Issue 14 - Winter 2019/20 - Morzine Source Magazine

issue 14 | winter 20

ISSUE 14 - WINTER 20

FREE // GRATUIT read me & pass me on

Your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

INTERVIEW

TALENT

ENVIRONMENT

PLUS

Michael O’Hare

Mia Brookes

Forces for Change

Might the Michelin starred chef open a restaurant in Morzine?

Words of wisdom from the professional snowboarder, aged 12.

The very best sustainability initiatives in our valley right now

News, Interviews, Events, Property, Gear Guides and more...

The Man Behind the Curtain

No Pressure!

Our Local Eco Heroes

3 SERVICES UNDER ONE ROOF

PROPERTY SALES

HOME FURNISHINGS

PROPERTY SERVICES

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your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

“Ideas won’t keep,” they say.

“Something must be done about them.”

It’s Morzine Source Magazine, but not as you know it. My biggest fear is that you spotted us, all fluro, with Samuel McMahon’s glorious image on the cover, yet didn’t recognise us. After 13 issues we decided to change our masthead, our cover design and our page layouts; but this isn’t change for the sake of change.

It’s change because we want to keep our magazine fresh and interesting. I hope you love our new branding as much as we do, but I also hope that the content you’ll find on the pages that follow is the same useful local knowledge and information that you’ve come to know and trust.

If this issue of Morzine Source Magazine were to have a theme, it’d be ‘the interview issue’. Over the last 12 months we’ve been overwhelmed by opportunities to talk with some truly inspiring people. You’ll recognise the face of Catherine Vulliez from the bottom of the Tour chairlift in Avoriaz.

You’ll recognise the hair of Michael O’Hare from pretty much every cookery programme on UK TV at the moment. You’ll recognise the famous first words of Rappers Delight, but how the heck did The Sugar Hill Gang come to be in Avoriaz this winter?

contents Resort Essentials......................................................................8 The Michael O’Hare Interview...........................................16 Our Annual EMA Update.....................................................22 Trending - Ski........................................................................26 The Mia Brookes Interview.................................................30 Trending - Snowboard.........................................................36 Lets Get Comédie Festival.................................................. 40 The European Outdoor Film Tour....................................42 Ten Years of Rock The Pistes..............................................48 The Martin Hartley Interview............................................52 A Second Chance to Live.....................................................60 Green Boots on Everest........................................................64 The Sugar Hill Gang Interview..........................................70 Inside A Ski Goggle............................................................... 74

Aside from our new look, there are a number of other firsts in this Winter 20 issue. It’s the first time we’ve published 156 pages (that’s twice the size of our first issue!), it’s the first time we’ve printed on carbon balanced paper and it’s the first time our magazines have been available to pick up from inside a number of new stockists, the Avoriaz Office de Tourisme included.

But enough from me. Go forth and enjoy your read, enjoy your holiday, enjoy

The Source Accommodation Directory........................... 77 The State of the Market........................................................82 Hot Property...........................................................................86 Trending - Interiors.............................................................92

your winter.

The Homestay Holiday.........................................................96

Amie - amie@morzinesourcemagazine.com

Trending - For Kids........................................................... 100

/MorzineSourceMagazine

/MorzineSourceMagazine

brought to you by…

The words in this magazine have been compiled by a crack team of local wordsmiths and we’re grateful to each of you for your skillful contributions.

The Ben Eyre Interview.....................................................102 Trending - Winter Trail Running.................................. 104 Yoga: More than just Stretching......................................106 The Jono Wood Interview.................................................. 110

Chloe Hardy | Michael Henderson | Nicky Iseard | Sam McMahon | Freddo Smith

Trending - Travel................................................................ 114

Aisling Donnellan | Gareth Jefferies | Kyles Garret | Edwina Sutton | Claire Garber

Have you been Eco Shamed?.............................................116

Natalie Elvy | Gaullaume Le Lan | Kat Judge | Kym Scobie Cover image - Above the Super Morzine Rando Tracks - © Samuel McMahon

Silence.....................................................................................122 Raving at -27 Degrees......................................................... 128 The Big Question - Where will our snow go?.............. 132 Forces for Change................................................................134 The Science of Rest.............................................................138

CBP001747

A Bee’s Life........................................................................... 140

Copyright Origami Media Ltd 2019. Morzine Source Magazine is published in the UK and remains the property of Origami Media Ltd. All material in this magazine is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved by Origami Media Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. Dates, information and prices are believed to be correct at the time of going to print but are subject to change and no responsibility is accepted for omissions or errors. Any correspondence and advertising enquiries should be directed to: info@origami-media.com or visit www.origami-media.com. Design and reprographics by Origami Media Ltd. Printed in the UK by Swallowtail Print Ltd. With thanks to the Office de Tourisme in Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz, Vallee d’Aulps and Les Portes du Soleil.

The Winter 20 Source Awards for Excellence.............142 Launching Chablais Bike...................................................146 The Avoriaz Yoga Festival..................................................148 Essential Summer Events..................................................150 //

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balancing CARBON

This issue of Morzine Source Magazine has been printed on carbon balanced paper, but you’d never know.

Eight years ago, when we printed the very first issue of Morzine Source Magazine, our printer asked whether we’d prefer to print on standard or recycled paper. The price difference was staggering – the recycled option involved many more processes than the standard paper variety and therefore cost much more. Of course we chose the recycled option and over the years we’ve worked with our printer to further improve the eco credentials of our magazine.

We introduced FSC certified paper in 2012 and in more recent times, paper production techniques have changed considerably.

CBP001747

We’ve carbon balanced the paper used for our Winter 20 issue in association with the World Land Trust. Since their launch in 2013, and with Sir David Attenborough as a key patron, the World Land Trust have balanced more than 153,000 tonnes of CO2 and preserved 12,140 acres of ecologically endangered land across the globe. They use funds raised through carbon offsetting to purchase ecologically important standing forests that are under threat of clearance.

These protected forests are then able to continue absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and this is now recognised as one of the swiftest ways to reduce the effects of global warming. With the assistance of our printer, we’ve calculated the carbon footprint of the paper used in this issue to be 1,839kg and we’ve balanced this by paying to purchase 1,287m2 of critically threatened tropical forest through the World Land Trust.

But this isn’t where the story ends; there’s more we can do to carbon balance the entire production of our magazine. New processes, including HUV printing, mean we can further reduce the carbon produced in the production of our magazine in the future. I’ll look forward to telling you more about that in our next issue.

We’re also immensely proud to be a contributing member of Montagne Verte, a charitable association initiated by passionate locals to make our resorts as sustainable as possible. Whilst carbon offsetting is all well and good, it’s actually a relatively easy way to rack up those sustainability points. We hope that by working alongside Montagne Verte we can amplify their messages and highlight the environmental challenges that we all face here in the mountains.

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impact so far As of January 2019, 169,500 tonnes of CO2 has been balanced which is the equivalent of taking 41,600 cars off the road for a year. source: World

Land Trust

land preserved As of January 2019, 16,000 acres of land has been preserved which is equivalent to 9,080 football pitches. source: World

Land Trust

CO2 Rising Since the beginning of industrialisation, the atmospheric CO2 concentration has risen from 280 ppm to 405ppm.

This increase by 45% (or 125ppm) is completely caused by humans. source: RealClimate

land ice lost Between 2003 and 2008, over 2 trillion tons of land ice has melted in Greenland, Antartica and Alaska. source: NASA

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carbon balancing

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essentials morzine

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Designed to disperse those busy NELES GETS morning crowds more effectively, Grizzli is a new blue piste at the top of Pleney; you’ll find it at the top of the Belvedere chairlift and Point Info / Information Point Télephérique / Cable itcar heads towards Nyon.

Newbees Free Ride / Free Ride area - Forfaits / Ticket office Télécabine / Gondola Très facile / Very easy will also be pleased Caisse to hear that Poste de secours / Rescue Télésiège débrayable / High speed Chairlift Facile / Easy the ‘premier glisse’ beginner’s Défibrillateur / Defibrillator Télésiège fixe / Chairlift Difficile / Difficult pass introduced by Point the de Pleney Lift vue / Point of view Téléski / Skilift Très difficile / Very difficult Company last year continues this Restaurant / Restaurant Tapis / Carpet season. For just €19 per day, you can access the Pleney gondola lift, the magic carpet, the Belvedere and Nabor chairlifts and play in the Penguin Park!

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Le Colibi – From the Ashes La Rhumerie -More to discover at the Tibetan Cafe

initiative with indoor and outdoor displays taking place twice a day, giving you the opportunity to see the huge birds in their natural habitat. Les Aigles du Léman – Parc d’Hiver is the very first animal park in a ski resort and opposite the visitor centre there’s a new dedicated sledging piste for little ones and a play area inside too. Meals will be available and you can even register to join an organised ski with the birds themselves. Learn more at lesaiglesduleman.com

Following the success of the Tibetan’s annual Morzine Gin Festival (2 to 5 April 2020 in case you’re wondering), Tony and his team will launch La Rhumerie this winter, a pop-up bar dedicated all things rum.

Between 7 and 28 February you’ll find a huge selection of rums available to try on a dedicated cocktail menu, served from the Tibetan’s rear bar. “We have a loyal crowd of Tibetan regulars each winter, and I always want to create new experiences for them.

There’s so much to discover in the world of rum and our back bar is the perfect location. I hope to see you there!” explains Tony. Head to facebook.com/ TibetanCafeMorzine.

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This isn’t where the eagle theme ends. Restaurant La Pointe de Nyon becomes Les Aigles du Léman – Parc d’Hiver – Morzine, a stunning new home for the birds of pray usually based at Les Aigles du Léman in Sciez. Opening on 21 December, this is both a visitor centre and an educational

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Eagles on Nyon Morzine’s most iconic peak has had a significant upgrade for Winter 20. Firstly, the piste from the Pointe de Nyon at 2019 metres has undergone extensive earth works all the way down to the Plateau to make it wider and less demanding. Once you reach the Plateau you’ll find Eagle Park, a brand new snow park for the Winter 20 season featuring a range of modules and rails for all abilities, plus a boarder cross run too. Eagle Park is unique, as it doesn’t depend on high volumes of snow. Many of the features have been created using the natural terrain or from earth works during the summer months.

S TE TÊ

EAGLE PARK

Ravere ttes

NYON

Following a phenomenal first event last year, Morzine’s Santa Run organised by the team at Buzz Performance is back! Join the fun on Saturday 14 December at 5pm outside the Morzine Office de Tourisme. There’ll be a 1.6km loop of the village for everyone aged 10 and over, or a 500 metre route that’s open to everyone, children included. Entry is €10 per person, which includes a €5 donation to charity, a brilliant Santa suit and a well-deserved vin chaud at the finish line.

“100 Santas joined the race last year and we raised €500 for charity, so it would be fantastic to double that number this year,” Buzz’s Joe Pearson told us. You’ll need to register in advance at buzzperformance.com/morzinesanta-run and you can collect your suits from 2pm on the day.

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The Santa Run Early season fun for all!

RANFOILLY 1826 m

It’s no exaggeration to say that the fire which destroyed Le Colibri in August 2019 was devastating for those of us who’d come to love the restaurant since it opened two years ago. Owners Pauline and Manon had worked tirelessly to make their new venue a success but the entire building was reduced to its concrete shell.

Fortunately no one was hurt in the fire, but such was its intensity, neighbouring restaurants L’Etale and the Burger Place were also damaged. “Slowly but surely we’ll rebuild Le Colibri,” Pauline and Manon told us. “We hope to reopen the restaurant in December 2020 and we’d like to thank everyone who has sent us messages of support. Le Colibri was our dream for many years and we’ll be back, better than ever!” Fortunately the teams at

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

L’Etale and the Burger Place were able to make some quick repairs, and you’ll find them open as usual this winter. Phew!

Hideout Hostel’s New Menu Having got us hooked on ramen, katsu and bang bang broccoli over the last couple of seasons, the clever team at Hideout Hostel are changing things up with a street food theme this winter. Expect the same fun, friendly service, great value for money and cracking drinks menu that made Hideout a two-time winner of the Source Best Food award, alongside some extra special new dishes featuring tacos, fresh salads and more. Owner Kyle Dickson told Source “We’re taking you on a street food journey around the world this winter and you’re going to love it. All our dishes will be made from scratch using ingredients from local suppliers, there’ll be plenty of veggie options and I promise you’ll love the atmosphere; it’s the same Hideout experience you know a love, with a different menu.” View the updated menu and book your table at hideout-hostel.com/restaurant.

DOWNLOAD THE PORTES DU SOLEIL WINTER

APP! Live

Snow levels Piste report Ski tracker

The Lift Me Up Pass – The Ultimate Treat Designed specifically for the non-skier in your group, Little Mountain Beauty’s Lift Me Up pass is the indulgent treat you need during your winter holiday. Valid for the duration of your stay in Morzine, Les Gets or St Jean d’Aulps, the pass includes two daytime massage treatments and a private yoga session in the comfort of your own accommodation, plus a voucher for coffee and cake in a local café. Priced at just €200, the Lift Me Up pass is the perfect way to spend your week in the mountains. Additionally, for just €65 per person, groups of three or more can combine a stretch and spa session with Little Mountain Beauty and Morezen Yoga, including a group yoga session and a half hour massage per person in your chalet. Head to littlemountainbeauty.com for more details and to book.

Warning messages

WITH

AVA I L A B L E O N :

Since 1999, we continue to:

Create enjoyable, unique experiences that inspire and motivate

Freeze Frame – The Perfect Family Photos Fed up of heading home with a rubbish selection of holiday photos on your phone? Allow us to introduce Josh at Freeze Frame, a holiday photography service based in Morzine. Josh provides a private, personalised photo shoot for you and your ski group, the end result is a selection of beautifullyshot photos that you’ll actually want to put on the wall.

You’ll keep your phone in your pocket and your hands warm, leaving the hard work to the professionals. Prices start at £250 for a two-hour session, a full day is just £395 and includes 60 edited photos from your big day out. Head to freeze-frame.co for more information.

Cater for all ages and abilities

Whatever their needs and wants +33 (0)450 74 78 59 morzine@britishskischool.com www.britishskischool.com www.bass.plus

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BASS

morzine essentials

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essentials les gets

Visit Santa At Home Easily one of the best events in Les Gets each winter, we just love visiting Pere Noël in his natural habitat! You’ll find the main man and his merry band of elves deep within the enchanted forest. It’s from here that they make their final preparations for Christmas and then recover once the hard work is done.

You’ll need to book your visit well in advance, either at lesgets.com (there’s a big link on the homepage) or at the little hut next to the ice rink in the village centre. Santa is in residence between 21 and 27 December and tours take place each day, the first is at 10.30am and the last at 7.30pm. The visit is free for children aged three and under, €3 for children aged between three and eight years and €5 for everyone else.

Let’s Get Comedie - A Brand New Event We’re calling this one of the biggest new things to happen in Les Gets in the winter for many, many years. Piste Productions, the team behind massive alpine comedy events such as Taking the Piste, Piste Bash and the Altitude Festival are bringing their unique blend of après ski to Les Gets between 20 and 24 January 2020. Featuring Frenglish comedians including Paris-based comic Paul Taylor and Live at the Apollo headliner Marcis Brigstocke, the event will be Europe’s first dual lingual comedy festival and we’re expecting an accompaniment of live music après parties and late-night DJ sessions too.

Head to page 40 for more information, or proceed to facebook.com/Lets-Get-Comedie for updates.

World Class Snow Making More money was invested in snow making facilities in Les Gets ahead of this winter season than in any other French ski resort, fact. This increased capacity now means that 50% of Les Gets’ pistes have snow cannon coverage and further investment next summer will see this increase to 75%. You’ll find extra coverage on the Tulipe, Renardière, La Reine des Près and Eglantine slopes this season, mainly thanks to the huge new reservoir next to the Ranfoilly bowl, which stores a whopping 76,000m3 of water to produce a staggering 150,000m3 of snow. In total, the Les Gets lift 10

les gets essentials

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operator SAGets has spent €7million so far on this project and they are keen to stress that all works have been subject to strict environmental policies to minimise their impact on the local environment.

Les Sources du Chéry Spa Our valley has been crying out for an allsinging, all-dancing day spa for years and now our prayers have been answered. Located

in the centre of Les Gets, Les Sources du Chéry offers three unique wellbeing spaces, the first of which is a dedicated adults-only spa, complete with steam baths, saunas, cold water wells, a pool with hydro-massage jets, a salt cave and a relaxation area. Much to the excitement of local parents, there’s also a children’s area with play pool, paddling pool and slide. Finally, there’s a suite of treatment rooms, both individual and dual, in which you can enjoy massages and facials with natural products, all made in France.

Sources du Chéry is located within the new Le Solaret residence and will be open each day between 9.30am and 9.30pm during the winter season and between 10am and 8pm during the interseason and summer. There’s also a beautiful art galley within the spa, featuring the work of acclaimed Savoyarde sculptor Pierre Margara. Head to sourcesduchery.com for booking information.

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Treat yourself to

AT C H A L E T G E N T I A N E

Beautiful 8 bedroom catered ski chalet in Les Gets, at the heart of the Portes du Soleil.

To find out more please visit:

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+44 (0) 7931 934312

New Pistes Fans of an uphill ski will discover a brand new route on Mont Chéry this season. It’s 3km in length and begins at the bottom of the Chamois piste, next to the Mont Chéry gondola. Ascending 655 metres and ending on the Chéry summit at 1827 metres above sea level, the route is clearly signposted and is strictly reserved for climbing; you’ll descend on the piste! Over on the Perrières, Les Trembles is a welcome new blue run, cutting out that relatively steep section on your return to the Perrières Express chairlift. Elsewhere, the resort has invested in a set of very durable BBQs and they’ve been installed in picnic areas on the Rhodos piste and Bleu de la Viloette, which now also features free WIFI and charging points. Genius! Both picnic areas are fully accessible

to pedestrians too, via the Chavannes lift and the Belvedere walking path.

La Grande Odyssée The most difficult international dog sled race in the world arrives in Les Gets on 14 January, along with a totally unique atmosphere.

The village hosts a stage of La Grande Odyssée, a race which features the best mushers and their dogs. They’ll depart from the centre of the resort at around 3.30pm and you’ll find a selection of fringe events including the ‘Far North’ camp, toasted marshmallows, ice carving, complimentary mulled wine, hot chocolate and more. The first sleds usually cross the finish line back in the village centre at 6pm.

For more information head to grandeodyssee.com.

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essentials avoriaz

Lounge Roc & Strike Roc Apres-ski, redesigned

Ski Joering

Where else in the mountains can you combine chic, expertly prepared cocktails and a cracking game of bowling? Formed from the original bowling alley in the Dromonts sector, Lounge Roc is a sophisticated cocktail and tapas bar and it’s entirely unrecognisable after an extensive renovation. It connects seamlessly with Strike Roc, a lively gaming area featuring two traditional bowling alleys and two further lanes offering an immersive, digital bowling experience in an entertaining fantasy world!

There’s also pinball, pool and a 360-degree virtual reality rollercoaster. Bowling prices start at €9.80 per game and you’ll find more at facebook.com/lerocavoriaz

Using horsepower to traverse a ski area is one of the oldest forms of alpine transportation (they’re the original ski lifts!) and from their base in Avoriaz, the lovely Shinouk and Philippe offer an exhilarating mountain experience. Ski joering involves holding onto a wooden harness attached to a horse and using it to propel you through the mountains on dedicated trails. You’ll need to be fairly well practiced on your skis, but no experience with horses is necessary. You can choose routes between 30 minutes and one hour in length and you’ll enjoy a very natural, tranquil experience off the beaten track, away from the pistes. For more information and updates, head to facebook.com/avoriazskijoering

Les Cases – A new lift and a new piste!

Village Igloo Avoriaz

Avoriaz lift operator SERMA are committed to extensive investment in the lift network in the coming years and the new les Cases extension really does bring more value to your ski day. Stage one replaces the existing three-man Léchère lift from les Lindarets with a slightly extended (and much quicker) six-man, delivering you just above the existing Mossettes chairlift. It’s here that you’ll find stage two, the brand new six-man les Cases chairlift, transporting you to the top of the Pointe des Mossettes at a speed of five metres per second. The newly created les Cases red run serves up 2.5km of descent over a 445 metre drop and in total, SERMA have invested a whopping €16million in this project.

We love to spend our autumn trying to guess the theme inside this year’s Village Igloo, but as this issue of Morzine Source Magazine goes to print, the clever folk who build it aren’t giving anything away. Whether it’s space, the beach or animals, it’s guaranteed to be spectacular. A visit to the igloo on the Arare blue piste is an unmissable holiday experience, whether you drop in for a vin chaud on your way home, or join one of their fondue evenings. You can even pack your overnight bag and head to one of the cosy bedrooms for an unforgettable experience!

3,500m3 of snow is used each year to build the 180m2 igloo complex, a process that takes 15 days to construct. The igloo is open between 10am and 5pm each day, for more details head to village-igloo-avoriaz.fr

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HOFNAR ssource winter 20 advert.pdf 1 18/11/2019 your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

15:11

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone Once you travel solo for the first time, you might never travel any other way again. Judging by the increasing numbers of lone travellers, lots of people feel the same way - it’s the hottest trend in travel.

Mil8 – A new 4* Hotel Unbelievably, there hasn’t been a new hotel opening in Avoriaz since 1966! Mil8 is a newly constructed 4*, 42-bed hotel built in keeping with the resort’s avant-garde architecture. Interiors are sumptuous yet quirky and all bedrooms offer spectacular piste views. Also found within Mil8 is a wellbeing area, complete with infinity pool and we’re promised a unique and luxurious après-ski experience too. Rates start at €250 per room per night on a B&B basis, luxury suites are available too. Discover more at hotelmil8.com.

There are a whole host of reasons you might be travelling alone - your friends don’t share your passion, or they’re at a different life stage, or have lost their lust for adventure.

Or you just want to embrace the positives of solo travel you get to have the experiences you want, do things a little differently and meet new like-minded people.

With a huge growth in companies like the HOFNAR experience specialising in solo travel, that first independent trip is easier to take than ever. And our solo travellers are rarely alone for long - you get to join an instant crew, and many of our once-solo travellers come back the following year together, or go off on even bigger adventures.

Leap out of your comfort zone and go it alone - you never know where it might take you.

www.hofnar.com Bon Appetit Advert.pdf

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10:07

FROM OUR KITCHEN TO YOUR TABLE Two new cross-country skiing routes Demonstrating a very clear commitment to the sport of cross-country skiing, piste planners have developed a further two new trails, following the introduction of the Jordières routes last winter.

Cross-country skiing offers an opportunity to enjoy a more tranquil mountain experience and with trails varying in length from 2km to 6km, there’s certainly something for everyone, whether you’re on skis or a splitboard. Both the Avoriaz Snowboard School and Evolution 2 Avoriaz offer cross-country and back country ski and snowboard coaching sessions throughout the winter season.

“the best online meal delivery service made in the mountains” 4.9 star rating

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avoriaz essentials

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essentials

portes du soleil

St Jean d’Aulps Bar Le National gets a Facelift Locals favourite and winner of a 2018 Source Award for Excellence, Bar Le National in St Jean d’Aulps received an impromptu facelift in the summer when owner Craig Durkin started some small renovation works and ended up refurbishing his whole bar, kitchen included.

Bar Le National retains it’s ‘pub’ feel, with a fully stocked bar, cosy seating and a heated, covered beer garden, but there’s also fresh decoration and a new staircase too. Those weekly events that you’ve come to know and love over the years still feature this winter, including 2 for 1 pizza night, the Nash Quiz and a weekly live music night. Keep yourself up to date by following the bar on Facebook – facebook.com/barlenational.

