on his house (I thought he'd be practising for the Val d'Isere Open) but he's back in action tomorrow. I'd like to say well done to Rory J who after a tough first day has pulled himself together and skied beautifully ever since. Well done Rory! It was Dick's (of T-Bar fame) 60th tonight and TJ and I had a great time at the Taverne d'Alsace paying our respects with many faces from the past. It was a really good evening laughing with people we haven't spent time with in years. Brother John made an excellent speech and Dick's reply wasn't bad either. Gill and the girls returned safely and the apartment feels a little empty but luckily Dick's birthday fell on a good day. It's snowing lightly and it looks like our wonderful conditions are to continue.

April 17th.

We had an excellent ski on Richard H's birthday as we all headed to the Sachette. It looked as if the clouds were going to come in early but as we arrived in Tignes the skies brightened and sunshine took over to around noon, when we were on our way back to Les Tufs. The snow quality was superb with powder snow for the first half of our descent followed by lovely spring all the way to the bottom. Simon F opened the couloir followed by Ray and TJ's group of Damian and Heather while Chris, Andreas and my team went around into the bowl. TJ is looking better and better and with some work on his knee this summer he will be strong again next winter. I took Gill and the girls down to Geneva and will be sadly on my own for the rest of the winter, which client-wise is dead, so if you fancy skiing with us in small groups of one, two, or three, now is your chance. As I write at 6:30AM Friday the ski is blue and it looks as if we have had a good freeze. Stay tuned!

April 16th.

The promised sunshine arrived and everyone enjoyed a day out of the flat-light conditions. Chris and Andreas took advantage of the weather and 'skinned' to the Col des Four where they had excellent snow in which they laid some great tracks. Graham B arrived at Les Tufs around 2PM and was well pleased with his morning's outing. TJ and I headed to the Fornet and with the Pays Desert looking winded we dove over the Col Pers immediately. The snow wasn't quite the quality we were hoping for but it was good skiing anyway and TJ's team circled back around for another run. I headed back to Bellevarde and had some great snow off the Verte, Jardin du Borsat, Familial, and the Spatule. Gill enjoyed her last ski in the sunshine and Millie had a fine finish as well this afternoon with Red Ray along for company. I thought TJ skied really well when he was ahead of us in the Col Pers and it was great to see. He will have gained confidence about the fact that he is capable of continuing and has ordered his new ski school uniform for next winter. Gill and the girls return to England tomorrow as Millie starts back at school on the 21st so I probably won't have time for an update as I'm taking them to the airport. Sun is forecast first thing tomorrow before more snow moves in mid to late morning.

April 15th.

A few centimetres fell overnight that added up to 10 to 20 in certain places but the clouds were in and out most of the morning, leaving us with moments of good visibility and periods of white-out conditions. TJ was back in action today and we all skied Tignes-way and enjoyed another good morning of winter snow. Andreas played golf as he's warming up for the Val d'Isere Open later this month. It's Gill and Millie's last ski tomorrow as they're off to England with Katie and Nana on Thursday and it looks as if we'll have sunshine for the occasion.   Sports Report- All Man U supporters are Heskey fans today as the big man broke Chelsea hearts last night in injury time. The fat lady is now warming up her vocal chords.

April 14th.

The forecasted overnight snow didn't arrive so we we're left with a mountain of sun damaged snow from yesterday's heat, and our only option was high, north and clean, which meant we'd need our 'skins' this morning. Chris and I chose the Glacier Pers and the 'light-bulb' in the sky slowly disappeared leaving us in pretty flat-light conditions as it started to snow, but we did have enough visibility to travel fairly comfortably. The main event however was the snow, and the snow was wonderful top-to-bottom. The Glacier Pers is such a lovely slope to ski in white-out conditions as it's wide, smooth, holds no ugly surprises, and when the snow is good you can really let rip. We had a 'travelling safely in the mountains' experience on the way out because of the lack of light but it was a great outing on a potentially tricky day. Andreas and Henry returned from an excellent overnight stay at the Refuge des Fours and TJ rested his knee today. I forgot to thank Richard F and Susan for a great drink's party the other night, Millie and Katie really enjoyed and indulged themselves. It has snowed off and on all afternoon and the wind has got up at times, so we'll hope for some light and it should be another good day tomorrow. May our roll continue!

April 13th.

There was a good re-freeze last night and the sun was out in full force this morning giving us a break from the flat-light conditions we've experienced lately (I'm not complaining as the skiing has been superb). The obvious choice was the Motte or the Fornet but after spending the past week between the two, Chris and I decided to take advantage of the re-freeze and ski the Sachette for a change of scenery. The snow was lovely off the Verte, meaning the Sachette would work, and we skied an excellent Altiport into the Lavachet en-route. The Sachette was very good indeed the Julian and Chris had the cameras rolling as Red Ray and Simon F skied the couloir before the rest of us continued into the main bowl. The boys have taken some great footage this season (some of which can be viewed through Jean R's link on the Link's page) and everyone has enjoyed seeing themselves in action. We finished off a great morning with a Familial and Spatule. TJ returned to the fantastic snow up on the Motte with his initiation group, while Andreas and Henry skied at the Fornet before 'skinning' to and skiing wonderful snow over the Col des Fours, where they are staying the night there before returning in the morning. Jean Marc is here with his family for a week's holiday and they had a great day as well and Red Ray took Millie out for a ski this afternoon on their own. Thanks Ray! It is forecast to snow tomorrow and Tuesday before the sun returns on Wednesday.

Sports Report- Don't ask about the Hammers, all I can say is that they're safe, thank goodness. But Bolton winning combined with other results tightens up the drop-zone considerably, and a few teams will be extremely nervous. Sounds like the Man U win over Arsenal was a great game and what a result for United. That should just about see them home but the fat lady hasn't begun to sing quite yet. What I'd really like to do tonight is watch the final round of the Masters from Augusta, but since that isn't possible I'm off to bed instead.

April 12th.

We all headed towards the Motte again today and found wonderful skiing everywhere we went. The Verte was good, the Borsat was even better, and everything off the Motte was superb. Oli, Chris and I were all on the first cable-car, which only had two people who weren't with 'Alpine', and it was non-stop powder turns in 20 to 25cm's. We spent the morning upstairs and finished with a perfect Familial for another 'maximum-turn' outing. Andreas was skiing with friends after spending the past ten days or so mostly on piste and TJ skied off-piste with Derek and his two kids, Gregor and Heather, who made Dad proud! We wish a big Happy Birthday to my lovely wife Gill, as well as TJ's son Oscar, who turns twelve today. The forecast is for a sunny day tomorrow before off-and-on snow for the early part of next week. Sounds good to me!

April 11th.

It was drizzling in town this morning, (which means fresh snow up high) and as soon as we left the piste to test the snow on the edge of the Verte we knew we were in business. There was a good re-freeze overnight night and we skied a smooth base with a few centimetres on top off the Verte, a little deeper snow in the Borsat, and then some lovely powder up on the Grande Motte. The Glacier itself was excellent and the Rosilin was even better (for a rotation or three) before we skied variations en-route to Les Tus. I ran into Klaus on the bus and when I asked him how is morning was he said, "Skiing with TJ is wonderful, he makes you ski so gently". We had another good day of visibility for a grey day and only experienced white-out conditions towards the end of the morning. Jean R stopped by the Rond Point to say 'Bonne ete' and mentioned that yesterday was his toughest day of the season to which TJ replied, "That's a good sign", meaning, 'Bloody hell Jean, you've had a stunning season'. It was great for TJ to get back into some easier snow today and he's feeling more confident with each day, and is looking forward to next winter. It has snowed off and on most of the day and the temperatures are forecast to drop during the night. Again, we only need a little light and it's game-on in the morning.

April 10th.

We had tougher conditions to deal with today as only a couple of centimetres fell last night, it was extremely warm with the re-freeze level half-way up the mountain, and the skies were overcast for the most part. Fortunately enough light got through to give us decent visibility and even though conditions weren't as easy or as good as we've enjoyed lately the skiing, although 'educational' at times, was pretty jolly good. After a difficult Combe du Signal to test conditions we skied two good runs in the Pays Desert with 5 to 10 cm's up top before skiing more spring-like snow at the bottom. We then had an excellent Col Pers with good warm powder all the way down and a fairly easy exit at the bottom. It was 'skiers' snow for most of the morning but considering the lack of freeze and the warmth of the day, it was good skiing. TJ made his comeback off-piste today and kept his initiation group up high on the Pays Desert to avoid any 'tricky-ness' and he was pleased with how his knee reacted to today's conditions. Well done TJ and welcome back! It was Jean R's last morning of the season today as he notched up 74 days with 'alpine' this season. Jean now moves on to a summer/fall of scuba-diving and golf, nice life Jean! The forecast is for rain tomorrow morning to between 2000 and 2400 metres before turning colder with the snow/rain limit dropping back to 1200 metres.

April 9th.

The beat goes on as another tricky looking morning turned out to be another really good session on the mountain. After two great days on the Motte Chris and I decided on a trip to the Fornet for a change of scenery and after looking at the Pays Desert we headed over the Col. There wasn't a track on the mountain, the snow was excellent and we had just enough visibility to really let go and enjoy it. Chris and Tejina circled back around for a second run while my team skied two good Grand Vallon's. Robert, Caroline and Casper, who are skiing with Olivier, are having a fantastic initiation and we'd like to mention Robert and his young son Oscar who are also doing the business. Gillian T received a phone call at the end of a wonderful morning with news that she had won the 'Journalist-of-the-Year' award. Well done Gillian! (Slightly over-shadows the prestigious 'skier-of-the-morning' award) And what a football match last night! Back and forth, both sets of fans laughing and crying, a 23-milllion pound striker strutting his stuff, Peter Crouch doing himself proud, a run by Theo Walcott that hasn't been seen since Giggs' masterful goal years ago, and Gerrard stepping up under huge pressure. Ahh, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Brilliant! It's drizzling in town, which means snow up top so we won't worry about the weather too much and hope for visibility tomorrow.

April 8th.

It was a year ago today that TJ had his accident, and we celebrated the fact that he is still with us with an excellent morning and another 'maximum-turn' session. It didn't snow overnight and with grey skies this morning expectations after yesterday weren't that high. Chris and I headed back towards the Motte and after finding nice snow off the Verte and in the Borsat, we knew we had a chance at another great day, especially when the visibility was good. After the Verte and Borsat we skied two off the Leisse, a Genepy/Cairn to the bottom, then they opened the cable-car in front of us where we skied two superb runs on the Glacier in failing light, followed by another Genepy/Cairn to the bottom, and then a good piste cruise to Les Tufs. The quality of skiing lately has been fantastic and long may our run continue. Olivier and Thomas' initiation groups are having a wonderful time and really loving it while TJ and Andreas are still on-piste. It's trying to snow and the forecast is for the rain/snow limit to fluctuate between 1800 and 2400 metres over the next couple of days. Personally, most of the bad weather forecasted over the past few weeks hasn't been nearly as bad as feared and we've been pleasantly surprised so often that I hardly take notice of the forecast these days. TJ's coming over tonight for the Liverpool vs Arsenal match, which could be a cracker! (And come on you Hammers!)

