Author: Ed Ockelton

Chatel – A fantastic summer destination

Summer In Chatel
Summer In Chatel

If you are planning your next summer holiday look no further than the green mountain peaks of Chatel. Set in the picturesque Valley d’Abondance, Chatel has plenty to offer outdoor enthusiasts and families looking for an alternative to the beach.

Chatel, a small village nestled in heart of the Portes du Soleil area between the picturesque lake Geneva and the high alpine range of Mont Blanc, provides an excellent choice of activities to keep the whole family entertained.

The village itself is a beautiful picture postcard alpine village surrounded by high peaks. In recent years Chatel has graduated to a three star flower rating and the floral displays throughout the village are spectacular and add colour and ambiance to the place.

Chatel’s facilities include its own outdoor pool, fishing lake, bob luge run, high flying “fantasticable” fly line, golf, archery and mini train. In order to make the most out of your holiday this summer there is now the offer of the Portes du Soleil “Multi Pass” which allows unlimited activities each day for just 1€ per person per day. This is great value for money and allows you to access many of the most popular attractions in the area.

The Multi pass allows access to the following for 1€ a day.

* 4 swimming pools and 2 lakes, the Les Gets swimming lake and the picturesque lake Montriond
* 25 mountain lifts for hikers
* 5 cultural sites, including the Abbey in St Jean D’Aulps, the Mechanical toy museum and the Abondance Abbey
* 9 tennis courts
* 2 ice rinks
* 3 tourist road trains
* The inter resort bus shuttle service
* 850km of foot paths.

The Multi Pass will allow you to make the most out of your stay in the fabulous Portes du Soleil.

Using the chair lifts as a pedestrian in summer allows you to reach the high peaks and provides a great starting point for some breathtaking views and challenging walks. Local walks are well sign posted and are easily followed using local maps. You can plan a day on the mountain to lead you to many of the local mountain refuges serving fabulous local food and drinks. There are plenty of walks for all abilities from little ones and those who may be a little unsteady to seasoned alpine hikers. The lifts allow you to explore and discover the Alps in a way that is accessible to all.

If you are looking for a more relaxing way to enjoy the mountains then there are delightful picnic spots by local rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Again most beauty spots are within easy walking distance and are well located on local maps. The local French markets up and down the valley provide a feast of delights to embellish your picnics serving local cheeses, meats and wine along with other local produce.

For a more thrill seeking adventure there are plenty of river sports located along the River Dranse; rafting, kayaking, hydrospeed and canyoning are just some of the sports on offer at the local white water sports adventure centres. Many of these centres also offer guide for rock climbing in the local area.

If it is a beach retreat you are looking for on your holiday then look no further than the sunny spots on lake Geneva, within a 40min drive from Chatel you can be sitting on a fabulous sandy or pebbly beach with all the amenities and activities you will find at a coastal resort. Boats and pedalos can be hired and many of the beach areas provide outdoor pools, playgrounds and restaurant facilities to make you day out fun for all the family.

The festivals, live music and outdoor events throughout the summer calendar provide an insight into the cultural and diverse community that is Chatel. The resort will leave you wanting to return to explore the undiscovered areas which are ready and waiting for your future visits.

Mountain biking in the Portes du Soleil

How often have you actually ridden your mountain bike down a mountain?

Mountain Biking in the Portes du Soleil
Mountain Biking in the Portes du Soleil

How often have you actually ridden your mountain bike down a mountain? If you mostly ride in the UK, then chances are you don’t do it very often. However, this sport that we all know and love is called “mountain biking” for a reason. If you sit at the top of a mountain pass in the French Alps, looking across towards the snow capped mountains and glaciers of the Mont Blanc range, with 1500m descent of twisty technical single track ahead of you; suddenly it all starts to make sense.

The Portes du Soleil region, in the northern French Alps, has become a Mecca for mountain biking and not without good reason. In winter the area is famous for being the largest linked ski area in the world, but during the summer months it is also easily the largest lift served mountain bike trail area in the world.

The area really does have something to offer all styles and levels of mountain biking. For cross country riders, there are plenty of demanding climbs to challenge your fitness. For downhill riders, there are well over 20 dedicated downhill tracks ranging from easy to insane. For free riders, the area really comes into its own with mile after mile of varied terrain including bike parks, technical forest single track, exposed steep faces and north shore style courses.

In response to the growing demand from mountain bikers from all disciplines, many of the resorts in the area have invested heavily in mountain bike infrastructure.

In Switzerland, the combined areas of Champéry, Val d’Illiez-Les Crosets-Champoussin & Morgins boast a four cross track, a north shore zone, a bike park, 3 downhill courses (including the infamous UCI world cup downhill course, and the UCI 15 km cross country loop.