St Jean d’Aulps - Improved snowmaking Across the Roc d’Enfer ski area this winter, you’ll find a new snow canon system, ensuring coverage between 1000m and 1800m of altitude.

The Roc d’Enfer continues to be one of the hidden gems of the Portes du Soleil, with beautiful tree-lined slopes, barely any lift queues and some of the friendliest lift operators we’ve ever met!

Châtel - A new Morclan lift The original three-man lift was constructed in 1983, but this winter fans of the Portes du Soleil will enjoy a brand new Morclan lift travelling between Châtel and the Sommet du Morclan at 1,970 metres, at a rate of 1800 skiers per hour.

There’s also new departure and arrival stations for the new six-man chair, which is part of a wider development plan for the Super Châtel sector, with the objective of improving the flow of skiers across the Châtel ski area.

Essert Romand - Délices d’alpage Imagine our delight when we discovered that, hidden away on the ground floor of our office building, was a treasure trove of locally produced delicacies. Philippe Monet bought Les Délices d’alpage, a thirty-year-old business, earlier this year and has some big plans. All products, including a range of preserves, terrines, soups and more, are made by hand using traditional methods. Phillipe told Source “I’m passionate to share the flavours and artisan methods of our region with visitors to our valley and beyond.”

For more information head to lesdelicesdalpage.fr

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Rock The Pistes As you’ll discover on page 48, Rock The Pistes is a homegrown festival that has us dancing in our ski boots each year. We’re delighted to announce that British band The Kooks will play the Morzine – Les Gets stage at the top of Pleney on 18 March 2020. The indie rock band from Brighton are most famous for their 2005 album Inside In / Inside Out, which included the massive hits Naive, She Moves In Her Own Way and Ooh La. Their mid-afternoon concert will be free to watch in a truly stunning setting, just take the Belvédère lift to the plateau opposite the Vaffieu, settle in and enjoy! Rock The Pistes takes place across the Portes du Soleil between 15 and 21 March 2020.

My of Home in the Alps - SOURCELes WINTER 20.pdf your source information for Morzine, Gets & Avoriaz 2

07/10/2019

09:32

The Portes du Soleil App 650k of pistes in the palm of your hand.

As we all know, there are two types of phone app in the world – those that look pretty and seem like a great download at the time before becoming pointless and occupying vital space on your device, and those that are a damn good idea, full stop. The official Portes du Soleil app for iOS and android is the latter and there are some really handy updates for this winter season.

The interactive piste map gives you live information on which runs are open and closed whilst offering up piste conditions, weather and temperature updates in real time. The avalanche risk is updated constantly and is prominently displayed on the app homepage. Spend five minutes using this function over breakfast and you’ll set yourself up for the rest of the day. On the mountain, GPS tracking within the app helps you pinpoint exactly where you are at any time, making life much easier for groups in the habit of loosing members. Also, if you’re anything like the Morzine Source Magazine ski team, you’ll take comfort in knowing where your nearest restaurant is at all times. The handy webcam feature gives you the opportunity to discover how busy pistes are across the Portes du Soleil’s 12 different ski resorts, either from the chairlift, your desk at work or your sofa (be warned, this function can become addictive!).

The ski pass simulator is another handy function on the app. Add in the dates of your trip and your home resort for a concise list of lift pass options and prices, plus a handy summary of any special offers and discounts too. An emergency SOS button is prominent throughout the app, logging your GPS coordinates in case you need urgent help on the mountain.

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We also love the sheer volume of information available on the app. It’s always worth checking the opening and closing times of the lifts you’ll use, especially if you’re travelling across the ski area on a big day out.

There’s a handy calendar of events so you can see what’s happening in each resort each day, whilst the ‘My Activity’ function let’s you retrace your steps at the end of the day so you know precisely where you’ve been. You’ll also love the augmented reality section – point your phone at any peak in the Portes du Soleil and the app will tell you it’s name and altitude!

New for this winter, the app will now send you real time notifications when bad weather hits the slopes or if there are mechanical issues on the lift system across the Portes du Soleil network. This feature alone makes the free Portes du Soleil app worth downloading. Yes, you read that correctly; the whole app is free! You’ll find it in your app store.

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portes du soleil essentials

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pAy No Attention To tHe

Man Behind the Curtain by amie henderson

“There’s a difference between being controversial and being honest,” Michael O’Hare tells me. He’s the Michelin-starred chef off of the telly, the one with the big hair and the Northeast accent that makes me feel right at home. He’s also chef-patron at The Man Behind The Curtain, the most highly rated restaurant in Leeds. “I think people are too scared to say what they actually think and say things just to please people,” he continues.

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Let’s summarise O’Hare’s life so far in a nutshell, because it’s what he’s doing right now, in Morzine, that we’re most interested in. Born in 1981 in Middleborough, he studied classical and modern ballet between the ages of 11 and 18 before moving to London to begin a degree in aerospace engineering. An interest in cooking with fresh produce was born, but university wasn’t for him and he returned to the northeast to work in a call centre in Stockton-on-Tees.

O’Hare cut his teeth in some of the North’s finest hotel and restaurant kitchens before heading to Noma in Copenhagen then opening his own restaurant, The Blind Swine in York.

In 2014, with a tiny budget of just £30,000, he opened The Man Behind The Curtain, a 40-cover fine dining restaurant in the centre of Leeds with an avant guarde style and an exclusive tasting menu.

We first saw O’Hare on our TV screens back in 2015, when his dish ‘Emancipation’ (cod

loin, cod dashi, squid ink powder, scorched gem lettuce and gold shoots, just to jog your memory) won him the fish course on The

“My team and I, and all the chefs that came over, buzzed off Morzine.”

Great British Menu. In October of the same year, O’Hare was awarded a Michelin star, a staggering achievement for such a young restaurant opened on such a small budget.

He appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef

// images © Dan Burns, Natural Selection Design

in 2016 and he’s been a regular on The Great British Menu ever since.

And then he’s in Morzine. “In 2017 I stayed in Morzine for a week with Treeline Chalets.

I went out riding for a couple of days with Duncan from Treeline and we got chatting about what might be possible. Morzine was perfectly accessible. When I got back to Leeds I spoke to the guys and it went from there.”

The end result? Shred and Butters, two threenight dining experiences at Treeline’s Chalet Doyen in January 2019, hosted by Michael and his best chef mates, each taking it in turns to prepare dinner. The whole event sold out quickly, and I’m sure that by the time you’re reading this interview, ‘Morzine 2.0’ in January 2020 will be long sold out too.

“My team and I, and all the chefs that came over, buzzed off Morzine. It’s big enough that something is always happening, but small enough not to get lost. There’s always a sense

pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

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of community,” Michael tells me. “We ate at Hideout Hostel and a few French restaurants.

The Hideout guys were really accommodating and the food was delicious.”

With his eye-catching hair and his big personality, it’s perhaps not surprising that O’Hare has caught the attention of the UK media. They call him the ‘enfant terrible’ of British dining and I wonder how that sits?

“Sounds cool, but it doesn’t mean anything really. Being an enfant terrible in fine dining is like being the enfant terrible of the library. It’s better than being known as the smelly c**t of British dining I suppose.” Indeed.

But in a world where restaurants are launching and failing every day, what’s better for business? Appearing on the telly,

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or achieving a Michelin star? “In the short term, appearing on telly. There are loads of TV chefs who have successful restaurants but are nowhere near to achieving a Michelin star. If you look at the Jamie Oliver situation it shows that this can also backfire; it’s not bullet proof.

“It’s better than being known as the smelly c**t of British dining I suppose.”

I think having a star when you’re a fine dining restaurant is essential and allows you to justify the prices you need to charge to serve the products you want to serve.”

Modern day Morzine is home to some really clever chefs; career chefs who’ve managed to combine their love for food with their love for mountain pursuits. I wonder how O’Hare keeps himself balanced, what with all the TV appearances, restaurant waiting lists, and all. “The big thing is that work needs to be enjoyable and it needs to be a vocation,” he explains. “Having people around you who are your friends takes the sting from the long hours.” But what about holidays? “Making sure that you do things that you love, like our Morzine trip, make it seem like it’s not work.

It’s important to have the right priorities; the restaurant is important but nowhere as important as my son. If he’s happy then I’m happy.” >>

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“Before I had Hedi (Michaels two year old son), I was focused on making the restaurant a success for me,” he continues. “Since having him it’s about making sure it’s a success so I can give him the life I want to. I don’t know if my attitude has changed, but my direction has.” And what if that direction were an outpost of The Man Behind The Curtain in Morzine? As each new winter season approaches we read about ‘celebrity’ chefs opening swanky new restaurants in fancy resorts across the Alps. Twostarred chef Phil Howard in La Plagne for example, or Tom Kerridge’s annual popup in Courmayeur. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility, surely? “Never say never, but I live in England and I’d never spend too much time away from my son or my restaurant. To open a restaurant abroad would need full commitment and attention and I’d be uncomfortable not monitoring that constantly.” Personally, I think O’Hare would fit right in. “A restaurant within a hotel or something like that, where’s it more controlled would be more possible.” And the food? “”I’d do small plates of classic mountain food and French dishes. Mountain food is so delicious, but it’s so heavy and enormous!”

Aside from the incredible plates of food popping up all over our Insta feed during ‘Morzine 2.0’ in January 2020, our valley will become home to a plethora of Michelin-starred chefs over a twoweek period. From 5 January O’Hare will share the Chalet Doyen kitchen with chefs Gareth Ward, Tom Halpin and Matt Orlando. On 8 January he’ll be joined by chefs Brad Carter and Tom Brown and from the 12 by Peter Sanchez and Michael Wignall. Chefs Tom Sellers and Gary Usher complete Morzine 2.0 with a collective eight Michelin stars between them. Surely that’s the most concentrated collection of top rate chefs ever assembled in a ski resort?

“We were really honoured to host such legendary and inspiring chefs in Chalet Doyen and to welcome them all to Morzine,” Treeline Chalets' Duncan Ross told Morzine Source Magazine. “It was unreal to see their work in person in such an intimate environment and awesome to go riding with them too!”

You certainly wouldn’t be late back to the chalet after après if one of these chefs were cooking dinner! “I can’t think of a better holiday; some of the world’s best chefs cooking for you, whilst you ride some of the best mountains in the world!”

For more info head to treelinechalets.com and themanbehindthecurtain.co.uk 20

michael o'hare

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EMA TO

OR NOT

By Amie Henderson

Much like Brexit, Trump and Rooney vs Vardy, EMA has been splitting opinions and dividing the community since it was first proposed circa 2009. We’ve probably dedicated more space in Morzine Source Magazine to the subject of EMA over the years than anything else. To call it a hot topic is an understatement, to try and offer you a formal, approved set of facts, impossible. These days three associations or action groups exist for the sole purpose of championing each side of the debate, giving us the opportunity to present you a full set of pros and cons for the very first time.

What?

The Pros

If you’re new to the EMA debate, here it is in a nutshell.

Express Morzine Avoriaz (EMA) is a proposed new lift extension, connecting the centre of Morzine at the top of the Rue du Bourg with Avoriaz via the Prodains Express lift in les Prodains. The area immediately below the new base station in Morzine will be significantly redeveloped to include new residential accommodation and a bus station. The base station will also connect to the Pleney via an underground tunnel beneath the resort. The expected cost of the project is almost €100million (€48.5million for the lift and €48.9million for the resort development*) and the town hall are in the final stages of a consultation. If the project is green lit (many will argue that it's already been approved), we can expect construction to begin in April 2020.

The Association Express Morzine-Avoriaz pour l’Avenir (or EMA pour l’avenir) is a group driven by the younger population of Morzine. They’re a non-profit action association, working independent of the town hall, to champion the EMA project. Their association currently has 350 members and their mission is to promote EMA, present ideas to Morzine’s elected officials and demonstrate local support for the project.

“EMA is a true means of transportation between the two resorts of our commune”

*The expected costs reported throughout this article were as published at the time this magazine went to print and, obviously, could change.

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your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

1. There’s a congestion problem in Morzine and as the resort grows in popularity, this is likely to get worse. Multiplying the departure points from Morzine into the Portes du Soleil will ease this congestion at the start and end of each ski day, benefiting local residents, tourists and local business owners.

2. Furthermore, a reduction in vehicles in the centre of Morzine will reduce emissions. Fewer busses, local traffic and tour operator mini busses travelling the A route to Prodains will improve air quality and noise pollution in the valley, making life safer and more comfortable for everyone.

3. EMA is more than just a ski lift; it’s public transport. It’ll be open in the evening, making visiting each resort much easier and improving tourism in both, in addition to being used by workers as part of their commute.

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4. Morzine has a seasonaire accommodation problem.

Improving the connections between the resorts opens up beds in Avoriaz to be used by resort workers.

5. The new connection creates an opportunity for Morzine and Avoriaz to host large conferences and events; currently there isn’t enough accommodation in either resort to entice large congress organisers, whilst improving connections between the two resorts could make them more attractive to global events organisers, Le Tour de France being just one example.

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6. The €48.5million investment required for EMA has a balanced funding plan. It will be financed by the commune of MorzineAvoriaz as a loan, which will be paid back by the private lift company chosen to operate the new lift link. The project will also receive government funding in the form of grants and subsidies that are specific to this kind of project. If EMA does not go ahead, this funding will be allocated to similar infrastructure development projects in other ski resorts in the Rhone Alpes.

7. The €48.9million required to finance the other aspects of the project – pavements, roads, the new bus station, etc – were already part of the resort centre development plan and will be required and provided regardless of EMA. 8. Morzine needs this development to stay competitive in an increasingly aggressive ski market. Competitor resorts have fast, high capacity lifts in their centres and Morzine does not.

UNDER THE NOSE OF

10,000

9. The underground parking proposed as part of the resort development plan will allow for more pedestrianised areas in Morzine’s shopping streets.

10. Business opportunities will be created with easier access between the two resorts.

Charlotte Bron is a founding member of EMA pour l’avenir and she’s campaigning to protect our future. “EMA is a true means of transportation between the two resorts making up our commune,” she explains. “The EMA project is firstly a sustainable, safe and cost-effective public transport system, in addition to being a ski lift”. “Our grandparents, who were visionaries by creating our resort, had a saying…” Charlotte continues. “The first generation build it. The second generation benefits from it. The third generation discards it. We don’t want to be part of the third generation that discards all their hard work. What about you?” >> more info: emapourlavenir.com

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With our friendly team of 20 locally based, bilingual staff, we will work with you to price, promote and sell your property. Experts in their regions, they know the area, the buyers and the local contacts you will need to make a successful sale.

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express morzine avoriaz

23 19/10/2017 10:36

The Cons Association pour le Développement Harmonieux de Morzine Avoriaz (or ADHMA) is an association formed in 2012 with the objective of preserving the natural and built heritage of Morzine-Avoriaz.

They exist to give opinions on projects that threaten the harmony and quality of life in our village.

Currently 280 members strong, the group accepts that progress is necessary to protect the future of Morzine, but not at all costs.

Additionally, a second association has formed with the specific intention of stopping EMA. Collectif Citoyem Morzine-Avoriaz has 1200 members (as a resort Morzine has just over 3000 permanent residents, just so you know), here follows a list of objections from both associations.

“EMA is a step too far.

This project has become unnecessarily complicated and our association supports the Super Morzine route as an alternative. ”

The founding members of ADHMA as well as Aube Marullaz, who represents the association on this issue, are strongly opposed to the EMA project.

“We agree that we need to develop and we are for improving the links between Morzine and Avoriaz” Aube explains. “But EMA is a step too far.” “This project has become unnecessarily complicated and our association supports the Super Morzine route as an alternative. In erecting the EMA station and the tunnel on the market square, we’re condemning the center of the village and its future. Morzine must remain a real village and for this to happen, it is necessary to completely reorganise and extend the bus network of the village, improve existing ski lifts and create and modernise car parking inside and outside the village.” more info: morzine-harmonie.ning.com

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1. There are many more important things to spend €100million on in Morzine-Avoriaz. There’s still no gym for local residents, music school and public school classrooms need upgrading and reducing the queues at the Tour lift in Avoriaz each day are just a few examples. The budget should be reserved for cultural buildings that bring more life to the resort.

2. Each official update or tender contract delivered by the town hall features a new, inflated estimated cost for this new lift. To begin with, €100million was quoted, but no one truly knows how much EMA and the associated development will cost Morzine and its residents.

3. There’s nothing ‘express’ about Express Morzine-Avoriaz.

Skiers will still need to disembark in les Pordains at the end of their journey from Morzine to board the existing Prodains Express lift.

4. The scale of the work required to construct a tunnel under our village has been vastly underestimated. Plans demonstrate this tunnel will include two moving walkways, eight escalators and three lifts. Water pipes, electricity cables and sewers exist beneath the proposed route.

5. EMA has been promoted on the promise of delivering skiers to Avoriaz in 15 minutes. In peak times, the journey to les Prodains will take 11 minutes, 30 seconds and 15 minutes in off-peak times. A transition to the Prodains Express, (with a potential queue) is then necessary, followed a further 4 minutes, 20 second journey to Avoriaz. We expect the total journey time to be in excess of 30 minutes.

6. According to building regulations, the new lift must clear any wooded areas beneath by 30m. This either means significant deforestation of a protected forest on the way to les Prodains, or a change in the law for an over-flight of just 14m.

7. Life in Morzine will be affected significantly during the two years of construction. Can our local businesses sustain themselves during this disruption, especially during the summer season? What will the impression be for holidaymakers?

8. The Super Morzine lift already provides a link to Avoriaz and is the preferred route of many local residents. Why can this not be redeveloped? We’re told that a study on this option proved it to be unsuitable, yet the study has not been published. Why can we not consider the Super Morzine alternative?

9. Avoriaz is not large enough to cope with the increased volumes of skiers arriving on its pistes, both those coming up from Morzine and from the proposed 4850 new beds approved for Avoriaz in the coming years.

10. Aside from the deforestation mentioned earlier, this project, especially during its construction, will be terrible for our environment. It is estimated that 12,000 trucks worth of earth will need to be removed and transported through Morzine to realise this project.

// © oreli b

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25 /acr74

trending - ski -

As Editor of Fall-Line Skiing Magazine, no one knows their ski kit better than Nicky Iseard. Here’s her selection of the very best gear available this winter.

Nicky Iseard fall-line magazine editor

Arva Evo 5 RRP €235.00 www.arva-equipment.com

“Small but powerful” – that is the tagline Arva is using for its brand new Arvo 5. Tipping the scales at just 170g and with a slim, pocket-friendly profile (11cm by 7cm), it is the most compact and lightweight avalanche rescue transceiver the French company has ever made in its 35 years. Miniature it may be, but it still packs a punch in terms of performance with a triple antenna (for faster, easier and more efficient search times), 50-metre search strip width, multiple burial indicator (3+), mark function, an automatic revert-to-transmit mode (in case of a second avalanche), plus an extra large, backlit screen. All operated by a single AA battery.

Clever stuff, Arva.

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K2 Mindbender 99Ti / 98Ti Alliance RRP €650.00 www.k2snow.com

K2’s new Mindbender collection is one of the most hotly anticipated line-ups in years. With widths ranging from 85mm up to the burly 116mm, it was the 99Ti right in the middle (and the women’s 98Ti Alliance; same ski but with a female-specific flex pattern) that caused the biggest stir among skiers at this year’s SIGB industry ski test due to its mindbending (sorry) versatility. The ‘ti’ stands for titanal, and there is a Y-shaped sheet of the wonder-metal in the ski, creating a stiff forebody and tip for power and stability – this is a ski with seemingly no speed limit. The shovel-like tip means that it floats beautifully in all but the deepest pow, and the torsionally softer and thus more manoeuvrable tail allows you to scrub off speed if the terrain gets a little tight/tricky!

Source Peak Snow for Sports.pdf your source of information Morzine, Les1Gets01/10/2019 & Avoriaz

09:03

Private lessons Ski school groups Nordic Lessons Performance & Freeride +44 (0) 1483 616 522 hello@peaksnowsports.com @peaksnowsports

Salomon S/Pro 120 / S/Pro 90 RRP €600.00 / €550.00 www.salomon.com

Some people think heated boots are for wusses. The rest of us think they’re the BOMB meaning no ice-cube-esque toes on sub-zero days up at Fornet and therefore longer days on the mountain. Salomon has integrated a new system, Custom Heat Connect, into its ever-popular, top-line S/Pro models. Built into the liner, there are no external batteries and cables to worry about, and best of all the system can be controlled via an app on your smart phone, so you can easily adjust the temperature on the fly. The boots should be mega comfy too, thanks to the new pre-shaped and seamless liner and the fact you can get a perfect fit thanks to the heat-mouldable shell. The men’s boot has a beefy 120 flex, while the women’s is 90.

www.peaksnowsports.com //

trending - ski

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FW Manifest 3L jacket & pants RRP â‚Ź550 / â‚Ź400 fwapparel.com

Making its grand debut for this season is a new Verbier-based brand from the Full Stack Supply Co. umbrella (which also runs Faction Skis) called FW, pronounced as 'forward' (obviously?!). For now it is focusing on menswear, with baselayers, midlayers and highly technical outerwear. We managed to get our hands on its flagship combo for the 19-20 season, the freeride-focussed Manifest 3L jacket and pants.Besides offering great waterproofing and breathability (20,000mm/16,000g), the three-layer material strikes the balance between pliability (i.e. comfort) and durability; it feels like it is going to be hard to tear. Every pocket is deceptively large and we especially like the magnet-closure stuff pockets on the pants - super-useful for storing gloves in the lift queue or when touring. Even the colours are on-point. We can't wait to see what they bring out next.

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your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Cébé Method helmet RRP €130.00 www.cebe.com

Tricksters looking for a new lid to protect their noggin will be pleased to hear that Cébé has launched a new freestyle-focussed helmet designed to take massive knocks. It features a ‘tri zone’ ABS construction (mixing ABS, EPS and EPP to support a wider range of impacts), plus EVA foam inserts on the zones where impacts mostly occur for extra shock absorption. It’s lightweight, weighting in at 500g, and the removable earpads and good-sized vents (two on top, two at the front) keep things cool during those spring park sessions in The Stash. The Fine Tuning Fit system means you can dial in the prefect fit, too.

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Hestra Army Leather Heli Ski RRP €130.00 www.hestragloves.com

To balance some of the new tech on offer here, how about something that has not really changed in decades? Hestra’s still best-selling glove, its Army Leather Heli Ski, is the glove that the brand is known for and shows that when you get something right the first time, there’s no need to change it. Made with a tough, weather-proof Triton polyamide back, supple goat-leather palm and thumb, and an extra-long cuff, these are the built for midwinter days when you’re hunting the fluffy stuff down Pepsi Max. The insulated lining is removable for when things get a bit sweaty.

The Heli Ski Female (€115) has all the same specs but comes in a slimmer profile for women's hands.

For information about Property Management Services contact: info@mountainxtra.com

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mia brookes

no pressure!

Interview by Amie Henderson

Who can forget the bruised bums, achey wrists and mental frustrations that come with learning to snowboard?

For me, the pain of the button lift slamming into my leg in sub-zero temperatures in Glenshee will be forever etched on my memory. Less so for 12-year-old Mia Brookes, who mounted her first snowboard aged 18 months.

Š THEO ACWORTH

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

“I can’t really remember anything about my first time on a snowboard,” Mia tells me.

“But from what my mum and dad have told me, I know that I first went snowboarding at Kidsgrove dry slope where my Grandad was a ski instructor and I was 18 months old”.

Many professional snowboarders and skiers have graced the pages of Morzine Source Magazine over the years, but none as young or as inspiring as Mia. If you’re expecting a tale of pushy parents, or of parents living their lives vicariously through their offspring, then you’re in for a lovely surprise. Mia Brookes is the real deal.