April 7th.

Bloody hell! What an unexpectedly brilliant 'maximum-turn' day we were treated to today! The 100kph winds didn't arrive, it was -7C at 8AM in town instead of -15 to -20C, and the overcast skies cleared quickly leaving us with another wonderfully sunny day. The first run was very cold however as the wind was strong enough to chill anyone under-dressed to the bone, but the wind calmed down and wasn't really a factor. Chris and I were about to 'skin' to Mont Roup to ski 5 cm's on a spring base, but after testing the snow off the Verte we realised that there was at least 10cm's in the gullies and on the lee slopes and headed instead towards the Motte. We were stunned by the quantity and quality of the snow upstairs. It varied from 20 cm's to knee deep in places, and it's been awhile since Red Ray has taken face-shots like he did today. My team skied the Verte, the Borsat, the Col du Palet, four off the Leisse, a Genepy to the bottom, and a Familial to finish. Well done David B, who skied beautifully today and bravo Kathy R! Chris, who was skiing with just Tejina and Gill, skied the same as my team plus two more runs off the Leisse, making a 'mega-maximum-turn' morning. Bravo JC and girls! (As Tejina said today, "Leisse is more!") Olivier and Thomas skied Tignes-way with initiation groups and did a great job 'hooking' them to 'Alpine' for the future. Well done boys! TJ is feeling stronger by the day and will guide off-piste on Thursday and Friday while Andreas continues with his Thai family. A little snow is forecast for tonight with light snow and grey skies tomorrow with warmer weather and Foehn/Lombarde winds. We'll wait and see, but I'm still shaking my head, what a day!

April 6th.

A few centimetres fell overnight and it was snowing lightly with grey skies and flat-light when we left the Gourmadine. Luckily it cleared up around 10:30 and the sun came out turning a dull morning into another stunning day. Chris and I skied the Little Lavachet, which was excellent, followed by a great Sachette with powder and spring snow, and a good Familial to finish. Olivier had a fantastic morning around the Motte and Andreas and TJ continued with their on-piste privates, while Thomas had the day off. The forecast is a little unknown, with rumours of 100kph winds in the village tonight followed by -15 to -20C temperatures in the morning. I've also heard that we could receive one metre of snow between Tuesday and Wednesday accompanied by nasty winds. Time will tell.

April 5th.

The sun was out again today and team 'Alpine' enjoyed a superb day of skiing. Olivier skied an excellent Mont Roup in perfect spring snow, Thomas skied powder followed by spring during a great trip to Bonneval, and Chris and I had a fabulous Col des Fours. Jean R has his daughter Kathy skiing with us this week for the first time and she is making him proud with her skiing and appreciation of what we strive to achieve at 'Alpine'. Bravo Kathy! Philip N and Jeremy C's team deserve a mention for a fantastic effort in Ste Foy yesterday with 15-year-old Henry linking 190 turns before reluctantly running out of gas. Nice one Henry! (They've had a great week skiing with Didier) I had another fast ski with Mille this afternoon who says, "Daddy, I seem to have forgotten how to ski slowly". The weather is about to change with a few flakes forecast tonight and more snow expected tomorrow night.

April 4th.

Radio Val reported -7C at 8AM and we enjoyed unbroken sunshine all day long. I skied with Chris up at the Fornet for a change of pace and after a decent Combe du Signal it was apparent that the Pays Desert wasn't worth skiing so we dove over the Col Pers, where we had great snow top to bottom. We then circled back around to ski good snow off the Borsat before finishing with the Familial. Olivier and Jean Marc were touring although I'm not too sure what they skied. Andreas was with his Thai clients on-piste for the most part while TJ continued with his beginner. I had a really good fast ski with Millie this afternoon and she's flying now, especially once I took her poles away, which just seem to detract from what she's doing with her feet. TJ had some excellent physio from Louise at Bonne Sante last night and got another ten degrees flexion, which is great news. Thanks Louise! Rumour has it that the sun will shine tomorrow morning before clouds roll in with a little snow. Sounds good to me!

April 3rd.

We were treated to a morning of unexpected brightness resulted in excellent visibility and superb skiing after yesterday's fresh snow. (The wind was very strong again today but the snow on the lea slopes was fantastic) Chris and I had a wonderful maximum-turn session off the Motte, Olivier had a great morning as well in Tignes, I'm not too sure what Andreas skied with his Thai clients, and TJ's beginners have made huge progress this week. Jean Marc arrived for lunch at Les Tufs and will be in action tomorrow before heading off to Italy. Ian Noble picked up a 'splat du jour' award when he piled in after hitting a ridge left by a rat-track in the only flat-light we had all morning. Fortunately he wasn't seriously injured although his face did swell a little at lunchtime but he said the Familial was so good it was worth it! Gill enjoyed her skiing this morning even though she had a slight hang-over blamed on Doctor Laura's 'girl's night'. Luckily I was watching some great football with TJ and escaped a similar fate and felt great this morning! I'm not sure about the forecast but as long as we can see we should have another really good day of skiing as we continue to get regular little top-ups and the temperatures resemble winter more than they do April.

April 2nd.

The sun didn't shine today and instead we had flat-light and enough wind to shut down the Aero-ski lift in Tignes. It wasn't a 'stinker' but it was a tougher morning than we've been accustomed to of late. We skied the Sachette, which was very good for the top third, decent for the middle third, and then a little 'scratchy' down low. It started snowing around 10AM and has continued to snow during the afternoon, and looks as if it will keep snowing for a while yet. (I'm writing at 2:50PM) I'm looking forward to the Arsenal vs Liverpool match tonight from the comfort of my sofa and TJ is joining me for an evening of pasta, red wine and footie. Stay tuned for some powder news tomorrow!

April 1st.

After yesterday's flat-light the sun returned and we all enjoyed a stunning day. We all skied up at the Fornet and were surprised by the lack of snow compared to what we sampled in the white-out conditions yesterday in Tignes. Still, there was enough new snow to give a great feel underfoot and we left 'Alpine' tracks everywhere during another maximum-turn morning. I'd like to give Piers, who skied with 'Alpine' for the first time today, a mention as he fit in immediately and skied very well indeed. Sun is forecast tomorrow and we're expecting some more snow on Thursday. What a winter!

March 31st.

It didn't look good first thing this morning looking out my bedroom window as it was grey and there was no evidence of fresh snow. But, as soon as I left the apartment with Katie there was a dusting of snow on the rocks on the peaks and a 'light-bulb' showing through the cloud cover, meaning some sort of fresh snow with decent visibility. We were pleasantly surprised to find 5 to 10 centimetres on the top of Bellevarde and as soon as we left the piste off the Verte and Borsat Nord we knew that the 'stinker' would have to wait for another day. I skied a good Leisse off the Motte followed by a 90-turn pitch on the Rosilin in excellent snow and visibility before the lights went out. Our next run on the Glacier from the summit of the Motte was an adventure as we needed to feel our way down through a fog (fortunately the snow was brilliant) and then we skied the Kern and Familial to finish. Chris had a couple of runs on the Rosilin and Andreas was around the Col des Ves as everyone had a very good morning when expectations were low. TJ worked today warming up with a beginner but I haven't heard from him yet. It has snowed lightly all day and sun is forecast for the next couple of days.

March 30th.

The forecast was spot-on as we had sun in the morning followed by a slightly cloudy afternoon but the Foehn wind howled all day long. The wind was a big factor and closed down the Grande Motte sector, including Les Lanches. I skied with Max and his ten-year-old twins Olivia and Alex and we ventured into the Sachette, the Familial, and the front-side of the Borast. What a brilliant performance from such young off-pisters! Andreas and Thomas were in the same area as well as Chris who skied an excellent Little Lavachet en route. TJ continued to test his knee with a Sache and Familial, and so far, so good, knock on your noodle! We're expecting a difficult day tomorrow with flat-light and strong winds, but hopefully with a few centimetres of fresh snow to play with to ease the pain.

PS. Jean Ribart had put his season's photo on the web so check out our links page!

March 29th.

After a cloudy start the skies cleared almost immediately and we enjoyed a stunning day of sunshine. Chris and I headed to the Glacier Pers for a change of pace and left great tracks all the way down. The snow wasn't nearly as deep as what we skied yesterday but it was very pleasant with 10cm's or so on a firm base. Andreas took my mate Max and his ten-year-old daughter Olivia into the Sache and she skied brilliantly making her Daddy proud. TJ was out on his skis today for the first time and warmed up gently before diving into the Col Pers. He felt pretty good for his first day and hasn't had a bad reaction from the skiing, which is all good news. Millie and Gill went out for a ski and Millie skied the Arcelle piste and the 'L' this afternoon. Good girl! Suzanne is back from a week in England where she went to a wedding as well as paying a visit to Jan and Henley. Another sunny day is forecast tomorrow with clouds rolling in during the afternoon with snow arriving for Monday.

March 28th.

The sun was out this morning and after a lovely week of unseasonably cold temperatures, one can feel that the spring heat is just around the corner. We all headed to Tignes and had an absolutely cracking good ski in the ---------. (Chris tells me someone is following us and thrashing slopes just after I report great stashes on the site. Chris also thinks we need codes, which would be fun) Anyway, it was 10/10 again although it isn't good everywhere and the spring slopes are about to turn if people give them a chance. I had a nice ski with Millie, Wils and Rosie this afternoon and I'm really pleased about how comfortable and relaxed she is on her skis. Chris wanted me to mention Ralph K and team who did the business today in the ---------, leaving perfect 'Alpine' tracks, which always makes us proud. Gill and I have just had TJ over for supper and it's great to see him back. Hopefully he'll be organised to start skiing tomorrow as sun is forecast and there's nothing like bright blue skis to get your feet on the ground again.

March 27th.

Another 10 to 15 centimetres fell last night and as we left the Gourmadine the skies started to clear, giving us another morning of good light. Chris had a new group and skied in Tignes around the Motte where he witnessed a guided group setting off a good sized plaque off the Leisse. Andreas and I went up to the Fornet for a change of pace and after testing the snow in the Combe du Signal realised that the best snow was on the flatter slopes, and we then had great skiing in the Pays Desert and Col Pers. We were the first over the Col, which always adds to the ambience when you see a trackless expanse of virgin snow before you. TJ arrives tonight and I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up at the Rond Point tomorrow to greet everyone as we head off on another adventure. It snowed lightly this afternoon and hopefully our luck will continue with another morning of decent visibility tomorrow. What a rubbish football match last night! I can't believe another high-priced manager thinks Wayne Rooney up front on his own is a winning formula. England played like a team that didn't qualify for next summers party because they don't really deserve to be there. Dreadful!

March 26th.

Our luck was in again today and with good visibility that improved rapidly into clear blue skies we had a terrific morning around the Motte. It was another 'maximum turn' session and we covered a lot of ground with solid non-stop skiing. We had a mix of soft creamy souffle, some fragile souffle with 5 to 10 cm's on top, and some soft deep snow as well. I don't know where the rest of the off-piste skiers were, but it was nice to share our spoils with just 'Alpine' groups, which seems to have been the case most of the winter. Gill skied this afternoon with Millie, Wils, and Rosie while I had a naughty ice-cream with Katie at the Perdrix, but don't tell Mum! Ten to twenty cm's are forecast tonight and the cold snap of the past week is coming to an end, which is too bad as it's been wonderful. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the France vs England match tonight and Beckham winning his 100th cap. Bravo David

March 25th.

