Mountain Mavericks

Are we heading for another ice age, I hope so.

2011-10-11T13:28:00.000+02:00

Now I don’t want to get involved in the global warming debate, but having an obvious interest in trying to predict snowfall some understanding of how the earths’ temperature fluctuates would be useful. Which means you come across both sides of the argument quite frequently. The current sticking point seems to be is how much influence the sun plays in the warming of the earth. One side says very little compared to manmade influence the other says it has total influence and man is but negligible in the equation.

Now as said I don’t want to get involved but one thing that both sides agree on is that the energy being received from the sun has been waining as it passes through the low point of its 11 year cycle. However there is a lot of argument that this downward trend in solar activity is going to be more distinctive and last far longer.

The question is, what does that mean to us who look forward to cold times?

UV view of the sun

Dr Scaife from the UK met office says that the UV output from the sun (which varied greatly with overall solar activity) does have an effect on over all winter temperatures, but not in a direct way. The UV is absorbed by and thus affects the temperature of the Stratosphere. When there is less UV the Stratosphere is cooler, the effects of which percolate down through the atmosphere, changing wind speeds, including the jet stream that circles the northern hemisphere. This change or kink in the Jet stream blocks warm westerly winds reaching Europe whilst allowing in cold winds from Arctic Siberia. The key point in his argument is that although this causes Europe and North America to be colder, other areas are warmer as it is only a change in the circulation of the air not a dramatic change in over all climate.

Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment Satelitte

One of the problems is that data on the UV output from the sun is hard to measure from the earths’ surface and accurate readings have only been taken since the launch of the source satellite in 2003. Observations and analysis of the first few years of output from source seemed to raise more questions than answers concerning a trade off between UV radiation absorbed and energy at visible wavelengths that reach the earth. Mike Lockwood from Reading University thinks these readings could be particular to this phase of solar activity, marking the end of a phase of high output and a transition into a less active phase.

“It’s now emerging that the ‘space age’ has been a ‘grand maxima’ (the sun oscillated between grand maxima and minima), so my view is that the sun is due to fall out of this and into a ‘grand minima’. So I would not be surprised if in 50 years’ time we find ourselves in conditions like the ‘Maunder Minimum’ associated with the ‘little ice age’.”

Professor Lockwood also says that although short term changes in solar output may not affect the global big picture, they can have a powerful impact on local weather patterns, particularly over Europe and Eurasia, as was suggested by Dr Scaife.

Sunspot as compared to the earth

Since 1990 research by the National Solar Observatory in Arizona has been monitoring the decline in sunspot activity. Sunspots are the Harbingers of the magnetic activity on the sun that lead to the ejection of particles towards the earth, via flare events and coronal mass ejections. Their research finds that the magnetic field strength of sunspots has been declining, and if it drops too low, a level that could be reached by 2016 if the current trend continues, then there will not be enough for sunspots to form at all. A situation that has been seen before, between 1645 and 1715, a time otherwise known as the Maunder Minimum.

Well no matter what you believe mans effect on the earths’ temperature is. It is looking likely that we have some cold winters ahead.

For High or Low

2011-10-04T12:20:00.000+02:00

Living in Morzine is amazing; something that often sparks a bit of jealousy from our guests as we return them to the airport after another great ski holiday. But over the last few years I have been struggling to persuade a few friends, who I know from doing seasons, that it is the town to settle down in. It has all that other purpose built resorts have to offer as well as a great permanent community and all the facilities of a long standing town and not just being for the purposes of the tourism it attracts.

The reason I have been struggling to persuade them has come down to the belief that “it’s too low and doesn’t get the snow”. Well having spent a lot of time in the mountains over the years I have not only come to realise that big generalisations are difficult to apply, but in particular the common belief that higher resorts get more snow, isn’t always true and I’m glad to say that Avoriaz at the heart of the Portes du Soleil, neighbouring Morzine, is one resort that proves that.

Avoriaz has the highest average snow fall of any French resort. A fact that is attributed to it’s being situated further north and proximity to Lake Geneva offering up the extra moisture.

If we look at just last year, one of the worst in over 30 years, a time that has seen many a travel writer run to the cliché in the approach to this season. Avoriaz had a higher average snow depth and more open slopes than other higher resorts popular with the British skier.

Average snow depth cm:

Nov 2010 Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr 2011

Avoriaz 12 83 112 110 110 47

Val D’Isere 14 61 86 87 101 59

Meribel 5 55 59 57 78 46

This coupled with a large number of tree lined pistes, afforded to a slightly lower altitude means that the resort will have more open lifts on bad weather days. All in all, a winning combination.

I know where I’ll be staying and on those heavy snow days (that we are going to get loads of this year) I’ll be thinking of all those poor folk stuck inside at high altitude, whilst I’m shredding the trees.

Heavy snow winter predicted for Morzine (according to the oldies, and they would know)

2011-10-04T08:33:00.000+02:00

Predicting the weather always seems a fickle art, even for a country such as ours, that often seems obsessed by what we are about to receive. The further forward you are trying to predict it seems sometimes more a guessing game than a science and even then they can only go into trends rather than the details of particular weather topics, like amount of snowfall.

Those of us, whose livelihoods are greatly influenced by the amount of snow that will fall, can be found listening to any theory we can find to give us a clue as what the coming season will bring. But for generations past, before the advent of modern prediction techniques and satellite imagery, many rules existed which we now know to be based on sound principles although only born out of observation and the passing of knowledge down the generations.

Take for instance the clichéd weather prediction “Red sky at night Sheppard’s delight. Red sky in the morning Sheppard’s warning.” We now know a red sky is seen when looking at a high pressure system with dry air stirring dust particles, which cause the sky to look red. If you are seeing this at sunset, as prevailing jet streams and weather systems tend to move from west to east and the sun sets in the west, the dry air is moving towards you. Conversely in the morning if you see the red sky and dry air to the east, it has past you by and the next weather pattern to come your way will be a moisture carrying low pressure. This same theory can be easily applied to seeing rainbows, as they a formed by looking though moist air, to predict the onset or passing of rain.

Now currently the talk about town is very optimistic (although not all residents view it as a good thing) for a very heavy and early snow year. I have heard this based upon many theories from the bushiness of squirrels tails, thickness of onion skins, number of leaves on the Gentianes flower to over breeding of mice and bees. But the main thing that sells these theories to me this year is the consistency with which all the old people in town enthuse that it is going to be a heavy snow winter despite which method they use.

For myself I have witnessed, the redness of the trees and onset of autumn 3-4 weeks earlier than normal, the farmers taking their animals to lower pastures earlier than normal and a whole heap of positive thinking as I’ve ordered myself a split board this year and it won’t be much use without loads of fresh powder.

Fingers crossed.

Winter’s here, again

2011-02-22T13:29:00.001+01:00

We got snow, it's been a while but it's all wintery again.

Having been blessed with calm sunny weather for 6 weeks, we got a dump at the weekend, dropping a foot at the top of Avoriaz.

Could still do with some more to make the off piste all good, but with a little bit mid week and more next weekend we are looking forward to some good shredding.

As we are in the middle of half term I did not get up to enjoy this latest offering (yes you can hear violins) but our man Dan did, so you can check his photos at http://www.danjesse.co.uk/

I will get up there one day soon, I hope.

To Helmet or not to Helmet

2011-02-19T12:47:00.003+01:00

On the way down to the airport there was a news article on the radio about helmet use in Switzerland for snowsports. This reignited a conversation that has been quite frequent over the last couple of weeks, about helmets the fact that they are nowadays far more common place, and why do I not wear one. Now what I'm about to say might make me come across as hypocritical, which I am being slightly, but I do believe that even under the weight of over whelming evidence one is entitled to exercise their right to personal choice, apart from my son who will always be wearing his helmet.