Mia is the youngest member of Team GB’s Park & Pipe (GB P&P) Snowboard Squad which, boosted by the success of our snowboarders in Sochi in 2014 and Pyeong Chang in 2018, established a pathway programme to identify and nurture new talent ahead of the Beijing 2022 Games. Mia specialises in slopestyle but also competes in halfpipe and her career highlights to date include first place at The BRITS big air comp in Laax and finishing the 2018 season at the top of the World Rookie Tour standings. Without a complete understanding of the inner workings of professional snowboarding competitions and rankings, it’s difficult to explain how indicative these results are of Mia’s potential, so we asked one of her coaches Ben Kinnear to sum things up for you. “Mia has a very fun approach to her snowboarding and her life in general. It may seem obvious to state, but that love of going out riding every day is the most important component wherever she chooses to take her snowboarding.”

Ben continues, “The world level has jumped so quickly in the last two years, particularly in female snowboarding and although it’s important to stress that Mia has by no means ‘made it’, she has some brilliant ingredients right now that we recognise as being so important to help her through the challenging route that is competitive snowboarding.” But what about her age Ben? “She’s by far the youngest in the on-hill environment, but you wouldn’t know it. It’s only a little more obvious back at the team house when she gets her Lego out in the living room!”

able to take her to the mountains with us when she was just eight weeks old,” Vicky explains.

“We loaded up our motorhome with all the baby gear and just went. People back home thought we were mad!” Just before her second birthday, they took Mia to Le Grand Bornand and taught her to snowboard. “I remember my mum riding, carrying a Fireman Sam jigsaw box lid, so that the characters could watch me snowboard!” Mia tells me.

Snowboarding for Fireman Sam and Norman Price is one thing, being called ‘the next big thing’ in global snowboarding is quite another.

Ski Sunday’s Ed Leigh recently told the BBC “It is difficult not to get really excited about Mia because she is undoubtedly one of the most exciting young talents, not just in the UK but in snowboarding globally.” I’m keen to know how such high expectations sit with Mia and Vicky.

“I think getting caught up in other peoples hype isn’t a good thing. You’ve got to tread your own path” Vicky believes. “Hahhahahaa, OK, no pressure!” is (typically) Mia’s response.

In fact, so laid back are the Brookes’, so organic has been Mia’s progress, they can’t really remember finding out that she’d been asked to join Team GB and represent her country. “I think Ben (Kinnear) called from GB P&P. Mia had been riding with the GB coaches and team for a couple of seasons out in Laxx and Livigno. They’d spotted her when she was eight and invited her along to ride with them. She really progressed, then she matured a lot since going to high school and I think this showed in her riding and understanding” Vicky explains.

“This summer when the selections happened, we were made up for Mia being chosen to be on the main team with Katie (Ormerod) and Jamie (Nicholls), but she did work hard and it paid off”. I wonder at what point Mia realised that she was better at snowboarding than her mum and dad? “When I had to buy the hot chocolates at the bottom!!!”

“The world level has jumped so quickly in the last two years, particularly in female snowboarding”

Mia’s parents Vicky and Nigel are seasoned seasonaires, having done a number of winters in Chamonix, pre-Mia. “Mia was born in January, which was perfect timing as we were

During Winter 20 Mia will train and compete as part of Team GB’s ‘A Squad’ alongside seasoned professionals Billy Morgan, Katie Ormerod and Jamie Nicholls, all of whom have significant experience under their belts.

“When I’m riding with them they just feel like friends rather than pro snowboarders, but they are all really kind and nice and we always support each other,” Mia tells me. “And we all bake amazing cakes after >>

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we’ve come off the hill, even our coaches join in!” Of course Mia does all these things with Vicky and Nigel at her side. The family invested in a motorhome to save on hotel and travel costs as they visit resorts across Europe for training camps and competitions. As Mia grows up and a team of professionals and sponsors forms around her, I wonder whether that makes Vicky more or less protective? “It can be difficult, especially when people approach us wanting to support Mia in some way. But we always try to remind ourselves that Mia is only 12!” Vicky continues, “It would be very easy to get carried away and rush into things far too soon. We have to be sensible and think of Mia and not have any unnecessary pressures. Right now Mia has a great support network around her, they value Mia as a snowboarder but also they care that she’s still just a kid.”

And sometimes kids do crazy things, usually without undertaking a complex risk assessment first. How does Vicky feel when she watches Mia attempt a new trick for the first time? “When you sit and think about it you do worry I suppose, but I know Mia will never do anything until she feels 100% ready.

Her GB P&P coaches would never expect her to do something that they feel she’s not ready to do. Even on a daily basis on the hill they will pull Mia back if they feel she’s looking tired,” Vicky explains. “They also know when she looks like she’s ready for a down day too.

This is very reassuring for us, they know her very well.” Mia’s so badass, I can’t imagine she’s scared of anything. “YES!!!!” I don’t believe her. “One time in Livigno I was on the air bag for a few days, trying to do a backflip.

When I had got them, Hamish (McKnight, a Team GB coach) pulled me to the side and said ‘Mia, you’re ready to try a backflip on snow now.’ So I said ‘OK!’ and there was so much adrenaline rushing through me. We went to the landing of a jump where, at the bottom, was a quarter pipe hit. I sat there and I sat there and looked and looked at the jump until my eyes went funny. Then I dropped in, shaking as I went, and after two or three attempts, I got it. Everyone was so stoked and I was super happy and also excited.”

Mia’s on the brink of her teenage years but you’ll find no pouty selfies, no #hashtagforlikes on her social media channels. When she’s not snowboarding she’s doing gymnastics, skateboarding, surfing or practicing playing her guitar. I wonder whether Vicky and Nigel worry about her missing out on a ‘normal’ life? “Mia’s social media probably paints a picture that she is out in the mountains for the whole season. She’s not.” Vicky explains. >>

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// © THEO ACWORTH

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“Mia will never do anything until she feels 100% ready.

Her GB P&P coaches would never expect her to do something that they feel she’s not ready to do”

Follow Mia’s progress: miabr00kes mia_brookes @mia_brookes

“I think last season Mia had around eight weeks on snow, we normally take advantage of the school holidays and usually tag just a few weeks either side.

We feel like she’s not missing out on too much essential school time.” And what about school? I’m thinking of those fines for taking children out in term time…

“School are great, they monitor Mia’s progression, giving her extra input to catch up on class work if needed. We also take work away with us, which they assure us is not essential as they realise she has snowboarding commitments too. We always find time to complete the homework so she’s confident that she’s not falling behind.”

And so to the Winter 20 season. What does Mia hope to achieve this year? “I would love to finish higher at the World Rookie Tour finals and to have been street filming in Finland with John Weatherley, aka ‘the trap-lord’.” I can already guess Vicky’s answer to the same question.

“We’re just happy to see Mia progress and know that she’s enjoying herself.”

Mia is supported by Rome snowboards, 686 outerwear, Dragon goggles, Stance socks, Soap Bar wax, Crap Sack and Sandbox helmets and is a proud member The Ellie Soutter Foundation supported athletes team.

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resort mia brookes information - no pressure //

// © sam ingles © oreli b

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

//

resort information

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trending - snowboard -

We guarantee that no one knows their snowboard kit more than filmer and photographer Sam McMahon and you can be sure he’s tested the heck out of the products that follow before giving them his recommendation.

samuel Mcmahon nidecker snowboards Video Producer & Social Media Manager

Stance Launch Pad Socks RRP €24.00 stance.eu.com

The first thing that touches the world in the morning is your feet, so how do you expect to have a good day if you don’t treat them right? A fitted snowboard sock is far superior to those tube-shaped monstrosities found in camping shop bargain bins, and having a fresh pair to throw on mid-way through a holiday is one of those small joys that make life worth living. Stance make a great pair, especially their Feel360 that has padding where you need it and venting where you don’t, and the bright vibes on show here make us feel bold and beautiful.

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trending - snowboard

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Bonfire Zone 2L Stretch Pant RRP €199.95 bonfireouterwear.com

A pair of pants is basically a pair of pants, or so I used to think. Then I tried these and oh boy, it’s like finding out your socks can order you pizza, or that said pizza doubles as a really good frisbee. Rather than simply being some waterproof tubes for your legs, the Strata venting system lets so much air in than on a hot day touring it basically feels like you're nude from the waist down, Winnie the Pooh style, but if you forget to zip it up the mesh is plenty strong enough to resist any snow getting in. There's enough pockets to make sure that I've always got my liftpass, suncream, extra gloves and kitchen sink to hand without having to worry if I'm gonna drop it all everytime I check my phone. Oh, and the colour is sick. Almost literally.

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Breakfast | Brunch | Salads | Wraps | Eat-in or Take-away

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Chez Toi YOUR PRIVATE CHEF

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Airblaster Ninja Suit Pro RRP €229.00 myairblaster.com

Are you ready for your life to change? A head-to-toe one piece thermal, aka a Ninja Suit, is the thing that’ll do it for you. Its seamless coverage means there’s never any snow down your midriff, your always maximising your own body heat and honestly, you’ll never know comfort like it. This new version is specifically designed for splitboarding, sporting chest pockets and a weather resistant material on the areas exposed whilst trudging up hill. I’ve worn mine on glaciers, in backcountry huts and spring laps at home and I’m always the perfect temperature. Oh, and don’t worry about the toilet sitch: the 350° waist zip and (front-fly on the men’s) means you’re covered for all eventualities - because powder is always more fun after a big dump.

Professional catering for you in your chalet, from fully catered weeks to one off dinners, BBQ’s and lunch packs.

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trending - snowboard

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Nidecker CLASSICS Liberty RRP €549.00 nidecker.com

With its re-issued graphic (it was first seen in 1986 on one of the first boards to ride peak to base on the Mont Blanc) blaring out at you, you could be forgiven for thinking the Liberty is all about its looks. Not so: its shape is that of Nidecker’s popular Mellow, a super-surfy powder board designed for tight cut back with tonnes of float. This version comes suped-up with a faster base and a more premium build, making it the perfect blend of snowboarding’s present and past. Sling on some shades, throw up a shakka and slice some turns!

Burton EST Tool RRP €22.00 burton.com

There are a few pocket essentials I carry with me no matter what - liftpass (duh), suncream, glove liners - but none have come iso in handy so many times as my trusty ol’ snowboard tool. It’s better than a Swiss knife as it only has what you absolutely need, so fits perfectly in a zipped up jacket or pants pocket completely undetected until its needed. As well as the two Phillips heads this one also sports a bottle opener - hopefully that’s the bit you’ll need to use the most!

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trending - snowboard

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GREAT VALUE PROPERTIES IN THE HEART OF MORZINE www.alptitude.com DaKine Team Mission 25l Backpack RRP €85.00 dakine.com

Keep it simple, stupid. DaKine know this, and that’s why their snowsport backpacks are some of the best: no fancy equals nothing to go wrong. I’ve had my 12l Heli Pack for about a decade now and use it for every in-resort powder day - the Team Mission is over double the volume with just enough extra space for an extra layer and skins for a quick tour without making it too bulky to shred with on the way back down. The one pictured here is Kazu Kokubo’s pro model in a rather dashing lime contrast colour scheme, but subtler versions are available.

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trending - snowboard

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LET'S GET

comédie Did you hear the one about the snowboarding comedian? Here’s everything you need to know about Let’s Get Comédie, Europe’s first dual-lingual comedy festival featuring Frenglsh comedians and set to take Les Gets by storm between 20 and 24 January 2020.

Where did the idea come from to bring the festival to Les Gets?

It's a fantastic time of year to go skiing and it's great to have something to offer when the nights are cold! Technically, we're not bringing this festival to Les Gets. This is a Les Gets festival created by Les Gets for Les Gets. The Tourist Office asked us to help with the festival because of our longstanding experience in live music and comedy festivals in ski resorts.

What is it about Les Gets that makes it good for a comedy event?

Despite being a family resort, Les Gets does have a vibrant après-ski scene and it's great for us to tap into that and offer something extra. The resort venues have been very receptive to the event and we are looking forward to working with them. And also, the theatre La Colombière is a fantastic place for comedy. You'll see what I mean on 20th januvier (sic) when we host the opening night comedy show.

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les gets comedy festival

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Will this become an annual festival?

Yes, absolutely! However, it does depend on the lovely people of Les Gets getting behind it, getting their friends and guests to join the Let's Get Comédie festival community by spreading the word, liking the Facebook page and, of course, buying tickets.

What can we expect from the apres and live music parties? Where will they take place?

Après-ski is a fantastic time for festivalgoers to congregate and talk about the night they've just had and plan their night ahead. We're still working on the programme, what we do know is that a lot of the après-ski will be featured at "l'après" which I'm sure you are all familiar with.

Tell us about the other comedy events you run in the Alps.

Our first alpine festival glory was back in the last millenium! The Chamjam and Val d'Isère's Xbox Big Day Out is where we first

started booking live music, comedians and DJs back in 1999. Marcus Brigstoke started headlining our comedy shows featuring the likes of Zoe Lyons, James Acaster, Milton Jons and DJs and musicians included Freq Nasty, Martin Solveig, Ash, K-Klass (!) and The Feeling.

We started Altitude festival, which is still going to this day in Austria in 2008. Headliners have included Tim Minchin, Eddy Izzard, Lee Mac, Rich Hall, John Bishop, Mickey Flanagan, Rachel Parris, Christophe Aleveque, Elisabeth Buffet, Thomas VDB and Phil Darwin. We also ran Ibiza Rocks The Snow where we had Wilkinson, Clean Bandit, Dorly, MistaJam, Monki, Kissy Sellout. At some of the bigger events, we have sold around 9,000 tickets.

How’s the rest of the resort getting on board to support the festival?

We've worked with some of the Morzine and Les Gets tourism teams over the years and they asked us to consult and collaborate with them on this event.

la of grange.pdf 09/11/2015 14:33 your source information 1 for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

More Info: Individual tickets are available, or grab a €65 pass to enjoy all events. Doors open at 8pm, there’ll be a full bar and the show starts at 9pm each night.

Head to facebook.com/Lets-Gets-Comédie for updates.

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Any profits will be going back into the Les Gets events budget.

Any sponsorship similarly goes directly to the Lets Gets tourism budget and any contributions from local business partners go to the Les Gets events budget. This is why it's important for everyone to get behind Let's Get Comédie festival - it is funded by your Tourist Office, it's your budget! Not only we are going to create the festival programme and coordinate the acts, we'll also help drive the sales because we want this festival to be a success. Obviously we'd love the festival to be profitable so we can invite bigger named acts in the next few years.

Why was it important for this to be a dual lingual event?

There are clearly two really strong communities in Les Gets, bringing French and English tourists in great numbers to the resort. We're trying to offer something for everyone.

There are also many dual language / bilingual clever clogs out there and we think they will appreciate watching comedy in the other language, but also really enjoy our Franglais show on the Wednesday night. The Franglais show challenges our comedians to do their standup in the language which is foreign to them.

In these Brexit times, it's important to show the outside world how working together to one common goal is beneficial for everyone.

/Restaurant-La-Grange

1

12/09/2019

10:04

www.tsi.ski Call or email

NOW to book lessons

British or bilingual English speaking instructor guaranteed

+33 (0)4 50 74 98 58 De c till Apr +44 (0)7 903 186 819 All ye ar round Email le sson@tsi.ski The S nowInstitute tsisnowsports the snowinstitute

//

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Europe’s largest outdoor film festival takes in 500 venues in 20 countries and when it arrives in our little corner of the Alps for the second year in a row, we’re expecting another full house.

Our assembled crowd of 250 people will enjoy ten short films showcasing the world’s most extraordinary adventurers.

In advance of the Montriond & Morzine screening of the European Outdoor Film Tour hosted by Morzine Source Magazine at the Domaine du Baron on Lake Montriond on Tuesday 7th April 2020, we’ve spoken with personalities from three of the movies on this year’s programme.

For ticket sales and more information head to morzinesourcemagazine.com/european-outdoor-film-tour-2020 42

resort information

// © oreli b

morzine prestige for Source.pdf your source of information Morzine, Les1Gets30/04/2019 & Avoriaz

14:01

- Zeppelin Skiing In February 2019 skiers Stefan Ager and Andreas Gumpenberger, accompanied by snowboarder Fabian Lentsch, achieved a world first. Hanging beneath a 75-metre long Zeppelin, they abseiled 50 metres to the summit of Kleiner Valkastiel at 7326-feet in the Austrian Alps. According to their research, these slopes had never been skied before but the challenge wasn’t as you might expect.

The trio had previously attempted something similar in a hot air balloon in Pakinstan, “but we missed the summit every time” Andreas tells us. “This time we wanted a unique possibility; to fly to the mountains but also be able to land directly on a summit.” Typically, the ride down from a summit is the toughest aspect; not so when you incorporate a Zeppelin. “Most people don’t even know that they still exist,” says Stefan of the early 20th century floating aircraft that once traversed the world’s oceans.

They’re designed to fly up to 1000m in altitude, but the team needed theirs to go higher.

“The biggest challenge was the planning, regulation and bureaucracy,” explains Andreas. “It took us more than two years and the Zeppelin was customised just for this project.

We needed a lot of permits, and then we had to wait for the right snow, the right weather, the right temperature.

Everything had to be perfect.”

When the perfect day arrived, the Zeppelin departed from its base in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The team of three plus a photographer huddled in a small cabin while the pilots pushed the limits of altitude and range. “The moment we climbed out of the doors was the most exciting one,” explains Andreas. “We looked down 50 metres and you could see the excitement in everyone’s eyes.”

“It was like abseiling down from a big cloud,” describes Stefan. When they reached the snow, they clicked out of their carabineers and felt an overwhelming relief that the hardest part of the challenge was over. “Now we can concentrate on the things we like the most: skiing and snowboarding.”

With the huge airship still above them, Stefan, Andreas and Fabian made their descent on snow that was “not the best, a little bit crusty at the top” and began to think of their next project. “We’ll go inside a mountain. We’ll make the first ski tour in a cave.” We’re certainly looking forward to that one!

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© Mirja Geh/Red Bull

european outdoor film tour 2020

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For ticket sales and more information head to morzinesourcemagazine.com/european-outdoor-film-tour-2020 44

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// Š oreli b

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- Contraddiction

Carol

This is a snowboard movie with a difference. “It’s about getting older in a sport and lifestyle that’s seemingly built on eternal youth,” explains Elias Elhardt of his movie Contraddiction. “It’s about taking responsibility for how we choose to live in the context of snowboarding, and yet a homage to the beauty and lightheartedness of the sport.”

Elias is Germany’s poster boy for snowboarding and has been competing professionally for over ten years, giving him the chance to see inside “this little snowboard world from many sides and the space and time to question my role in it.” The movie examines the contradictions between snowboarding and living a responsible life. It considers subjects such as the sport’s eco footprint versus the benefits of growing up doing sports that keep us all inspired.

Many of Elias’ best mates feature in Contraddiction; in many ways the movie feels like an honest discussion amongst friends over where the sport they love so much is heading. “This film is based on the subjects and the people that are most important to me,” Elias explains. “It was a chance to do something that I can really stand behind and identify with.”

Fred

Antoine

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Nouki

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But can snowboarding be truly ageless? Aside from perhaps some physical limitations, can we be forever excited?

“I think nothing is ever without an age,” answers Elias.

“Being young is such a limited period in our lives, but being excited about what we do, snowboarding for instance, can make it last much longer.”

Right after making Contraddiction, Elias moved on to his next project, Narcis. He spent most of last winter in Kosovo making a film about a small ski town developing in an area that has previously been defined by war. “In the future, I’d love to continue on the route of filmmaking while using snowboarding as a platform to tell stories.”

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// © Carlos Blanchard

IN THE STUDIO OR AT YOUR CHALET

european outdoor film tour 2020

45

For ticket sales and more information head to morzinesourcemagazine.com/european-outdoor-film-tour-2020 46

resort information

// Š oreli b

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE IN THE WORLD, ART MATTERS

KIMBERLY FRANCIS FREELANCE ARTIST

Producing unique, high quality fine art pieces for your homes, chalets or businesses. Available for commissions.

- Freedom to Roam As you might expect from the daughter of two polar guides growing up on Baffin Island, Canada surrounded by Inuit culture and endless winters, Sarah McNair-Landry has an insatiable hunger for adventure. Freedom to Roam showcases the exceptional life of the world’s first female Master Polar Guide and winner of the 21st Century Adventurer Award.

“Expeditions are my passion and for over a decade I have been putting all my time and energy into making them possible – so it’s great to be recognised” explains Sarah on winning the award. The award is accompanied by a prize fund which Sarah plans to use towards her next expedition; “which is a huge bonus as fundraising and getting sponsorship is my least favourite part,” says Sarah.

Freedom to Roam is a portrait of Sarah and her past expeditions, which include traversing Greenland’s ice cap (five times), being the youngest person to reach both the North and South Poles and her adventures travelling via kite-ski. There’s summer footage in there too, including climbing and kayaking in Idaho.

“I love to continue to learn, sometimes it’s a new sport (recently I’ve been learning to rock climb), I also love to continue to learn more about film and photography,” Sarah tells me when I ask about her commitment to learn a new skill every day. “The biggest skill I’ve learnt so far is how to push myself and stay optimistic, even when something is really hard or seems impossible. It’s humbling to be a complete beginner at something.”

A life spent in some of the worlds least-hospitable terrain surely comes with some risks. “My scariest moment happened about half way into a kite skiing expedition through the Northwest Passage. My brother and I were sleeping and woke up to a polar bear ripping through our tent. It’s a long story but it does have a happy ending; the bear, my brother and I all survived!”

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WWT-Kimberly-Francis-Freelance-Artist

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european outdoor film tour 2020

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CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF

rock the pistes

By Chloe Hardy

When Rock the Pistes first launched in 2011 it was a music festival like no other and today its status remains the same. This year the festival celebrates its tenth edition, a testament to the fantastic selection of acts that have performed over the years and also the Portes du Soleil in its own right. After all, if it weren’t for this interconnected group of resorts across France and Switzerland, a festival like this wouldn’t exist.

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resort 10 yearsinformation of rock the pistes //

// © MATTHIEU_VITRE_PRESSE © oreli b

Elevation Alps Source Advert.pdf 1 Avoriaz 02/05/2019 your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets &

For those unfamiliar with the event, you don’t need a ticket for Rock the Pistes; all you need is a lift pass, skis or a snowboard and the ability to read a piste map. You can’t really compare it to other on-snow festivals because there are no others like it. “Rock the Pistes is totally unique,” organiser Michel Girard, president of the event planning committee for the Association Internationale des Portes du Soleil tells us. “And what makes it so unique is that it’s in a different resort every day. One day it’s in Morzine, the next in Champéry, the next in Châtel….” Each day’s headlining artist plays to an audience directly on the pistes. You’ll arrive at the top of a chairlift to be greeted by a full stage set-up with the likes of Babyshambles, Klaxons, Rag‘n’Bone Man or Caravan Palace performing. Seeking out each venue is all part of the fun.

14:58

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Rock the Pistes is a home-grown festival, organised by the aforementioned Association Internationale des Portes du Soleil, the organisation that promotes the ski area. The idea for the festival came about when Michel and his team were tasked with organising a winter event that utilised all the resorts in les Portes du Soleil, encouraging visitors to explore its different sectors. “Music worked well because it corresponded to a week-long festival,” he explains. And it paid off. >>

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Every March, people flock from all over the world to see the series of high altitude concerts, which have an intimate, casual and family-friendly atmosphere. “The concerts are big but they’re not too big,” Michel states. “The bands often say ‘it’s the most beautiful place to perform in the world’, and we try to make sure the festival reflects the nature of the setting.”

Michel’s colleague Emilie Bourcier, head of marketing and communication at the association, agrees. As an event that takes place in the mountains, it’s important to make sure it has as little impact on the environment as possible. “Everything is set up by the resort staff and taken down on the same day,” she explains.