In the middle of the night the shutters were rattling in the wind and the chimney was moaning, which meant the wind velocity was serious, and I was thinking we were in for a potential 'stinker' in the morning. But around 7AM the wind calmed down a little and the cloud cover was thin giving hope of some decent visibility, and sure enough the visibility was good and improved throughout the day. The wind was still strong enough to keep Tommeuse and the Borsat closed all morning, cutting off our chance of skiing off the Motte and keeping our options to a minimum. Still, the boys did a good job making the best of the conditions on creamy souffle and pockets of compressed powder and it was a really enjoyable morning. We all had off-piste afternoons and fortunately the Borsat opened at 2:20PM with a clean canvas above us and it was one of those rare days when the afternoon skiing was significantly better than what was on offer during the morning. I managed two Funiculars in Tignes and the skiing off the Motte was excellent with lovely creamy snow and some pitches of deep powder that had been protected from the wind. (I have an image of yesterday looming if the light and wind don't ruin things in the morning.) Anyway, all is good in our world and fingers crossed for a bit of luck in the morning!

March 24th.

After yesterday's afternoon excursion to the Motte we knew we'd have fantastic skiing up there if the visibility was decent, and luckily we awoke to un-forecasted clear skies. It was -14C in the village this morning and the cold temperatures lightened up the snow even more, turning what was un-skiable two days ago into wonderful deep snow today, giving us another 'maximum-turn' morning of wonderful quality. It was a 'top-ten' outing sending David R and Richard H home on a high. Chris said Richard skied brilliantly today and he savoured his big beer at Les Tufs with his always present big smile. Thank you to Julia and Andy for a superb Easter Egg Hunt yesterday afternoon, which was incredibly well organised and thoroughly enjoyed by the children. Also thanks to Geoff and Inga for an excellent drinks/supper party last night. TJ arrives on Thursday and we're all looking forward to seeing him back in the mountains and on his skis again. It is now snowing (at 7:30PM) and blowing a gale so who knows what tomorrow will bring?

March 23rd.

About five centimetres fell overnight but the good news was a very cold night, which dried out the snow considerably, followed by excellent visibility this morning. We all headed to the Fornet where I started with three Combe du Signal's, which got better as we moved across the bowl. The third was outstanding and Pietro spent most of his morning in the Combe before joining Andreas, Chris and I on the Glacier. The Pay Desert was also fantastic with less snow, which worked well as the gentler slopes wouldn't have skied well with to much depth. All in all it was another great morning at the Fornet and an amazing improvement in snow quality over yesterday. This afternoon I had an initiation-type off-piste session with King Prawn's brother Adrian and his mate Al (Chris had Greg and his son Alex) and we all went up to the Motte to be stunned by the snow quality upstairs. It was superb! The snow seems to have dried out throughout the day and if the wind is kind tonight, we should have another wonderful day tomorrow.

Sports Report- I was well pleased with the Hammers 1-1 draw away to Everton yesterday and Man U really turned the screws on the Premiership contenders with a 3-0 win over Liverpool. The Chelsea vs Arsenal match later is massive with the loser being almost out of it. Well done to Sunderland for a huge three-points away at Villa and Reading also recorded a potential Premiership-status-saving win over Birmingham.

March 22nd.

At least a metre of snow has fallen over the past 24-hours but we had some wind last night that thickened the snow making for some tough skiing. It cleared up just as Ray had predicted and we managed the first chairs up Solaise and profited with a superb first run skiing powder on the piste. After that we were bogged down for awhile as the snow off-piste called for wider skis than any of us have ever skied, but we did have a couple of surprisingly good runs in the Combe du Lanches to finish the morning. Chris (Frenchie) took some excellent footage in the Sachette the other day where Red Ray opened the main couloir in deep snow followed by David R, Jean R, and Chris while Penny, Gill, Stocky and I went around into the bowl. The entire team is grateful for Chris' work with the filming and editing. Thanks Chris! Penny is throwing one of her famous drink's party's tonight and the girls are busy choosing their outfits. More snow is forecast for tonight but what we really need is a cold clear night to dry out the snow. Come on you Hammers!

March 21st.

It started snowing around 5AM and there was a nice 10 to 20 cm's on the piste, depending when the piste had been worked during the night. Off-piste was a different story as the snow wasn't yet deep enough to cushion the old tracks and bumps. (I beat myself up trying the Combe du Lanche and didn't have my best morning overall) Chris and Pietro had some good luck on the Leisse piste with some excellent snow before they shut it down and we had an adventurous Familial to finish the morning. The skiing through the trees at the end of the morning was really good as by this time enough snow had accumulated to soften things up. The main story however is that it has snowed hard all day and is forecast to continue into the night. We could easily have a meter of snow by morning and who knows what tomorrow will bring? There are problems on the road already as many people are leaving early to avoid worsening conditions and a couple of buses (without chains) have slid side-ways and are blocking traffic on the way down. This is becoming a very serious snowfall and the town looks fantastic with the roofs and trees laden with snow. Stay tuned!
PS. At 5PM rumour has it that the road has been closed between Val d'Isere and Bourg

March 20th.

Three days of sunshine have left the resort almost entirely tracked-out to the point of 'walkies' tomorrow (except snow is forecast tonight), but we still managed an absolutely brilliant morning of deep virgin snow. Chris skied an excellent Little Lavachet en route to the main event, which was one of the best Sachette's in a long, long, time. Jean R called it the best he's ever done, and he's skied a few Sache/Sachette's over the years. The past few days have been of the highest quality possible and I was glad Gill was there today after missing out on Tuesday and Wednesday's wonderful conditions. Thanks Richard H for the drinks this evening, Katie and Ben had a great time. We'd like to say a big hello to Jan and Henley, who Suzanne will be visiting tomorrow, and we all have missed you this season. Snow is forecast tonight, which means Ray will go his entire holiday without 'skinning'

March 19th.

Our good run continued again today with superb snow, brilliant sunshine and cold enough temperatures to keep the snow cold and dry. It was another full-on morning of non-stop skiing and Red Ray is delighted in the fact that he hasn't needed to 'skin' over the past 11 days. (That doesn't happen very often these days) I skied with Millie this afternoon along with Natasha, who is John and Margaret's Grand-daughter, and the girls had a wonderful time together. I forgot to mention yesterday that 19 burks were rescued by helicopter after getting themselves stuck in the gorge. Luckily the helicopter wasn't needed for more pressing rescue work. It is snowing lightly at 7:30 PM and the forecast is a mix of cloud and sun tomorrow before another big storm rolls in Friday.

March 18th.

Talk about crackers, wow, what a morning! The team headed to the Fornet because there are times when the Fornet is the only place to be, and today was one of them. It was a 'maximum turn' morning of the highest calibre and we stitched 'Alpine' tracks everywhere, and at the end of the morning when the place was totally tracked-out our signatures still stood out amongst the carnage. And what a beautiful sight! The snow was deep and had dried out significantly overnight and with many lifts closed yesterday it was game on this morning resulting in a top ten of the season. Everyone had tired legs along with satisfied smiles and will remember today for quite some time. Aahh!, time for bed.

March 17th.

Between 40 and 50 cm's fell overnight and surprisingly Solaise and Bellevarde both opened fairly quickly and we were away by 8:50AM. The snow was pretty thick for the most part meaning we needed a decent slope to ski properly and although it was hard work some of the time, we had a really good morning. It snowed lightly most of the day and although the light was flat, we could see well enough to ski where we wanted. (Lifts permitting of course!) Thanks Andreas for taking Gill along this morning, she really enjoyed herself. I took Millie and Katie to a presentation this evening for the Val d'Isere Telethon because Millie's balloon won the prize for being found the furthest from Val d'Isere, travelling 430 km's and landing in Italy. The forecast is for a cold night with clearer skies tomorrow, so hopefully we're in for a cracker!

March 16th.

About ten centimetres were forecast overnight and we were pleasantly surprised to find twenty-plus at altitude. Our first two runs were in flat-light but the moment I put my goggles on the skies cleared and we skied with excellent visibility until around noon, when it came back in and started snowing again, and it's snowed hard ever since. We're expecting 40+cm's tonight and a slow opening tomorrow. Today's conditions were the best we've had since early February when the downhill was cancelled and we really enjoyed some superb skiing in Tignes this morning. It was another ‘maximum turn’ morning with my team skiing the Verte, the Borsat Nord and meadows into Tignes, the Lognan, the Combed des Lanches, two Genepy’s top-to-bottom, and the bottom of the Familial to finish. Andreas, Pietro and Chris skied similar runs with Andreas throwing in a Chardonnet and Chris finishing with the Familial from the top. I forgot to mention Happy Birthday to David Robinson, who celebrated a big one yesterday. Many happy returns and many more powder days David!

March 15th.

It was another lovely day except I had a touch of the gastro and felt a little weak to say the least. (Still, I'm sure I felt better than Derek, Colin and Paul, all of whom looked a little shaky this morning.) Anyway, we had a really good Sachette followed by the Familial before settling down for an afternoon of sport. Bravo Italy, well done England, and what a great finish to the Six Nations by Wales. I felt much better after checking the Hammers score to see them stop the rot with a 2-1 win over Blackburn while Arsenal's title chances are looking slimmer with each passing draw. Mind you, Man U weren't much better today but still managed all three points against Derby. Anyway, hopefully I'll have some powder skiing to report tomorrow night.

March 14th.   We had another beautiful sunny and the team headed up to the Fornet for a change of scenery after a week of skiing Tignes-way, and we weren't disappointed with snow. We skied a lovely Pays Desert on 'creamy' snow followed by an even better Col Pers. Andreas, Pietro, and Chris then stayed up at the Fornet to finish their morning while I circled back for a sunny-side Borsat to the Grand Pre and finished in the Familial.  There have been some big plaques pop out here and there and several people were involved with avalanches yesterday, and fortunately no one was seriously injured. One skier was saved around the Grand Pre because his hand was sticking out of the snow. Derek was telling me today how impressed the guides in Canada were with their 'Alpine' tracks saying their lives would be so much easier if more of their clents did the same instead of one helicopter's worth trashing half the mountain. Interesting. Fifteen to twenty centimetres are forecast for tomorrow night with less wind, so fingers crossed on that one. Hopefully we'll have another clear day tomorrow before the snow arrives.

March 13th.

It was cold enough overnight to dry out the snow and we awoke to clear skies and -5C. The boy's did a great job today avoiding the crowds, arriving at lifts just as they were opening, and finding excellent snow all morning long. Chapeau Pietro, Andreas, Chris and Henry! We had varied winded snow conditions, all very good, and most of it incredibly 'creamy', with some pockets of nice powder as well. (Considering the force of the wind over the past 48 hours the snow conditions couldn't have been better.) It was a 'maximum-turn' morning and for example my team skied off the Verte, a Bonnevie's drag, a Familial, a Fountaine Froide, off the Verte again, a Borsat Nord and meadows into Tignes, two Genepy's back to the Funicular and another Familial to finish. Even Red Ray was ready for lunch! I'm not sure of the forecast but we might get another sunny day before more snow arrives in the next couple of days.

