The snow has not materialised today but in place we have another blue sky, beautiful day but still crisp and cold.  This is a picture of the Lac de Chevril that sits in front of our chalet at Villaret du Nial and I enjoy the view every morning as I leave for work and every single day it looks different.  At the moment the lake must be frozen as there is a velvety layer of snow that sits quietly on top and it just looks amazing.  It never ceases to impress me.

Happy Shrove Tuesday.  For those who grew up a Catholic like myself, you will be deciding what to give up for Lent.  I was never very good at it!  But I will be having pancakes tonight.  The BBC recommend:

Ingredients
120g/4oz plain flour

pinch salt
2 free-range eggs
210ml/7fl oz milk
90ml/3fl oz water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
butter, for frying

To serve
caster sugar
lemon juice
lemon wedges or Paul whips up mascarpone with cream and sugar....delicious!

Preparation method
1.Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
2.Make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs.
3.In a separate bowl mix together the milk and the water.
4.Beat the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon and gradually beat in the milk and water mixture to get a smooth liquid the consistency of single cream.
5.Stir in the oil and allow to stand for 30 minutes before using.
6.Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add a small knob of butter. Ladle in a ladleful of the batter, quickly turning the pan to coat the base evenly with the batter. Cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until the base is lightly browned.
7.Using a palette knife, gently flip the pancake over and cook on the other side for a few seconds, until lightly browned. Slide the pancake onto a plate, cover with greaseproof paper and keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
8.To serve, sprinkle the pancakes with caster sugar and lemon juice, then fold twice to form triangles. Serve the lemon wedges alongside.

I hope you enjoy your pancakes as much as I will!

It is mid week tomorrow (I am assuming we agree Wednesday is mid-week) and snow is predicted for then.  So as I look out the window, it is 50/50 this may happen.  Considering my source, I will be very disappointed if if doesn't snow tomorrow as he has never been wrong with his snow updates.  So my fingers, legs & toes are crossed for snow and to keep a reputation in tact!

We are still going strong with the school holidays so this week is yet another full week.  We had some snow last night to give a wonderful velvet top coat on the pistes this morning that was thoroughly enjoyed by those lucky enough to be able to get out there first thing this morning (sadly I was in the office!). 

We are due more snow mid week but in the meantime, today was glorious but still cold (-17).  The cold weather preserves the conditions so we can't complain. 

It is definitely time to start wearing sun cream though!

Happy Valentine’s Day

It is that time of year to celebrate love and happiness.  Happy Valentines Day from all of us at Mountain Rooms & Chalets.

Be happy!

It has been a while since our last blog as Jan is a time to take a breath, catch up with paperwork and recover from the onslaught of December, start up and the holidays.  We have had an amazing January with plenty of snow and one of the biggest storms we have seen in the 20 odd years we have been here.  250km winds and a curfew in town that was unprecedented.  Crazy. 

We are now preparing for the half term holidays that start tomorrow and we are busy for the next 3 weeks for English & French holidays.  We do have some gaps in the availability here and there if anyone is still wanting to come to Val d'Isere. 

The pistes are in the most amazing condition and the low temperatures of late have ensured the snow conditions remain outstanding.  Talking of tempertures it has warmed up today so the bitterly cold snap (-43 wind chill factor last week) has hopefully moved on. 

Top Gear was in town this week filming a driving extravaganza that involved the Face de Bellevarde and we could hear the rally cars whizzing up and down the piste from the office.  The 3 Top Gear guys were seen out and about in town so hopefully they enjoyed their time in resort. 

Bye for now.....Debbie

It is still snowing today but Val is beginning to get back to normal after such a huge snowfall.  The wind has dropped and the snow is getting lighter so everything is being cleared to allow full circulation around town and the slopes groomed and open. 

We haven't seen a winter like this in a very long time so whilst we are loving it, we feel sorry for the pisteurs and town road workers having to shift so much snow.  And of course we have the safety issue to worry about as the avalanche danger for pedestrians walking up to Fornet, Laissenant, La Daille & Chatalard is at an all time high.

Today is our Christmas arrivals day so we have been working flat out to prepare all our properties and welcome our clients.  Unfortunately another disadvantage of this wonderful snow is the fact TV dishes are covered resulting in an iterruption of service.  Not much we can do about the weather!  Sometimes I wish we could.

Debbie

The snow continued to fall overnight to add to the already impressive volume we have here in Val.  However, we now have a category 5 (high) avalanche risk so the town have closed Fornet to cars and pedestrians, Chatalard too & Route de la Balme and La Daille sectors to pedestrians.  The avalanche flags are out and it is utter bedlam out there. The town are working hard to clear the snow as quickly as possible. Chains are obligatory or 4x4 with winter tyres. There is certainly and air of excitement with so much snow around. I just can't believe the contrast from 2 weeks ago.  

Here are some pictures from last night and this morning.    I hope I get home tonight!!