“It’s really important to leave no trace and each resort puts everything back exactly as it was.”

Other eco-factors of the festival include returnable, reusable cups at the bar, recycling bins and composting toilets. Performers are also asked to remove any potentially polluting aspects from their sets, like glitter cannons.

It all takes a lot of organisation and communication. “It’s very complicated to organise the logistics and technical aspects,” Michel says. “That’s the hardest part, because we’re moving lots of staging and equipment between resorts in a short space of time.

But everyone involved in the festival works really hard and does their bit. In that sense Rock the Pistes belongs to all of us.”

“Every year the festival brings les Portes du Soleil together,” Emilie adds. “That’s really important. All these resorts that are independently managed get to work together on something,

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and the outcome is really great.”

Both Michel and Emilie have a big list of highlights from previous editions of Rock the Pistes, from bands to the weather.

Rag’n’Bone Man in Avoriaz in

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2017 is a particular highlight.

“It’s wild, it’s beautiful, there’s a great atmosphere, 90% of the time it’s sunny,” Michel says, “and if it snows, even better!” In fact, throughout the festival’s entire

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nine-year run, only one concert has had to be cancelled and that was because of dangerously high winds.

So how has the festival grown throughout its ten-year stint?

“We’re better at organising it now!” Michel laughs. “We get better every year.” More and more people choose to ski in the Portes du Soleil specifically because of Rock the Pistes, rather than seeing it as an extra, exciting addition to their holiday.

Consequently, the team have got plenty of surprises in the works for the tenth edition of the festival, including plenty of throwbacks to its first edition. In fact, the first act to be announced was Deluxe, who played at the first Rock the Pistes and were so well received they’re back this

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year for round two. We were also rather excited to discover that British Indie band The Kooks have been booked to play the Morzine Les Gets stage on 18th March.

But perhaps the most important thing, which is apparent throughout our chat with Emilie and Michel, is that not only has Rock the Pistes helped put les Portes du Soleil on the map in terms of innovation and tourism, it highlights how unique this collection of resorts is and it brings people together for an incredible experience. Whether you’re working on the festival, performing or skiing to a resort you’ve never explored before for a concert, you’re experiencing something you won’t experience anywhere else. Here’s to another ten years.

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environment Hero of The

Interview by Michael Henderson

From National Geographic Traveller to The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine to The Guardian and many more inbetween, the work of photographer and adventurer Martin Hartley evokes both awe and angst in equal measure. Awe because of his ability to capture an insight into some of the most remote places on earth; angst because he’s been doing it so long, the undeniable changes to our planet are clearly identifiable in his work.

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Martin has spent more than 400 days working in the Arctic and Antarctic on more than 20 polar expeditions and assignments. Time Magazine’s Hero of the Environment award acknowledged his contribution to science, whilst Sir Ranulph Fiennes recognises that his “ability to take beautiful powerful photographs in the most difficult places to survive on our planet, is inspirational.”

I wonder whether Martin considers himself to be a photographer or an explorer and adventurer? “Well... I am a photographer first and foremost and I do unusually qualify as an ‘explorer’ as I have actually placed footprints where nobody has before and together with that brought back new information. The term ‘explorer’ is used more often as a marketing tool, than an accurate description so I try to avoid labelling myself with that, to avoid falling into that category of ‘marketeer explorer’ and there’s no shortage of those. As for ‘adventurer’, well it’s hard not to be one of those in spirit, it’s the best!”

For all the science that tells us that our planet is warming up, that our ice caps are melting, very few people have seen this with their own eyes. On and off for the last 17 years, Martin has spent extended time on the Arctic Ocean and has seen change happen much faster than scientists have anticipated. “In 2014 I felt the full impact of a warmer Arctic Ocean; it was impossible to keep up with the speed of the drift. Because there is so much open water up there now, the ice moves very fast. In 2017, I got my greatest shock when I spent 22 days skiing on sea ice near the North Pole that was as flat as a frozen lake. None of the ice I had been on would survive the summer. That was a huge wake up call. The temperatures in the Arctic are about 60 years ahead of what science had anticipated.”

“Ten years ago I thought my photographs of the Arctic Ocean might be valuable in maybe a hundred years, after my death, maybe even longer,” Martin tells me. “That concept has changed too, and a lot faster than I imagined.

The photographs I have now are fast becoming the only profound documentation of an environment that will be extinct, and sadly, very sadly in our lifetme.” It’s clear that Martin feels a duty to document the melting sea ice and to educate on the reality of climate change. “Right now I feel a huge sense of duty to get back out there to document the ice again before it is lost forever, extinct. Photographers are working hard all over the world to document endangered animals and habitat loss. The rate of loss is terrifying. The Arctic Ocean is so relatively unknown, almost invisible in the consciousness of the general public.

It is hugely important to make a ‘song and dance’ about how important the ice is to everyone on earth. The loss of the sea ice will affect everyone on earth.”

It’s from this sense of duty that The Last Ice Sentinel legacy project was born. Driven by Martin, a small team will set off from the most northerly point of Canada to reach the most northerly point of land on earth, 300 miles away. Its purpose is to locate and photograph the last fragments of the rarest ice on earth; those cathedral-like monuments we often see tumbling into the ocean. “The Last Ice Sentinels Expedition is a great vehicle for this ‘shouting to the world’ and the photography will be a great tool for giving the Arctic Ocean a voice to capture images that people will understand and learn from,” Martin explains.

“As our warming climate continues to transform the Arctic, the Arctic will continue to transform the world. Also the oldest ice of the multi year ice is a magnificent beast >> 54

martin hartley - hero of the environment

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“I have actually placed footprints where nobody has before and together with that brought back new information”

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and photographs of this ice are very, very rare. It will be a huge loss to humanity once it is gone. I see it as a moral responsibility to go back and photograph it, before it’s too late. It's so, so important that more people understand that what we do here on a day to day basis also affects the Arctic and the Arctic Ocean, every single day.”

Imagine baring the weight of such mammoth, monumental change on your own shoulders. “It would be no exaggeration to say that I have lost sleep over the ice going, and the effects that will have on our health and our society. This impact will be felt through changing weather patterns, which will lead to unpredictable food crops, flooding in places and drought in other places. It is on my mind every single day. What will happen when the ice has gone? Nobody really knows. Flying over the Arctic Ocean is a very emotional experience. The feeling I have now is the same as flying over a huge forest that’s on fire… imagine how that would feel. The expedition is a huge unknown, we will be relying on satellite data to guide us to the areas where it is predicted the old ice would be. If we don't find the ‘big ice”, that in itself raises a big question.”

I’d personally believed (or maybe just hoped…) that we’d turned a corner in our climate change consciousness over the last couple of years. Maybe that’s because I live here, in the mountain bubble, amongst people who really do care and are incredibly active in the pursuit of change. “We have around 10 -12 years to get our shit together globally as a species, to stop the global average temperatures rising more than two degrees Celsius.

This target is already looking like it will be three Celsius.

If that is the case, all of the ice on the Arctic Ocean will be changed to water by 2030 in the summer and by 2090 there will not be any ice in the winter either. The oldest of the Multi Year Ice will be gone within the next decade, that’s a hit we will sadly have to take.”

Back to the day job, it can’t be easy working endless hours in sub zero conditions. I wonder what the biggest challenge is for Martin? “The biggest challenge is keeping my fingers and toes, after that it’s keeping sane when trying to do anything if you get very cold day after day after day. The mornings are the hardest,packing the tent away and getting going. The first couple of hours in the day are really hard.” Think about that next time you’re waiting at the bottom of the Proclou chairlift on a January morning.

Whilst Martin’s entire focus is clearly on The Last Ice Sentinel project, his career is littered with incredible achievements and a lot of fun. After all, adventurers don’t go adventuring just to risk hypothermia or losing fingers and toes. “The most memorable expeditions are always the ones with the ‘best’ people. I’ve been to some amazing places with some difficult people. In 1999 I went to the Zaalayski Khrebet in the Eastern Pamirs. The mountain range was previously off limits to non-Russian nationals, tucked away on the borders of China, Kyrgystan and Tajikistan. There were four unclimbed six thousand meter peaks which we wanted to climb. We had an incredible time with great friends and truly huge hearted Russians who made our experience very rich. This was pre-social media days, the place was all ours and we were so lucky to have had that beautiful, beautiful mountain range all to ourselves and being completely cut off is real adventure.

The whole expedition was based on a crappy photograph >> 56

martin hartley - hero of the environment

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“The temperatures in the Arctic are about 60 years ahead of what science had anticipated.”

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of the mountain range taken from about 60 miles away.

We arrived at night and in the morning we were greeted by a wall of white over a hundred miles long, big fat ginger Marmots whistling away all around us and thick carpets of Edelweiss.”

“Another unique and now unrepeatable experience,” Martin tells me, “was in 2001. I walked, stumbled, crawled and waded 150 miles through the bottom of a huge canyon along the surface of a frozen river in the far North of the Indian Himalaya in winter. The purpose of the journey was to document a way of life before a road was built to this remote village, which was cut off from civilisation for seven months of the year due to the Himalayan snow.

The life in the village is totally self contained, they grow everything themselves from livestock to grains to their own barley based wine. The people in the village were so welcoming as we were the only people to come up the river that winter. The road has just been completed after ten years in the making; it’s taken away the culture with its arrival.”

Did you hear the one about the bloke who took the FA Cup to the South Pole? Yip, that was Martin. “Possibly the most surreal photograph shoot I ever did,” he explains.

“I was sat in a meeting in London with the PR agency for the FA. They were briefing me on an assignment that was to promote their social media campaign #FACUPADVENTURE. My brief was to photograph the fans on their ‘adventure’ on match days from start to finish, winners and losers, laughter and tears and everything in between. I suggested to ‘kick off’ the campaign that I should take the FA Cup to the South Pole, as I was heading to Antarctica a couple of days later.

Initially that seemed like a joke, but on a Thursday evening at 23:00 I got a call from the FA saying if I could get the FA Cup insured before the weekend I could take it with me. So I contacted a previous expedition insurer Catlin and they said yes…. The armed police ‘interrogation’ at London Heathrow when I was taking it through security is another story.”

I spend a lot of time reading magazines, sometimes for ideas to improve the one you’re currently reading, other times because I genuinely love getting news, information and inspiration from physical pages. I discover that Martin is Director of Photography at Sidetracked, a magazine dedicated to personal stories of adventure, travel and expeditions. “Sidetracked is amazing and I am very proud to be a part of it. All credit should really go to John Summerton, he is the founder. I was asked to be the Director of Photography right at the very start, which was a great meeting to be involved with. John and I sat down for an hour or so with empty notebooks, slowly filling them with ideas and contacts and connections over a pub lunch in Stroud. We were talking about what was going on in the outdoor world and who we knew, who was doing what, and when. The Sidetracked Magazine conversation started and is still flowing today. Our credibility in the outdoor world is blossoming beautifully.”

“We have around 10 -12 years to get our shit together globally as a species, to stop the global average temperatures rising more than two degrees Celsius.”

I ask Martin for any final words for our Morzine Source Magazine readers. “I would say that it is now time to put the climate on top of every agenda in every country, every day. The science has reached a point where the facts cannot be disputed. There is no place for climate deniers in any political office. Everything we do beyond this point in history will cost every country money. We cannot fight nature.”

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martin hartley - hero of the environment

// © martin hartley photography © oreli b

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at life A SECOND CHANCE

By freddo smith

I’d lived in Morzine for about six years, and life was pretty good. I worked at The Bec Jaune as a chef, a job I loved. I rode snowboards in the winter and bikes in the summer. On the 9th of January 2019, I had a snowboarding accident that changed my life forever. I fell 20 metres off a cliff in a whiteout and broke my back, damaging my spinal cord and leaving me a paraplegic.

It’s taken me a while to piece together what happened; I was pumping for speed, gradually turning toward the cliff, unaware of the impending danger and unable to see anything.

Then I felt that uneasy feeling of falling. I saw rocks. Sharp, scary looking rocks. A big, menacing-looking rock, approaching fast as I turned in the air. I actually remember thinking, I’m gonna hit that rock with my back. The next thing I remember was my friend Pete talking to ski patrol on the phone.

Then I realised I couldn’t feel my legs and I knew it, there and then. I was paralysed.

My spinal cord was damaged at the T11 level.

It’s called an incomplete injury, which means

optic Internet back to Morse code, that’s how my brain communicates with my legs now.

When the doctors told me I’d probably never walk again, my initial reaction was very negative. I remember saying stuff like, “if I can’t snowboard or bike again, there’s no point in me even living”. It was pretty upsetting for Lou and my family, who were there by my side at this point.

It took six ski patrollers to get me off the very dangerous and steep section where I was stuck. They are true heroes; they deserve more recognition for their bravery. I owe them my life.

But the great thing about being human is that we can adapt to situations very quickly, both physically and mentally. I realised life had a lot more to offer than leisure activities. I still had my upper body, the use of my arms. My head was uninjured, thanks to my helmet. I can do this, I thought. I have a second chance at life.

A lot of ketamine, morphine and a seven-hour spinal operation later, I awoke in the hospital.

My girlfriend Lou was there. She had been through a lot by this point and her story is equally as traumatising.

I was in hospital for one month and thanks to lots of morphine, it was pretty cruisy. I was surrounded by people that were broken like me. Some worse off, some not so bad.

The realisation of what life would be like as a

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paraplegic hit me slowly. There were a lot of things that weren’t explained to me, that I had to find out from the internet and SCI support groups. There are lots of things people don’t realise about these types of injuries.

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After that I moved to a rehab centre, where life was pretty easy, too. Anytime I needed help I just pushed a button and a nurse would (eventually) arrive to help me. I progressed pretty quickly at first, much quicker than anyone expected. When I say progressed, I mean I adjusted to life from the wheelchair. I still had yet to gain any voluntary movement below the level of my injury. They said I would have to stay at least three months before I could start the hôpital de jour, an outpatient service.

But I got bored and after six weeks I discharged myself so I could go sit-skiing. This was only nine weeks after my injury. A lot of people were shocked and surprised but I had to get back out there for my mental health. I had to convince myself life was worth living. If not, why bother? >>

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During this time I also started a vlog, initially to keep close friends and family updated with my progress. Then the secret got out and I started to get a wider audience, which really spurred me on to continue. It was very therapeutic, talking it out to the camera and letting people know the ups and downs. I enjoyed knowing people were watching and cheering me on through my rehab journey. It was a huge part of my recovery process; I was very honest. People were impressed at how I handled it, and I’m even impressed at myself watching it back.

Once I moved home and started hôpital de jour, I started relearning how to walk, which was a massive achievement. I can manipulate the spasticity in my legs to hold my body weight up and walk short distances with a walker. Whilst visually impressive, it’s not exactly practical. I can’t take my hands off the walker and I can only hold it for so long before I collapse. But hopefully it will lead to me regaining some more voluntary movement below

my injury and who knows what’s possible in the future.

These spasms are a gift and a curse. Whilst they enable me to walk short distances, they are essentially involuntary and have really held me back in certain ways, sleep being the thing most affected. Waking up in pain from spasming legs and not being able to get comfortable is horrible.

Because of the vlog, people think that I’m a really positive person and I think I am, too.

But this injury has tested me to my limits. Depression has been a huge setback for me, which hardly anyone knows about. All the struggles that happen behind closed doors that aren’t on the social media highlight reel are very real and incredibly tough.

It’s easy to get caught up in moments of regret or frustration at the things I am unable to do

kind, loving and helpful. She has kept me going more than anything else.

now. Keeping focused on goals for the future and not getting caught up thinking about the past have been essential to staying positive.

We recently got a puppy named Luna, and she has helped me a lot.

Getting outside and teaching her to walk beside the wheelchair has been a good excuse to get out of the comfort zone of my house.

I try and keep busy with artwork and creative projects. I have a poker night every Monday with my friends, which is great. I recently got a bike attachment for the wheelchair that helps me get outdoors, which is really important.

I think the absolute number one thing that keeps me positive though, is my girlfriend Lou. She is amazing. No matter how much I annoy her, she is always positive, 62

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I was also overwhelmed by the way the local community got together to help me with messages of support and fundraising to help cover the costs of living with a disability. However, our valley being a transient area means people come and go and it’s easy to be forgotten. Even though I have a close network of friends, I feel very isolated sometimes, but I’m trying to positively redefine my place in the community.

It’s an odd situation. I’m the same me, but before I identified as a snowboarder, mountain biker, chef in a busy kitchen, and now I’m a paraplegic who is trying to figure out his new direction. My future plans were squashed with my spinal cord, and I haven’t quite worked out the new version of who I want to be and what I want to do, but I’m getting there. And I’m hopeful the future will be fulfilling and happy.

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“On 23rd May 2019 at 01.54am, Catherine’s husband Eric transmitted a message that included her GPS coordinates.

She was at 8848m, on the summit of Everest, the highest point in the world, the summit of her dreams.”

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Catherine relocated from her home in the north of France to the Alps, having had respiratory problems as a teenager. She settled quickly into her new mountain environment and fondly tells of times when she would take off on a solo adventure with just a tin of sardines and a chunk of bread.

She’d never felt so happy, connected and at home. While studying Alpine Geology and Geophysics at Grenoble University, her love for the mountains grew deeper still. During this time she regularly explored the surrounding peaks of the Belledonne, Chartreuse and the Vercours. Little did she know that these years of study would come in handy years later in her expeditions to the world’s highest peaks.

“It’s always a morally hard decision to make, but allows you to come back and try again another day.”

Very few women were embarking on a career at Avoriaz lift operating company La Serma when Catherine joined the team. She settled in the Vallee d’Aulps and continued exploring but it wasn’t long before she’d set the roof of

Europe in her sights. Mont Blanc became an obsession; she worked opposite it every day, examining it regularly from the heights of Tête Rouss and le Buet. L’Aguille du Midi it was staring back at her, calling her. In 2004 her dream was realised. With her guide they ascended by Trois Monts, reaching the summit with quite a lot of wind, but made it all the same, and came down by Gouter. Since then Catherine has summited Mont Blanc no fewer than 42 times.

One morning she text me at 9am to say “Coucou de sommet de Mt Blanc”. Not so strange, you might think, for a woman who goes up and down Europe’s highest hill so frequently. Yet we’d just had 36 consecutive days of rain and the night before there’d been a brief clearing with the promise of good weather the next morning. Catherine had jumped in her car, driven to Chamonix, parked up and off she climbed. She later told me that she’d kept her gear in the car all summer, ready to jump on any opportunity to hike.

Don’t ever mistake this enthusiasm for risk taking. Catherine’s strength and longevity in this game is due to her ability to turn back.

Many times she has abandoned missions due to weather conditions, “pas de jambes”; one time due to an alpinist dying in front of her eyes. She has driven two hours to Switzerland and started a climb on her touring skis, only to turn back. “It’s always a morally hard decision to make, but allows you to come back and try again another day” she explains. Through her studies, career at La Serma, voluntary work with Secours en Montagne and her personal exploits, Catherine has amassed an impressive depth of knowledge and understanding of our hills.

With nowhere higher to go in Europe, it wasn’t long before Catherine started to set her sights on more sizeable peaks. With children Alexi and Edith both grown up and carving their own paths in life, it was time to start turning these dreams of bigger expeditions into a reality. “Altitude has a magnetic attraction to me, always making me dream, inspired by tales of the characters from my mountaineering books,” she tells me. First up was the highest peak in Russia, the Elbrouz, standing at a lofty 5642m. Then she headed to Ecuador to climb the Cotopaxi in the Andes at 5897m. The next summit would be the first of many trips to Nepal for the Mera Peak, standing at a towering 6476m. With the Himalayan giants shadowing over them on the ascension of Mera Peak, a tiny seed was planted and it flourished. The decision was made to embark on an expedition to attempt the sixth highest summit in the world.

On the 28th of September 2018 Catherine reached the summit of Cho Oyu which, at 8201m, makes it the sixth highest mountain in the world. It was on this expedition in particular that Catherine truly realised her capacity. She was sleeping soundly at 7000m, physically and mentally on form for the duration and she didn’t suffer once during the entire expedition. Compared to the other members of the group, her endurance and stamina were well advanced. The Sherpas soon realised that she marches to the beat of her own drum and was best left to it.

Catherine really could take all of this in her stride. She had been training for this her entire adult life, the competence and skill she had accumulated over the years were a happy by-product of a passion and infatuation for the mountains. No one is better equipped with the skills, intelligence and mindset to tackle these giants.

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“Altitude has a magnetic attraction to me, always making me dream, inspired by tales of the characters from my mountaineering books” When Catherine returned from Cho Oyu elated, she said to me with that famous glint in her eye, “je suis pas guérir de haute montagne Ash.” In other words, she had the bug and this would not be the end of such adventures. She quickly returned to her usual rhythm of work, enjoying the surrounding hills whenever she could, ski touring to work every day in the winter and patiently waiting for the next opportunity to arise. It didn’t take long. With the blessing and support of her husband Eric and her children, the decision was made. The flight was booked, direction Kathmandu. She was going to tackle the mighty Mount Everest.

Everest was never a summit that had attracted Catherine before. Numerous times she’d told me about so many other peaks that interested her; less commercial, less dangerous with no need for oxygen and just as beautiful. While climbing the Cho Oyu she was face to face with Everest every day and just like Mont Blanc all those years ago, it became an infatuation. An obsession that wouldn’t let up.

She thought about it every single day and night and before long she gave in. >>

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1499 route de la Plagne, 74110 Morzine Agent général d’assurance exclusif - AXA Prévoyance & Patrimoine Sociétés d’assurance mandantes : AXA France Vie & AXA Assurances Vie mutuelle N° ORIAS 18000804 www.orias.fr ACPR – Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution : 61 Rue Taitbout – 75009 PARIS Le détail des procédures de recours et de réclamation et les coordonnées du service dédié sont disponibles sur les sites www.axa.fr. En cas de non résolution d’un différend à l’issue du processus de réclamation, vous pouvez avoir recours au Médiateur, en vous adressant à l’association : La Médiation de l'Assurance, TSA 50110, 75441 PARIS CEDEX 9

//

green boots

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“The Sherpas soon realised that she marches to the beat of her own drum and was best left to it. ” On 23rd May 2019 at 01.54am, Catherine’s husband Eric transmitted a message that included her GPS coordinates. She was at 8848m, on the summit of Everest, the highest point in the world, the summit of her dreams.

The descent, often the most complicated part of any expedition, was done in true Catherine fashion. She managed the entire return in just one go, but not without some hair-raising moments. The wind had picked up as she arrived at camp 3, with the snow settling. She still felt on form, so decided to push on to the next camp. The storm really started to take pick at this stage and conditions were closing in on her. She was forced to take shelter near some rocks with a Sherpa, but knowing they couldn’t rest there for the night, they forced themselves to keep going. On arrival at camp 2 it soon became clear that resting

there was out of the question. The storm had destroyed the camp and there was no guarantee the remaining tents would survive.

Onwards to camp 1, where the kitchen boy was waiting to serve her a well-earned cup of tea. Determined to make it to basecamp by nightfall, the rising temperatures were making the snow melt and it became increasingly harder to follow the track before she lost it altogether. Sitting on a rock, Catherine started to ruminate.“Did this really happen? Was I really at the top of the world this morning? It’s not really that impossible after all. A magnetic attraction and good physical condition can make it happen, for others there were moments of suffering, never for me, I enjoyed every single moment” she concluded. With this in mind she kept trucking, eventually finding the track again, with everything starting to feel heavy. She tells me she was in

pure ecstasy as, bit-by-bit, basecamp came into view.

At 8.30pm a message to Eric confirmed her safe return to basecamp. Catherine had done it; she was down, delirious with happiness and exhaustion, but well and drinking tea.