March 12th.  

Another 15 to 20 cm's of wet snow fell last night accompanied by wind and even fewer lifts were available today than yesterday. Still, we had a really good morning making the best of what was on offer and one of the positive's was we had the mountain to ourselves. We haven't seen any other people skiing off-piste the past two days except ourselves and with the flat-light we need to be jolly close to see anyone. It blew even harder this afternoon with wet snow and who knows what tomorrow will bring? If it's sunny there will be thousands of skiers with cabin-fever trying to make up for lost time, which will be ugly!

March 11th.

Between 10 and 15 cm's of snow fell overnight and it was wonderful to see a fresh carpet of white this morning. The wind was howling, as expected, and very little was open, but we managed an excellent of skiing in pretty flat-light. I cut a trail into the Familial from Bonnevie's drag and just when we were about to ski the sun broke through and stayed with us top-to-bottom, which was fantastic as it disappeared as quickly as it came and we were back in flat-light the rest of the morning. Chris, Pietro, Andreas and Henry were all in action today and everyone enjoyed and appreciated our change of scenery and conditions. It snowed all day and is forecast to continue through the night ahead so we'll have the handles in the Airbags tomorrow. In fact, we should see snow most of this week and perhaps next week as well.

March 10th.

The long awaited relief didn't fall out of the sky last night and we awoke to grey skies, a strong foehn wind, and no new snow to speak of. We wanted to try something different this morning but the Fornet was shocked-in, the Grande Motte was also in cloud, but the Sache was much brighter with moments of sunshine, so Chris, Pietro and I repeated yesterday's Sachette. It was very good again with a nice mix of soft snow and spring, but the visibility remained good throughout. Henry headed up to the Fornet hoping that more snow fell that way but I haven't heard how he got on and I'm not too sure what Andreas skied either, although I know he was in Tignes. It snowed lightly during the afternoon and at 6:10PM it is still snowing and looking much better for tomorrow, although high winds are also forecast. But honestly, we need a fresh 'canvas' and we'll be happy with any snow we get whether it comes with wind or not.

March 9th.   The day started out clear but the clouds were forecast to move in fairly quickly, so Chris, Pietro and I headed away from the clouds to the Sachette. Between 3 and 5 cm's of large ice-crystal type flakes appeared out of clear skies last night as the condensation re-froze. (That's Red Ray's theory anyway). The result was some great skiing in soft snow up top and through the middle section, followed by perfect spring down low. Andreas took a calculated risk and skied the Col des Fours, banking on beating the oncoming clouds, which they managed to do, and his team was rewarded with good skiing top-to-bottom. It was another very good day as we hopefully await 10 cm's overnight. Gill's Mum Liz returned to England with Penny after a great three-day visit with Millie and Katie. As for the Sports Report, I join John D, Geoff, all Chelsea fans, and Stocky in mourning after West Ham lost 4-0 for the third game in a row. Ugly!

March 8th.

We awoke to overcast skies and a potentially difficult day but the sky was thin in places and sure enough we broke into beautiful sunshine above 2500 metres. Chris and I had an excellent morning off the Motte, skiing the Rosolin followed by the Borsat West while Andreas had a great morning in the Sachette. Henry was up at the Fornet and had a client raving in the shop about what a fabulous morning they'd had. All in all, it was a good rebound from a tougher morning yesterday. Millie and I skied again this afternoon and Andreas took Ness out and she skied the Grand Pre on her own top-to-bottom. That's a 'skier of the day' award without a doubt. Well done Ness you little star! Well done Matt, Clive and Andrew as well who kept Jonathan company during an excellent week. On the Sports Front, TJ will be enjoying the Scots 15-9 win over England, John D will be in mourning, as will Geoff D over Man U's 1-0 loss to Portsmouth in the FA Cup.

March 7th.

We had an unsuspected grey, flat-light morning, with +3C in the village compared to yesterday's -11C. Chris and I headed to Mont Roup full of confidence and all the little snow tests along the way confirmed to good skiing, but when we arrived the snow was much tougher than expected. Bummer! Andreas had a similar experience on the Crete du Genepy but would have had an easier time with decent light. Henry probably had the best of it skiing the Borast West but I haven't had a report. If he had tough skiing we're in for a tricky few days before the expected snow forecast for Monday through Wednesday. Hopefully we'll have some sunshine tomorrow and I expect a much better day than we had today. (I am hard on myself when the snow isn't as good as expected and it wasn't that bad, the skiing just wasn't as good as the past five or six days.)

March 6th.

Radio Val announced -11C at 8AM but it warmed up quickly, and with less wind we had a very pleasant day. The snow over the past few days has been excellent, not deep, only 5 to 10 cm's, but it has made for great skiing at a good pace. Just to give you an idea today I skied off the Verte, the front of the Borsat, the Little Lavachet, the Sachette, and the Familial and still finished at 12:55. Chris also skied the Sachette, which was superb while Andreas' team left some perfect tracks on the Borsat West. We've had a really good week but the time as come to get the 'skins' back out but hopefully we'll get some more snow early next week. I'd like to give Mark, who is relatively new to 'Alpine', a mention. He's had a few great days and we look forward to seeing him back next season. I skied with Millie again this afternoon and she and Katie are very excited as their Nana arrives late tonight. And another 4-0 defeat, ouch!

March 5th.

I missed the game last night as TF1 was down all over our region. Bad luck but at least the skiing was bloody good again today. A few more centimetres fell last night but today we had clear skies again and we took full advantage. Chris and I skied the Combe du Signal, Combe du 3300, and the Col Pers, all of which was excellent and in solitude. I then skied the Arcelle, which was a little 'ratty' before finishing with the Spatule. (I'm not too sure what Chris finished with.) Meanwhile, Andreas had a great morning in Tignes skiing the Borsat, Kern, and Familial. Millie skied with Gill this afternoon while Katie and I cruised about town and picked up some treats at Chevallot. Jonathan has had a great week and is skiing wonderfully well for a bloke who's a physical wreck. Bravo Jonathan! I've no idea about the forecast but would bet on sunshine.

March 4th.   It snowed only 5 centimetres or so last night and the wind was fairly strong, which helped to blow snow into the gullies and onto the lee slopes. In places there was 10 to 15cm's and Andreas, Chris and I all had great mornings playing around on what was available due to a slow opening. We all skied around Bellevarde and towards the Grand Pre, with Chris and I skiing one of Red Ray's favourites, the Couloir du Moniteur. I haven't skied it for ten years, and it will be another ten years before I ski it again. The entrance is incredibly impressive with the only problem being if someone throws a wobbly and falls over, they are dead and you go to jail. Andreas sensibly gave it a miss and cut in from underneath. Anyway, it was wonderful ambience to be savoured very occasionally. We may get a little more snow tonight, but we're not too sure. I'm signing off and on my way to the sofa for Man U vs Lyon.

March 3rd.

We had another excellent morning under clear blue skies and the few centimetres of snow mixed with warmth and wind has made for a great surface, which is best skied with a bit of speed. Andreas and Henry were at the Fornet skiing the Combe du 3300 and Col Pers before coming back around for a play in the Spatule. Chris and I started with the Borsat, followed by the Chardonnet, the Sachette, and then the Familial to finish. Suzanne and Gill were both out this morning enjoying these unique conditions, and Millie skied again this afternoon. Jean-Pierre Raymondet (not sure of spelling), who built one of the first surfs and parabolic skis in his garage 20 years ago, died last night of a heart attack at the age of sixty-two. Some of you will have seen him a month ago when we 'skinned' up to the Glacier Suspendu. It took me one-hour-and-twelve minutes to reach the top, and out of nowhere Jean-Pierre arrived like a rocket. I asked him how long it took him and he said 35 minutes, which even if it took him 40 minutes is incredible. He was as fit as they come and his death comes as a real shock. There was also a fire a couple of nights ago where 72 people had to be evacuated but fortunately no one was hurt. Anyway, snow is forecast for tonight.

March 2nd.

It was a cloudy start in town but the cloud cover was thin and sure enough Chris and I arrived in brilliant sunshine up at the Fornet. Yesterdays' snow really didn't change much but we did have some superb skiing on winded strips of snow that supported with a 'creamy' feel to them. We skied the Grand Vallon followed by an incredibly unique Col Pers, where after all these years I don't think I've ever encountered today's conditions. The wind had ravaged the entrance which was difficult, but left sublime strips of snow that supported but needed to be skied with a bit of speed. Stocky said, "this is a bit like free-riding", 'Alpine' style of course, and it was wonderful being totally alone when the resort is full to capacity. We took our sneaky route out above the gorge before spotting a pair of Gypete on the road out and one of them landed about 30 metres from us before taking off and soaring about 50 metres above our heads. The male was huge and it is rare to be so close to these magnificent birds and it was a great finish to a very interesting trip to the Fornet. We finished off with a good Familial on the way to lunch and were totally pleased with ourselves. Andreas had the day off but is back in action tomorrow as we expect some sunshine in the morning before it closes in and snows on Tuesday.

March 1st.

It snow five centimetres or so overnight giving us some much needed relief. Chris and Andreas had a good morning with the new snow in flat-light, while Millie dragged me out in the wind and snow for a little ski. It cleared up during the afternoon but I think some more weather is forecast for tonight and tomorrow. TJ is preparing for his return to test his knee and should be arriving at the end of March for 4 weeks. It will be great to see him and his friends have been asking about him all over town, all winter long, and he'll receive a wonderful welcome I'm sure. Never mind about the Sports Report as West Ham are being hammered by Chelsea, Arsenal are in trouble and their season is about to implode and Man U are going to punish them and steal their glory.

February 29th.

It drizzled rain most of the night and Andreas and I were quite optimistic even though we were in for a flat-light morning. Unfortunately when we arrived on the summit of Bellevarde we realised that instead five and hopefully eight to ten cm's, we were dealing with about one centimetre. Anyway, the potential 'stinker' wasn't as bad as it could have been and I actually quite enjoyed it. We skied off the Borsat, followed by the Cairn, Combe du Lanche, a beep search at 'Le Spot', and finished with the Spatule. There was more snow around the Motte and by the end of the morning there was enough snow to soften and give a good 'feel' to the Spatule. Millie wanted to ski this afternoon so off we went into the flat-light, wind, and drizzle and she behaved like a proper little Canadian, good girl! It is forecast to snow lightly overnight with some wind (as usual) so hopefully Chris and Andreas will have a good morning tomorrow while I have the day off in preparation for, as Chris puts it, the second phase of the season. Come on you Hammers against Chelsea tomorrow!