In Les Gets over in the French side, there is a beginners’ downhill track at the Grand Cry Park and 2 beginners’ MTB parks; the Kid’Zone and Mini Jump Park. For the more experienced there is a dirt and freestyle jump park, a four cross track, a freeride zone in “Gibannaz Canyon”, 4 downhill courses, and 6 cross-country suitable for all riders.

Chatel, which is right at the centre of the area, has perhaps the biggest selection of purpose built MTB areas with 15 MTB tracks (14 of which are downhill profiled), 5 north shore zones, 1 four cross track, the infamous freeride “La Face” mountain style zone, 1 kid’s cross and a drop zone with jump pit, wall ride, quarter, step-ups and step-downs.

Despite having great trails for intermediate, advanced and crazy riders, the Portes du Soleil area is also a fantastic place to learn mountain biking, or to go riding with young families. There are lots of opportunities to get chairlifts up to the tops of the mountains, and then find your way around on 4×4 tracks which don’t tend to be too steep or challenging.

One of the reasons why the Portes du Soleil has become so popular for mountain biking is because the sheer vastness of the area results an incredible mix of varied terrain, and ensures that the trails never become too busy. Indeed, it is possible to ride all day and not see another person. Couple this with picturesque resorts, great value accommodation and the glorious back drop of the Dents du Midi and Dents Blanches mountains, and it is clear to see why the Portes du Soleil is one of the best mountain biking destinations in the world.

The Passportes du Soleil Mountain Bike Race

Passportes du Soleil
Passportes du Soleil

The Passportes du Soleil is an epic mountain bike race in the huge Portes du Soleil region of France & Switzerland which heralds the start of summer and the opening of the lift system. It takes place over the last weekend in June, and has evolved from an earlier event known as the “Freeraid”.

Most riders don’t really treat the Passportes as a race (although you do get a number for the front of your bike) but simply a great day’s mountain bike riding. The event is massive – 2 days, 3 courses (30, 45 & 75 km) and 3700 riders. The classic trek of 75 km includes 12 ski lifts, 6500 m of total downhill, 500 m of total uphill climb.

What makes this event unique is the fact that it attracts a wide range of participants – from lycra clad cross country riders to armour clad downhill riders, and from beginners to experts. Everyone gets involved and rides the same course. True, the cross country riders tend to beat the downhill riders on the climbs, and for the real keen peddlers, there is also optional climbing sections. And true the downhillers tend to overtake the cross country riders when it comes to descending, and there are a couple of optional “free ride” sections. But overall, the race is a fantastic melting pot of all mountain bike styles and standards.

As for the course itself – it has to be one of the best in the world! It takes in some amazing panoramas on the Morgins and Champoussin sections with views of the Dents du Midi, the Dents Blanch and even Mont Blanc. There is some excellent steep and twisty single track down through the woods in Torgon. There are dedicated downhill courses used at Chatel and Les Gets. There is an epic descent from the top of Linderets down to Morzine and there are some great meandering cross-country sections on relatively easy 4×4 tracks.

Another excellent feature of this event are the fantastic refreshment stands located at regular intervals throughout the course. Large tables offer up a wide range of snacks and drinks, from energy/nut bars to cheese and ham, from energy drinks to beer and wine. It is always interesting to see who feels fit to tuck into the alcoholic drinks at ten in the morning, and then avoid them if you see them on the course!

The Passporte du Soleil is really an event for everyone. It has become so massive that it now sells out months in advance. However, if you visit the Portes du Soleil later on in the summer, it is possible to get a map from the local tourist office and cycle pretty much the whole route.

Race stats:

Classic trek – 75 Km
The classic circuit is for purists: a long tour of the Portes du Soleil about 75km
    * approximatively 75km – 12 lifts
    * 6500m of total downhill/ 500m of total uphill
    * 7 resorts to start from : Avoriaz, Châtel, Les Gets, Morzine, Champéry, Morgins et Torgon
    * 8 refreshments points

Intermediate trek – 45 km
45km with one aim in mind; having fun
    * approximatively 45km – 7 lifts
    * 4000m of total downhill /300m of total uphill.
    * 4 resorts to start from: Châtel, Champéry, Morgins et Torgon.
    * 4 refreshments points

Discovery trek – 30km
For those who are quite good at mountain biking, but out on The Portes du Soleil’s tracks for the first ime…an ideal “breaking in route”
    * approximatively 30km- 5 lifts
    * 2200m of total downhill/ 200m of total uphill
    * 3 resorts to start from: Avoriaz, Morzine et Les Gets
    * 3 refreshments points

For more information, visit the Passportes du Soleil website.

Skiing in a recession – how to keep costs down

Ways to save money when booking a ski holiday.

With the recession tightening its stranglehold on the UK economy, here are some useful tips to save money on a ski holiday.

First of all, why not consider a self catered holiday? In this day and age, self catering doesn’t automatically mean tiny studio apartment s with fold down beds and people sleeping in the lounge. There is now a wide selection of excellent large self catered chalets available online, often with hot tubs and saunas. Self catered holidays tend to work out very reasonable on a per head basis, as long as all the beds in a property are filled.