I tried to do some research, inorder to make my ramblings seem more factual and informative, but its funny how ski resorts seem to be unenthusiastic to publish injury statistics. Though I did find;
In Switzerland there are 2million skiers/snowboarders each year. 45000 injured skiers and 20000 injured snowboarders. Although there is a slightly higher percentage with Children and snowboarders, about 15% of those injuries are head injuries and the Swiss council for accident prevention believes that 50% of those head injuries would have been prevented if everyone was wearing a helmet.

Between the 2002 -2010 seasons across Swiss resorts 14.8% of injuries by skiers were head injuries and 16.5% with snowboarders. The difference mainly being due to the number of injuries acquired, from a height or through jumping. In fact if you take out those numbers due to jumping there are a higher percentage of injuries amongst skiers than snowboarders. Also (and considering the great amount of jesting I have taken over the years for being a reckless snowboarder, I like this one), in the same period 6.67% of injuries were due to collisions caused by skiers, where as only 4.17% were due to snowboarders.

All the fancy numbers aside though, the important one is that, 50% of head injuries can be prevented if we all wear helmets. If you then realise that a helmet will keep your head warmer than a hat. They have clips that will hold your goggles on should you take a tumble and when stopped if you put your goggles on your head; they will not fog if you have a helmet on. These days they have come a long way as far as design goes, no longer having to look like an orange on a cocktail stick, they are much lighter, the argument that the weight of a helmet increases chance of neck injury is no longer valid, and being as they are now more commonplace there is no longer any stigma attached to helmet wearers.

Now if all that has influenced you to wear a helmet when you next take to the slope there are a few things you should consider. Firstly make sure any you are looking at possess the right certification. ASTM 2040 and CEN 1077 are the main ones (American and European respectively), which should be noted on the helmet interior. It is also worth asking for or noting whether it has been put together ‘in-mould’. This involves a process by which the outer shell and the body of the helmet are fused together in the mould. This is as opposed to having a separate shell and liner that are glued together. An in-mould helmet will have a much thinner outer shell that at the edges will have a smooth meeting with the polystyrene body. Also with this construction technique the clip or mounting for removable earflaps will be moulded within the body of the helmet. This construction gives a much lighter helmet for the same safety specifications.

Venting, preferably adjustable is another important feature, they are very good insulators and will keep your head warm; however on a cold day the option to close your vents when moving is a good one to have.

They are multi impact, i.e. you can keep using them after your hit your head on something. In other words they will last so it is worth making some investment; a good helmet will start at about £50. Although, Last year a good friend of mine turned up at the chalet having bought all his kids clothes from Aldi. At first I jested him on this, but then I took a closer look and soon after contacted Aldi to see if they had any stock left. Each year they produce a limited line of kids ski wear, just enough that they know they can sell. The helmets last year sold for £8, they were the same certification and spec that some big helmet producers have on their high end helmets selling for £120 upwards. The jacket and pants were Gore Tex lined and only £16 a piece, which does make the cost of some products seem a little over inflated.

Well whether you choose to wear a helmet or not, let’s hope everyone can choose to enjoy the mountains responsibly and with respect for those around. That alone should reduce some of the injuries.

The Art of Flight

2011-02-19T10:49:00.001+01:00

Any of you who have had any interest in watching snowboard movies at all over the last year would probably have seen 'That's it That's all' and be somewhat aware of the stir it caused.

For those that haven't seen it, I suggest you make an effort to (we have copies in the chalets), it raised the bench mark for cinematography within snowboarding and although the snowboarding is of a new level it's self, the visual experience is enough to make the movie enjoyable to non snowboarders.

Well Travis' second project, the eagerly awaited sequel is out next autumn, titled the 'The Art of Flight'.

Here is the link to the trailer, I'm sure loads of riders will be watching this in the run up to next winter and getting very excited.

http://www.artofflightmovie.com

Focused on Freestyle

2011-02-07T11:56:00.002+01:00

It was all about freestyle fun and technical trickery last week, with our freestyle camp. A full chalet brought together a great bunch of people who were all focused on pushing their park and pipe riding.

Avoriaz has a great selection of facilities for us to use and on day one, after the usual assessment and tweaking of everyone's riding in the morning we headed off to the Nano park (officially called 'The Parkway') and the baby stash to get the first air time of the week. With Quiksilver rider Ollie Jackson in tow, we were given some example of what can be done on the little beginner boxes if you've got a few tricks in your bag. The day ended with a quick celebration in Robbos, dinner and a chilled night.

The week progressed with much a similar format to the days, though stepping up to include sessions on the air bag which helped hugely to build confidence in the air and got everyone progressing well onto the bigger kickers though confidence wasn't enough to take backflips further than the airbag.

The pipe in Avoriaz was in great shape all week, despite being a bit daunting at first, but Dave n Dave from Mint got everybody at least riding the walls and getting that floating feeling, with a few getting to the lip and tickling the space beyond, which is no mean feat for a first time in a 16ft icy pipe.

By the end of the week though there were tricks in abundance being thrown down all over and although the levels ranged through shifties on the green jumps, spins on the blues, straight airs on the reds, spins on to and off the boxes, everyone had achieved their goals and was riding with a big smile on.

Unfortunately not everyone came through unscathed; Kathryn being proof that although an airbag can let you land on your head without the usual repercussions it is not a full proof safety net. On the final day we had Damien our photographer with us and Kodak courage definitely got everyone to step it up and find the boundaries of what they are capable of, some maybe going a bit beyond. Even found some powder, had a walk a little bit but considering there had been no new snow for 4 weeks.

Support snowboarding buy from your local shop

2011-01-10T11:59:00.002+01:00

Now it can’t be said that I don’t grumble, as I do like a good moan, but also like to think I am very good at letting my fellow man be himself without ridicule, a trait that is almost a necessity in this job.

I am also (if you hadn’t noticed) very passionate about my snowboarding as to me it is not just a sport, but also a lifestyle and way of life and has over the years been a great medium by which I have met many great like minded folk.

As a result I can be a little protective of our sport and how it is portrayed, which has over the last few years led me to dislike a number of companies for their blatant use of the snowboard bandwagon as a marketing tool. However, whether this is something I have either gotten used to or that now snowboarding is mainstream and not the cool new thing anymore, I have not recently noticed mamy examples of such behaviour. That is until today.

I spend a lot of my weekend time at the airport, some of you may have noticed the weekend regularity of my posts, and today I noticed a lady walk past with a Jack Wills board bag. Now I am familiar with the brand but not greatly ( I don’t own any) and have nothing against them or even their decision to make and sell a very snowboard specific product. Or even that it doesn’t fit in any way their normal product line of their brand statement, that they ‘’create fabulously British goods for the university crowd, drawing inspiration from Britain’s rich history and culture. Clothing authentic and relevant for today’’

What really got me is that it was a super simple sleeve bag with a shoulder strap, no padding or anything that would make it more than a bag that can fit a snowboard in, certainly of much less quality than the free bag pretty much any snowboard shop in the UK would give you with the purchase of a new board.

Now that they would use this poor girls brand loyalty to advertise themselves to the snowboard and ski market annoys me, but to get her to pay for the pleasure of owning this bag at a hugely over inflated price is just plain rude.

A standard padded sleeve bag that you can buy from and branded by your local shop will sell for about £30, Jack Wills had their basic board sac on sale on their website for £129, admittedly it is now reduced to £79. Now I do feel for the poor girl who by being loyal to what could be her favourite brand has bought something that benefits them far more than her or the sport associated to it. If she had gone to her local snowboard shop she would have ended up with something that not only does the job better but been hell of a lot cheaper.

The moral being, support your local snowboard shop, because they support you.

I don’t think it even looks that nice.

The week that was our snowboard camps

2011-01-09T13:24:00.003+01:00

On 11th December, 25 snowboarders rocked up on the doorstep of two of our chalets in Morzine for the Just Performance Lab and the Just 4 Girls snowboard camp.