February 28th.   Fortunately the sun was out this morning, lifting our spirits as flat-light in these conditions is what we are dreading at the moment. There was another dusting of snow and Chris and I headed to the Glacier Pers and the new snow made a surprising difference passing over the Col Pers. We had good skiing and lovely ambience and took our 'cheeky' exit above the gorge to avoid chopped up and bumpy skiing. Andreas and Henry 'skinned' to the Col des Fours and enjoyed a good outing as well. One of Andreas' client's broke a ski in half, but I'm not sure where or when it happened. (Bummer if it's the first turn) I've the afternoon off as Millie is off baking bread and cakes with her friend Martine while Katie and I roll around on the floor. At 4:35PM the sky is overcast so maybe we'll see some snow tonight but if not, please let there be light!

February 27th.   It looked like a potential 'stinker' this morning as it was dull and overcast but there was a dusting of snow in town, which gave us hope. Andreas and I both headed towards Tignes and near the summit of Bellevarde we broke through the clouds into good visibility and with a couple of centimetres of fresh snow the skiing was much better than expected. In places the wind blew in a creamy cushion of about 5 cm's and the Borsat West came up with another good ski in frisset. Chris had the day off as he was let down by a late cancellation but he should be back in action tomorrow. I skied with Millie again this afternoon and she's now thrown a 'hockey stop' into her repertoire, which beats winding down over a distance in a snow-plow. The clouds returned this afternoon with light, light rain/snow in the village, which is good news upstairs, so hopefully we'll receive something by tomorrow morning.

February 26th.   The sky was clear first thing but the clouds rolled in quickly and for most of the morning we had overcast conditions. Chris and I skied a good Sachette with a little frisset up top followed by a mix of winter and spring snow. Andreas started off with a faithful Little Borsat West and then circled back for a Sachette as well before leaving his team in Tignes for lunch. The forecast is for a few flakes of snow tonight with a chance of some more towards the end of the week, so think positive as the thought of flat light and no snow isn't very inspiring.

February 25th.   After a slightly hazy start when it looked as if the clouds might roll in the skies cleared and we had another hot day. It was 20C in Bourg yesterday and not far off that temperature on our terrace, where we ate and played in sleeve-less vests. Andreas and I started with a little Crete du Genepy before circling back around for the Little Borsat West, which has been a saviour during the last two weeks. Chris has enjoyed the past two days off after a very busy period and JM and Olivier have returned home after a week of family skiing. Millie skied with Gill this morning and she and Katie are busy playing on the terrace with the Grandchildren of our French neighbours, which is lovely to see. There is a rumour of some snow tomorrow night but who knows? After 17 days of 'skinning' something falling out of the sky would be greatly appreciated.

February 24th.

Today was even hotter than yesterday but there was a strong wind blowing that took the edge off the heat in exposed areas. As the sunshine continues our options for fresh snow have really dried up but we've come up with some frisset each and every day so far. The piste skiing in between has been excellent and with the heat over the last two days we're dealing with slush (poor man's powder) on the sunny exposures and certain pistes will now be icey first thing in the morning. Sounds like spring n'est-ce pas? There is some snow forecast later in the week with a rain/snow limit around 2000m's, but anything falling out of the sky will be greatly appreciated. I had another great ski with Millie this afternoon and between walking each day and Millie my legs are screaming for a rest, but she's hard to resist. Pray for snow, especially if you're booked in sometime soon!

PS I forgot to mention how well Gideon is skiing these days. Bravo Gideon!

Sports Report- What a great rugby match last night! I thought so anyway, but Jean R tells me the English were cheating as well as play-acting. What a shame about the horrible tackle on Eduardo who's career is now on the line, well done Man U in trouncing Newcastle and keeping the heat on labouring Arsenal, and it sounds like the Carling Cup final was interesting although I haven't heard the final result.

February 23rd.

Radio Val announced -2C at 8AM but the temperature shot up dramatically very quickly as we experienced the hottest day of the season. Chris and I tried the Sachette for a change of pace (first time in three weeks) and we had some nice snow top-to-bottom, varying from frisset to warm soft snow to pisted off-piste. Chris arrived via the Little Lavachet were he had good skiing but saw one of the Tignes staff buses turned over on its side, making four serious accidents this week. Firstly, a lady was hit by a car in front of my apartment block about five days ago, then there was the Chef hit and killed by the bus a few nights back, then a young 18-year-old training with BASI was struck by a car driven by a drunk and is in hospital with serious head injuries, and then this accident involving the staff bus. The latest report is that no one was seriously hurt, fingers crossed. I forgot to menion yesterday that Olivier took his two boys, Sasha and Auriel, along with JM's son Johan, and Kristina on the Tarentaise Tour and they had a great time.

Sports Report- Another West Ham win away from home makes my day after a good ski this morning followed by a huge ski with Millie this afternoon. Wednesday night's Lyon vs. Man U match was excellent with my man Tevez (who is now all Man U supporters man as well) changing the game and eventually scoring the equaliser. And what about Arsenal drawing with Birmingham today, opening the door for both Man U and Chelsea. It's going to be a great finish!

February 22nd.

There were a few clouds around early on, just like yesterday, but they cleared away quickly and were never a factor. Chris and I skied the Borsat West, which although it isn't a big ski, the quality was excellent. Andreas headed to the Fornet towards the Glacier Pers and may have tried a variation but I'll find out later while Henry had the day off doing paper work. Millie skied with Gill this morning and loves coming to the Gourmadine for the banter before setting off. The latest on the Chef who was struck by a bus a few nights ago is that it was suicide. Apparently he'd phoned his wife to say how much he loved her then threw himself in front of Pierre's bus. What a horrible shock for the driver and very, very sad indeed. As for the forecast the sunshine is to continue for a few more days yet.

February 21st.

There were a few clouds drifting about again this morning, especially towards the Fornet, but they cleared away and we had another beautiful day. Chris, Henry and I headed up to the Glacier Pers for another good ski while Andreas skied the Little Borsat West. Thomas helped out yesterday skiing with a group of Swedish thrill-seekers and thoroughly enjoyed himself. Millie and I had a great afternoon skiing the Funival three times and the Marmottons once, and she's really gliding nicely and looking for speed and gullies to play in. I'm sure we're in for similar weather tomorrow and the much needed snow may happen early next week. Fingers crossed!

February 20th.   Thankfully for my mate Henry the day was much brighter than forecast as he helped me out by taking my group this morning. Thanks Henry! I know that Chris and Tejina skied the Crete du Genepy, but I don't have a clue what else went on. I had a really good and needed morning off except for Katie being car-sick on the way to Bourg, yuk! Now for some horrible news as the Chef from the '1789' was struck down and killed by a bus last night around 11:30 PM. Someone on the bus said that the Gendarmes didn't ask any questions of anyone on the bus about what they saw or how the driver was behaving, which seems a little slack to me. Anyway, a very sad situation has he left a small child behind. Hopefully we'll be back to bright blue skies again tomorrow as no snow is in the immediate forecast. I'm now going to settle down on the sofa and watch Lyon vs Man U.

February 19th.

Chris is back off-piste and we travelled up to the Glacier Pers again, which considering the conditions, was excellent. Getting over the Col is interesting to say the least, which explains why the Col Pers sector is totally deserted. Andreas took the Collins family up to the Crete du Genepy where the snow is still very good. We don't have a huge choice of itineraries, but we are still finding really good snow each morning. I've managed to get my first morning off of the season tomorrow, thanks to Henry, which after 81 straight mornings will be very welcome. Henry is being especially kind as it was forecast to be a grey and uninspiring when he said yes, but I've the feeling that the sun will be out again tomorrow. Andreas, Henry, Chris and I are about to head up the mountain for another torch-light parade so wish us luck!

February 18th.   I returned to the Crete du Genepy for the first time in a week and was surprised at how good the snow still is after all these days of sunshine. We left excellent 'Alpine' tracks top-to-bottom and well done Jocelyn for hanging in there and really skiing well these past two days. Chris had an initiation private as did Andreas and they both skied in Tignes after warming up off the Borsat traverse. Gus in Andreas' group fell on a gentle slope and cut his wrist to the bone and needed to be taxied to Doctor Al's for stitches. Hopefully Gus will be back in action tomorrow. Millie skied with Gill this morning and skied the OK as she's on school holidays for the next two weeks and Olivier and JM have both arrived with their families for a week of holiday skiing. More sun is forecast tomorrow but we may have a grey day mid-week but without snow. Yuk!

February 17th.

After a tougher walk yesterday I took it easy this morning and we skied some good snow off the Borsat traverse before skiing some great frisset on the Borsat West. Today made ten days in a row with the 'skins' (ranging from 25 minutes to one-and-half-hours) and we'll be walking again tomorrow. The pistes are in superb condition and I'm really enjoying working the skis whenever we're on-piste, and it was nice having fellow Canadian Blair along with Dawn, Chris and Julian tucked right behind me this morning. Chris had the day off while Andreas 'skinned' to the Glacier Pers with Claire on her last day and had solitude, ambience, and good snow as well. Although the resort is full there doesn't seem to be too many people off-piste, which is great as it leaves what is available for us, and with no snow forecast in the next few days, that is good news.

February 16th.

Guess what? We had another stunning day without a cloud in the sky, and as my mate Tim said, "I haven't seen a cloud all week". Tim and his brother Sam are here with Wils and Rosie for their first-ever ski holiday, and they've had a fabulous time and have done really well. I had the afternoon off and decided to take Katie out for her first time on skis and she really enjoyed herself, especially meeting up with Millie, her Mum, her Auntie Viv, Cliff, Tim, Sam, and Wils and Rosie, for a hot chocolate. I ended up skiing with Wils until 5 o'clock before we met up for drinks and dinner as they leave tomorrow. As for the skiing today, I took a chance on the Col des Fours and although it looked a bit messy from the top, found some excellent snow all the way down and it ended up being a very good morning. Andreas led Claire up towards the Sana and they had a great ski while Chris finished his week with Jo Moss' sister's team, who went from piste skiers to off-piste queens. Well done girls! I received a text from Penny B who was half-way between Banff and Lake Louise, with Derek, Doctor Mike, and Jo H, on their way heli-skiing in my native land. Let's wish them more snow than we've had lately!

Sports Report

I just checked the Man U vs Arsenal score and was a little shocked by the 4-0 scoreline. Gunners fans will say they'd rather have three points next time they meet, which is fair enough, but Man U are still in contention for the 'Triple' and Geoff Dunn (as well as John F, Chris E, Eric H, and a few of you other season ticket holders) will be wallowing in glory tonight. Meanwhile, you Liverpool fans will be feeling miserable and Rafa will be lucky to see out the end of the season.

February 15th.

The sunshine continues and today Chris and I optimistically headed to the Glacier Pers for a change of scenery and found much better snow than we had expected. (Which is always a great result) On the way up we had a chance to 'feel' the snow as well as 'read' it making it possible to ski the best lines on the way down. It wasn't good everywhere but there were strips of nice frisset top-to-bottom, making for a cracking good ski. Andreas is back off-piste tomorrow and is planning some sort of walk to burn off a few lunches. I skied with Millie again today but she wasn't too keen on the Manchet piste so I needed to back-track to Bellevarde and ski one of her favourites en route to a hot chocolate. Ahh, the price of getting it wrong! Although we are still skiing good snow it isn't getting any easier and a change of conditions will be welcome, but sun is forecast for another few days at least.