Driving to your ski holiday is another excellent way of saving money. Cross channel ferries keep their prices low in order to compete with the budget airlines, and if you have four people in a car it will cost a lot less to drive than to fly – especially over the main holiday weeks.

Another advantage to driving is that you can stock the car up with food and drink for the week in the UK. This will stop you from losing money in resort because of a poor exchange rate. If the exchange rate recovers, having a car will still save you money because it will allow you to shop at the larger (and cheaper) out of town supermarkets rather than the smaller more expensive ones in the centre of the resort.

Once in resort, you should consider buying a local area lift pass rather than the full wider area one. Most people tend to buy the most expensive lift pass which covers the greatest area. In reality, for 6 days skiing, the local area is often enough. It is also good to get to know the local area really well, rather than just skiing every piste once in the wider area.

Another mistake that many people make is that of pre-booking their ski hire online. Nine times out of ten, the prices are no cheaper than if you walk into a shop off the street, and the quality of the equipment is often dubious. Furthermore, once you have handed over your credit card details online you are also tied to that one particular shop. A better option is to talk to your tour operator and see what sort of deals they have for you in resort. Chances are they work with a particular shop because of the good service, good equipment and excellent pricing on offer.

In order to carry out the aforementioned tips, it is vital that you get your destination right. There is no point in planning to economise and then booking a holiday in Courchevel! Resorts such as Chatel, in the Portes du Soleil will help you save money for the following reasons;

1) The resort, although a major ski resort in the world’s biggest ski area, is actually very reasonably priced since it is still predominantly visited by the French – it is a bit of an undiscovered gem.

2) The resort is located in the Northern French Alps so is one of the first ones you can get to when driving from Calais.

3) Because all the accommodation is chalet style, there is a huge selection of well priced high quality self catered accommodation.

4) Although part of the massive Portes du Soleil ski area, the local Chatel pass covers some of the best skiing in the domain (namely Linga & Pre La Joux).

5) If you do decide to ski the whole area, the lift pass for the whole Portes du Soleil is a lot cheaper than some of the other big domains, namely the Trois Vallees or Verbier.

However, all of this doesn’t mean that Chatel is some kind of second class resort. It is a beautiful alpine resort with a highly sophisticated skiing infrastructure in place.

In summary, just because money is tight doesn’t mean that you have to put your annual ski pilgrimage on hold. You just have to choose your ski resort well.

Chatel – a great destination for family ski holidays

Chatel is a picturesque ski resort based at the heart of the Portes du Soleil – the largest linked ski area in the world. The resort caters for all the family which makes it an excellent choice for holidaying with children.

From as early as age 3, children can start their skiing in Chatel at “Les Marmottons” Kindergarten, run by the Chatel ESF team. Les Marmottons is situated within the main part of the village and is accessible by a regular free ski bus. It has a club house for refreshments and indoor activities, and a range of skiing terrain to suit all first time skiers. They are also well staffed with English speaking ski instructors and assistants to help get the little ones on their skis.

Children can progress through all the various levels of skiing at Les Marmottons and can proudly return home as fully fledged skiers clutching their award medals. There are a number of ski lifts from small rope tows to Poma drag lifts which teaches the children the basics of getting up the mountain and the snow coverage on the nursery slopes is guaranteed as they also have added snow making facilities and their own piste bashers.

The other ski schools in the village, the ESSI and the ESF, also offer great group lessons or private lesson options for children as young as age 4 at the two main Chatel ski areas – Pre la Joux and Super Chatel.

The ESSI is a small independent operation with English speaking instructors, offering small class sizes and easy meeting points.

The ESF are able to offer fantastic value for money on their group and private lesson packages and offer meeting points at Super Chatel and Pre la Joux. Both ski areas are easily accessed by car or by the free village ski bus.

The Super Chatel ski area is reached by gondola from the centre of the village allowing parents with little children and even babies to go up the mountain and feel like they are part of the skiing action. There are sledging areas at the top of the gondola next to the nearby beginner slopes where the snow can be enjoyed by all.

At Pre la Joux the main four-man chair lift is accessible to pedestrians and skiers alike allowing families and non skiers to go up and down the mountain by chair lift for lunch in one of the restaurants or for a hot chocolate or vin chaud on one of the sun terraces.

Families visiting Chatel find that very quickly they are able to find their way round the resort, skiing a range of slopes to suit all levels and ensuring that all members of the family feel like they can make the most of the ski area whilst still sharing quality time together.

Winter returns to Chatel

It was just starting to feel as though spring and really got one over on winter, but winter is fighting back! Temperatures are dropping this evening, and there is 60 cm of snow forecast over the next two days, with more falling towards the end of the week.

We already have plenty of snow to last until the end of April, but of course we never say no to more powder!!!