Having been blessed by great snow and then cursed by rain the week before the camps we were slightly unsure of what to expect when the lifts opened again in Avoriaz on the Saturday. We were pleasantly surprised at how good conditions were, although the off piste was a no, the pistes were perfect for the first couple of lessons with instructors Dave & Tammy from Mint. The week started with getting straight down to technical progression for both the Just4Girls and Just Performance camps… breaking down the riding techniques and then building it up again, properly.

With both camps full we had a good mix of riding levels (with 4 coaching groups) and some great personalities. The Slopestyle party on Monday night in Morzine gave some of the boys the chance to brush up on their chat up lines as well others to win raffle prizes!
Mid week, right on cue, it snowed, allowing us to get more adventurous and test the new skills learnt over the previous days. There were a good number of campers who had never really ridden powder before… they thought they had, but when you’re getting first tracks off Cubore in Avoriaz it soon opened their eyes to what the good stuff is compare to those few turns at the side of the piste! New skills and techniques were adjusted accordingly to the off piste conditions and it was definitely the girls that got the best of the powder riding (hehehe)!

We took advantage of the fine snow and sunshine to bring Damien, our resident photographer, along and take some shots. This led to hunting out good terrain on which to bag a banger, and take it home to show mom! The photos can be seen on Facebook.

For the end of the week Mother Nature blessed us with an almighty dose of snow. So in preparation everyone waxed their boards (with Bluebird wax from their goodie bags!), or at least got shown how to, discussed the options and advantages of shifting your bindings back, borrowed longer boards from the Lib-Tech demo fleet and went to bed excited to see what the morning would bring.

And it brought snow, loads of it, easily 50cm… booyeah! There were strong winds and poor visibility, so to the trees was the cry and off we went. Even if you have ridden a fair bit of pow, over half a meter of light and fresh is still hard work to keep yourself going in. However there was no question, the grey conditions were irrelevant, it was an epic day all-round and tree riding a great experience for everyone.

The Perfomance Lab gang had Quiksilver pro rider James Stentiford along to show them what could be done if you’re as talented as he is (which is incredibly). That didn’t perturb them from teaming up against James and the Mint Team for a pro vs am competition through the Stash. Although there is some debate as to who won, the performance level was definitely raised a notch or two and the fun factor was off the hook!

The girls and Olly stepped it up laying lines all across Lindaret to make a finale of a route down under the Abricotine chair. A super fun off piste section that normally gets tracked pretty quick, however end of the day, they were the first down it. This may have something to do with the flat track to get to it, which when waist deep and untracked took some effort. But with a thirst for adventure the girls followed, a track was put in and waist deep first lines were scored. They made it to the lift 5 minutes before it closed it after a full day (9am start) in super deep snow. Laughing muscles were aching as much as the legs… true sign of a great day!
After such an epic powder day, there was zero desire to go dancing for an end of week party! Instead everyone enjoyed viewing of Damiens awesome photos, the various videos taken during the week, an award ceremony, a few ding repairs, drinks at the chalet and a well earnt good night sleep.

Now normally the story ends there, but due to snow in the UK and cancelled flights many had a night in Geneva, whilst others came back to Morzine and even got to shred another day!
Thank you to Quiksilver Bluebird and LibTech for their continued support of the Just Snowboard Camps. Thank you to the Keep a Breast Foundation and Herd Headwear for supporting the Just 4 Girls camps.

Bonne Annee

2011-01-03T23:47:00.003+01:00

Now the dust has settled and the hangovers past, we would like to wish you all a truly happy new year and that 2011 brings you plenty of snowy days wherever you are.

Happy birthday to me

2010-11-27T14:18:00.003+01:00

Even got a present from mother nature.

Although the 4 hour delay at Geneva airport isn't so much fun.

Avoriaz opens next weekend, gonna do some celebrating then.

Calling all snowboarders

2010-11-25T23:17:00.002+01:00

As some of you may be aware already we work with the most respected local snowboard school in town, Mint, offering a combined package under the name of Just Snowboard Camps.

With the early season weather treating us so very nicely we are looking forward to our first camps. Aimed at riders who wish to get a head start on their season running from the 11th -18th Dec our camps include all the usual Mountain Mavericks goodies as well as a full program of professional snowboard instruction as well as coaching in all other aspects of the sport from mountain safety to how to look after your kit.

The reason I am telling this now is that we still have a couple of spaces left on both our Performance camp and Just4Girls and with conditions being so good it would be a shame for anyone to missout on some early season shredding that could set you up for the best season ever.

Please check out www.just-snowboard.com for more info, or call Olly on 0033634040583.

snow glorious snow

2010-11-25T22:55:00.002+01:00

I took a photo this morning of the snow that had fallen at the chalet overthe last few days as I haven't had a chance to get upto Avoriaz and see if the 50cm predicted had in fact fallen.

This was 12 hours ago, it has been snowing off and on at the chalet all day, but when I got home it was still snow free at our house. I just took this outside, it's a bit blurry but you get the idea.

And this is tonights forecast. That 25cm at 1200 could easily be 50cm at 1800. Which ever way you put it thats loads of snow ( certainly more than the uk gets ). Along with ( as yet unconfirmed ) reports of Avoriaz and Les Gets opening this weekend, the season is off to a great start ( and it hasn't even started yet ).

Bring it on.

It's always on the first day

2010-11-17T21:57:00.002+01:00

At the beginning of each week we make sure to remind guests that they have what they need on the forst morning on the hill. It's understandable that when your not in the practise of getting your kit together and under the influence of excitement you may forget something.

This morning I went with 2 friends to hike Arare and make the most of the recent snow fall and a lovely sunny day.

Paul managed to forget his boots and I left the cameras memory card in the computer.
Despite that we had an awsome run and bagged the first powder turns of the season.

and I will have to go again soon and get the pictoral evidence of how nice it is looking up there at the moment.

snow glorious snow

2010-11-07T19:04:00.001+01:00

snowed today and due to carry on through till tuesday, with snow line hovering around 1000mtrs. Thats really good.

Where did the summer go.

2010-10-10T22:15:00.003+02:00

Seems only yesterday, I was at the board test, the season had finished, but I was still snowboarding.
And now the summer is well and truly over we are sitting surrounded by all the beautiful colours of autumn and in full swing preparing for the season to start.
We have an amazing team this year and will be sure to intoduce them in more detail later, but they like us are getting super excited with the impending snow fall and getting organised for winter.
This year we have worked to refine our already outstanding service and improve on all levels the experience of all our guests. By introducing packages specific to groups requirements we are able more than ever to give everyone the holiday they desire.

Baby weeks, where childcare is included on top of the already extensive facilities we offer for families with young children.

More snowboard camp weeks, now 6 weeks where instruction is included in all thing snowboard. The Just snowboard Camps continue to be supported by Quiksilver and LibTech snowboards, being able to add Bluebird wax to our list of friends, who will be providing all the tech gear necessary for keeping boards and skis running at thier best.

We will be able to do more of our own transfers, offering a more exclusive service to our guests.

The opportunity to taste the upper limits of what our proffesional chefs are capable of by upgrading your dinner, included for special occassions, but optional for your own celebration.

And behind the scenes we have worked all summer to make sure the good ship Mountain Mavericks runs more smoothly, giving Emma and I more time to concenrate on the nice things that make our holidays better for everyone.

See you in the snow
Olly & Emma

We went to the board test

2010-05-12T14:55:00.002+02:00

Last week was the annual british snowboard industry get together, known as The Snowboard Test. As the season was finished couldn't see any excuse not to go, so Glenda and I packed up the car and drove to Kunertaul Austria to ride next years boards and maybe have a few drinks to celebrate surviving another season.
T'was a great opportunity to catch up with some friends, got to have good chat with Andy from LibTech about next year run a few ideas and sort the order for our demo kit. And of course ride the boards, weather wasn't on our side but plenty of snow and a few of the better models that haven't had the chance to ride before. Just wait to try the Banana Magic, it is as it says Magic.
Just thought I'd mention that we do get out to enjoy ourselves every now and then, but now back in Morzine and was getting super excited about the summer, been and mowed the lawn all untill it started heaving down with rain. Ah well be good for the grass.