February 14th.

Clive's back in town and along with Chris (Frenchie) and his brother Julian, Greg, Dominic and Gill we had a great morning skiing soft frisset mixed with some excellent pistes. Chris has progressed his piste group into an 'initiation to touring' group and they loved their Little Borsat West, which was wonderful. Henry was up at the Fornet with his team and Andreas is still on piste until Saturday. Kristina didn't quite land a 360 today and knock out a tooth, banged up her nose, and made a mess of her lip. She's fine otherwise and is off to the dentist to make sure she hasn't done too much damage. The high-pressure system is well installed and how knows when our next snowfall will come?

February 13th.

Andreas and Chris are still piste skiing leaving me alone to fend for myself. I had another good morning playing around in a little stash of frisset and Greg W said he's never skied better than he did today. Well done Greg and Tom S as well as we laid some perfect 'Alpine' tracks today, which we've been working towards over the past few days. John and Margaret have been to Bernie for some canting done inside their boots and both have had very positive results, which makes me think of a few other who should see him as well. (I'll let you know when you next arrive) He did my last season and his work helped enormously, and these days we'll take all the help we can get. Millie skied this morning with Gill, Viv, Wils and Rosie and had a brilliant time up at the Fornet. I need to get Katie out soon as she's showing an interest and wants to be included, which will be bad news for my hips and back but worth it. More sun is forecast for tomorrow.

February 12th.

With few options, unless you are willing to put in a big effort, we had a very enjoyable morning. We started off the front of the Borsat traverse down to the Grand Pre, then into the Little Borsat North, then the shoulder off the Leisse en route to a twenty-five-minute walk under the Borsat West. All the snow we skied was soft and little bits here and there added up to a jolly good morning. Pat Zimmer sent me a couple of clients (times have changed n'est pas?), Rory and Olivier and they fitted in well and we look forward to seeing them again. Rory is a Hammers fan as well so I took to him immediately. Millie is having a fabulous time skiing with her cousins and she's skipping school tomorrow to go for a big ski. (My Mum used to do the same with me) We had a fantastic evening with Pat Woo Sunday night to celebrate her birthday, which is actually today. Thanks Pat for a great meal and wonderful company, and Happy Birthday to you! The sun is forecast to shine and I must admit to not having a clue about the forecast as it seems the sky will remain blue forever.

February 11th.

Chris and Andreas were on-piste again today while I returned to the Crete du Genepy to ski some more good snow. It was another sunny day but a Foehn wind caught many people out from noon on as the wind made it much colder than it has been for days. Millie skied all afternoon with Wils, Rosie and Viv and had a wonderful time, although Viv took a wrong turn and they ended up coming down the frozen Triffolet at the end of the afternoon. Poor Millie! I don't have a clue as to what I'll do tomorrow as it's getting tough out there and the options are drying up rapidly. Wish me luck and stay tuned!

February 10th.

I was on my own today as Chris and Andreas have a week of piste skiing ahead of them. It was hot and sunny again today as my team 'skinned' under the Crete du Genepy to find really good snow top-to-bottom. Millie skied the afternoon with Gill, Viv, and her cousin Rosie, and had a wonderful time showing off her new skills, while little Ness was also skiing today with Claire Mc's two girls. The pistes are superb at the moment and today they seemed empty, but we'll wait and see what tomorrow brings. It's Pat Woo's birthday today and we're looking forward to her party at the Grande Ourse tonight. Happy Birthday Pat!

Sports Report- Well done to Sven's City boys who beat Man U 2-1 today, adding some serious spice to the title race, especially if Arsenal can take advantage with a win tomorrow night over Blackburn. The Hammers picked up a point to keep ticking along and Birmingham's share of the spoils took them out of the bottom three at Reading's expense. It's getting ugly down there as six or seven teams are very much in the danger zone. Anyway, I'm much more relaxed about the footie than I was this time last year and I'm enjoying the relegation battle this time around.

February 9th.

Chris and I took our groups to the Glacier Suspendu this morning and we had a great ski with wonderful ambience. Hats off to John and Margaret, Richard H, John D who did incredibly well on the walk, and to Ian who was experiencing his first taste of off-piste and 'skinning'. (Chris isn't taking any prisoners these days) We stopped in Les Brevieres for a beer and ended up with litre steins, which is four units in a glass. Anyway, it was an excellent day and worth the hard work. I'm not sure how Andreas and Henry got on with their Tour de Tarentaise or what Thomas skied with his band of thrill seekers but the sun is going to continue to blaze and we'll be running out of tricks before long. Chris and Andreas are leaving me to it as they both have piste skiers this week, and if you're going to ski pistes this will be as good a week as any.

February 8th.

A high-pressure system is well installed and we had a hot, beautiful day. Chris and I 'skinned' to Mont Roup, which was excellent. The ski down from the Borsat traverse was very good and Mont Roup itself was back to its dependable best. I'm not sure what Andreas, Henry and Thomas did, but Thomas has been re-booked by people he had earlier in the week, which is due to the excellent job he has been doing. Chapeau Thomas! I had another great ski with Millie and she's really excited about her cousins arriving. Unfortunately they couldn't get on their plane today as Viv hadn't noticed that her passport had expired. Fortunately Easy Jet are letting them fly tomorrow night at no extra charge after Viv picks up a new passport in Cardiff in the morning. I wonder how BA would have handled that one? Anyway, check your passports as this happens to too many travellers. More sun is forecast again tomorrow so Chris and I are 'skinning' while Andreas and Henry are planning on a Tarentaise Tour.

February 7th.

It was a beautiful sunny day that warmed up quickly after a -7C start. Chris, Andreas and I decided on the Fornet for a change of pace and had a good ski in the Combe du Signal, followed by the Combe du 3300, where we found some decent strips amongst some rough wind-blown snow. The Col Pers had also seen some wind but again it was good skiing all the way down, with a short patch of 'educational' snow. Chris has skied with Peter and his son Andreas from Belgium, and they skied the Sache in the afternoon. It was Andreas' first time off-piste and he had a great time over the past couple of days. I skied again with Millie this afternoon and she wanted to ski 'new' runs only, and I'm amazed at how much better she gets every time out. Tansy told me that Ness is now skiing the Nursery slopes by herself, which is fantastic as she is only just three. Well done Ness! And well done to John Dalimore as well, who kept the tracks all morning long after a brief stint at the back for 'track abuse' on the first run. More sun is expected tomorrow and it looks as if we'll need to walk.

February 6th.

We awoke to grey skies and flat-light, which was exactly what was forecast last night. Chris and I headed to Tignes and skied much of what was still fresh in our minds from yesterday. We started with the Little Borsat North followed by a Combe du Lanches, a Leisse, a Genepy, and two Familial's to finish. Thomas skied at the Fornet in the trees and moved up to the Combe du Signal and Grand Vallon once the visibility improved. It was a pretty good day considering the flat-light and we all profited with better visibility from around noon on. Andreas had the morning off but will be back in action tomorrow. TJ phoned last night as news of the death yesterday had reached Scotland. It turns out the victim was a British Doctor here on the same convention as Catherine Kerr, Graham Plant and Charlie (who used to do the radio before Radio Will and is married to Caroline). The poor fellow fell thirty metres over a cliff and didn't have a chance. Sunny skies are forecast for the next few days, and possibly for the next ten days, which would make Wils, Rosie, and Viv happy as they arrive on Friday night. We'd better dry out the 'skins'!

February 5th.

Radio Val announced -10C at 8AM and with clear blue skies we all headed to Tignes, which had been more protected from the wind over the past couple of days. The snow wasn't good everywhere and 'hats off' to the team for skiing exceptional snow when some people weren't. Andreas and Thomas skied around the Col du Palet and Col des Ves before doing a fantastic Chardonnet and finishing with the Familial. Chris and I skied an excellent Combe du Lanches before skiing several runs in some outstanding snow off the Leisse and Genepy. It was quite surprising how much snow fell in the lee and in a couple of places it was close to knee-deep. Millie and I had a terrific ski this afternoon as she is really coming on and thoroughly enjoying it. She came up with a classic this morning when I told her Katie had ruined a music CD by jamming it into the video player. Her eyes widened and with alarm in her voice she said, "It wasn't Louie Jordan or Mick Jagger was it Daddy?" Unfortunately someone was killed falling off a cliff between the Face du Bellevarde and the Banane this afternoon. Several people had to be rescued by helicopter as they tried to follow the tracks of the person who was killed. Flat-light and light snow are forecast for tomorrow.

February 4th.

The wind continued to blow today and it started snowing lightly this morning, meaning it was a flat-light and tougher ski this morning. It continued to snow gently during the day and it's forecast to snow between 15 and 20cm's with clear blue skies tomorrow. Sounds like we should be back in business again tomorrow. I've spent the past four afternoons with John A, Doctor Mike's brother, and he made really good progress as well as being great company. Well done John! Stay tuned for more news tomorrow.

. February 3rd.

We had a stunning maximum-turn morning with clear blue skies, but unfortunately there was a strong Foehn-Lombarde wind howling that had worked over much of yesterday's fresh snow. Everyone headed to Tignes via the Borsat trying to avoid the worst of the wind and we found some great snow in sheltered areas. After the Little Borsat North we had a superb Chardonnet followed by an excellent Sache. Olivier skied around the Col du Palet and Col des Ves before skiing a beautiful Jardinie (I made that spelling up). It was a fantastic morning and although we all skied great snow the wind ruined much of what fell a couple of nights ago, but fortunately snow is forecast for tomorrow.

Sports Report- It was a sad sporting day yesterday unless of course you are Welsh or an Arsenal fan. Tonight is the American Football Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, with the Pats going for their fourth Super Bowl. Their Quarter-back can join the Steelers Terry Bradshaw and the 49'ers Joe Montana as the only QB's to ever win four Super Bowl rings. Good luck to Mister Brady!  .I almost forgot the B Miller won the World Cup Combined race here in Val d'Isere today.

February 2nd.

Enough snow fell overnight to cancel the World Cup Downhill, which had taken two months to prepare. Bad news for race fans, great news for powder skiers. The boys all headed to Tignes where Chris opened an excellent Combe du Lanche just in front of Thomas, who has been helping us out over the past ten days or so. Andreas had a brilliant morning as well with Ian's team including John H, Graham, and Jim, and they found themselves leaving perfect 'Alpine' tracks in the half-pipe in knee-deep powder after skiing the Lanche. I stayed in Val d'Isere and started with fresh powder on the Solaise piste and followed that up with opening the Familial. I circled back around to ski the Familial again but a clearing started to develop over the Charvet so we skied a lovely Face du Charvet with only one person in front of us. It was David and Chrissy's first time on the Face and John and Margaret hadn't skied it in powder for years. Andreas took his team out for more in the afternoon towards the Motte while I skied the Tour du Charvet with John A during our 'technique' lesson. Pietro had to work on the course this morning trying to save the Downhill and I'm not too sure what JM and Olivier skied this morning. Sun is forecast for tomorrow and we should have another fantastic day.

February 1st.