When Catherine recounts her expedition she talks in equal measures of the technicalities of the trek, the beauty she saw and about each and every person that helped her along the way; the Sherpas, the kitchen boys, the porters, each person who she refers to fondly by name. I am convinced that the singsongs at camp with her Tibetan friends and the image of the kitchen boy waiting for her in the depths of the stormy were equally as important to her as reaching the summit. Similarly, for her friends and family waiting for news at a much lower altitude, it felt like she’d taken us to the top of the world with her. When you climb a mountain you leave your ego behind and this couldn’t be truer of Catherine. That is her beauty. There was no personal gain, no box ticked, no ego. Catherine’s summiting of Everest was for the sheer unadulterated joy of the mountains. As George Mallory said of his Everest climb, “it is of no use… we shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, not any coal or iron... what we get from adventure is sheer joy.”

“the mountains are her passion, her oxygen, her purpose.”

Catherine Vuillez. A colleague, friend and mountain guru, always ready with a warm smile, a cup of tea and good advice. I for one am excited to see what the future holds as her story up until now is nothing short of amazing.

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green boots

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Flexible arrival days

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Self-catered properties sleeping 4 - 26 in Morzine

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MUCH MORE THAN JUST RENTALS

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// resort information We stock a superb range of winter sports equipment and in the summer 69 months can meet all your two wheeled needs - Mountain bikes, E-MTB’s and road bikes

40 years of

rappers delight

By Amie Henderson

Things that are 40 years old this year: The very first Millennials. Kim Kardashian. The Sony Walkman. Rappers Delight. That’s right, the track that would forever shape hiphop is now 40 and to celebrate, The Sugar Hill Gang are coming to Avoriaz as part of this winter’s Snowboxx Festival.

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resort information

// © oreli b

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

...is how record producer and President of Sugar Hill Records’ Sylvia Robinson described Guy ‘Master Gee’ O’Brien, Michael ‘Wonder Mike’ Wright and Henry ‘Big Bank Hank’ Jackson back in 1979. She couldn’t decide which rapper she liked the most as they auditioned for her in cars or outside pizza joints.

“I’ll put you all together,” she said, changing the landscape of music forever.

“I’ve got these kids who can talk real fast”

Rapper’s Delight by The Sugar Hill Gang was the first rap single to become a Top 40 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. Sampling wasn’t really a thing back then and Chic’s Nile Rogers wasn’t best pleased about their use of Good Times; these days he calls it one of his favourite tracks of all time and he’s in good company. Who doesn’t know the opening lines of this iconic track for goodness sake?

We caught up with Guy ‘Master Gee’ O’Brien and Michael ‘Wonder Mike’ Wright (Henry ‘Big Bank Hank’ Jackson sadly died of cancer in 2014, aged 58) at their homes on the East Coast of the US, where they’re “still going strong as a group!” they tell me.

“We continue to do what we love and that’s being able to perform, giving our audiences and our diehard fans an experience that they can enjoy and reminisce over for the rest of their lives.”

It could have been recorded yesterday though, don’t you think? In a world of crap pop where most ‘hits’ sound the same, Rapper’s Delight sounds as >>

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40 years of rappers delight

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I said a hip hop Hippie to the h The hip, hip a h and you don't s fresh as a daisy. I wonder how this massive milestone makes them feel? “Well, it makes us all feel very blessed to be a part of a song that has stood the test of time. Still to this day there’s a big demand for The Sugar Hill Gang. Thanks to Sylvia Robinson and the family for being a big part of making this rap industry come to life and for introducing it to the world.”

It can be argued that, following the global success of Rapper’s Delight, The Sugar Hill Gang were always more successful in Europe than back home in the US. They’ve performed at multiple festivals across the continent throughout their careers, always to huge crowds. Does it feel good to be touring and performing again now? “There's no greater high in the world than to feel the energy of your fans screaming and directing all that positive energy towards you and to know that somewhere out there in that crowd you have put a smile on someone's face who may have been having a bad day for what ever reason. We as humans are affectionate and passionate beings, so music is an important part of life.”

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40 years of rappers delight

//

“To the bang-bang boogie, say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.”

It’s been suggested for a long time that Rapper’s Delight was recorded in just one take. I wonder how true that is? And where did those opening lyrics come from? “Yes, it was with the one exception of one stoppage with Hank. The producers never stopped us,” Wonder Mike explains. “All the rapping was done in one take, but we cut it to 15 minutes.”

“And I liked the percussive sound of the letter B, so those opening lyrics are basically a spoken drum roll. The part where I go, “To the bang-bang boogie, say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.”

To date, more than 14 million copies of Rapper’s Delight have been sold and the group seem to have just as much energy as ever before. How many times do they think they’ve performed the song over the years? “Wow, that’s impossible to put a number on, but I know that again we are extremely blessed for Rapper’s Delight to still be in demand.” And what about favourite performances? There must be some standout gigs after 40 years? “I’m sure each of us have our own moment on stage which we’d call our “finest moment on stage together”, but for me it was Hong Kong!” Master Gee tells me.

Le of Room.pdf 1 for 27/09/2019 13:04 your source information Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

p, hippie, hop, stop

Snowboxx arrives in Avoriaz on 21 March.

Secure your spot in the crowd now.

Head to snowboxx.com.

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Chalet Foret d’Argent

by M o u n t a i n H e a v e n

A quick skim through the Snowboxx lineups of recent years demonstrates a who’s who of fresh musical talent, alongside stalwarts of the music industry such as Fatboy Slim. It’s impressive that The Sugar Hill Gang are still relevant now, as much as ever before, for their sampling skills. “We recorded all our songs back in the day with a live band but as far as sampling goes, there’s definitely not a lack of talent at the moment. It just proves that technology will always evolve and get better. But to make great music and great songs, there’s no replacing a real musician in the studio playing what’s in his heart and in his soul…”

Forty years on, there’s no rest for the wicked and the group continue to make new music.

2009’s ‘Lala Song’ with French DJ Bob Sinclar reached the number 1 spot in parts of Europe and they’ve just released a new track on the UK-based Defected Records label called Fever with Melle Mel and Scorpio. So what can we expect from their Snowboxx set, where the crowds are notoriously enthusiastic and up for anything? “It’ll be a non-stop, highenergy show that is guaranteed to leave you speechless.”

A truly stunning chalet, connected with nature in the wooded Morzine valley

Available Now

for Winter & Summer Bookings mountainheaven.co.uk //

40 years of rappers delight

73

snow goggle the Anatomy of a

AND WHY YOU NEED A GOOD SET By chloe hardy

A pair of goggles can make or break your day on the slopes.

A good pair will help you see clearly in all environments and protect your eyes from the bright mountain conditions, while a bad pair will often steam up, distort your vision and can even leave you with tired, sun damaged eyes. But with so many brands and models out there, how can you tell which ones will perform? This is where Dragon comes in.

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Dragon has been making performance eyewear for surfers, skiers, snowboarders and bikers since the nineties and today is recognised as one of the best brands in the business when it comes to snow goggles. In 2011 they launched the first ever frameless goggle, which pretty much changed the face of the industry, and they’re pioneers of the easy lens-change system, SwiftLock. Dragon is also one of the first brands to start using an eco-friendly, plant-based resin in their glasses frames, which they’re hoping to transfer over to goggles.

same quality. That’s because over twenty years of experience have gone into each Dragon model, and they’ve nailed the all-important combo of great vision, durability and performance in their lenses.

“The amount of R&D it takes to bring a top quality goggle to the market is why we are where we are,” explains Dragon’s Senior Global Brand Manager, Liam Barrett. “The extensive testing by our world class skiers and snowboarders to ensure our goggles perform doesn’t happen overnight. Buy nice, not twice.”

Now, we’re sure you’re thinking that you’ve seen similar-looking goggles online that retail for less than half the price, and while they may look similar to Dragon’s designs, they definitely don’t offer the

So exactly what goes into making a top quality pair of goggles? Let’s have a look in more detail at one of Dragon’s newest and most highperformance models.

the anatomy of a snow goggle

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your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

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2 8

10

dragon pxv2 4

5

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1. PANOTECH LENS TECHNOLOGY

Most goggles have either a spherical or a cylindrical lens, so they either look flat or rounded. Dragon’s patented injection-moulded Panotech lenses are a combination of both; a toric lens, which is shaped a bit like a rugby ball. This has allowed Dragon to pull the lens very close to the face and massively enhance your visual range to a whopping 220º, meaning you can see way more of what’s happening around you.

All these aspects combined make for minimum sight distortion and mean Panotech lenses offer the most ‘optically true’ visual experience possible.

2. PHOTOCHROMIC LENS TECH

For those of you who hate changing your lenses, with Dragon’s photochromic lenses you’ll never need to! The photochromic coating reacts to light, getting darker as it gets brighter and lighter as it gets cloudier. Plus Dragon’s photochromic lenses come with Lumalens technology, so you’ll enjoy high-definition vision whatever the conditions.

3. LUMALENS TECH

Lumalens is Dragon’s proprietary lens technology and it's designed to maximise your vision in all conditions, while reducing eye fatigue.

Alongside providing 100% UV protection and filtering out glare, Lumalens technology helps enhance what you’re seeing through the lenses, boosting contrast and definition so you can see with more clarity than ever before. “Lumalens colour tuned lenses are built for specific snow conditions to maximize definition,” explains Liam. “Prior tints were generic and not compatible with the extreme reflective qualities of snow.”

4. SUPER ANTI-FOG COATING

Helps prevent your lenses steaming up, even in wet conditions.

5. HYDROPHOBIC AND OLEOPHOBIC

Lens coatings that repel water, dust, dirt and oil.

6. ANTI-SCRATCH COATING

An ultra-hard finish that protects your lenses from damage.

7. FRAMELESS DESIGN

Dragon’s patented frameless design reduces weight and bulk, increases your peripheral vision and also looks really cool.

8. SWIFTLOCK

Changing your lenses is a breeze with Dragon’s proprietary SwiftLock Technology. All you need to do is flip up the levers at the sides of the frame to release the lens, then place the new lens on the frame and flip the levers back down. It’s so easy you can do it with gloves on.

9. ARMOURED VENTING

Not only do these vents allow hot air to escape from behind your goggles and help stop them from steaming up, they’re also packing extra protection so they’re easier to clean out when they get clogged with snow.

10. SILICONE-BACKED STRAP

Rubbery silicone stringers on the inside of the strap ensure that it sticks to your headgear of choice, meaning your goggles stay in a comfortable position all day long. >> //

the anatomy of a snow goggle

75

choosing the right goggles for you

our top picks

You’re likely to have the same goggles for a long time, so before you buy, make sure you’ve tried them on with your hat / helmet / neck warmer combo to make sure everything fits and the goggles are comfortable on your face. Once you’ve got your chosen style down, here are a few other things to consider.

VLT

€€€: PXV2

VLT stands for visual light transmission, and it’s measured in percent. A high VLT (eg. 80%) means the lens lets through a lot of light so is more suitable for low light days, while a low VLT (eg. 23%) is best suited to bright, sunny days.

The PXV2 builds on the original PXV with the addition of SwiftLock for even easier lens changes. It also offers Dragon’s best ever vision combined with bombproof construction and a seriously badass design. The PXV is one of Dragon’s most expensive models but it’s well worth the dollar, plus each style comes with two lenses.

LENSES: CYLINDRICAL, SPHERICAL OR TORIC? Cylindrical lenses are flat-looking, while spherical ones are rounded, and which one you choose is really a personal choice. Spherical lenses offer slightly better ‘optically correct’ vision as they mirror the shape of the eyeball, while you’ll also enjoy reduced glare and distortion. Cylindrical lenses are a bit less effective in all these categories, but they are generally a cheaper option and have a more retro look. Toric (available only on the PXV and PXV2) is a combination of both, offering all the benefits of a spherical lens and all the good looks of a cylindrical one, plus extra peripheral vision. Win, win!

€€: NFX

A slightly more basic version of the more expensive cylindrical-lensed NFX2, the original NFX provides a wide visual range, frameless technology and great ventilation alongside on-point looks. Plus you can expect two Lumalens lenses to cover you in all conditions.

HOW TO WEAR All Dragon goggles are helmet compatible, but regardless of whether you wear them under or over, or with no helmet at all, Liam has some top tips to get maximum performance from your lenses. “The key is to limit the amount of moisture forming on the more permeable inner lens.” He says. “Avoid aggressively wiping the inner lens, dab it gently with the goggle bag provided. Following a run where heat has built up, placing your goggles on your helmet and not allowing any perspiration / snow / rain to enter the inside of the frame is crucial while waiting in the lift line or on the chairlift.”

€: DX3

New for 2019 / 20, the DX3 combines solid visual performance with good looks and a wallet-friendly price point. Each style comes with one lens, which has Lumalens tech as standard, plus the frame design is prescription eyeglasses friendly. Perfect for beginners or penniless seasonaires.

what is the future for snow Goggles Snow goggle technology has already advanced so much in just a few short years, but what can we expect to see in the future? While we’re looking forward to more plant-based, natural materials throughout Dragon’s products, for Liam, it’s all about simplifying the fundamental elements. “We want to continue to evolve Lumalens tints to maximize clarity and definition in all conditions, while providing simplified lens change systems,” he tells us. “Fit and field of vision are always top priorities.”

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the anatomy of a snow goggle

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your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

The Tasty Ski Company

Aiglon Apartments

Annapurna by Alpine Residences

The Tasty Ski Company has a handful of luxury catered chalets available in both winter and summer in Morzine and Le Grand Massif. Delicious food in amazing locations is the name of our game! Come and stay at the stunning Ferme St Christophe for our famous yoga retreats and self-guided walking holidays in summer 2020.

12 stylish and contemporary alpine apartments within a stunning residence de tourism situated in a great location, less than a 5 minute walk from both the centre of resort and the Super Morzine lift.

Open summer and winter. The ultimate MTB retreat.

Family fun, Multi Pass member. On-site gym, sauna, treatment rooms and fitness classes. Secure parking.

Annapurna is one of the most luxurious self-catered apartment complexes in Les Gets. Located within the centre of the village and including an on-site spa, a swimming pool complex and a private ski-room, the development features interior designed apartments and penthouses of different sizes as well as a residents' lounge, exclusive wine bar and restaurant, Vina Annapurna.

thetastyskicompany.co.uk

aiglonmorzine.com

alpine-residences.fr

+44 (0) 1557 525 050

+33 (0) 6 82 05 81 12

+33 (0) 4 22 32 60 93

info@thetastyskicompany.co.uk

info@aiglonmorzine.com

lesgets@alpine-residences.fr

Skiology

RushAdventures

Simply Morzine

Since 2006. Location, location, location, chalets circa 500m - 200m from pistes and or resort. Passionate about good food - menu by former Fortnum & Mason development chef. Service with care and delivered sustainably, we’re on a mission to be the Alps accommodation provider with the smallest carbon footprint. Mention 'Source' and get a bottle of local bubbles with your booking.

Located in the heart of Les Gets with direct access to the lifts, our catered chalets offer all the charm and facilities you would expect. With over 15 years experience, our mission is to provide amazing memorable holidays. We cater for groups, families and couples who want a personalised holiday experience.

The original Morzine specialists, established in 1995. Shortlisted as ‘Best Chalet Company’ by the Telegraph. Central Morzine and on-piste luxury catered and self-catered properties plus a charming French hotel. All chalets and hotel include hot tub, pool or sauna. Superb cuisine, personal service, Geneva transfers and resort shuttles, discounted lift passes, equipment hire and unique summer holidays.

skiology.co.uk

rushadventures.co.uk

simply-morzine.co.uk

+44 (0) 207 183 0688

+44 (0) 1212 886 131

+44 (0) 1664 568 902

stay@skiology.co.uk

info@rushadventures.co.uk

info@simply-morzine.co.uk

Treeline Chalets

Alptitude

Chalet Roc

Award winning chalet company with a range of catered and self-catered properties in central Morzine.

Winter and summer accommodation for all group sizes and budgets and a friendly, knowledgeable team so you can make the most of your alpine holiday in Morzine!

Family run company with great value properties in and around Morzine. We pride ourselves on great service and value for money meaning that you can enjoy your precious holiday time and relax!

Central Morzine - 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom detached chalet; outdoor hot tub, log burning fireplace, WIFI, Netflix, Spotify, Alexa and PlayStation! Curl up by the fireplace enjoying wraparound views of Nyon and Ressachaux, the perfect setting for a party or après-ski drink. Or step into the garden and enjoy a dip in the outdoor hot tub. Mention ‘Source’ for a discount!

treelinechalets.com

alptitude.com

chaletroc.com

+44 (0) 1483 220 505

+ 44 (0) 7891 021 292

+44 (0) 7887 551 921

info@treelinechalets.com

info@alptitude.com

reservations@chaletroc.com //

Accommodation Directory

77

Ride & Breakfast Chalet

GourmetSki Chalet du Chêne

My Home in the Alps

Center of Montriond, stay in a renovated chalet with 6 en-suites bedrooms (18 guests) and excellent facilities including an outdoor hot tub, sauna and fireplaces.

Self-catered or fully catered? It’s up to you! We provide any services to suit your needs at a great price and with maximum flexibility. This is the perfect chalet for large groups starting at 4,320€ per week in winter.

Luxury owner-run catered chalet in Morzine. 5 beautiful en-suite rooms sleeping up to 10 adults or family groups of up to 13 guests. Gourmet evening meals, lift shuttles, hot tub and games room. Oak framed eco chalet with wonderful views in a peaceful but accessible setting, ski bus just 300m and a flat walk to Morzine centre. Open all year catered, B&B and self-catered.

Chalet "W" is a luxury 5 star chalet in a prime location in the centre of Morzine with stunning views of the mountains and river, huge light-filled rooms and a luxurious contemporary decor. My Home in the Alps is a real estate agency with a unique portfolio in Morzine and Les Gets. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

rideandbreakfast.com

gourmetski.com

myhomeinthealps.com

+33 (0) 6 07 45 35 18

+44 (0) 7733 582 120

+33 (0) 9 54 76 22 30

contact@rideandbreakfast.com

gourmetski@gmail.com

loc@mhita.com

Hunter Chalets & Apartments

AliKats Mountain Holidays

Chalet Heavenly

Luxury chalets and apartments in Morzine and Les Gets with 24hr services catering to families, friends and corporate groups alike. We specialise in luxury service and accommodation with swimming pools, spa rooms, all-inclusive bar and fine dining. Our properties range from 18 person ultimate luxury chalets to 4 person luxury apartments. We offer both fully catered and self catered options as well as bespoke holidays to suit your needs.

We have a superb portfolio of self-catered properties, all with hot tubs and very near a bus stop or the lifts.

You can also order our award-winning food freshly prepared and delivered directly to your fridge whilst you are out on the mountains. Get in touch with us today and we will help create an incredible holiday for you.

Luxury, fully catered chalet situated in Montriond, close to Morzine and Avoriaz. Sleeping 12 people in 5 en-suite bedrooms, our chalet boasts picture postcard views, full width external balconies, hot tub, sauna, private chauffeur service plus all food and drink included. Hired out on an exclusive basis, it's the perfect place to unwind after a day on the slopes

hunterchalets.com

alikats.eu

chaletheavenly.com

+44 (0) 20 3745 3452

+33 (0) 7 83 49 67 03

+44 (0) 7860 641 506

info@hunterchalets.com

bookings@alikats.eu

info@chaletheavenly.com

F&C Experience

The Farmhouse

Mountain Xtra

We offer two types of accommodation in our eco friendly chalet in Essert-Romand; an en-suite bedroom with private bathroom and toilet and a balcony overlooking the valley, plus a self-contained apartment with a lovely terrace, WIFI, parking and lots of good tips from a local family.

Built in 1771, The Farmhouse is the oldest building in Morzine, known to the locals as ‘Le Château’. One of the most desirable hideaways in the Alps sits in the heart of this beautiful alpine village, just two minutes walk from the centre. Once you have discovered this gem you will return year after year...

An amazing selection of stylish self catered holiday chalets and apartments in Morzine and Les Gets. With easy to use availability search and secure online booking, head to our website to rent your perfect holiday property.

Mountain Xtra is an environmentally responsible company that offsets it’s business carbon impact and is always investing in new ways to raise eco awareness.

fcmorzine.com

thefarmhouse.co.uk

mountainxtra.com

+33 (0) 6 18 46 10 96

+33 (0) 4 50 79 08 26

+44 (0) 1483 608 396

hello@fcmorzine.com

info@thefarmhouse.co.uk

info@mountainxtra.com

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Accommodation Directory

//

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Apex Morzine

Chalet Fourmiliere

Total Mountain

Le Morzenettaz offers comfortable, relaxed accommodation in a renovated 180-year-old farmhouse, close to Super Morzine lift and town centre. Choose from either our 2 bedroom self-catering apartment, available on a weekly basis, (Saturday changeovers), or B&B in 5 en-suite bedrooms, with flexible arrival days. Minimum stay 3 nights. Free WIFI. Open winter and summer.

Originally a farmhouse built over 200 years ago, now a stunning contemporary home, blending original and modern features, designed to create the perfect environment for entertainment and relaxation. We are owner run and offer a bespoke, personal service to our guests with 6luxurious en-suite guest bedrooms, hot tub, games and treatment room.

At Total Mountain we believe that the mountains should be accessible to everyone and so our rental property portfolio offers a great range of self catered chalets and apartments to suit every budget. The mountains are awesome, whatever the time of year let us help you find your perfect accommodation.

apexmorzine.com

chaletfourmiliere.com

totalmountain.co.uk

+ 33 (0) 4 50 74 65 49

+44 (0) 7710 328 586

+33 (0) 7 67 33 13 70

apexgroup@free.fr

hello@chaletfourmiliere.com

info@totalmountain.co.uk

Morgan Jupe Catered Chalets

Morgan Jupe s/c Apartments

Morgan Jupe s/c Apartments

A carefully selected portfolio of chalets offering stunning views and excellent facilities. Our unrivalled fully catered package boasts the best inclusive wine list of any catered chalet and includes a non-stop driving service in our Land Rover Defenders. Winter prices from £4,500; summer prices (self-catered) from £1,200 (per chalet, per week).

Our unique luxury B&B package offers a flexible alternative to a fully catered holiday. Enjoy excellent service and benefit from exclusive use of the chalet, while having the freedom to choose exactly how to spend your evenings. Includes cooked and continental breakfast, daily housekeeping, afternoon tea and our nonstop driving service. Winter prices from £2,700; summer prices (self-catered) from £1,900 (per chalet, per week).

A collection of stylish, comfortable apartments sleeping 4 - 6 guests, all perfectly located for a convenient self-catered holiday in Morzine. Fully equipped with all the essentials including high-speed WIFI, Sonos sound system, smart TV, washing machine and electric ski boot heaters. Winter prices from £1,100; summer prices from £650 (per apartment, per week).

morganjupe.co.uk

morganjupe.co.uk

morganjupe.co.uk

+44 (0) 7739 692 908

+44 (0) 7739 692 908

+44 (0) 7739 692 908

jess@morganjupe.co.uk

jess@morganjupe.co.uk

jess@morganjupe.co.uk

Chalet-Hôtel la Marmotte

Chalet Oscar

Chalet Gentiane – Summit Special

In the centre of the beautiful resort of Les Gets and facing the Chavannes homerun, this traditional, characterful chalet-hotel has has belonged to the Mirigay Family since 1947. It exudes a simple charm; from the moment you arrive, you will feel a calming sense of well-being and comfort.

A few steps from the village centre, come enjoy the breath-taking view in this contemporary 5-star chalet!

The property offers a large living room with an open kitchen and fireplace. There are 5 en-suite bedrooms which can accommodate 12 people. Relax outside in the hot tub or keep warm in the sauna.

