How about this for first tracks?  Photo taken on Combe des Pylones, off Saulire at 11am on 11th November 2009.  Clear blue skies, half a metre of powder and no-one on the mountain-Heaven! It’s looking good now for the start of the season.  Why not book for week beginning 12th December and enjoy quiet pistes such as these and catered chalets at self catered prices? See our special offer page. Photo courtesy of Vincent www.les3vallees.com and www.latania.co.uk

When hitting the slopes this winter how much thought will be given to sun safety?  This winter throngs of beginners, intermediates and advanced skiers and boarders will flock to the slopes in search of adrenalin, thrills and fun in the snow.  Whilst the dangers of skiing and boarding are well documented; often the dangers of UV radiation on the slopes are overlooked.  The risk of sunburn and skin damage from UV radiation is much greater in the Alpine regions despite it being cold. UV radiation cannot be seen or felt and up to 80% of the sun’s rays can penetrate clouds so visitors are being warned to take at least as much care of your skin a skiing/boarding holiday as you would on a summer vacation.

UV radiation levels are more intense at higher altitudes than at sea level because the air is cleaner and there is less air to filter the harmful UV rays.  UV levels increase 10-12% for every 1000m of elevation therefore the higher skiers and boarders go, the greater their risk of sunburn.

Snow is highly reflective-on a clear sunny day, clean fresh powder can reflect as much as 85% of UV radiation.  This means that not only does the UV radiation reach you directly from above, but also indirectly from below by being reflected. Keen skiers will be exposed to these rays  6-7 hours per day in their search for the ultimate run or perfection of technique.

So make sure that you Stay safe in the sun by making sure that you follow the simple pointers below.

• Cover up-Most ski clothing is designed to cover most of your body and keep you warm, but don’t forget the bits which are not covered.  Cover your head with a beanie, balaclava or helmet with flaps to cover your ears.
• UV levels are highest between 11am and 3pm so remember to take a break and go indoors or in the shade.
• Generously apply SPF15+ (UVA and UVB) water resistant sun cream to all exposed areas.  Remember to apply sun cream under your chin, under the tip of your nose and behind your ears due to the reflective nature of the sun.
• Wear a SPF15+ or zinc based lip balm
• Reapply sun cream every 2 hours and do not burn
• Wear goggles or sunglasses which protect your eyes from at least 95% of UV light
• Drink lots of water to stay hydrated

We have heard a rumout that SP3 may announce that they are to launch a “mini pass” for La Tania for beginners to be able to use the Tania gondola instead of having to buy a full Courchevel valley lift pass if they want to ski down the green or blue run into La Tania.  Prices are still to be confirmed but should be significantly cheaper than having to buy a Courchevel pass.  Currently one trip on the gondola costs 6 euros.

It looks as if Winter has finally arrived in La Tania today, November 2nd,  as it is snowing and the temperature is 5 degrees.  It is forecast to snow on and off for the next few days.  Fingers crossed it carries on for the next few weeks!

Below are details of all the  new lifts in the Three Valleys for the new 2009/10 ski season.

SP3 are  building a brand new 6 person high speed chair lift from Courchevel 1850 over to above Courchevel 1650 and will replace the old slow 2 man chair lift Roc Mugnier and Prameurel which will improve connections between Courchevel 1650 and 1850.

Also in Courchevel, the Cospillot draglift  which is above Pralong chairlift, is being extended which will allow more of the very expensive chalets along this very pretty run down to Courchevel 1550

A new piste is being created from the new Verdon “Fun area” to the top of Jardin Alpin gondola which should cut out the occasional bottleneck at the Biollay gondola.

The slow Golf chairlift in Meribel village is being replaced by a high speed 4 man detachable chairlift.  This will halve the skiing time to the Meribel Altiport where it connects with the 8 man Altiport chair or you can ski straight into Meribel centre.

In Les Menuires a new 6 man chairlift is being built near to Bruyeres.  This replaces the old Rebery and Etele chairs.  This should make for a quicker exit out of the vally and over towards Mottaret via the Beca chair.

In Val Thorens the double drag lift back into resort has been removed and is to be replace with more travellators.

In the Courchevel valley the French ski school, ESF, are using a new sytem to improve children’s safety on chairlifts.  All children receiving tuition with the ESF will be equipped with Magnestick back protection which quite literally, sticks the children to the chairlift using magnets. Not all chairlifts are equipped with with the Magnestick technology yet but the Signal, Dou des Lanches (the lift over from La Tania) and Chatelet are now.

After a glorious and long hot summer, the weather in La Tania has now turned very cold and wintery and the first few snow flakes have fallen down to resort level.  More snow is forecast over the next few days over the peaks and whispers have been heard from the locals that a good winter is predicted this year. Bring it on!

There has been a reduction to the VAT  restaurants charge for food  recently.  The rate has been reduced from 19.6% to 5.5% so this should reduce the price of lunches on the mountain and dinner on the chalet hosts night off which has got to be good news for all skiers and boarders.

If you prefer to save even more money, our chalet hosts are offering credit crunch busting packed lunches this season for a very modest price.  What could be nicer than enjoying a picnic on the piste and knowing that it hasn’t cost you the earth?

According to the American Academy of Sports Medicine, exercise increases immunity to illnesses such as flu by about 20 to 50%.  By completing at least 45 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week you can hopefully avoid the flu virus.  One reason skiing and exercise in general may help boost immunity is that exercise reduces stress and therefore the amount of cortisol in the body.  This “stress hormone” has been linked to increased bouts of illness.  If you ski and snowboard more, you can be more mentally balanced, leaner and flu free.

Rail travel to the French Alps is becoming increasingly popular especially with the environmental issues but also it is a very relaxing way to travel – if only it was easier to book tickets! At last, the long awaited train tickets to Moutiers for the coming winter season go on sale today, Wednesday 14th October. Moutiers, the nearest station to La Tania is just a 30 minute trip up the hill, so you arrive at your chalet, fresh and raring to go skiing! Rail Europe is now selling tickets covering dates from 13th December 2009 through to 13th January 2010.  Apparently you can only book tickets up to 3 months in advance, but it is now only 2 months to 13th December!  Tickets for the rest of the season will presumably go on sale 3 months in advance.