We had overcast conditions this morning but luckily the visibility was decent for a potentially flat-light morning. Chris, Pietro and I started off on the Little Lavachet, which was actually really good. Chris led the way down a couloir onto some excellent snow below, and after his team of Suzanne and Tejina was safely down, my group followed. I skied down followed by Chrissy and Gill, and then Adrian arrived. He fell in the couloir, lost both skis and a pole and then tumbled ass-over-tit for about 250 metres. I haven't had anyone fall that badly or spectacularly since Charles English tried to kill himself on the Bellecote 15 years ago. Anyway, after resembling a rag-doll all the way down Adrian finally came to a stop, jumped up, and pumped both arms into the air, much like Rocky Balboa. Unfortunately only three of us witnessed the event as Adrian for picked up a 'splat of the decade' award. He received a 'high-five' from Henry at lunch as Henry is a man who appreciates a good 'whipper'. The rest of the team had a good day as we made the best of what's on offer but hopefully the promised snow that was forecast for tonight will arrive. (As Red Ray is staying on for three more days at Jean R's to get in on some powder snow. I think he's planning on taking a 'sicky'.)

January 31st.

Thankfully the sun was shining again today and with a couple of centimetres of snow to soften things up a little, we had a pretty good day. I skied the Grand Vallon, the Pays Desert, the Col Pers and then cruised to Les Tufs, while the rest of the boys skied in Tignes. Olivier spent his day off the Motte while Chris, Pietro, and Andreas skied the Little Lavachet and Sache. I'm not too sure where JM was but he will have enjoyed the sun and the slight cushion of fresh snow. There are a couple of different forecasts, one being Meteo France who predict between 60 and 70cm's over the weekend, and www.snowforecast.com who are forecasting half that if we're lucky. Either will do to be honest. Anyway, with West Ham beating Liverpool 1-0 last night, I had a great day!

January 30th.

It was a bit of a shock this morning when the sky went from clear at 7:30AM to a total white-out in fog (which is the worst) as Pietro, Chris and I were contemplating going over the Col Pers. With the snow being as it is we all decided it wasn't worth the risk of someone twigging a knee so we all went for a hot chocolate. Chris and Pietro went back upstairs later when the fog had lifted and skied the Col and the Grand Vallon, but I did something I haven't done in ten years, which was watch a little bit of training for the downhill and then stay on piste and do some technique. Meanwhile Andreas and Henry probably had slightly better visibility Tignes-way, and I'm not too sure what Olivier and Jean Marc skied. I took Millie out for a one-run afternoon in flat-light, bless her, but the highlight for her was sitting on Margaret's knee on the way home on the bus. (J & M & friends must have enjoyed a long lunch as it was 3:30) If I look hard enough (5PM) there is something white floating down from the heavens and although we need a decent snowfall, five centimetres would help. Stay tuned!

PS Come on you Hammers vs Liverpool at Upton Park tonight!

Emergency Phone numbers: Services des Piste: Val d'Isere..0479060210 and Tignes..0479063200

January 28th and 29th.

(Jan 28th) After yesterday's flat-light the sun returned in full force and was greatly appreciated, especially when it's not going to snow. Chris returned to Ste Foy along with Andreas to ski the Foglietta and they had another good day. I tried the Glacier Pers for the first time this season and stopped climbing halfway up because the snow wasn't going to get any better, but managed a good ski down on a mix of souffle dur, souffle doux and some pockets of soft snow that we could leave tracks in. Before skiing down I stopped to take a leak and Gill said to the group, "Look, he's got is 'sniffer' out", which everyone thought was rather funny. JM and Oli are touring from the Chalet Colinn again this week and Olivier unfortunately had a client break a leg and need a helicopter rescue.

(Jan 29th) Under blue skies Chris took Tejina and Suzanne to Italy for a Birthday Ski, as Chris celebrated another year today. Happy Birthday Chris! They had a good day out and a great lunch on the Italian side. Meanwhile Andreas and Henry skied up at the Fornet while I skied off the Grande Motte. I'm not too sure what JM and Olivier skied but they had a quiet day today. We've had a busy week and had a few new people helping us, such as Thomas, Cedric, and Luiuc (not sure about any of the spelling) and all of them did a cracking good job. Thanks boys! Kristina had a tough time in the office over the past few days as many last-minute changes were needed due to various reasons (none of which had anything to do with her) and she did a great job sorting things out. Well done and thanks Kristina! The forecast keeps changing as the promised snow on Thursday has moved to Friday and then Saturday, so how knows? One thing is sure though, we need a fresh canvas as soon as possible because we've walked six or seven days in a row, and we're starting to resort to skiing souffle, which isn't our style, and is souffle dur is hard on the joints.

January 27th.

Everyone went to bed last night expecting another sunny day and we awoke to high cloud and potentially flat-light with a northerly wind gusting to 50kph. Chris and I headed down to Ste Foy to ski the Foglietta and were lucky to have pretty good visibility and good snow although in places the snow was slightly touched by last night's wind. The entrance was rather interesting to say the least but everyone handled it well as we tried to traverse high to the right to get away from the previous days tracks. All in all it was a good outing and Chris is thinking of going back tomorrow. Andreas skied the Crete du Genepy while Olivier skied over the Col du Sachette before 'skinning' back up, and both had the light flatten out on them making it more difficult. Hopefully the sun will return tomorrow as no snow is forecast over the next couple of days, but we are expecting snow from Thursday on for a few days. Fingers crossed!

January 26th.

With each passing day the good snow is taking a little more work to get to and today was no exception. Andreas and Olivier 'skinned' to the ever-faithful Mont Roup and had a really good ski. Unfortunately you could now say that Mont Roup is 'done' and isn't really an option until it snows again. Chris and I 'skinned' to the Glacier Suspendu and had a stunning ski down all the way to Les Brevieres. It was the first time we'd been skiers-left out towards the Refuge de la Martin and the snow and ambience were superb. Thanks Olivier for the excellent description of the route through the cliffs and frozen waterfalls. I managed to see a fantastic toboggan crash this afternoon involving Millie, Katie, and their pal Anna. They rolled over after leaving their breaking a little late and after coming to a stop in a heap they roared with laughter. All's well the ends well! Hopefully the weather is good again tomorrow as we're planning a trip to Ste Foy.

January 25th.

Fortunately Serge's forecast of grey skies was totally wrong and we enjoyed another hot sunny day. Chris and I started towards the Crete du Genepy but decided to join Andreas en route to Mont Roup instead, and we all had really good snow and a good result. JM and Olivier have had a superb week of fairly serious touring and today they skied the Col Pers before 'skinning' up towards the Col de Rhemes Calabre (I think). Fatigue is becoming a factor as we've needed to walk of late but we'll need to continue to do so as a high pressure system is well installed, meaning another sunny day tomorrow.

January 24th.

The sun and unseasonably warm temperatures featured again today, and if it isn't going to snow the weather for the non-powder-skiing-piste-lovers is leaving them in seventh heaven. Chris and I 'skinned' to the Col des Fours and were totally alone with our groups. It wasn't the best Fours but it was pretty good and Chris decided to add on a little ten minute walk over a little Col to access some extra slopes on the ski down to the bottom of the Manchet. Thomas' binding broke while climbing up and John Ellis and Adrian cleverly put it back together with cable ties. Well done boys for a brilliant bit of engineering! JM and Olivier 'skinned' for four-hours to the summit of the David (not sure of spelling as it's just off my map), which is just under the Sassiere and has a similar shape. Bravo boys! I haven't heard a report but I'm sure they skied some great snow somewhere along the way. Andreas is skiing with the Lewis family and probably skied the Sache as I heard he was in Les Brevieres. Millie had another big ski with Gill, Julia and her friend Anna this afternoon and made it down the piste 'H' into Tignes. She's so tired she asked to go to bed 45-minutes early. I had a good chat with TJ who has stepped up his training sessions to two-a-day and he's looking forward to testing his knee in April. I'm not too sure of the forecast but Serge from Jean Sports says we're in for a grey day without snow tomorrow. Bummer as we need decent visibility to 'sniff' out the good snow that lies amongst ugly.

PS. Stuart returns from the hospital today but isn't allowed to ski for the rest of his holiday. He's in good spirits and just happy that it wasn't more serious.

January 23rd.

It was nothing but good news today as Stuart is getting out of the hospital tomorrow, the sun was out, and after all the wind of yesterday the snow unexpectedly brilliant. Andreas, Chris and I had excellent mornings in Tignes skiing pockets of powder mixed with shoulders and strips of lovely creamy souffle doux. JM and Oli 'skinned' over the Col des Fours and made their way towards the way skiers-left on the Lores (for lack of a better description) and enjoyed superb snow as well. They had a nice day yesterday at the Chalet Colinn ( www.chaletcolinn.com ) enjoying the storm before doing a little 'skin' and beep search. I took Millie and her friend Anna out for Millie's biggest ski of the season to date, and after a hot chocolate we finished off skiing to the bottom and home through the forest on the 'avalanche run'. Her progress has been amazing and the best part is she absolutely loves it, while her little pal Anna who is a year to the day older, is a fantastic little skier. More sun is forecast and Red Ray, who was 'skier of the morning', reports a chance of snow on Saturday.

January 22nd.

It snowed between five and ten centimeters over night but the wind was atrocious and we were totally surprised when they let us up the Funival. We weren't surprised when it turned out to be the only Funival of the day as they closed it immediately behind us. The wind was so strong that we needed to walk against it while pushing on our poles to make headway. I then cut onto the OK were the skiing was pretty good then continued down the Orange and enjoyed a really good one-and-only run of the day. It was great to be up there and experience how violent mountain weather can be as not too many people ever have the chance or desire t witness such as storm. Unfortunately our day went down hill from there. Stuart-the-Sea-Captain was injured falling on the piste just above the Trifollet Restaurant. He was taken to Moutiers for further treatment after being diagnosed in Val d'Isere with a broken vertebrae. He was slightly concussed as he had trouble remembering who he was skiing with, how old he was, and that sort of thing. It looks as if he'll be in Moutiers for about three days so they can keep an eye on him but they say he is fine and it isn't too serious. Cheers Stuart as we are all thinking about you. I must say the Pisteurs were brilliant, just as they were with TJ last April, and we should never take them for granted. They were patient and incredibly cautious when Stuart told them he was fine to ski down and they played it safe and as it turned out with good reason. Stuart's accident took the wind out of everyone's sails and the rest of the day was taken up with lunch, beep searches, and for Hound-Dog and Co., a visit to Moutiers. Better weather is forecast for tomorrow.

January 21st.

Radio Val announced a high today of +8C at 2000m's but they left out the bit about a nasty little wind at altitude. Chris and I 'skinned' to Mont Roup, which was protected and we had a bloody good ski leaving some great tracks. Andreas had a really good day at the Fornet while JM and Olivier 'skinned' up to the Pointe de la Sana and Oli said their Glacier Suspendu yesterday was as good as it was a few days ago. I taught this afternoon and that nasty little wind was blowing on top of La Daille and I'd left a layer off after the promise of a 'hot' afternoon. Gill helped out with the school ski and skied with Millie this afternoon and Both Gill and Suzanne enjoyed Mont Roup this morning. The forecast is for between 5 and 15cm's of snow starting around 5AM so hopefully we'll have a 'cushion' if we're skiing in flat-light in the morning.