Oh joy to the jumps

2010-03-13T12:58:00.000+01:00

The Chapelle park and the Pipe

As I sit here at the airport awaiting the arrival of our first freestyle campers, I'm pondering the parks available to us and wonder whether everyone realises just how lucky us snowboarders are here in Morzine/Avoriaz.

The Stash

In Avoriaz alone there are 3 parks (4th started construction this week), 2 stash runs, pipe and a boarder cross. There are further parks in Mont Cherie, Crozets and Chatel all a short slide away. and with spring sunshine starting to poke it's head out I'm looking forward to seeing if I can still keep up with the kids.

Take a run through the proline park in Lindaret.

Photos courtesy of Burton snowboards and Avoriaz

Good for the environment, good for me

2010-02-28T00:46:00.003+01:00

I would like to say a big thank you to the Costello family, who left our chalet Atelier this morning. This is because they drove. although it may not have been for a such a reason this is, compaired to flying, an more environmental option. However it is not for this reason that I wish to thank them, but in driving I did not have to take them to the airport this morning, which meant I could go riding on this fantastic morning.

Oh and Em got stuck on a chairlift ;)

The season thus far

2010-02-21T11:09:00.002+01:00

Despite the 'latest news' title I have to admit our news feed is a little out of date. You have noone to blame but me, but in trying to rectify the situation here is a catch up of what we haver been doing in the lovely little town of Morzine since the beginning of December. Besides working.

As the last post said we played host to the crew from the News of the Worlds fabulous magazine, who did a number of shoots in our Chalet Le Prele. These have since been published over the last few weekends and look nothing short of, well, fabulous.

Fortunately the snow arrived 12 hours after they did and hasn't stopped since. it has been a good snow year, maybe not epic but consistent drops, with a number of classic big dumps (you know the really statisfying ones) mid Jan and early Feb, which will ensure seeing us through to the end of the season, despite the fact that the long range forcast is for snow falling right through to the end.

Our team have been amazing and consistently delivering the MM service, and as a result we have bene fully booked and are so untill end of March with the last few rooms going quikly. And from our point of view super happy that the vast majority of our gusts this year have been before or been recommended by somebody who has, and for that we can only say a huge thank you to any and everyone who has supported us.

Our new MM snowboard concept has been going well, with the Lib-tech boards changing a lot of ridders ideas of what a board can to for them. Our Snowboard camps are selling out, with only 1 place left on the next one in mid March, and as a result had the likes of snowboard legend James Stentiford, and the rest of the Quiksilver team to visit.

Mathieu Crepel showing off is banana at the olympics.

We are already making plans and taking bookings on next year, and will have loads new to tell you about by the time it comes round.

And I know you dying to ask how Luc is. Well he is officially 2 (has been for few months now) and is making sure everyone knows it. He had his first taste of skiing on xmas day and is super keen to do more and other than an insane curiosity (whats that? whats that? whats that?) he like the rest of us is very well. Luc in lego (Em's got an Iphone)

Hope you are to.

Ciao

Mountain Mavericks gets more Fabulous!

2009-12-01T16:02:00.005+01:00

This is a very exciting week in the life of Mountain Mavericks, firstly our new shiny staff have arrived to be given the MM stamp of loveliness (not that they need it!) and secondly we are playing host to the crew from Fabulous magazine - the glossy fashion insert to the News of the World.

More on the staff in a later blog....going to get a family photo first!

Back to being Fabulous!

Basing themselves at our totally fabulous chalet - Chalet Le Prele, the Fabulous crew arrived on Sunday to our little town of Morzine that was looking rather void of snow....with much looking at the forecasts we promised the blanket of snow was arriving overnight.....(no sleep for us, just snow dancing all night!!)......and blessed we were......We all woke up to a beautiful and stunning winter wonderland, just in the nick of time ( I have gone grey during the lead up to this!)

The first day of shooting was for the beauty shoot, which was taken around the chalet - wait till you see them.....amazing! I think due in the magazine towards the end of January...don't worry we shall keep you updated.

Today they have been shooting the 'Ice Queen' story at the stunning Lac du Montriond. I took a few behind the scene photos to give you an idea of a) the snow! and b) how amazing the shoot is going to turn out.

It's all very exciting. I shall keep you posted as the week goes on........

Can you believe it! We have Christmas available in Chalet Le Prele!!!!

2009-11-17T14:49:00.004+01:00

Due to a last minute cancellation we now have our gorgeous Chalet Le Prele available for the Christmas week 20th-27th December 2009!

Imagine spending a picture perfect Christmas with family/friends in one of the most beautiful chalets in Morzine. Wake up gently to a hot drink brought to your bedside, feel energised for the day in the fab walk in showers, fill yourself with a hearty home cooked breakfast - what do you fancy today? Eggs, bacon, pancakes, omelette's - you decide. Be delivered to the pistes and met again at a time to suit you, before heading back to the roaring fire, freshly made cakes, mince pies, mulled wine - soak in the beautifully landscaped hot tub and smother yourself in the delicious L'Occitane goodies.

Diner....well, one of THE events of the day at MM. Your professional chef Dean ably assisted by Kylie will create and serve a masterpiece. Accompanied by carefully plucked wines - a real seventh heaven!

All topped off with traditional decorations, alpine tree, crackers, silly hats and lots more.

The published price for Christmas week is £7,500 for sole occupancy. At a much reduced price due to the cancellation we can now offer the whole chalet for £6,000 or £600pp

Do call and chat to Emma on 0033 6 34 04 04 67 -Merry Christmas!!!!

ooh like a good soak

2009-11-12T22:45:00.004+01:00

Although we are constantly trying to improve our offering to you, many are quite small changes and this year a number are still not completed. However one of the more noticable works has been completed in the re location and landscaping of Le Preles hot tub. Settled a little further back it still commands the view over Morzine and Pleney, but keeps those enjoying a good soak out of sight.

Snow glorious snow

2009-11-11T22:15:00.004+01:00

Our good friends Tammy and Paul went for a walk up the valley from Chalet Chambertin to see what they could see. The view was blurred but they were not purturbed, for everything was very snowy.

But you can see that for yourself in the pictures. Just think what it will be like up top.

Safely home to the snow

2009-11-08T22:13:00.004+01:00

Having just got our eyes open after recovering from the mammoth drive, it's good to be home. especially as can look back on a good few weeks in good ol' london.
First off we had the ski show, there promoting our snow board camps (http://www.just-snowboard.com/) we hijacked the Quiksilver stand and invited our dudes along to represent.The following weekend was the Freeze at battersea powerstation, which had a great display of skiing snd snowboarding as well as bands, none of whoom I'd heard of, but enjoyed them all the same.
The icing on the cake is though, the litteral icing that morzine has all white and crisp, ahh it's good to be home.
Cheers to all of you who popped by to see us, look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Quiksilver news

2009-10-14T13:43:00.002+02:00

Quiksilver launch new Int-Adv Snowboard Performance & Freestyle Camps with JUST SNOWBOARD

Quiksilver have joined forces with Just Snowboard to offer a range of Performance and Freestyle camps in Morzine, France for the upcoming season. Advanced qualified coaches, luxury accommodation, transfers, breakfast & dinner, lift pass, riding with Quiksilver Pro’s, and Quiksilver goodie bags all for just £780. This is the same price as most people will find themselves paying for an average snowboard holiday without the added coaching or added bonuses.

Camps
If you’re an intermediate snowboarder looking to improve your technical and freestyle skills you can sign up to these new Just Snowboard camps this winter with coaching from qualified instructors:

Quiksilver JustPerformance Lab – aimed at building on existing technical skills as well as dropping, spinning and slashing your way to a better riding experience.

Quiksilver JustFreestyle camp – all about freestyle trickery, be it kickers, rails, pipe or just jibbing about.