We have one aim; to make your visit as memorable and enjoyable as our own visits to Les Gets over many years. Our 8-bed catered chalet is located in the heart of the village, just metres from the lifts and pistes, chalet, comforts include a large, relaxing lounge, open log fire, sauna and a TV. We serve delicious 4-course meals on 5 of your 7 night break, wines, beers and soft drinks are included and we’ll help you plan everything to perfection.

hotel-marmotte.com

myhomeinthealps.com

chaletgentiane.com

+33 (0) 4 50 75 80 33

+33 (0) 9 54 76 22 30

+44 (0) 7931 934312

info@hotel-marmotte.com

loc@mhita.com

summitspecial@chaletgentiane.com //

Accommodation Directory

79

Avoriaz Holidays offer all you need to plan a perfect holiday in les Portes du Soleil’s highest ski resort. All properties are ski-in, ski-out, bed linens are included, flexible meal plans including breakfast delivery are available and we arrange discounts on ski passes and equipment rental on your behalf. Here’s a selection of our properties.

Chalet Ioda

Saskia Apartment

Recently refurbished to a high standard, this large chalet accommodates up to 10 people and offers stunning views over the resort. Facilities include WiFi, TV, beds made before arrival, daily cleaning service, towels and firewood provided, sunny terrace and washing machine and dryer. You’ll love the large, open plan living room.

Aster Apartment

Located on the 4th floor of the Saskia Residence in the Falaise area, this apartment sleeps 6 people in comfortable rooms. There’s 1 double bedroom, a bunk room and a sofa-bed in the lounge. Facilities include beds made before arrival, WiFi, TV, kitchen with microwave, fridge and dishwasher. The south-west facing balcony offers stunning views!

Alpages Apartment

Sleeping 6 in modern comfort, this 3rd floor apartment has been recently refurbished and offers great views over the local pistes. Facilities include secure boot and ski storage, beds made before your arrival, WiFi, flexible bedroom arrangements, a fullyequipped kitchen and a south west facing balcony. We love the Savoyarde themed décor in this property!

Chalet Kouria

This is a functional, well located apartment sleeping up to 4 people in 2 rooms. It’s on the 6th floor, which makes the views spectacular while other features include a ski locker, beds made before arrival, WiFi, a kitchen with microwave, fridge and dishwasher. There’s 1 double bedroom, 2 single sofa beds and a south facing balcony from which you can enjoy the views.

Malinka Apartment

This beautiful, uber-modern chalet sleeps 10 people in 5 bedrooms. It has it’s own private lift, a beautiful living room with a large fireplace and a fully equipped kitchen. Other features include heated boot warmers, laundry room, access to an indoor swimming pool, hammam, sauna and beautiful south facing balconies.

Accommodating up to 4 people, this charming apartment is on the 4th floor of a centrally located Avoriaz residence and enjoys south-west facing balcony views. Facilities include beds made before your arrival, WIFI, a kitchen featuring a microwave, hotplates, dishwasher and fridge in addition to a nice dining space.

There is a double bedroom and 2 single sofa beds.

Chalet Doriaz An individual chalet offering accommodation for up to 12 in a huge, beautifully decorated space over several characterful levels. Facilities include WiFi, beds made before arrival, fire wood and towels provided, secure ski storage, laundry room, sauna, fitted kitchen with all the appliances you need, large dining area and several bedrooms to suit your whole group.

Fontaines Blanches Apartment A charming apartment with modern décor, this residence offers accommodation for up to 4 people on the 4th floor of the building. Features include WiFi, beds made before arrival, a kitchen with a fridge, dishwasher and microwave while the bedrooms include 1 double room and a double sofa bed in the lounge. There’s also a south facing balcony too.

Alpages 1 Renovated for Winter 20, this 3-room, 75m2 duplex apartment comfortably sleeps 6. Facilities include an open-plan living space, underfloor heating, a fullyequipped kitchen with dishwasher, washing machine, oven and microwave and quality decoration throughout.

There’s a double bedroom on the lower floor and a master bedroom plus cabin with 2 single beds on the upper floor.

a selection of avoriaz accommodation from avoriaz-holidays.com | +33 (0)4 50 74 16 08 80

Accommodation Directory

//

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

The French alpine lifestyle

SALES / VENTE

RENTALS / LOCATION

258 Rue du Centre, 74260 Les Gets

2441 Route des Grandes Alpes, 74260 Les Gets

+33 (0)4 22 32 60 96 / info@alpine-lodges.fr

+33 (0)4 22 32 60 93 / lesgets@alpine-residences.fr

www.alpine-lodges.fr

www.alpine-residences.fr //

resort information

81

the market THE STATE OF

By gareth jefferies

Marketing Director at alpine-property.com

The property market in the Morzine in 2019 has continued to be buoyant. This has been a surprise to many. Some of our customers have assumed that because of Brexit, the number of property transactions would be down, however this has not been the case.

To state the obvious, for the market to function well there needs to be a balance between the numbers of buyers and sellers and also their expectations.

The pull of the mountains remains strong, especially in these politically uncertain times. Beyond that, many people are looking to escape the heat and the pollution in their busy lives in the cities of the world. Thanks to the uncertain political situation and the weakness of Sterling, UK based buyers feature less on our books at the moment. However, for each one of these buyers that are struggling, there is a seller looking to cash in on the strong

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the state of the market

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Euro value of their property. Expatriate British buyers living all over the world continue to head for our corner of the Alps too. Economies across the globe are booming and these buyers are profiting.

What of the future for Brexit? As I write this the UK has missed its Halloween deadline for leaving the EU and is gearing up for the first winter general election since 1923! So there is no point in making predictions. Most of the Brexit scenarios that could play out will not have any great effect on the mechanics of buying or owning

properties in France. Beyond some additional paperwork, most outcomes wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cause too many issues for UK nationals that already live in France either. However, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bury our heads in the sand and the effects of a hard Brexit need to be considered. For most buyers there will be very little change. In the case of a hard Brexit, they will become third-country nationals, so the same as someone from the US, Australia or South Africa. These are all nationalities that have been happily buying properties in France for years without problems. When someone from these countries comes to sell, they

AXAofSource adverts.pdf 2 Les 30/09/2019 11:45 your source information for Morzine, Gets & Avoriaz

have higher capital gains taxes to pay. So, if their property has increased in value the tax they pay on that increase is higher. This realisation can be a brake on selling, but is rarely a brake for buyers! In the case of a hard Brexit, there could be some quite severe consequences for retired UK nationals living in France. It is possible that their pensions may not keep pace with inflation and their healthcare cover could lapse. That’s an unconscionable situation for people in that position and something that will have to be sorted out. If not there could be some real hardships for some of the most vulnerable. However, this is not something that will really affect the property market of the Alps.

The big change we have seen is that French buyers now feature strongly in our statistics. In the past they have made up around 40% of our buyers, recently that figure has risen to 60%, sometimes 70%. This buoyancy in the French market is caused by a number of factors. The French economy is generally doing well. Interest rates are low, making borrowing easier and saving money unattractive.

The French stock market has been flat over the last couple of years, so investment in property is seen as a more attractive proposition. The French have traditionally been keen on having a second home, often passed down from generation to generation, so the idea of buying a place in the Alps has great appeal. Parisians, in particular, are keen to establish a haven away from their busy lives in a crowded city and the Alps remains a favourite destination for them. One final factor in the growth in French buyers is the economic success of the Haute Savoie itself. In this part of the Alps we are surrounded by cities with booming economies, Geneva and Annemasse being good examples. Residents of these cities are keen on buying weekend retreats in the mountains a short drive from their homes.

The building boom in the popular resorts is polarising views on the best place to buy. In the past, our customers would be interested in properties both in the main resorts such as Morzine and Les Gets and also those in the surrounding villages of St Jean d’Aulps, Seytroux and Le Biot. The development of the main resorts has changed this. Now more people are focusing exclusively on one or other of these two types of location. This has a positive effect on the smaller, surrounding villages. More families are settling in them, but making their living off the economy of Morzine. More local businesses are opening too. Many of the surrounding villages are desperately trying to add commercial space to cope.

Buyers continue to look for a more rounded holiday destination, no longer focussing exclusively on the winter ski season. Clients are appreciating what is on offer all year round. The area has always been known for its walking and biking, but these are just some of the activities now available. Most recently some relatively new sports are drawing the crowds to the Alps. In this context I would mention trail running, triathlon and road biking in particular as a part of this new enthusiasm for the mountains all year round

PHONE OR VIDEO CONSULTATION WITH A DOCTOR Have your perscription sent by mail to the closest pharmacy

Reach a doctor night & day

06 87 36 53 21 Marc Invernizzi

1499 route de la Plagne, 74110 Morzine Agent général d’assurance exclusif - AXA Prévoyance & Patrimoine Sociétés d’assurance mandantes : AXA France Vie & AXA Assurances Vie mutuelle N° ORIAS 18000804 www.orias.fr ACPR – Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution : 61 Rue Taitbout – 75009 PARIS Le détail des procédures de recours et de réclamation et les coordonnées du service dédié sont disponibles sur les sites www.axa.fr. En cas de non résolution d’un différend à l’issue du processus de réclamation, vous pouvez avoir recours au Médiateur, en vous adressant à l’association : La Médiation de l'Assurance, TSA 50110, 75441 PARIS CEDEX 9

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the state of the market

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WE HAVE APARTMENTS AVAILABLE IN ALL OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS RANGING FROM A 1 BED TO A 6 BED PENTHOUSE. PRICES START FROM €200,000 AND YOU’LL FIND FURTHER INFORMATION ON

ALL

OUR

CURRENT

DEVELOPMENTS AT: WWW.PROMOTEAM.FR

LE CARLINA – MORZINE PRESTIGIOUS SKI-IN AND SKI-OUT RESIDENCE

LE GÉNÉPI – LES GETS SKI IN, SKI OUT WITH AMAZING VIEWS

A LETTER FROM AMANDA AT PROMOTEAM: My husband and I purchased our first home together in Les Gets to be closer to our family in Marnaz. We chose to buy in the centre of Les Gets as we wanted to be walking distance from the village and the slopes. Fast forward a few years and we are now living full time in our dream ski home and working for Promoteam. We joined Antoine, his wife and two children, who are passionate about the mountains. His dream property was a house in a small village with a large garden and so he lives in Essert la Pierre on the outskirts of Morzine.

Promoteam is a ski property developer based in Morzine currently with developments in Morzine and Les Gets. The people who buy Promoteam properties are families equally passionate about the mountains and for whom it is a dream to be able to own a ski property with easy access to the slopes and village. They have often been visiting Morzine for years and have decided to invest their savings into making their dream a reality. They dream of spending as much time in the mountains as possible and quite a few of our clients have the long-term view of retiring here and becoming a part of the much loved Morzine community. In the meantime, they plan to rent out their property via the local rental agencies and tour operators.

We believe in buying local and strive to always use local suppliers in the construction of our developments. Our desire is to build the local economy by creating work for the local community. Our electrician, plumber, tiler and painter are all local and even our kitchens are designed and fabricated in Haute-Savoie. The families that buy our apartments appreciate our aim as they in turn want to use the services of the local business to the benefit of the local community.

Even our architect has an office in Morzine. Anthony designs the Promoteam properties to be a modern take on the traditional Savoyard mountain architecture. His architectural design uses traditional materials such as aged larch and the dressed stone â&#x20AC;&#x153;barette de luzerneâ&#x20AC;? that is distinctive to Morzine buildings. The buildings are all designed in line with the local planning regulations and we work with the Marie (or town hall) to ensure that we are consistent with the desired architectural identity of the village.

A growing local economy means that more affordable housing is needed too. We are proud to be the first property developer to build key worker housing in Morzine. Five apartments will be delivered in February 2019, ranging from a studio apartment to a 90m2 4-bed duplex. Right now, we sell the apartments to a key worker housing company, who then let the properties to local people who apply based on their income. In the future, we would like to sell directly to local people via the, 'accession a la proprietĂŠ'. We would sell at a 3035% reduced price compared to the market value to lower income families looking to live in the centre of the village. We are currently in discussions with the town hall about this future plan.

Additional shops and restaurants are also needed to support this growing local community and increase in tourist numbers. This is why two of our developments have been planned with commercial space on the ground floors. Martine will be reopening Le Tyrolien in a brand-new restaurant and still serving her fabulous pizzas, alongside some new shops and there will also be a new restaurant in the Le Carlina development.

Our aim is to work with the town hall and the local community to create an exciting future for Morzine. We would be more than happy to share our plans with you so please feel free to pop in to our new sales office and show apartment at any time.

WISHING YOU A GREAT WINTER SEASON. AMANDA

FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT AMANDA ON +33 (0) 6 82 59 21 31 OR EMAIL A.HARDWICK@PROMOTEAM.FR

property Ski-in, Ski-out Apartment

The local alpine property market continues to grow with an expanding range of new properties coming on the market in the last 12 months. From new build apartments within metres of the slopes and lifts to gorgeous old Savoyarde fermes ripe for development, we’ve rounded up some of the very best homes for sale in our valley right now.

€170,000

Located in the sought after residence ‘Le Grand Cerf’ on the ski slopes of the popular resort of St Jean d'Aulps, is this 2 bedroom 2 bathroom ski apartment with a south west facing balcony and side views of the ski slopes. The apartment is beautifully presented and is being sold furnished with a ski locker and parking place. With stunning views of the slopes and a large balcony running the length of the apartment, it really is an ideal base from which to explore the area.

MORE INFO:

Joanna MacGovern, Geranium Immobilier +33 (0) 4 50 38 86 30 info@geranium74.com geranium74.com

La Ferme et la Grange Mont d'Evian

€1,485,000

What an opportunity to snap up not one but two properties in this most sought-after location in St Jean d'Aulps! Known for its sunny aspect and incredible views, the position of this wonderful farmhouse and chalet combination is simply idyllic. Located at Mont d’Evian, only 5 minutes from the village centre. The properties sit on a plot of almost 2000m2, which is mostly grassy slopes dotted with fruit trees. Each property has 4 bedrooms. There is a substantial double garage and parking for an additional three or four vehicles.

MORE INFO:

Ailsa Bishop, Alpine Property +33 (0) 6 71 14 68 08 ailsa@alpine-property.com alpine-property.com

Chalet Vorlaz Fabulous new build chalet located in a sunny and exclusive hamlet at the beginning of the peaceful Valley de la Manche of Morzine. 5 min. walk from the slopes and near the bus stop. Beautiful open space lounge situated on the top floor with double height vaulted ceilings for a cozy chalet feel. 5 very good size double bedrooms with luxury fitted en-suite bathrooms and a separate TV room that doubles up as an extra bunk-bed room. Ticks all the right boxes: well-equipped bike and ski room, utility room, office corner, several outdoor terraces, hot tub and stunning landscaping !

MORE INFO:

Ingrid Maes, Morzine Prestige +44 (0) 4 50 04 33 26 info@morzine-prestige.com morzine-prestige.com

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€1,470,000

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Appartment La Clarine This impeccable 4 bedroom apartment is in the perfect location for enjoying all that Morzine has to offer, winter or summer. Situated in a fully renovated building of only a handful of apartments beside the beautiful river Dranse, only steps away from the shops, restaurants and bars of Morzine’s town centre.

Apartment La Clarine occupies the entire top floor of its building, it has been renovated with care and offers spacious and flexible accommodation, at once both modern and cosy! There is also a small cave for storing out-of-season gear and two allocated parking spaces in the courtyard.

€645,000

MORE INFO:

Marie-Anne Denicolo, Alpine Property +33 (0)6 08 15 46 54 marieanne@alpine-property.com alpine-property.com

Chalet Symphony This spacious chalet, with stunning views, is situated on the outskirts of Morzine. It has 6 large bedrooms, all en-suite sleeping 15 comfortably.

Built in 2003, the chalet has been well maintained by its owners. It is laid out over three floors with an impressive open plan lounge, dining area and large kitchen on the first floor. The lounge has a lovely stone fireplace and corner bar. French doors lead onto a wrap around balcony. The chalet is being sold furnished including a 6 seater hot tub and sauna. The chalet is surrounded by a very pretty well maintained garden.

€1,195,000

MORE INFO:

Joanna MacGovern, Geranium Immobilier +33 (0) 4 50 38 86 30 info@geranium74.com geranium74.com

Richard & Judith Hudgell talk about buying a house in Seytroux

renovation. This time we wanted to buy a house that didn't need any work, so we can spend time on activities rather than on a

with France Property Angels.

to-do list.

Why did you plan to buy in the Alps?

What are you most looking forward

We started our French property search in

to about spending time in the Alps?

Brittany but headed south pretty quickly.

At the moment, we're looking forward to

We had spent time in the Alps before and it

the first snow, to make the most of our

is an amazing part of France. We

season pass! Also spending time in our

particularly like that alpine life in the Portes

sunny garden and enjoying the many

du Soleil area is year-round.

different activities.

What made you choose Seytroux?

How did you find the buying

Seytroux is very sunny, with a lovely open

process?

aspect. Access from the valley is good, as

We thought it would be difficult, but it took

well as to and from Geneva. We like being

just over 2 months from making our offer to

close to Italy and Switzerland too.

picking up the keys! Lucy and Kate at France Property Angels were amazing,

How easy (or difficult) did you find

checking every step of the process and

the search for your chalet?

answering our questions quickly. We have

We looked at over 30 houses and bought

bought a lot of properties in the UK and we

the first property we saw! Anyone who

have never had a service like it. We

knows us will be surprised we bought a

wouldn't hesitate to buy with France

modern, new house, as we normally buy a

Property Angels again.

France Property Angels help buyers purchase property in all parts of the Portes du Soleil, including Morzine, Les Gets, St Jean d'Aulps, Le Biot and Seytroux, as well as other popular ski resorts in the French Alps.

www.francepropertyangels.com | info@francepropertyangels.com | +44 (0)1225 442128 //

hot property

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Farmhouse, land & outbuildings Authentic character farmhouse of approximately 300 m² on a flat plot of 1140 m² including constructible land of 497 m², 2 Savoyard mazots, each 20 m², that could be converted into studio apartments or used as a workshop. Magnificent views from the garden. The farm consists of 3 smart entirely renovated independent apartments that could be combined. Each approx 98 m² with 3/4 bedrooms. Attractive rental yield.

Located in a very pretty setting in the charming and popular village of Essert Romand, only a few minutes by car from Morzine/Avoriaz and the rest of the Portes du Soleil.

€848,000

MORE INFO:

Sylvie Payen, Century 21 Call Home +33 (0) 4 50 04 94 76 sylvie.payen@century21.fr callhome-morzine.com

Stella Stella is a new project of luxury apartments with authentic charm in an outstanding location in the heart of Les Gets. Enjoying views of Mont Chéry and the Chavannes plateau, Stella blends contemporary architecture with high quality materials and finish to create an upmarket property investment. This 77m2, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment has a large balcony and buyers purchasing off-plan can choose the look and fittings for the interior. Owners will enjoy the close proximity to the village of Les Gets, as well the concierge and wellness centre within the apartment residence.

€745,000

MORE INFO:

Fiona Carless, France Property Angels +33 6 38 45 43 64 fpa.fiona@gmail.com francepropertyangels.com

Kinabalu Your final opportunity to purchase a part of this exclusive development, our Kinabalu residence includes new build apartments within metres of the ski slopes. Just 5 properties remain, ranging in size from 2 bed to 3 bed apartments, all of which are available fully furnished with contemporary interiors curated by our in-house design team. Other facilities include underground parking and storage whilst residents benefit from fanastic on-site facilities including our concierge service, bar, restaurant, gym, spa area and swimming pool. Each property has great rental potential, delivery is scheduled for December 2020.

from €530,000

MORE INFO:

Samantha Gates, Alpine Lodges +33 (0) 4 22 32 60 96 info@alpine-lodges.fr alpine-lodges.fr

Chalet Villa Solaire – Morzine A unique architectural concept in the heart of the Portes du Soleil with inside swimming pool. This authentic Savoyard farm from 1826 has been renovated, becoming a luxurious villa of 490m2 with innovative design and comfort. It can sleep up to 16 people. The traditional decoration combines technology which is often discreet but omnipresent. The cathedral-like living space offers you great freedom of movement and conviviality for exceptional stays. Everyone will find their space in this jewel of sobriety, true mountain refuge version new generation. Classe énergie B. MORE INFO:

Aurélie Bonnet, My Home in the Alps +33 (0) 9 54 76 22 30 info@mhita.com myhomeinthealps.com 88

hot property

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€1,980,000

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

614, avenue de Joux Plane - 74110 Morzine

+33 (0)4 50 04 94 76 www.callhome-morzine.com

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Chalets des Hauts Forts Located in the historical district of “Les Dromonts” in Avoriaz, Les Chalets des Hauts Forts are 2 very exclusive properties offering a fabulous view of the slopes and within just a 2-minute walk from all the amenities of the resort. Offering 190m2 and 230m2 of ski-in, ski-out luxury respectively, interiors include a fireplace and unique ceiling heights. This is a very special opportunity to secure your very own private residence in Avoriaz. Reserving off-plan now with a guaranteed rental income and tax reductions.

€3,200,000

MORE INFO:

Thomas Arneodo, Immobilière des Hauts Forts +33 (0) 4 50 74 16 08 info@avoriaz-holidays.com avoriaz-holidays.com

Le Genepi This stunning 3rd floor duplex penthouse is located at the base of the ski slopes in Les Gets. The spacious private balconies will become your favourite spot for an apres-ski whilst enjoying the amazing views.

Watch the skiers descend the pistes or the sun set over the valley du Giffre. The apartment will be over 150m2 in size with a spacious open plan living area. It will comfortably sleep 8 people in 4 double bedrooms and has 4 bathrooms. The slopes of La Turche and Perrieres are just steps away making it a true ski in/ski out residence.

€1,250,000

MORE INFO:

Amanda Hardwick, Promoteam +33 (0) 6 82 59 21 31 a.hardwick@promoteam.fr promoteam.fr

Apartments Alpages With the first delivery taking place in December 2019, these apartments range in size between 50m2 and 100m2 and are located in the upmarket Alpages residence. Fully renovated with the finest materials, the Alpages apartments offer comfort and convenience and are just a 1-minute walk from the centre of Avoriaz. They are a perfect investment with a high capital gain potential but also to enjoy during cosy holidays too. Both south and west-facing apartments are available to purchase in December 2019.

€490,000

MORE INFO:

Thomas Arneodo, Immobilière des Hauts Forts +33 (0) 4 50 74 16 08 info@avoriaz-holidays.com avoriaz-holidays.com

Le Tyrolien Luxury Prime apartments A fantastic location in the heart of Morzine centre. Super Morzine cable car is next to the residence. The Pleney cable car is a 4 minute walk away or direct access via the “petit train”. 1 to 4 bedroom penthouses available. A storage cave, ski locker and parking space are also included in the price. For those seeking a rental return, these apartments will perform exceptionally well given their prime location in the centre of Morzine. We would be happy to discuss this further with you.

MORE INFO:

Paul Watts / Sebastien Michaud, Morzine Immo +33 (0) 4 50 79 13 09 info@morzine-immo.com morzine-immo.com 90

hot property

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€310,000 - €1,800,000

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

ESSERT ROMAND • LES GETS • TANINGES

Tél: 04 50 75 74 00 contact@muffat-pierreyves.com

HEATING & VENTILATION / CHAUFFAGE, VENTILATION RENEWABLE ENERGY / ENERGIES RENOUVELABLES BATHROOM PLUMBING & INSTALLATION / SANITAIRE

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resort information

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trending - interiors -

Kyles is the brain behind some of our valleys best and boldest interior architecture including Chalet Joux Plane, Chalet Sapphire and La Maison.

kyles garrett interior architect shepandkyles.com

Timothy Oulton Saddle chair timothyoulton.com

This is one of our favourite finds for this year. We adore a gorgeous leather club chair and this model is available in a host of different leathers to match your interior. The stirrups give it a funky, playful twist - we love it!