Sports Report- Both my Dad and Michael R e-mailed with the American Football scores. Thanks boys! The NY Giants beat the Green Bay Packers in overtime 23-20 while the New England Patriots beat the San Diego Chargers 21-12. The Super Bowl is shaping up to be a great contest as New England try to become only the second-ever team in history to go undefeated through the season and play-offs. (Miami did it in the 70's but they season played two less games in those days)

January 20th.

It was another beautiful sunny day with un-seasonally high temperatures. Olivier and JM have a week of touring based from the Chalet Colinn ( www.chaletcolinn.com ) and they started with a Glacier Suspendu and although I haven't heard a report I'm sure it was a good result. Chris had the day off and he and Suzanne had a good ski over the Col Des Fours while I skied a decent Sachette. Andreas was out there somewhere and everyone had a pretty good day. I skied with Millie again this afternoon and she's doing incredibly well although she gets tired because she such a poor sleeper. We took the girls out for a cheese fondue with their friend Anna at the Bar des Sports this evening, which was great fun. When I see the three little blondes together it makes me shiver to imagine the three of them out on the town together in twelve or thirteen year's time. (Andreas' Ness will be involved as well I sure) Sun is on the cards for tomorrow and it has cooled down this evening so a cold night should help to lighten and improve the snow.

Sports Report- I'm pleased with the Hammers picking up a point against Man City, although it sounds as if we played really well and could have come away with three points, and I'm waiting for a report from my Dad or Michael R about this weekend's American Football Play-offs, with the winners playing in the Super Bowl.

January 19th.

The sun shone today with temperatures around +6C at 2000m's and the wind died down but not before doing further damage. Chris and I skied the Fornet and had a tougher day compared to what we've enjoyed lately, but it wasn't too bad as we skied the Combe du Signal, Pays Desert and Col Pers. We spotted four Perdrix Blanche, two huge Bouquetin, and a Gepete, which is a pretty good day on the wildlife front. JM was touring while Oli and Andreas had the day off. Oli wanted me to mention how good their ski was yesterday on the Glacier Suspendu as it was excellent from top to bottom. Well done boys! More sun is in the forecast for the next couple of days with a chance of snow Monday night, which would be welcome as the snow is now tracked, winded, or after today's heat touched by the sun on certain exposures. We'll do our best in the meantime to make the best of what remains. Stay tuned for more news and a Hammers Update tomorrow.

January 18th.

We did have a similar to yesterday weather-wise but the snow was completely different as it was well worked over by the wind. I had two Canadians, Nick and his wife Francesca, who were visiting Val d'Isere for the first time. Gill and I warmed them into it off the Borsat for a level tester, then straight onto the Face du Charvet, followed by the Tour du Charvet, then the Marmottons, and a little Spatule on the way to lunch. Not a bad first morning of 'classics'. We then skied the Pays Desert in the afternoon to finish off the day. They had a great time and we look forward to seeing them again soon. Andreas skied the Tour du Charvet before heading to the Fornet while Chris skied the Sache. Oli and JM 'skinned' to the Glacier Suspendu and Pierre helped us out as Derek, Louella, Phil and Colin finished up their superb week. It started to cloud over this afternoon and I haven't heard tonight's forecast, but with the snow becoming trickier I hope it either snows or we can see.

January 17th.

After a gray and cloudy start the skies cleared around 9:30 and we all (Chris, Andreas, Oli, JM, and I) had an outstanding 'maximum-turn' morning up at the Fornet. The snow was superb and the quality of the 'Alpine' tracks was really impressive. Chris and I accessed the big slope in the Pays Desert via a little couloir and laid two teams worth of tracks side-by-side, and three Scots who were following we were so impressed they joined in. Good on them! It had to be one of the top three mornings of the season (that's twice this week) and both Gill and Suzanne were along and it was wonderful for them to get in on such a good day. A couple of people in Andreas' group went as far as saying it might have been the best morning skiing they've ever had. I'd like to give Louella a mention who's skiing this week for the first time in a couple of years, and she's a cracking good skier and has been a pleasure to have along. The forecast is for a similar day tomorrow but with high winds.

January 16th.

The day started similarly to yesterday, as in no new snow overnight but instead of great visibility we had white-out conditions instead. With the resort being tracked-out Chris and I decided to 'skin' to Mont Roup and we had an adventurous time. The navigating was full-on concentration and after one-and-a-half hours of leading the way I needed Chris to take over for the last 50 meters as I started to doubt myself. I waited for Chris (who was bringing up the back) and he said, "you're spot on" and continued on to the finish, well done JC! ( Jean R was also sure of where we were, bravo Jean!). Anyway, the ski down was pretty good considering we couldn't see much. Kim deserves a mention for a solid walk and great performance on the ski down. The rest of the boys had bad light as well skiing around the Borsat and Grand Pre before heading to Tignes, and we all made the best of a difficult day. It snowed fairly hard between 10AM and noon and then started up again late in the afternoon so hopefully we'll have ten cm's or so of fresh snow for tomorrow. I took Millie out this afternoon with her friend Anna and dad Andy and we skied some lovely fresh snow off the edge of the piste and then celebrated with ice cream at the Perdrix. Millie had a fall and tangled up her legs in a grotesque position and I thought for a moment that she'd dislocated her knee, especially when she started screaming. I climbed back up to her and picked her up to straighten out her legs and was incredibly relieved when she cried, "Daddy I can't see". The flexibility of a child is amazing and an adult in the same position would be lucky to walk again. All in all, it was an exhausting day and I'll be thankful for some visibility tomorrow.

January 15th.

A grand total of about one centimeter of snow fell over night but the good news was the sun was out and we had great visibility. Jean Marc and I stayed Val d'Isere 'Classic' and skied the Face du Charvet followed by the Tour du Charvet, which JM enjoyed so much he did it twice. I then skied the top of the Marmottes and finished with a little play around the Spatule while JM skied Les Danaides. Olivier 'skinned' to a superb Mont Roup and Chris and Andreas skied an excellent Sache via the Borsat and Col des Ves. I had Leo today who was all over the place and very new to off-piste (the Face du Charvet was a good intro) and by using the track he improved dramatically during the morning. In fact it's been a long time since I have such improvement in one session and it just shows what a brilliant teaching aid the 'track' really is. People think we may be funny about our tracks but besides conserving the snow for another day, or another run, or the group behind, it gives skiers a focus. A focus for their pole plant, the initiation of the turn, the finish of the turn, a sense of timing and rhythm, and some discipline to their skiing. Besides guiding skiers off-piste our job is to turn them into skiers who can travel safely and ski anywhere on the mountain and the quality of the 'Alpine' signature that is known by almost everyone around town is proof of our success. Anyway, bravo Leo for an outstanding performance this morning. We survived another torch-light parade this evening and conditions were very good, meaning not too bumpy or icy. The forecast is for wind and snow during the next 24 hours so hopefully we'll get a few centimeters tonight if we're going to be dealing with flat-light tomorrow.

January 14th.

The Foehn did blow with gusts to 70 kph and 'worked' the snow quite severely in places overnight. Andreas headed towards the Fornet via the Mattis but after testing the snow turned around and skied Tignes instead, visiting the Borsat, Col des Ves and Chardonnet. Olivier was in the same sector as was JM who skied a very good Chardonnet and excellent Sache. Chris and I skied off the Borsat towards the Grand Pre en route to a stunning Tour du Charvet, which was remarkably good. We should have stopped there however as our follow-up could best be described as 'interesting'. We chose the Cugnai as a change of pace and the light flattened out making it difficult to read the snow turning it into a 'traveling safely in the mountains' exercise. In general it was a pretty good day in difficult conditions and 20 cm's or so of snow is forecast for this evening.

January 13th.

The rumored sun was lurking and we had enough light to take advantage of some fabulous conditions. It was brighter towards Tignes but Chris and I gambled on the Fornet and were rewarded with a stunning morning. We skied the Super 'L', then a quick one off the Laisinant Chair en route to the Fornet where we opened the Grand Vallon and the Combe du Signal, which we skied four times before finishing in the Grand Vallon. It was another 'maximum turn' morning and Louella's first day skiing in two years. Welcome back! We ran into Jean Marc who was also in our sector and he and Olivier are in town for the next three weeks. Andreas and Oli had wonderful mornings as well in Tignes skiing the Col du Palet, Col des Ves, and the Chardonnet before finishing in the Familial. All in all it was one of the top three mornings of the season. Gill took Millie out this afternoon and skied the Borsat/Grand Pres circuit and Millie is definitely a proper little skier now. It cleared up beautifully this afternoon but the forecast is 'iffy' for tomorrow, meaning Foehn winds and gray sky without any snow.

PS I forgot to mention the avalanche risk today was an inflated 4/5. A 4/5 risk should put the 'fear of god' into people but today's evaluation will make skiers over confident because it felt very stable indeed and nothing moved. It's a bit of the 'boy who cried wolf' syndrome and locals will stop paying attention to avalanche risk reports if they continue like today's. (Knock on wood!)

January 12th.

David and Chrissy's last day turned out to be absolutely fabulous. The Foehn wind stopped howling and the wind became a gentle breeze from the NNE, 15 cm's of fresh snow fell, and it was game on. We started with first tracks top-to-bottom on Solaise (perfect piste with 15cm's on top), followed by a OK/Orange. We then skied three Familial Sud's off-piste, mixing in bits and pieces off the Verte and under the Mont Blanc chair during our rotations. It was a 'maximum turn' type morning and we couldn't see much, but as Jean Marc would say, " there is nothing to see". Hats off to Jean D who kept up with a fairly frantic pace all morning long. Andreas also had a great morning skiing with clients and friends in and around the same sector, while Chris enjoyed a much deserved day off. Rumour as it that it will clear for tomorrow before more snow coming back in on Monday.

Sports Report- Well, what can I say! After a brilliant ski the Hammers came through with another win to top off a great day. Man U went back on top after thrashing Newcastle 6-0, while Arsenal and Liverpool could only manage draws against teams they need to beat. Liverpool has lost the plot and are now competing with three other teams for a Champions League place. Bye-bye Rafa, although he might get a job a Newcastle. (I'm sure Radio Will will pitch in with a Rugby Report soon) All is well tonight.

January 11th.

I went to bed last night expecting another sunny day and awoke to threatening grey skies, strong Foehn winds, and flat-light. The good news is that the visibility was pretty good all morning and Chris, Andreas and I all had really good snow in the Sache. Andreas went over the first Col, while Chris skied the main couloir and I skied the hidden couloir just before the main one. Gill was along again this morning and Millie had a fit when entering her school again this morning, fingers crossed she gets the hang of it sooner than later. Jean Ribart became a Grandfather again yesterday with his daughter giving birth to a baby boy, congratulations Jean! Michael R, Gideon, and Tony W have all had great holidays and we look forward to seeing them again later in the season. Henry, Andreas, Chris and I had a beep-search afternoon led by Jamie and Lou (who run Henry's beep afternoons during the season), which was exc