Mint Snowboard Coaching & Quiksilver Pro Snowboarders
You will be coached by the reputable Mint Snowboarding coaches, whose team of British instructors are qualified to the highest international level. They will ensure you progress to the best of your abililty as quickly as possible… providing you with easy to understand techniques and fun focused learning.
As well as pro coaching you’ll get the chance to ride with Quiksilver Pro Snowboarders James Stentiford, Jamie Nicholls, and James Thorne and hit them up for a few tips and hints.

Mountain Mavericks Accommodation
Accommodation is in one of Mountain Mavericks luxurious chalets. Complete with en-suite rooms, hot tub, lounge and games room. Breakfast and dinner with free flowing wine. Airport transfers and full Portes du Soleil lift-pass all included in the price. Centered around Avoriaz, which boasts the highest snow record in France, the chalet is a short walk from the lifts to access 650km's of piste (and all the bits inbetween).

Lib Tech Demo Centre
Just Snowboard are also supported by LibTech snowboards. Demo some of the latest advances in snowboard technology, from the most experimental factory in the world.

Dates 09/10
Just Performance Lab
12th – 19th December 2009 / 9th – 16th January 2010
Just Freestyle
13th – 20th March 2010

click on http://www.just-snowboard.com/ to sign up to one of the camps!

See us at the Ski Show.....London 21st-25th October 2009

2009-10-07T16:12:00.002+02:00

We have a stand at this years Metro Ski Show 2009! We will be promoting our Just Snowboard camps, new snowboard chalet - MMSB and of course our gorgeous Mountain Mavericks chalets.

You will find us on stand number 760......

Drop by and say hi, it would be great to see you.

Useful to know

2009-09-28T12:06:00.003+02:00

With the fluctuations the euro exchange rate has been going through over the last year or so, it has been difficult to plan and budget ahead for your holiday. By charging in pounds we make this a little easier on you, by taking on the head ache.
Recently have been made aware of another useful tool when spending money acrross borders.
The pre pay currency card. Works like any pre pay card, but you get a better exchange rate (if your organised and clever you can charge it up when the going is good and lock in the exchange rate then), can be charged online or by sms, no atm or transaction fees and free to get.
Dont believe me check out http://www.caxtonfxcard.com/ .
Nothing to lose.

New Just Snowboard site goes live

2009-09-24T08:34:00.006+02:00

After months of hard work we are super happy to say that the new Just Snowboard site has gone live to the world. Just camps is a collaboration between Mountain Mavericks, Quiksilver and Mint Snowboard School here in Morzine/Avoriaz, providing the full camp package from the best of qualified instruction with luxurious accommodation and ultimate service.

A huge thank you to Mark and the guys at Origin(www.origincreativedesign.com) for creating and building such an awesome site and also a huge thank you to Meena at Quiksilver, for all the support in helping us provide the camps and image that we dreamt of.

Sooooo introducing .....(drum roll) ..... http://www.just-snowboard.com/

Let us know what you think.....

Mrs Maverick runs for Alex

2009-09-18T15:20:00.006+02:00

Emma is running in the 10KM run in Jussy, Switzerland, this weekend. She has been donning the running shoes in preparation of this event on the 20th September 2009 to help raise money for Alex, her half brother in law to visit the States and receive the treatment he needs.

To find out more about Alex click www.justgiving.com/iamrunningforalex

Here is a photo of Alex with his Mum and Dad taken a year ago.

Mountain Mavericks presents MM Snowboard (MMSB)

2009-09-18T11:14:00.005+02:00

We are really stoked to announce that our new chalet - Chalet Atelier is where we shall be launching our new snowboard chalet concept, MMSnowboard (MMSB), as an exciting addition to our Signature chalet's.

Chalet Atelier will also be the new home of Just Snowboard camps (http://www.just-snowboard.com/.............. *new website going live very very soon*) a perfect partnership of Mountain Mavericks, Mint Snowboard School and Quiksliver bringing you the very best of a camp atmosphere, tuition from Britain's highest qualified instructors and the Quiksilver team.

Chalet Atelier is only a short walk from the bottom of the Prodain cable car with fast and easy access to Avoriaz - "the snowboard capital of Europe" - as well as the rest of the Portes du Soleil. MMSB gives you the perfect chalet, location and service to call your home in the mountains.

The Chalet provides all the toys, fixtures and catering you would expect from superior accommodation, combined with in house guide, LibTech demo centre, service room and any additions a keen mountain user would require.

With MMSB fully catered weeks start from as little as £445 and the Just Snowboard camps from £780, check out http://www.blogger.com/www.mountainmavericks.com%20 for more information.

Glenda's Blog - What it's really like to work a winter season!

2009-06-19T12:45:00.004+02:00

The winter of 2008/2009 will definitely be one to remember for me thanks to all the guests Ryan and I had stay with us in Le Prele. Each week we would eagerly await the transfer bus arriving and try to picture what ‘this week’s’ guests would be like. Lucky for us we had the most diverse, entertaining, relaxed, friendly mix of people we could have hoped for- it’s a cliche but no two week’s were the same.

This winter for me was a great escape- getting away from working in a bank during the good old economic crisis. I couldn’t have picked a better time or place to escape to. I had stayed with the MM team before and therefore knew what to expect from Olly and Emma, which for those of us who have been guests know to be a warm and enthusiastic welcome. What I wasn’t quite prepared for was just how much I would feel part of each group’s holiday. I realised that in my role as host it can be the tiniest touches which can make someone’s day or week whether it’s the comfort of a well made bed or a cup of tea in the morning. I found my favourite part of the day would be chatting with guests in the evenings when everyone was relaxed. It was lovely hearing about what they had been up to that day and getting updates from the kids on how their skiing had improved.

I also realised pretty quickly that I would learn to love and get excited about cleaning products- I never thought it will happen to me, suffice to say that my mother is very proud. The cleaning aspect of the job, whilst not my favourite past-time was outweighed by the time spent on the mountain. I hope Olly would agree that my snowboarding improved during the season after i sufficiently “manned up”.

A special mention has to go to the Just snowboard camp weeks - the guys and girls who joined us were ‘awesome’ - thanks for letting me join in. I can quite honesty say that being there to welcome people to Morzine and make the chalet their home during their stay is one of the most rewarding ‘jobs’ I’ve undertaken in a long time. It also helped having someone like Ryan to work with and cook for me every night for 5 months- I’ve had to relearn to cook since coming home!

Having had time to reflect after the season it’s so nice to look back at the positive comments that our guests took time to leave on Trip Advisor and other forums. It’s good to know that I in some way contributed you having a great holiday with Mountain Mavericks. Lucky for me Olly and Emma have asked me back for next year so I’m sure I’ll see a lot of our returning guests. I’ve started my countdown already- bring on the winter!!

New chalet for next winter

2009-06-11T11:26:00.009+02:00

Forever wanting to improve our offering to you, we have taken on another chalet for next winter. Chalet Atelier is a little out of Morzine towards the Prodains lifts. Being walkable to the lifts and bars there, it is ideally suited for those that believe the on hill activities and apres are the most important ingredients to a holiday.

Recognising the combination of Mountain Mavericks service and mountain accessability Atelier is the new home of JustSnowboard Camps and has sponsorship from Quiksilver and LibTech.

This will mean amoung other things an in house LibTech demo fleet of boards.

The chalet, also has a large kitchen dinning area and open plan lounge, seperate games room, hottub, board store and 5 en-suite rooms.

Getting Itchy already

2009-05-10T12:53:00.006+02:00

Just Having moment to sort some pictures from the last few days of the season. Fond memories, the pipe in Avoriaz was kept super well considering the 20+ temperatures and they built a big 'ol backcountry hip in Crozet, Happy days, bring on Winter10.

The seasons over.