I am praying we will make it home tonight as high winds and heavy snow is playing havoc here in Val!  I may have to don my ABS airbag back pack and beep in case of avalanche!  Fingers, legs & toes crossed!

The snow continues to fall with the buzz around town about closing the resort and the roads tonight.  It didn't happen as the town work so hard night and day to maintain the roads and shift snow as quickly as possible.  I did wonder if we would get home tonight though!  And then we worry about avalanche risk en-route.  With a little wind it makes it hard to get around town but thankfully it is not cold.  

We have 55% of the lift system open now and the pisteurs continue to open up more when possible.  The snow is set to continue all day Friday, which will make this one of the most incredible Decembers for a very long time.  Bring it on!

Good afternoon.  We don't mean to go on and on about the snow but it is still falling.  It is unbelievable.  47% of our lift system is open, which is now more about too much snow and the piste patrol team clearing them to make them safe for everyone to enjoy, rather than insufficient snow conditions.  We go from one extreme to the other but nobody is complaining.

We had our staff Christmas dinner last night in the Perdrix Blanche, our favourite all round restaurant.  We are so busy between now and Christmas with everything that we have to have it this time of the festive season.  Everyone was very well behaved and no gossip to speak of.  A good time was had by all and only one emergency - a twisted ankle thanks to the snow.  Whoops!

Can we liken snow to a bus?  You wait weeks for one to come along and then they all come at one.  Well, it is the same with the snow, not that we are complaining but yesterday we had fresh snow (approx 20 cm) and today we were due light snow but it has been dumping down instead with even heavier snow on its way.   We couldn't ask for a better Christmas.  Thank you Lord.

Off for staff Christmas dinner.  A demain.

Debbie

Today is another gorgeous, blue sky day here in Val d'Isere and we have more snow due tomorrow and Wednesday apparently.  So we have another snowfall to look forward to after the huge amount that fell this week.  Yipee!

We are looking for one more cook and a handy man to complete our team for this coming winter.  If you know of anyone, please email me on debbie@mrooms.co.uk   Thank you.

Today is a beautiful blue sky day here in Val so anyone skiing today will enjoy the deep fresh snow and a clear, sunny day.  We couldn't ask for a better day. 

Thanks to all our staff who have opened up all our properties including cleaning, maintenance and linen and they now have their ski passes and on normal work hours.  Open up is never easy with so much to do but we are there, we have clients in and we are ready for the Christmas onslaught. 

We hope all our clients and staff can now relax and enjoy the amazing conditions.    Debbie

I have just had an email from the Office du Tourism here in Val to say due to the heavy snow fall they have closed Fornet, La Daille, Balme & Chatalard to anyone on foot due to avalanche danger. Whilst this is not so great for access, I think anyone will agree that is a huge U turn from the 'snow go on the dry slopes of the Alps' headlines of late!

Good morning. We awoke this morning to continued snow fall so anyone in any doubt about the conditions in resort can now relax. It hasn't stopped since Sunday night. It is so exciting to see such a huge dump of snow.

We have snow and it is still snowing hard so with over 70 cm, we have something to shout about. The roads are being cleared as I type but conditions are tricky so if anyone is driving to resort, you will need chains or winter tyres on a 4 x 4.

Metro magazine in London yesterday printed 'It's snow-go on Europe's dry ski runs', which was unfortunate timing as Sunday night here in Val d'Isere, it snowed all night and it hasn't stopped since.  Despite the fact we opened with only the top of Solaise and Fornet slopes open, we will now see more and more pistes opening up thanks to this new snow fall.  You see, there is a god after all!

I have opened a can of worms.  I wrote on Facebook that Val had passed the inspection to host the FIS World Cup racing 10/11th December.  However, we were given the wrong information and we have not got the event as conditions have not been deemed appropriate.  So Beaver Creek is the host instead.  The debate then ensued as to the value of the racing when the money could be spent on improving the town f or tourists.  To me, Val hosting the annual world cup race is a little like Silverstone hosting a F1 event or Cowes the sailing.  It is part of the territory and we are a premier race resort.  Such a shame we didn't get it. 

Today marks the official opening of Val d'Isere for the winter 2011/12 season.  This morning Solaise and Fornet opened for business with 60cm of snow coverage and fresh conditions.  A number of lifts are open on both sectors. 

We would by lying if we said the snow so far is worthy of too much excitement as sadly it isn't, but Val is open and we have snow to ski.

Town has slowly opened up with most shops opening their doors for business this morning and hotels and restaurants will now follow.  Most establishments will be open within the next week - 10 days. 

We very much hope the FIS World Cup 56th Criterium de la Premier Neige will be hosted In Val on the 10/11th December and knowing how hard the town works to prepare the pistes, they certainly deserve it.  

A new season is always something to be excited about as we wonder what the winter will hold.  We have 6 months of hard work and hopefully some enjoyable skiing ahead of us. 

We wish all our clients, staff, friends and family a wonderful ski season and we look forward to seeing you all in Val over the winter.

Debbie