The White Company Cashmere Throw thewhitecompany.com

All ski chalets need warmth and texture and one way of providing this is lavishly draping throws across beds, sofas and even on balconies and terraces. We use these liberally on our projects and our current favourite is the gorgeously soft wool and cashmere throw from The White Company.

Snuggle up and enjoy the alpine atmosphere with a large glass of wine!

Saunavihta

At shep&kyles design one of the core areas of our projects are spa facilities and saunas are a major component. However, thanks to our amazing Finnish friend Kristina we are now much better informed! Saunas are a Finnish invention (there are built-in saunas in almost every home in Finland), and no proper sauna is complete without a saunavihta! These are (and no giggling in the back rows!) dried “whisks” made from birch (birch being known for its healing properties). One hydrates the branches in warm water for 15 minutes and then (according to the instruction manual) “gently whip yourself with the vihta during the sauna for proper cleansing". What are you all waiting for?

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Tom Raffield Noctis Wheal Table Light tomraffield.com

Tom Raffield is a shep&kyles design core supplier - his designs are inspired by nature, beautifully crafted and ecologically aware. This table lamp is a beautiful curve of ebonised oak with an Edison light bulb, creating a warm yet contemporary combination that works effortlessly in an alpine ski lodge design.

Lexico source advert.pdf 19/04/2019 your source of information for Morzine, 1Les Gets & Avoriaz11:17

Buster & Punch Heavy Metal pendant lamp busterandpunch.com

These are brilliant, minimal, industrial-style pendant lights.

The sleek lines and beautiful manufacturing work really well with a contemporary alpine interior. We like to use these above a central island in the kitchen, in a bar area or as we are doing on a current project, as feature lighting in a cave Ă vin.

Translation Interpreting Proof-Reading Copy-Writing

Contact Us Contact Carrie Marsh to discuss your requirements and obtain a personalised quotation. +33 (0)6 50 20 82 68 @LexikoTranslate @lexikotranslation info@lexiko-translation.com www.lexiko-translation.com

Timorous Beasties Upholstery Fabric timorousbeasties.com

We love putting a contemporary twist on furnishings, and Glasgow-based Timorous Beasties are in a league of their own when it comes to creative interpretations in fabric design. On our current La Maison project we have used their fabrics (and wallpaper!) throughout the interiors, including their Kaleido Splatt fabric to add a modern dimension to a traditional chair design. //

trending - interiors

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YOUR ALPINE

kitchen dream

By Amie Henderson

Unless you’ve spent a lifetime planning your dream kitchen, the vast number of choices you’ll face when the time comes can be overwhelming. Who knew there were so many different worktop materials available? Who knew cabinets came in so many colours? Do you need a steam oven and a regular one? Or both? In fact, what’s the difference? Induction hob or gas? And where the heck is the fridge freezer going to go?

It’s fair to say that I experienced all of the above when I first spoke with the team at Midas Kitchens, mainly because, at the time, I’d never given my ultimate kitchen any thought at all. Of course, that’s all changed now that I’m the proud owner of a Midas Kitchen, but back then I needed all the help I could get.

In the intervening years, Midas Kitchens have opened a large showroom in Les Gets, inside which you’ll find no fewer than 16 demonstration kitchens plus manager Ashley Edwards and his team. “We’ve been lucky enough to work with a huge variety of customers, each with different dreams and visions,” Ashley tells me. “There are definitely some trends in alpine kitchens however,”

Ashley continues. And trends sound like a very good place to start.

“We usually start by determining who and what the kitchen is for,” Ashley explains. “The differences in style, appliances and budget will change depending on whether your kitchen is for your home or for a property you’ll rent to holiday makers.” Whilst monochrome colours are as popular as ever in Alpine kitchens, cabinet finishes that are easy to clean and maintain are preferred for rental properties.

“Storage solutions are a big consideration too,” explains Ashley. “We’ve certainly noticed a preference for a de-cluttered space.

Integrating intelligent storage into a kitchen you’ll use personally is a great idea. It’ll blend seamlessly into a space and can be intuitive

too.” I’m imagining guests arriving in their rental apartment and struggling to locate the pop-up kettle. “For rental properties, we’d suggest tall larders and deep drawers, but nothing too complex” Ashley tells me.

Scandinavian minimalism is a trend that continues to dominate the alpine kitchen market, with industrial finishes that look stunning against traditional wood or exposed brick. It’s on renovation projects that Ashley and his team put their bespoke design skills to work. “New textures, quirky features and pops of colour are becoming more popular as ways of creating a truly unique space,” Ashley explains. “Of course property renovation is huge in our valley, with so many characterful old barns and farmhouses screaming for attention and care. We design kitchens that fit both the requirements and tastes of our clients in addition to the space and charm of an original building.”

Of course, when you’re investing in a new kitchen, you’ll want all the bells and whistles too, and that means choosing your appliances with smart technology in mind. Midas Kitchens work with Siemens to provide the intuitive Home Connect app, which allows you to do things with your oven that’ll blow your mind, I promise.

Even if you’re simply considering a new kitchen in the years to come, Ashley and the team at Midas Kitchens are a great place to start your search. Their local team of fitters, plumbers, electricians, tillers and awardwinning designers take pride in their work and the aftercare is second to none. Pop in to the showroom for a coffee and see for yourself!

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your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

+33 (0)4 50 79 03 21

www.neige-roc.com

A mountain restaurant in a spectacular setting at the foot of the Prodains Express, opposite Le Crot piste, next to the bus stop

RESTAURANT

APRÈS BAR under the C

Open all day, from breakfast until dinner

Open daily between 4pm and 7pm

All our dishes are homemade and include the best burgers in town!

Our sunny terrace is the perfect lunchtime setting when the weather is good In the evening our gourmet restaurant presents Savoyarde specialities

A brand new après bar experience at Hotel Neige et Roc. Fun, relaxed apres-ski around our outdoor swimming pool.

Enjoy drinks, cocktails, draft beers, vin chaud and more around our huge fire

OPEN IN THE SUMMER TOO!

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The Spectrum IFA Group is registered and authorised in France. Our advisers live and work across the country. Alan Watson is the Partner in the Rhone-Alpes region.

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With Care, You Prosper TSG Insurance Services S.A.R.L. • Siège Social: 34 Bd des Italiens, 75009 Paris • R.C.S. Paris B 447 609 108 (2003B04384) « Société de Courtage d’assurances » « Intermédiaire en opération de Banque et Services de Paiement » Numéro d’immatriculation 07 025 332 – www.orias.fr « Conseiller en investissements financiers », référencé sous le numéro E002440 par ANACOFI-CIF, association agréée par l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers »

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your alpine kitchen dream

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deep end IN AT THE

“Learning to speak French in an immersive, supportive environment is the most effective way to progress,” Carol Anquetil explains. “Surrounding yourself with French people in France gives you both the confidence and the motivation to keep on learning.”

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Carol’s husband Fred Lançon can trace his family heritage back no fewer than six generations in the charming, authentic village of Essert Romand on the outskirts of Morzine. The family recently built a new chalet, combining traditional architecture with modern interiors and incorporating the immersive language experience that they are so passionate about.

private apartment to stay in, plus a welcoming family with whom to share your experiences. As a fully qualified French teacher, Carol plans structured lessons, tailored to your ability levels, each day. The rest of your time is spent practicing your new skills whilst skiing, hiking, shopping at the local market and generally taking in all that our region has to offer.

F&C Experience is essentially a homestay holiday combined with a language school. The homestay element offers you a cosy, warm bedroom or

“Our guests become our friends” Fred tells me. “We welcome them into our home, we’ll all go foraging in the mountains and we stay in touch with

in at the deep end

//

them when they leave, sending them postcards and encouraging them to continue to progress with their new language skills,” he explains.

Jumping in at the deep end is without doubt the most effective way to learn a new language and with flexible packages available from just €650 per person per week including half board accommodation, activities and those all-important French lessons, it won’t break the bank either.

Discover more - fcmorzine.com

Total Laverie.pdf

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Total Chalet Services.pdf 1 Gets 31/10/2017 your source of information for Morzine, Les & Avoriaz 12:07

OPEN DAILY

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Recipe bags containing everything you need to create tasty meals at a time to suit you • Fast easy recipes - a delicious meal in 15-30 minutes • Tried and tested easy to follow instructions included • Choose from 10 delicious meals with both vegetarian and vegan options • Reduce food waste by ordering only what you need • Same day delivery available, order before noon • All packaging is recyclable to keep our world beautiful

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• The easiest way to feed your ski group this winter • Meals are prepared, served and cleared in your chalet or apartment • Menus and timings to suit your group • Book a full week, or combine with the services above for ultimate flexibility!

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morzine source magazine

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BUILD IT AND...

they will come If you’re following us on the book or the gram, you’ll know that certain members of the Morzine Source Magazine team have a small obsession with Lego. It’s almost as if Lego’s new ski resort set were made for our six-year-old selves.

The Lego City Ski Resort is one of the toy manufacturers largest releases this year. It includes 806 pieces with no fewer than 11 mini figures to quickly boost the population of your mountain town. There are three ski patrol officers, a ski shop salesman, helicopter pilot, skier, snowboarder, barister, punters and children. A dog and a snowman also feature as buildable characters.

We just love the imagination used by Lego on their product description for this set. “Show off your tricks in the snow park’s halfpipe and rail or pretend to watch other snowboarders being filmed by the helicopter.” Sounds just like a standard day in Avoriaz, doesn’t it?

As we all know, the ski resorts of the real world need a huge team to stay operational, so those 11 mini figures are put to work

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lego city ski resort

//

in a variety of roles. There’s a two-story rescue station to man, complete with rooftop antenna. The ski shop is always busy and features a large screen for those all-important ski movies. We like to imagine that the hot drink and cup cake stand is Le Tremplin at the bottom of Pleney, whilst the snow park with a halfpipe and rail is akin to the Arare.

To keep skiers and snowboarders on the move, there’s an all-wheel truck and a movable snow plough for when those big dumps of snow land. A snowmobile will help you reach your chalet d’alpage, there’s even a trailer for your luggage too.

Accessories include four pairs of skis, three pairs of poles (maybe one went missing after a Robbos sesh?), four snowboards, a first aid kit, two ice axes, binoculars, two radios, a circular saw, a pair of snowshoes, helmets and ski goggles. Lego have thought of everything!

+33 (0)6 37 13 02 64 www.mountain-rehab.com info@mountain-rehab.com L'aiglon 481 Route De La Plagne 74110, Morzine

MASSAGE

ENJOY THE PERFECT MASSAGE IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN CHALET OR COME TO OUR TREATMENT ROOMS IN MORZINE.

PHYSIOTHERAPY

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all your fitness and wellbeing needs under one roof

Our team of therapists are experts in: sports massage, relaxing, post exercise massage, trigger point and myofascial release. There are no formulas to our massages, so just book us for as long as you can and we will deliver the perfect results.

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If you have sustained an injury whilst on holiday or are carrying an injury when you arrive, whether you have a minor strain or are looking for long term rehabilitation, our expert team of Physios are here to help you get back out on the mountain as soon as possible.

We have studio classes running throughout the week ranging from rehabilitation to advanced flow.

Whether you prefer Watt bikes or a squat rack, our performance and rehabilitation gym is full of top quality equipment.

We are open year round and only a 5 min walk from Morzine town centre.

We also offer 1:1 sessions using the reformer and private classes, tailoring sessions to your individual needs.

Based in Morzine since 2007, we are proud to say that we are going from strength to strength. We welcome holiday makers and locals alike, professional and recreational athletes, those who are injured and those who just want some time out or some tlc.

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PRICES MASSAGE 30MINS - 45€ 45MINS - 60€ 60MINS - 75€ Group discount 280€ Avoid massage envy in your chalet. Book a therapist to come to you for 4 1/2hrs and split the time between you // resort information 99 as you like.

trending - kids & family -

Michael knows that happy, dry and wellentertained kids make for happy parents.

Give yourself an easy ride this winter with this batch of goodies!

michael henderson morzine source magazine creative director

Buff Polar Balaclava Kids RRP €29.95 Buff.com

As soon as the wind picks up in the mountains, little faces are going to have a rough time. But luckily Buff make this tried and tested soft fleece balaclava for kids, which come in a range of child-friendly styles.

Whether they want to ski like Spiderman, shred like a werewolf or show off a cool and colourful pattern, there’s something for all kids to enjoy, and it’ll keep them warm and dry. The polar fleece material is designed to feel soft against the skin while keeping your kids toasty warm, plus it’s nice and breathable and it dries quickly – a lifesaver at restaurant stops! Lastly, the Polar Balaclava is nice and thin, so it’ll fit snugly under little helmets.

Burton Maven Bib Pants RRP €85.00 Burton.com

Whether they’re at ski school, building snowmen or snowball fighting, kids will love these snow pants from Burton. And that’s not even their major selling point; the Maven Bib Pants come with patented Room-toGrow technology, which means you can adjust the sizing as your child grows. That means you can use them for more than one winter, instead of having to get rid and buy new for every ski holiday during those growth spurt years. Good for your wallet and good for the planet. Good for your little ones, too, as the bib design means they won’t get any pesky snow down their backs every time they take a tumble. Elsewhere, these pants are super easy to get your kids in and out of thanks to a long chest zip, they’ve got a handy pocket for lift passes and snacks, plus they’re guaranteed to keep your little shredder warm and dry year after year.

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Snow Tube from €18 amazon.co.uk

When those plastic spade-style sledges no longer cut it, here’s a fun sledge that will and it can be enjoyed by the whole family. It may not look very exciting but these Snow Tubes are guaranteed to provide hours of fun. Speedy sledge in the winter and rubber ring in the summer, this inflatable tube is easy to transport and built to last. It’s made from durable cold-, sun-, tear- and abrasion-resistant fabric, making it the perfect tool to help kids (and of course, parents) enjoy the snow after the ski lifts have closed. And as an added bonus, there aren’t any sharp, or even solid, edges so you could even say it’s safer than a traditional sledge. It also comes in two different sizes, so after you’ve ordered the right one for you, all you need to do is blow it up, find a slope and get sliding. Done.

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Tail It GPS Watch RRP €115.00 Tailit.com

This stylish watch for kids from Norwegian GPS brand, TailIt, is the perfect way for you to keep in touch with your kids without giving them a full blown phone with all its time sucking apps and games.

Importantly, it’s not a tracker, so you can’t see where your kids have been during their ski lessons, but if you need to find out where they are, you’ll be shown via a handy app on your smartphone. This clever device also allows you to program in three phone numbers so if there’s an emergency, children can call you at the touch of a button. It also picks up text messages and phone calls, answering automatically after three rings, and runs on a super cheap global data plan, so you won’t be subject to surprise roaming fees after getting back from your holiday.

All in all, a simple device that respects your child’s privacy while giving you the peace of mind of always being able to get in touch, whether it’s to tell them dinner’s ready when they’re out playing in the snow, or to check they’re ok when they’re off skiing with their friends. Oh, and it also tells the time!

Dobble RRP €13.90 Amazon.co.uk

Looking for a new game to play at après, after dinner, or in the restaurant at lunch? Dobble is a fun and easy visual card game that anyone over the age of six can play, and it comes in an easilytransportable circular tin. More attention-grabbing than your average card game, Dobble is about being the quickest to spot pairs between cards that are covered with lots of the-same-but-different pictures.

There’s even a range of different games you can play with the same pack, so you can switch between them to keep everyone on their toes when it gets too easy. Simple and fun – plus if you have very young kids there’s even a junior version, as well as a waterproof version, a Harry Potter version, and the list goes on! //

trending - kids & family

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Penguin BECOMING A

WITH BEN EYRE

It’s not often that you grow up with a national sports team that you really admire right on your doorstep, let alone go on to play for said sports team. But that’s exactly what 21-year-old Ben Eyre has done. Ben grew up in Morzine and started playing ice hockey for local youth teams when he was just four years old. Now, after playing in Austria, the US and the south of France, he’s back with the Penguins, our local professional ice hockey squad. We caught up with him to find out how it feels represent your home team.

How did you get into hockey?

Morzine is a very active town filled with youth sport teams, so it gave me the opportunity to try lots of activities from a young age.

Pretty much all my friends and classmates were part of some form of sports team. My parents signed me up for lots of different sports here in Morzine, including hockey and I’ve been playing it ever since.

And when did it go from being something you did for fun to a serious career option?

I started taking hockey a lot more seriously in my last year here in Morzine. Me and a couple of my teammates felt like we had a

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decent shot of making a career out of it so we’d push each other to try and get to the next level, which for me was in Austria when I was fourteen. It was there that things got a lot more serious.

The level suddenly elevated and I was playing and competing for roster spots against guys from some of the biggest powerhouse countries in hockey, like Russia, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

How does it feel to be playing for your home team?

It’s a pretty surreal feeling, to be honest! When you’re younger you see all the pro players hanging around the rink, watch them practice and watch all their games. It’s very cool being able to represent the same team all your idols played for when you were young. Also being at the games and seeing your closest family and

// © Yoann Coppel

@copo74_photographie

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

GUARANTEEING A BRITISH INSTRUCTOR Follow the penguins:

Tickets for upcoming games :

MorzineHockey

hockey-mozine.com

friends watching on is just awesome. You can feel how important hockey is to the community and what it means to so many of the locals and residents who have invested time or money into the club.

It’s a great feeling to be a part of it.

You’ve played for teams all over the world, how do you find all the travelling that comes with playing professionally?

It was definitely a little tougher the first couple years, being away from home, but every one of your teammates is in the same boat, so you learn to enjoy it pretty fast. In the Austrian league we got to play in six different countries and away games were always a great time, whether it was a Saturday night game in Budapest or a midweek game in the middle of nowhere in Croatia. And obviously getting to discover the east coast of the USA was a great experience as well!

You were a good friend of Ellie Soutter, did losing her have an impact on how you view your job and your lifestyle as a young athlete?

Losing Ellie was a tough part of everyone’s life in this community.

When you lose someone that special, it hits you very hard and it was a very tough time trying to rebound from it. But seeing how amazing and positive everyone in the community was, provided a source of motivation to succeed for her. It was amazing to see how many people she affected positively, and how many more people she’s helping and impacting now thanks to The Ellie Soutter Foundation, even after she’s gone. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone to lose someone so close so young but I’m sure she’s looking down proudly at the effort by her family and friends to keep her legacy going.

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04/11/2019

11:18

How did you find growing up as a Brit in France and playing on French and international teams?

Back when I went to school here I was one of four other Brits in the whole school, so we never really viewed ourselves as French or British, we were just Morzinois. I guess I got a few looks up and down during the French team try-outs when I came in with my ginger hair and fresh red sunburn but it didn’t really matter where you were from. Once you’re part of a team you’re all pushing for the same thing, and that’s what’s so great about Morzine. It’s so diverse and everyone pulls their weight to help the community.

Do you have any advice for people who want to get into ice hockey, young or old?

What’s great about hockey is that there are no age restrictions. I started at four and my dad started at 46, now at 53 he’s buzzing around the ice every week for the Morzine ‘beer league’ team.

There’s no better place to start hockey really than with the Penguins.

They really take care of the kids, they have great coaches, and there’s a now women’s hockey team for all ages which is really great for the club. Also, it’s just a great sport to play. It teaches you a lot about respect, controlling your aggression, team spirit and many other things. The best moments of my life have been on ice, whether it’s skating up on a frozen Lake Montriond with my best friends, or competing in a final with my teammates. Hockey has helped me through life and I couldn’t be happier now because of it.

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//

becoming a penguin

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trending

- winter trail running -

Come first snowfall, most people tuck their trainers under the stairs to make room for ski boots and snowboards. Although I love whizzing around the Portes du Soleil during winter, I still like to keep running.

This keeps my legs in condition for summer trail running and it’s just so beautiful, empowering and inspiring out there!

But for all the sparkling white Insta shots you’ll see on my feed, running in winter is tough. It can be a proper slog through the snow, mostly in sub-zero temperatures. It’ll be icy, your eyelashes will freeze together and there’s no way you can stop for a pee. Yet there’s nothing like a post-run cuppa and that rosy-cheeked glow.

Here’s my six favourite bits of winter running kit to keep you warm, safe and heading out of the door this winter.

edwina sutton professional ultra runner edwinasutton.com

The sun can be super-strong in the winter. The reflection from the snow coupled with your chances of getting caught in a sudden snow flurry mean you’ll need a sturdy pair of high performance sunglasses.

These are a total game changer; the lenses change according to the light, so they’ll keep your eyes protected, whatever the conditions.

trending - winter trail running

You can lose up to 10% of your body’s heat through your head so it’s essential to keep it warm. I prefer a headband as you can keep your ears warm whilst still allowing a bit of heat loss as you warm up. I’m a big fan of Jacquie Cutler’s headbands; she lives locally and sells them at the local Christmas markets. You’ll see loads of people rocking her lovely designs this winter!

Peregrine 8 ice+ RRP €150.00 saucony.com

These are without doubt the best shoes for running on snow and ice, which means you no longer have an excuse not to head out when winter comes. They have a lightweight feel, a responsive midsole and some clever tech called Vibram’s Artic GriTM, which essentially means you won’t slip on snow or ice. And I promise you it really does work! The EverrunTM topsole is entirely waterproof too, keeping those feet warm and ready for the climb.

nano spikes RRP €45.00 kahtoola.com

Julbo Aerolite Sunglasses RRP €95.00 julbo.com

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Jacquie Cutler Headband RRP €8.00 Find them at local markets

//

Most of the time a good pair of trail shoes will see you safe on the snowy trails. Your other option is to pop a pair of microspikes over your normal trainers. I recommend the Kahtoola nano spikes, which are lightweight and work on all times of snow and ice. They’re also easy to pop on and off as needed.

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La Sportiva Climate 2.0 Vest RRP €159.00 lasportiva.com

tonyburnelectric@gmail.com | 06 63 21 84 66 Temperatures can fluctuate during the season and during a run so a good over layer is as essential as a good base layer. I recommend wearing layers so you can remove and add as needed. I personally won’t be seen without this gillet throughout the winter season. It’s warm, breathable, has great pockets and even a lined pocket for your phone, which means it won’t die in the cold!

French Fashion in the Snow Vêtements et accessoires pour femme Women’s clothing and chic accessories

Salomon Fast Wing Gloves RRP €50.00 salomon.com

The market for winter gloves may be boundless, but they are an absolute essential part of your winter running kit. Cold hands are a run-stopper as they are relatively still whilst taking the brunt of the cold air as you run. A good pair of gloves will always be a good investment and I don’t mind telling you I own six different pairs that I alternate according to conditions. I rely on these Salomon ones most as they can be both a glove and a waterproof mitten, which is ideal if you warm up or cool down during your run.

649 rue du Centre, 74260 Les Gets. 04.50.74.78.21 //

trending - winter trail running

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yoga: MORE THAN JUST STRETCHING (AND SHOPPING AT LULULEMON)

By chloe hardy

All too often I’ve heard people, mainly men (sorry guys), refer to yoga as, ‘just fancy stretching, right?’ And as yoga has seen a boom in popularity over the past five years, it’s easy to see why you might think that. The modern western population has never done more yoga, yet the Instagram-influenced perception of it often involves flexible women dressed in Lululemon leggings and string-backed sports bras striking a pose in front of a lake/sunset/ mountain/pristine wood-floored room filled with house plants, accompanied by a 2,000 word caption on gratitude.