2009-05-02T14:20:00.005+02:00

As April ends the lifts have come to a stop, but it hasn't yet stopped snowing.
We have had a great season with plenty of powder days, meeting some fantastic people, but have to say looking forward to bit of a break.
Emma and myself would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that came to visit us this winter as well to Glenda, Hannah, Dean & Ryan for thier efforts in keeping up the Mountain Maverick standard.
As we are now busy planning for summer and start looking towards next winter we hope you are all well and that we get to catch up next year.
watch this space over the summer and we will keep you upto date on what we are planning, to make winter 2010 even better.

'Luc' the baby of Mountain Mavericks

2009-04-06T17:25:00.003+02:00

We were not sure if anyone reads our blog.....but the more and more often we hear that you are! So thank you (big cheesy grin). But a topic of conversation that you all would like to see posted on a regular basis is that of our son Luc!

So.......

He received his first snowboard set up this week........

Last week of the season 2009 in Morzine/Avoriaz

2009-04-06T17:13:00.005+02:00

Imagine spending the morning cruising the terrain of Avoriaz or playing in the parks in the gorgeous spring snow conditions then chilling in the sunshine with a cold beer or two, with other like minded snow lovers!

We are offering the last week of the season for only £200 for the week, half board. It will be a really relaxed week to enjoy the last few slides of what has been an amazing winter.

If you are interested to find out more and join us, then do email

iwanttoshreduntiltheveryend@mountainmavericks.com

Snowboard camp in fulll swing

2009-03-25T08:06:00.004+01:00

This week Just Snowboard camps have one o thier Just4Girls camps running at Chalet Le Prele. Number of girls of all abilities are taking advantage of the great snow (yes we have more) and proffesional tuition, to take their riding to new heights. As well as a loads of fun off the hill.

We have signed up for the Portes du Soleil Multi Pass for this Summer 2009

2009-03-24T14:05:00.003+01:00

You love Morzine / Avoriaz in the winter? Then you will love it even more in the summer.....

There are 12 villages that make up the huge area of the Portes du Soleil. Each tourist office has joined together to offer all visitors to the area unlimited access to numerous activities for only 1 Euro per day, when staying with a participating accommodation provider - i.e Us @ Chalet Chambertin, Mountain Mavericks!

Just for 1 Euro per person per day you can visit and use:-

4 swimming pools and 2 lakes

25 Mountain lifts for hikers

5 Cultural sites

9 Tennis courts

2 Ice rinks

3 Tourist road trains

Inter-resort bus services

Walk in 850 Km of foot paths

So for a family of 4, that's 4 Euros for the whole day!

The offer is valid from 15th June - 15th September 2009, so get in touch and come and stay!

Look at Le Prele!

2009-03-09T12:03:00.007+01:00

We have had some new photos taken of Chalet Le Prele - thank you Jacquie!
We will be updating the website, but just to give you a sneek preview!
http://www.jcutlerphotography.co.uk/

The girls go to Praz de Lys

2009-03-09T11:24:00.004+01:00

We visited a new resort this week - 'Praz de Lys' which is a 40 minute drive from Morzine, through Lets Gets on the road to Taninges. The guys from the Mountain Bus Company drove us gorgeous girls for a well deserved outing in the beautiful sunshine. The day started as we meant to go on - a bottle of Champagne at the bottom of the first lift to celebrate Milly's engagement!

Praz de Lys is a lovely little resort with many 'cruisy blues', but also some great reds and blacks that had even me going do them and turning too!!! Yes they we rather steep but so perfectly groomed that it was a breeze. We did most of the resort before lunch, well everything that was accessible with the lifts and avoiding the drag lifts at all costs!

We stopped for lunch at a super 'snack bar' with a very sunny terrace to catch some rays....delicious food, tasty wine (it was so cheap compared with Morzine and Avoriaz - a bottle of Rose wine for 6 Euros!)....but with one rather huge downfall.....the establishment had no loo!!! So only a few runs later we found ourselves in a very old bar/restaurant right at the bottom where we were being met by Mountain Bus - happily situated next to the open fire and the loo's!!!

It was a great day, thank you girls and a huge thank you also to Jacquie for the photos - check out her website & blog.... http://www.jcutlerphotography.co.uk/

Better late than never

2009-03-06T15:54:00.004+01:00

I can only apologise for what despite my best efforts and early season promises, has been a very poor show in keeping our blog upto date.

My excuse, upto you wether you feel it's good enough, is that we are having the most amazing season and I have had so little time to be able to do so. But its true our sales are up 20%, and we have have more snow than we can deal with, literally. I am running out of places to put it when clearing the drive at Chambertin, you can no longer see all the view from the hot tub the mound is so high and I have developed snow shoveling muscles. But complaining i am not.

And to make things better today the 6th March, it has been dumping since wednesday night (today is friday) and it's not due to stop till tomorrow and then another 3 day dump at the beginning of next week. bring it on.

And I know I have been slack at keeping you posted, but most of the last 2 months would have read the same as i've just written here.

Credit crunch, global warming, not here.

This is the view from my desk 2 minutes ago, and we live at 800mtrs

More snow than can shake your proverbials at.

2008-12-11T08:14:00.004+01:00

A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together!

We have been full on the last couple of weeks with training and getting the final preparations done before first guests next weekend.

In meantime Avoriaz has been opening it's lifts and the tales coming back from the hill have been almost unbelieveble. As we haven't been up, have not had chance to assertain for my self but here is a shot from out front of the chalet, just to give you an idea of how much snow there is right now.

I've been coming here for 10 years and never seen town so white, can't wait to get up the hill.

Le Prele improvements

2008-11-30T09:54:00.004+01:00

Today we had a quick meeting with the lovely couple whom we rent our Chalet Le Prele from. At the end of last season we mentioned to them various improvments that would make a big difference to the chalet. Having not mentioned anything over the summer we were doubting as to how much of our advice they took on board.

However we were happy to find out that they had taken eveything we said and made it a reality. Thus it's great to be able to say that Le Prele has had all brand new high quality bed linen, proper down pillows and extra large bath towels as well as a large 6 seater hot tub.

I love Pat Meurier

2008-11-30T09:05:00.004+01:00

Purely platonically of course. Pat is K2 snowboards in the UK, and during my time working in the industry Pat and I spent many a late night discussing the geekier elements of snowboard technology. One of the more recent, developments is rocker, anti-camber or banana shapes, depending on which companies version. To me they look like boards that bend the wrong way and go against my inner understanding of how a board should work. Pat on the other hand had had the opportunity to ride the new boards and was completely converted, not only that it worked but was revloutionary in what it could do for your riding.

Because he is such s lovely guy, and partly probably to prove a point Pat very generously gave me a K2 Turbodream with rocker. Yesterday with the aforementioned opening of Avoriaz I was able to put it to the test for the first time.

Oh my god, how good is it. I rode a centered stance and charged the pow, being able to pressure my front foot without fear of sinking the nose. It was stable, fast, floaty and fun. I will now have to agree that rocker tech is as groundbreaking as the hype says. Funny for something that has been revived from some of the earliest boards.

Thank you so much Pat, for the first time in 15 years my board of choice is not a Burton.

Avoriaz opens it's lifts

2008-11-30T08:49:00.004+01:00

In response to the great snow conditions Chatel, Les Get and Avoriaz all opened their lifts this weekend. The opportunity to get the season started pulled quite a crowd, for what turned out to be a glorious day of sunshine and fresh powder.

With a load more snow due for the end of this week we are off to a great start.

Sex & Snow

2008-11-24T09:30:00.003+01:00

Snow is like sex,

you never know how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.

Another great night last night.

Avoriaz knackering but worth it for the snow.

2008-11-23T22:09:00.007+01:00

After being defeated yesterday on our ascent to Avoriaz we tried again today with much more success, and a better suited vehicle. Once in town we hiked the Arare, it took an hour and half, at some points literally upto my jewels in freshies.

Despite being absolutely knackered, still found the energy to woop the whole way down. Having been so invigorate by the quality of the run down we quickly decided to built a little kicker and get our first air time of the season, to add to the first powder turns.

Oh what a day, the season has started, FACT

Chefs raise the game, 10 courses and all wanting more.

2008-11-22T20:52:00.005+01:00

This week we invited 16 of our good friends to dinner, so that Dean & Ryan, our chefs for this winter, could have a chance to get used to the kitchen and flex their culinary muscles.

Not wanting to disapoint they pulled all the stops and provided the following 10 course degustation menu.

Creamy Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup w/ Rosemary Croutes

Char Su Pork Steamed Rolls w/ Bell Pepper Jam

Pepper and Dill Seared Local Salmon w/ Citrus Stifado

Twice Baked Abondance Cheese and Chive Soufflé w/ Cauliflower Puree, Pistachio

Fresh Picked, Wild Mushroom Risotto w/ Pancetta, Pea, Shaved Pecorino

Chilled Prawn, Lime Avocado Salsa, Celeriac Remoulade, Tomato Tian w/ Chive Oil

Pear, Rocket, Walnut, Prosciutto Salad w/ Balsamic Crème

Seared Pork Fillet w/ Soft Parmesan Polenta, Brussel Leaves, Green Apple, Mustard, Red Wine Jus

Baked Peach Coconut Custard w/ Almond Tuille Wafer

Selection of Local Cheeses, Citrus Date Puree, Pear and Grapes

Not only does it sound good, it looked amazing and tasted even better. We are so looking forward to working with these guys this year and being able to take out guests perceptions of chalet cooking to a new height.

First time for everything

2008-11-22T20:25:00.002+01:00

We have had an exciting week, personally Emma and I got the keys to our first house, Luc made his first steps, we made our first turns and our chefs had their first opportunity to cook for a full house, more reports on that to come.

We tried to get upto Avoriaz today, to make the most of all the lovely snow we've been having, but unfortunatly too much of a good thing and we couldn't make it up the road, so settled for a quick hike up from Prodain and still managed the first turns of the season. Which for Kylie was the first time shes ever seen and played in snow, kids in the candy store.

The trouble with weather forecasting

2008-11-20T09:48:00.002+01:00

Patrick Young once said, "The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it."

So to support reports of the coming snow this weekend and not get carried away with the hysteria that is growing in town, I have been checking every weather forecasting website I know about, and a few new ones, to establish what I can about the coming weekend.
Based on a mid station height (between 1500 - 1700 meters depending on report) we are expecting between 80 - 115 cm of snow over the weekend. It will settle down to 200mtrs at some points, but can expect 50 cm in the town of Morzine, with much more on top.

But that is not the good news, it is basically due to snow off and on for the next 2 weeks, without warming too much in between.

I'm off to wax my board, see ya.

Politics Aside

2008-11-20T09:35:00.003+01:00

Politics aside, when the vote is cast, we're hoping for the numbers to gently swing our way. Not because we deserve four feet of fresh. Not because we are worthy of the fine grained drifts. Not because we deserve the benefits of our particular brand of control over the blizzardy precipitation. Oh no. That's not why.
It's because we want it more than the next guy; It's because we are the vocal minority who cried out the loudest and longest; and it's because when the polls are closed and the results announced, when it snows, all will be right with the world.
and the world is about to become right again.

Meet the STAFF!

2008-11-08T19:44:00.004+01:00

We are so happy to be able to introduce our team for this year, as we are sure they will not only be able to continue our high standards, but make sure all the ingredients for a great holiday are blended and working together.

Taking care of the food we have Ryan and Dean. Having worked together in some of Oz’s best restaurants, and made the finals of young chef of the year, we are so fortunate to have their skills and input.

The rest of the chalets hosting is being taken care of by Hannah and Glenda. Who taking a break from professions at home after enjoying the Mountain Mavericks service themselves in the past have returned to do a proud job.

This year we have an extra fulltime member of staff, returning after doing a few weeks for us last year David is now our full time driver and assisting me with with the mountain hosting.
As always we will be keeping our hands on and taking care of all desires outside of the chalet. And this year we have little Luc keeping us all in line.

A special offer for a very Happy New Year

2008-11-08T19:35:00.005+01:00

Considering the doom and gloom of the economic climate not only back in the UK but all over the world, we thought that we would like to take the pressure off a little in JANUARY and offer all bookings taken from now until the beginning of the season (8th NOV - 14th Dec 08) a 10% discount.

Avoriaz to open at the end of November!

2008-11-08T19:25:00.002+01:00

With reports this week of Avoriaz opening it's 'doors' on the 29th November, the snow cannons have been 'blowing' all week to supplement the snowfall we have been having, making it offical that winter is just around the corner - it's getting rather exciting here at Maverick towers.

With another 'DUMP' due next week, keep logging in to see our first lines of the season........

Here's hoping

2008-10-31T14:52:00.002+01:00

According to a Guardian newspaper article from September the 1st, we might be in for a snowy, cold winter.
In the piece entitled ‘Is summer really over?’ a long-range forecaster named Harry Kershaw, using a technique known as simililarity forecasting, has said that 2008’s weather patterns are following those of 1962, which entailed a wet September and a briefly fine October, before descending into a bitter cold winter throughout the start of 1963. So cold in fact, that it became known as The Big Freeze of 1963, and according to the national CET records - which record temperatures going back to 1659 - was only beaten by the winter of 1739-40.

In 1963 the thermometre dropped to -16C, which led to the sea freezing to a distance of 1 mile from Herne Bay, the Thames was briefly turned into a skating rink, and snow settled on much of the country from January until March, with many parts of the country reporting drifts of up to 6 metres.

Cam't be bad.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/sep/01/weather

A magical morning

2008-10-30T10:42:00.001+01:00

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?

J.B. Priestley

Oh! the snow

2008-10-29T10:43:00.002+01:00

Oh! the snow, the beautiful snow, Filling the sky and earth below, Over the housetops, over the street, Over the heads of the people you meet.

J. Watson

Taken this morning at 1120mtrs

Avoriaz snowiest resort in France - fact

2008-10-22T21:06:00.002+02:00

Recently trying to persuade an old friend of mine to do a season here in Morzine, I again found myself defending the area. He has lived in Deux Alps for a number of years and depsite many an occasion of me gloating to him about having more snow over here, he can't get passed the missconception that a low resort won't have any snow.

Knowing the fact of it and understanding there have to be other factors that effect snowfall, other than altitude, I started to research.

among many other things I discovered that according to the Daily Mail ski magazine, with an average just shy of 8m snow a year, Avoriaz is the snowiest resort in France and 5th from across Europe. November 08 issue.

There is a very good entry on the all Mountain Holidays web which discusses this very topic and gives a good number of reasons.

http://www.allmountainholidays.com/weblog/

Also worth a read on this subject: http://www.white-peak.com/weblog/?p=7

and just to ice my argument, it is snowing in Avoriaz as I write this.

Work is never ending

2008-10-22T20:59:00.003+02:00

Were still cracking on trying to get things finished before the fast approaching winter. This week we have recarpeted all the bedrooms and the tv room, as well new wood flooring through the upstairs lounge. Could find decent carpet out here so persuaded Carl and his team to bring it all out form the UK and install it, ooh it's lovely.

Ooh he makes us proud

2008-10-14T22:59:00.003+02:00

Those of you that came to stay with us last year, will probably remember us karting little Luc around as we came to visit the chalets of an evening and how he would happily sleep in his carry thing like the little cute baby that he was. Well he had his first birthday yesterday and he's still just as cute but not nearlly as quiet or still as he used to be, but were still just as proud of him.

Here he is playing pirates with his friends.

Winter has started

2008-10-04T11:26:00.003+02:00

The trees have only just started to turn colour, a couple of weeks ago we were still in shorts, but already we have snow. It is only just into October and we don't expect it to stay for long but it bodes well for the future. There may not look like much down here at the chalet, about an inch. But we are only at 1100mtrs our nextdoor neighbour was on top of Pleney this morning (at 1600mtrs) where there was nearly 10 cms. Definitely time to break out the winter woolies and wax the board (just in case).

Note to self

2008-10-04T10:27:00.002+02:00

Blogs are funny things, certainly when you have one for the first time. Never too sure if anyone is reading what you write or not, it's sometimes hard to know how much energy to apply and how much information people will be interested in. But the other day I met some one who admitted to reading our blog on a regular basis. This simple act of recognition has given me a renewed passion, so I would like to start with saying hello to Chris and then make a promise to keep my posts regular and keep anyone who wishes to be upto date on conditions and goings on in Morzine.
Please feel free to ridicule me if you feel I am slacking in my endevours.

#1 by your opinions, Thank you

2008-07-03T15:23:00.004+02:00

We would like to say a big thank you to our guests, who have written reviews on Tripadvisor. We are now listed as the #1 lodging in Morzine & Avoriaz. This means a great deal to us as reviews are anonymous and unbiased.
If you are interested to see what previous guests have had to say about us please visit

Read unbiased opinions about
Chambertin and
LePrele at TripAdvisor.

Here comes the hot tub

2008-07-03T13:10:00.006+02:00

It's here finally, our lovely new hot tub. It's been a while to wait but after lots of deliberation and planning Chalet Chambertin can now boast a hot tub amoungst it's other comforts. All we need to do now is complete the decking around and we will be in for a good soak.

New for Summer 2008

2008-06-03T13:36:00.005+02:00

Not wanting to slow momentum, we are continuing to improve our chalet and what we can offer. New for this summer will be a hot tub housed in it's own decking out the back of the upstairs lounge. We will also have dressing gowns and complimentary slippers to go with this.

We are adding french doors to the dinning room so that the decking can be accessed directly from there. The bed rooms are getting a make over with three more getting redecorated and they are all getting carpeted with a new real wood floor in the lounge.

Here is an artist impression of the front of the chalet and some themes for the bedrooms to be decorated.

Chalet improvements

2008-06-03T13:01:00.007+02:00

Over the last year we have been constantly improving our chalet. As some of you may be aware this is what we have done over last year.

Renovated and expanded kitchen.

Stage 1 in decorating the bed rooms, the family room.

Big decking and BBQ out front in time for summer.

Epic conditions

2008-03-25T13:53:00.002+01:00

With the whole alps getting a series of storm fronts crossing over, the conditions have become epic. With a meter fallen over last few days and plenty more due even before the end of the week, everyone here has been enjoying global warming defying powder days. Heres a couple of shots from last weekend.

More snow than you can shake a ski pole at.

2008-02-08T00:00:00.000+01:00

With our second dump in a week and the base now topping out 2m 30 on the higher slopes, conditions are great and looking good for the rest of the season. Here are some shots from tuesday around Avoriaz.

This season just gets better and better

2008-02-07T23:48:00.000+01:00

we have been quiet for a while as were left camera-less, and thought no one would believe our reports of great snow with out being able to document the evidence. But last week with new camera in hand we took some of our guests over the Col du Fornet and down the Vallee de la Manche. Oh and it was an amazing blue sky day with 2 ft of fresh. Gotta love living in Morzine.

Heres looking for a white Christmas

2007-12-11T13:32:00.000+01:00

Rather frustratingly we have had to concentrate on getting the chalet and our staff ready for the season whilst it has continued to snow. But yesterday I could hold back no longer and forgoed lunch in order to get some turns in. Hunger has never felt so good. Full coverage of waist deep fluffy white heaven. Visibility was bit poor but fine through the trees of Lindarets and still quiet as Avoriaz doesn't officially open till the 15th. It has only stopped dumping this lunch time (after 4 days) and you don't often see the trees at the chalet looking like this. Going up again Thursday when the suns meant to be out so will post more photos then.

Wish you were here

2007-12-04T16:08:00.000+01:00

This might be hard to believe (especially as have broken camera so no photos) but had, yesterday, what I can already say will be one of the seasons best days.
Went up at lunch time into to what seemed pretty poor visibility, headed to lindarets could see fine, there was 2 foot of fresh on the piste and saw 4 other skiers all afternoon, epic.
And the best bit is it hasn't stopped snowing, settling well down to 900 meters.

Avoriaz opens early and first play with the Stash

2007-11-26T13:14:00.000+01:00

No less than 3 weeks early Avoriaz has opened half of it's area. With access to the Arare, Lindarets and Plateau there plenty to play on, including The Stash. Although not finished they have made good headway and it's looking like the final result will great fun to ride and what is done can be used.
The snow was a little hard having had an afternoon of rain towards the end of the week, but it has settled down into a good base and theres more due at the end of this week.

Les Get opens lifts today

2007-11-17T22:25:00.000+01:00

yes it's true got first lifts in Les gets today, the snow was great with full coverage down to town. there was a real holiday atmosphere as all the locals got excited about the rest of winter.

What did you do this morning? (I hiked Avoriaz)

2007-11-16T16:18:00.000+01:00

This weekend lifts are opening all around the Portes du Soliel, with Avoriaz moving the start of their season forward to the 24th of November (That's next weekend!).

Even so.as things were looking so good I couldn't hold back, so drove to avoriaz (which was a little interesting) and hiked to the top of Arare. Took an hour and a half to get to the top, they had started to bash the piste, but there was no sign that anyone else had been up before us. We took the run the whole way down to Prodains and had freshies all the way. First turns of the season and what a good start. Tomorrow were off to play in Les Gets as they are opening the Chavannes.

Portes Du Soleil lifts open this weekend

2007-11-15T13:37:00.000+01:00

The snow has been coming down for the last couple of days and so much so that the resort is opening a few lifts this weekend, and we will be there for sure. Watch this space for photos of the first turns of the season.

Morning Glory

2007-11-14T09:25:00.000+01:00

Woke up this morning to a glorious sight, foot of fresh, and thats here at 1000meters going to be loads up top. Will try to get up to Avoriaz in next couple of days to check it out (and get some riding in), but may be a challenge this morning just to get to Morzine.

Snow Way

2007-11-10T22:55:00.000+01:00

Woke up this morning, to the glorious sight of a fresh lain blanket of snow. about an inch had fallen over night and continued to do so all day making it a winter wonderland and all at only 1000 meters. It's been super cold over last few weeks with frosts everynight, they've even had the canons going on the Pleney, but this the start we've all been waiting for Winters truly here. These photos were taken this morning.

We found the Stash (Burtons new eco friendly jib run)

2007-10-11T13:05:00.000+02:00

Burton snowboards has chosen Avoriaz as the place to build its first Stash run in Europe. The nature of the stash is to create a run taking elements of park riding and combining natural terrain and features that has so many lines everyone one will have their own favorite. It's a great honor for Avoriaz to be chosen, but as they have been at the forefront of freestyle riding and provision of parks in Europe since the beginning, it may not be any surprise.
As there has been a lot of hype about what will be created we went up to have a look after a little insider tip off as to where it will be. Can't wait for the snow to fall so we can all get our jib on.

Mountain Mavericks goes racing

2007-10-11T12:49:00.000+02:00

After a very successful weekend watching a day of races at the track in Dijon, we are very happy to be able to announce that we signed a succesful deal to sponsor the B&B formula two racing team. The team of Tim Barrington and Paul Bason place regularly in the top 10 of the formula two historic championships. Dont let the historic title fool you these cars are no slouches, driving a 1971 Lola T 240 and '71 March 712 respectively Tim and Paul compete in 12 races all over Europe during the season. Taking in a number of the better known formula one circuits. We are very much looking forward to seeing them add the Mounatin Mavericks logo to their livery and charting their progress through next season.

Chambertin gets a new hat

2007-10-11T12:31:00.000+02:00

After spending last season with a very unglamarous green plastic sheet on the roof, we now have a sparkling new tile roof to replace our inherited felt one. You cant under estimate the simple pleasures of not having to worry everytime it rains.
As well as a new roof we have added a deck and barbeque as well refurbishing the kitchen and a couple of the rooms.
Slowly making Chambertin the Chalet we would like it to be.