As anyone who’s ever been to a yoga class will tell you, it’s actually much more than that (and FYI yoga was actually invented by men). It’s easy to think that because people leave yoga classes looking like they’ve had a genuinely nice time instead of a limping, groaning mess, that it’s somehow not real exercise. But the yoga mat is a great space, for stretching yes, but also strengthening, balancing, falling on your face, sweating obscenely, trying to put your body in positions it doesn’t want to be in, tapping into muscles you didn’t know were there, laughing about it, and then my personal favourite, lying down and being told to do absolutely nothing. “I think a lot of people show up at their first 106

yoga - more than just stretching

class and are surprised at how challenging it is!” Morzine-based yoga teacher Emily Williams tells me.

As someone who’s taught yoga all over the world, Emily is familiar with the numerous benefits it can bring about, for anyone from professional athletes to busy commuters. “Yoga benefits the body physically by stretching and strengthening, which creates a strong and stable base for all mountain sports,” she explains. “But it also improves your respiratory system, increases circulation and soothes the nervous system, which in turn lowers blood pressure - and that’s just to name a few benefits.”

Thanks to the growing trend in wellness practices, you can go to a yoga class pretty much anywhere, Morzine being a great example. When I first moved here seven years ago, there was a handful yoga teachers. Now that handful has near tripled and demand is still as strong as ever. So what is it about mountain towns that make them such a popular base for yogis? And what are the benefits of practicing yoga alongside our favourite high-impact sports? “In any other sports we always consider warming up and cooling down, but this is overlooked entirely in mountain sports, resulting in many people feeling tight in their body,” believes Emily. >>

// © sam ingles

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yoga - more than just stretching

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It can be a tough one to wake up earlier than you have to or to pass up on après in favour of a yoga session, but it can be worth it, especially if you’re new to skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, or any sport, really. Yoga doesn’t just make you stronger and more flexible; the mental benefits are nothing to be sniffed at either.

At a time when it’s considered taboo to not be within answering distance of your phone at all times, yoga provides an important opportunity to get away from technology and take some time for yourself. People often start practicing to help with back pain or to improve flexibility, but end up staying for the mental benefits.

Emily teaches a range of group yoga classes throughout the winter and she also offers private classes, which can be taught at your accommodation.

Follow Emily: emilyruthyoga.com emilyruthyoga emilyruthyoga

“Yoga is proven to reduce anxiety and depression, which are big mental health issues that aren’t often spoken about in mountain towns,” Emily believes.

“Becoming more mindful is also a great way to improve focus and clarity.” This is great for sports like skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking where confidence is equally as important as physical ability.

“Yoga is proven to reduce anxiety and depression, which are big mental health issues that aren’t often spoken about in mountain towns,” Regular yoga practice is also a great way to avoid injuries, and recover from them. “Teaching yoga in mountain towns is a whole different ball game - I laugh about it now if someone comes in fully intact!”

Emily says. “Winter tends to bring in knee and ankle issues, while in summer I see more broken collar bones from biking. The saying ‘learn to bend so you don’t break’ sums up why, when you’re getting into any of these sports, combining them with yoga is a good idea.”

Still not convinced that yoga isn’t just a fancy form of stretching? Why not give it a try? There are so many different styles of yoga, there’s a class out there for everyone. Hatha, Iyengar and yin are generally slower, more relaxing forms of yoga that focus on breath and holding poses for a long time, while ashtanga and vinyasa are more challenging and athletic. So whether you’re feeling the strain of multiple days on the mountain, you want to build a solid foundation for your favourite sport, or you just want to get away from the chaos of the family holiday for an hour or two, yoga is proven to benefit pretty much everyone in one way or another, so get out there and give it a go. Your mind and body will thank you.

Namaste.

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yoga - more than just stretching

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resort information

109

ions witH T s e qu

I NT

E RV

I E W B Y C H LO E H A R

If you’re into the snow and skate scene, you’re probably already familiar with the work of Jono Wood, even if you don’t know it. For over twenty years Jono has been a firm fixture in the extreme sports industry as both a professional rider and artist. You’ll find his designs adorning CAPiTA snowboards, Habitat skateboards, Nike clothing and featuring on an array of snow, skate and surf products. Now a full-time Morzine resident, we caught up with Jono to find out about his journey into the world of art and snowboarding, and how the two compliment each other.

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DY

What came first for you, art or snowboarding?

It was always art for me. I grew up tackling the reading and writing issues caused by dyslexia so drawing and painting was a means of escape from a very early age. In art there are no concrete rules to follow and no limitations, and the only boundaries are those set by out your imagination. My parents are both very creative people and they always encouraged me to explore this path, even though it hasn't always looked like the best prospect.

How did you get into professional snowboarding and how did it cross over with your career in design?

After a few snowboard holidays I was persuaded by a Kiwi guy called Nigel to try my luck at the upcoming British Championships in Mayrhofen. My riding caught the eye of Rob Fairweather from footwear brand Gravis, who then asked me if I would like some free shoes to represent the brand. For me in the late 90s, this was a big deal. Not many people had sponsors back then like they do today, and certainly not someone who didn't know anyone in the snowboard industry.

At the time I was also studying for a degree in animation, constantly painting and drawing on the side. I needed a digital camera to present my work for a portfolio at art college and the only people I knew who had one were the guys at Gravis. So I packed my work into my Peugeot 205 and went up to their office. My paintings were seen by their global marketing director, Simon Nicholls, who liked the style of work and took me under his wing, bringing me further into the Gravis family as an artist. Art and design can be a fickle business so having someone who believes in you and is willing to back you is life changing. It certainly was for me. >>

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questions with jono wood

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How long have you lived in Morzine and does living in the mountains influence your creativity?

My family have had an apartment here for about twenty years so I’ve seen Morzine go from a very quiet, small town to where it’s at today. I started out just doing a few holiday weeks to eventually doing full seasons, and I tried to go back to live in London for a few years recently before settling more permanently in Morzine. I found the pace of life hardest to deal with in a city, even on the outskirts.

The sheer grandeur of nature that surrounds you in Morzine, even when you just take a glimpse out the window, helps to keep you grounded. It makes you realise how insignificant you are in the whole scheme of things.

Animals feature quite prominently in a lot of my work and I am certainly influenced in the knowledge that the wildlife I like to draw is present in the forests and rocky terrain that surround Morzine.

I love the idea that you may be out snowboarding, hiking or cycling and come across an eagle or a mountain goat. I try and bring these animals into my work whenever I can.

A surprising amount of professional snowboarders are also heavily involved in the art and design industry (Scoph, Jamie Lynn, Desiree Melancon), why do you think that is?

I'm not sure really. Perhaps it’s the old cliché that once on the mountain you want to create your own lines and see the mountain in your own way instead of following everyone else's path. Another reason could be, being a 'visual' person, in order to execute tricks and hit features a lot of the time you have to visualise where your body needs to be and in what position so potentially that could translate to art.

Alternatively they might all just love painting and art!

Tell us a bit about your creative process? We’ve heard you have a pretty unique way of working.

It all starts with quick fluid sketches and brainstorming over a coffee at Satellite, which are then refined until I’m happy with the subject. I then either paint it up or set about the long process of creating a digital piece. I suppose the main difference is how I go about drawing my illustrations

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in Photoshop. This all started back in my Gravis days. I had never used a computer for design work, so when I was asked to come up with layered images for screen printing, I had to teach myself. I do a lot of drawing shapes, cutting out and deleting other shapes. It’s hard to explain but it’s the quickest way and helps keep perfect lines and geometric shapes.

I am a perfectionist and take pride when it comes to my work. I'll happily work until two in the morning to get something exactly how I want it to look.

You’re well-known for working with respected brands like Nike, CAPiTA and Habitat. How does it feel to see something you’ve designed on their products?

It’s a great feeling. Art is never going to make you rich and famous but it’s so rewarding, especially if you’re creating something within a genre you’re passionate about. Often, I’ll pull up to a lift queue or a restaurant and see one of my designs. It’s great to see that someone has parted with their hard-earned money to buy something you spent so many hours of your life creating. I can't take all the credit though.

If these guys didn't produce such world class boards on which I get to add my mark then I doubt I would see so many up the hill.

A particular highlight for me was designing a Nike team mitt for the previous two winter Olympics. USA skier Gus Kenworthy was wearing them during his slopestyle runs, which prompted a name check by Tim Warwood on the BBC. This sparked a flood of friends outside of snowboarding getting in touch, who don't really know what I actually do.

What’s your favourite product to create graphics for?

Obviously snowboards, but skateboards are another favourite. I love the way that some people seek out a great graphic and hang it on their walls as an individual piece of art, whereas others will use it for its proper use and skate it to death. I also like the challenge of simplifying an idea into a minimal amount of bold, screen-print-friendly colours without losing any of the vibrancy and shelf appeal.

It pushes me to try and come up with different printing processes and techniques within the same graphic. I also try to keep one of every design I create, and skate decks are a lot easier to store than snowboards!

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questions with jono wood

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trending - travel -

Chloe has done seasons all over the world, in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Switzerland and finally Morzine, so she knows how to pack a bag

chloe hardy morzine source magazine online editor

Remind Insoles RRP €25.00 - €45.00 Remindinsoles.com

One thing’s for sure, and that’s if you’re going to be travelling, you’re also going to be doing a lot of walking. From traipsing around airports and train stations to exploring your chosen destination, you’re going to need a way to keep your feet happy. Enter Remind Insoles. Created by riders for riders, these insoles can go in anything from your favourite pair of trainers to your walking boots to your snowboard boots.

There are three different models to choose from, each developed for your needs, activity levels and foot type, that’ll help correct your alignment, prevent stinky feet, and provide plenty of cushioning for when you’re getting really active. Oh, and they come in lots of cool designs, too.

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Dragon Excursion X Sunglasses RRP €240.00 dragonalliance.com

Dragon have relaunched their range of glacier shades and they’ve gone straight to the top of our want list. The Excursion X sunnies combine street style with clever functionality that works just as well for lunch on the mountain and après on the terrace as it does for full-on touring days.

Featuring interchangeable temple tips, vented nose pads and a detachable leash, they’ve got practicality and comfort in the bag, while a range of lens options and removable side shades will keep your eyes relaxed and protected from the sun in whatever snowy conditions mother nature throws your way. And did we mention they look freaking sweet?

Mizu V5 Insulated Coffee Cup RRP €34.95 Mizulife.eu

If you’ve been reading past issues of Source / the internet, you may well already have a water flask that helps you avoid buying single-use plastic bottles when you’re out and about. But don’t forget about the all-important tea and coffee! While it might feel like there’s just not enough room in your travel bag for all this ecogear, it’s been Source tried and tested; there’s always space for a coffee vessel. This one from Mizu will comfortably hold a double shot latte or a big cup of tea and keep it warm for ages – plus it comes in a range of cool colours. And if you don’t want to drink it straight away (or you’re running for the departure gates) it’s got a handy lid that’ll help you avoid spilling hot beverage all over yourself.

Café Chaud Beanie RRP €10.00 Café Chaud

You can’t travel to the mountains without a trusty beanie. They add warmth, style and a bit of the classic Morzine look to any outfit, plus you can use them to hide your helmet hair when you’re having lunch on the mountain. If you’re looking for the perfect mountain beanie that you can wear for pretty much any occasion, look no further than these branded ones from one of our favourite Morzine bars, Café Chaud. Cheap, cheerful and available in more colours than you can shake a stick at, they’re a great Morzine memento that’ll be in your travel bag for years to come.

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Sue Neal Local Artist

Ranging from highly detailed ski and animal portraits to large scale contemporary canvases inspired by nature and the surrounding mountains.

Also available for commissions Baron complete Shower Bar range & toothbrushes RRP €34 .00 / £29.00 Baronshower.com

Art Collection

Conceived in Les Gets and made in Alpes de Haute Provence, the soap making capital of France, Baron’s delightful soap bars are free from plastic packaging, paraben and animal products. We love this handy bundle which comes with all six of Baron’s soap scents and four bamboo toothbrushes, plus a handy travel pouch for each. Everything in the bundle is made from sustainably sourced ingredients, plus you get to choose from a jute or neoprene soap pouch, as well as hard- or medium-bristled toothbrushes. And if you want to pick your own soap scents, they let you do that, too! What more could you ask for? A great eco-friendly gift for the traveller in your life, or a guilt-free treat for yourself.

Art Class Art groups for non-skiers in your holiday accommodation to create lasting memories. Children’s art birthday parties also available.

Planks Field Tripper Fleece RRP €114.95 planksclothing.com

Wear it on your travels, wear it on the mountain, wear it round town; the power of the multi-use item is strong. That’s why we’re really into the Field Tripper Fleece from British ski brand, Planks. Featuring a classic retro look combining strong colours and durable ripstop panels, it’s also fast-drying and breathable, resulting in practicality and style.

It’s the perfect extra layer on those chilly powder days, and equally perfect for slipping on to pop to the shops or head out for a few beers in the evening. Without a doubt, the kind of fleece that’ll retain its cool for generations and be passed onto your grandkids.

To book an art group, commission a piece or to visit the studio, contact Sue Neal on

+33 (0) 6 43 37 37 65 susiewendy1365@gmail.com suenealart.com suenealart

suenealart

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trending - travel

115

SO YOU'VE BEEN

eco shamed

By Chloe hardy

Over the past few years, many many different types of shaming have been born. There’s fat shaming, slut shaming, body shaming, school lunch shaming (yes, that really is a thing), the walk of shame, the cone of shame, the hall of shame, and the list goes on.

And with all these different ways to make people feel bad being executed all the time, I don’t know why I was so surprised to discover that shaming is also prominent when it comes to matters of the environment (flight shaming, eco shaming and sustainability shaming being just a few examples). In fact, last April I inadvertently created an online eco-shaming tirade involving a lot of hats, a helicopter and a prominent mountain restaurant.

While somewhat amicably resolved, this event opened my eyes to the fact that this kind of thing happens all the time. In Morzine we’re pretty switched on to green living and the effects of the climate crisis, but how many times have you complained that almond milk is the least eco-friendly kind of nut milk while chowing down on an water-hungry avocado from Peru? How many times have you slated Missguided for the €1 bikini and then grabbed a pair of shoes from the Primark bargain bin because you needed them to wear to a wedding?

How many times have you decided to become a vegetarian because it’s better for the planet and then eaten a Gregg’s bacon sandwich because you were hungover?

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“have you complained that almond milk is the least eco-friendly kind of nut milk while chowing down on an waterhungry avocado from Peru?”

Even prominent climate activists like Leonardo DiCaprio, Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion founder Dr Gail Bradbrook can’t catch a break. I mean, how dare that guy from Titanic preach about climate change but fly around the world making movies? How could the sixteen-

year-old face of the climate emergency sail to the USA to avoid flying, when the boat’s crew are being flown home after the journey? If she really cared she’d never dare leave her house. And that Gail Bradbrook, she flew 11,000 miles to Costa Rica and back three years ago, before Extinction Rebellion was even a thing? Fraud. Total fraud.

There are a number of reasons we like to call others out on their so-called irresponsible behaviour. Maybe it makes us feel better about ourselves because we don’t feel green enough in our own lives.

Maybe we’re in denial and want to prove that because environmental activists aren’t all living in living in the woods, eating moss and drinking rain water, that climate change isn’t a real issue. Or maybe we just feel that because we make a lot of environmental sacrifices, others could be doing more.

The point is we’re all massive hypocrites when it comes to the environment. It’s not our fault, it’s just the downside to being alive. Where we really should be directing our frustrations isn’t towards each other for not recycling properly or driving our

MSCofadvert.pdf 1 Morzine, 24/10/2014 your source information for Les Gets13:42 & Avoriaz

“we’re all massive hypocrites when it comes to the environment. It’s not our fault, it’s just the downside to being alive.” kids to school, but towards the big businesses and governments who enable, encourage and financially benefit from our environmentally unfriendly lifestyles. The whole point Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion are trying to make is that while it’s great to do as much as you can, the global system is what needs to change the most.

“If the socioeconomic system effectively forces many people to live far from their jobs without adequate public transport or safe cycling routes, they will drive their cars to work. If the system makes it much cheaper to fly 200 miles than to take the train, people will fly” writes Thomas Sinclair, philosophy fellow at the University of Oxford, and Extinction Rebellion member. “What [Extinction Rebellion] preaches is a radical change of the system within which we must make our choices, not of the choices we make within the system as it stands.”

But it does make sense that we feel the blows of our environmental failings so personally. “The dominant narrative around climate change tells us that it’s our fault. We left the lights on too long and didn’t recycle our paper. I’m here to tell you that that is bullshit” states climate writer Mary Anaïs Haglar. “Don’t give into that shame. It’s not yours. The oil and gas industry is gaslighting you.”

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A recent Guardian investigation revealed a third of all global carbon emissions can be traced back to just 20 companies, twelve of which are state-owned.

Several of these companies went on to say that they don’t believe they’re directly responsible for how their products are used, despite there being minimal alternatives. And this is isn’t the only example. We see articles all the time on how we need to stop flying or stop having babies or stop buying clothes to save the planet. While voting with your money can often be a good thing, needing to buy new pants is now giving me a panic attack.

For something that’s not really in our hands, we’re sure being made to feel like it is. And while we try to affect change on a bigger scale, all we can do is try to be greener in our own lives. So next time you see someone ordering a drink-in coffee in a takeaway cup or not putting the lid back on the hot tub, take it as a sign that they probably don’t realise the impact of what they’re doing and take the time to be nice about it. Then direct your frustration towards the real culprits.

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eco shaming

117

calais

By Kat Judge

I have a beautiful life here in mountains and sometimes that makes me feel horribly guilty. In contrast, the news has been full of stories of refugees drowning in the sea and suffocating or freezing in the back of lorries as they desperately try to escape the danger of their home countries and find somewhere safe to settle. And then a memorable episode of the Guilty Feminist podcast motivated me to spend some time helping the refugees in Calais.

The Help Refugees organisation was started in 2015 to gather and distribute aid. In September 2019, I signed up to spend five days volunteering with them, raised some money, gathered clothing donations and then drove to Calais in my van to see what I could do to help.

There’s a morning briefing where Help Refugees give news of what’s going on in the camps, any events of note and then allocate jobs for the day. Jobs for short-term volunteers generally involve sorting donations in the warehouse, sizing and sorting clothes or checking, cleaning and repairing tents.

At my first briefing we learned that French riot police (CRS) had carried out an eviction at the state-run camp of Grande-Synthe; more than 700 migrants had been loaded onto buses and taken elsewhere. Their few possessions, including tents and phones, had been confiscated. Sometimes families are split up and end up losing each other. It was obvious that the Help Refugees organisers and long-term volunteers were incredibly upset about the eviction, which they knew would be traumatic for the people who had been 118

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settled there. These evictions tend to result in many unaccompanied minors (generally young teenage boys) going missing and being vulnerable to abuse. Based on previous

experience, the volunteers knew that most of the people who had been dispersed from the camp would try to make their way back there over the next few days. They’d be returning to a place with no shelter, facilities, food or water and so would be very much in need of help.

The decision was made to pause work in the warehouse to focus on dealing with the current situation. Long-term volunteers got to work collecting the emergency packs of warm clothing, phones, tents and sleeping bags and headed out to the various areas in Dunkirk and Calais where the camps were based to take care of the migrants who remained in the area.

I spent my first morning helping to put some of these packs together and it was amazing to see the scale of the operation: huge quantities of everything, including a fresh delivery of tents from the UK in the post-festival season.

They always need more as the police invariably confiscate and destroy them.

In the afternoon I helped in the Refugee Community Kitchen with the epic task of cooking the daily meal of curry and rice for up to 2000 people. I have never seen such big saucepans in my life; you could easily fit all three of my children in one of them and they took two or three strong people to lift when they were half full. There was a brilliant buzz in the kitchen with music playing and we all got stuck in with veg prep, salad making, bread

LacofTuel Source Advert.pdf 1 Gets 16/05/2019 your source information for Morzine, Les & Avoriaz

cutting and endless washing up. The food being prepared was simple but absolutely delicious and so much care was put into it.

I was also fortunate to go on two of the evening food distributions. I was nervous about what to expect, not because it would be dangerous but more because I was scared to see the reality of the living conditions and the suffering first-hand. We served people at an informal camp in Dunkirk: a few hundred were settled in the woods near a lake on a nature reserve and I was surprised to see how beautiful it was. It was a pleasure to serve delicious food to hungry people on a late summer’s evening in such a pretty spot. The people were polite and friendly, and we chatted to those who understood in a mixture of French and English. It was a much happier experience than I had been expecting, but I was reminded of the harsh reality of the situation when a Kurdish family arrived, just as we were packing up to leave. It was a mother, father and their two children, one aged around two and a half, the other couldn’t have been more than a year old. They looked exhausted, cold and frightened and I couldn’t help but imagine trying to raise my own young family in such conditions, with no home or food or idea of what the future might hold. It was utterly heart-breaking. Focusing on the practical solutions of providing them with food and then calling another team to bring baby things and find them a place to stay really helped us to cope with the grimness of the situation. Seeing everyone working together to try and meet the urgent

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needs of these lovely people, who lacked the basics for survival, was incredibly moving. For a while I had been aware of the awful conditions that the refugees were facing, but had no idea of the tireless, daily efforts being made to help them. Seeing this first-hand made my time in Calais ultimately a very positive experience.

All of the volunteers care so much and work so hard to help the refugees but often they are spread very thin. They need more money, more donations and also more volunteers.

Anyone driving between Morzine and the UK will most likely be passing through Calais; next time I would strongly urge you to take a little detour to spend a few days volunteering with the Refugee Community Kitchen.

I guarantee that you will meet amazing people, support a well-deserving team and most importantly, do your bit to provide some respite for tired and hungry people. And if you’re anything like me, you might even feel slightly less helpless and guilty for a while!

More Info:

INTERIOR DESIGNS & FURNISHINGS ARCHITECTURE D’INTÉRIEUR

Help Refugees are now looking for long term volunteers only (three weeks minimum) and you can find more information about that and donating money or clothing here at helprefugees.org. They also desperately need men’s winter clothing in sizes small and medium and lots of socks! We donated Kat's fee for writing this article to the Refugee Communtiy Kitchen. The Refugee Community Kitchen welcomes short and long term volunteers and donations and you can find more information on their website -

lisa@rsinteriordesigns.com

+33(0) 6 32 31 81 94 www.rsinteriordesigns.com

refugeecommunitykitchen.com //

calais - help refugees

119

THE SEASON OF A

lifetime

By Kym Scobie

It’s my absolute dream to work my way up the BASI instructor system and become a BASI trainer. Prior to getting involved with the Snow-Camp programme and apprenticeship I was in and out of education and employment, I didn’t really have much going for me.

Then my mum was watching Ski Sunday on the BBC and saw a clip about the charity. She though they could really help me.

I’d previously learned to ski when I was 11 years old at Bellahouston dry slope in Glasgow, but for various reasons I didn’t ski again for many years. Being introduced to Snow-Camp changed my life massively.

Before I started I suffered quite badly with my mental health. I had no confidence and zero self-esteem. I didn’t think I deserved anything good to happen in my life. I struggled to talk in large groups of people and found it extremely difficult to spark conversations.

These days, thanks to Snow-Camp, I can talk to groups and new people easily and my confidence has gone through the roof.

I honestly wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for Snow-Camp.

I completed a number of Snow-Camp programmes and then applied for an

apprenticeship, which gave me insight into the work of DSUK (Disability Snowsport UK) and the behind the scenes operations at Bearsden Ski Club in Glasgow. I gained my SVQ in sports coaching and did my BASI Alpine Level 1 before joining the team at Snow Factor in Glasgow as a ski instructor.

I’ll be spending much of this winter season in Morzine with the awesome team of ski instructors at BASS Morzine & Les Gets and Snow-Camp have made this possible.

I’m excited to develop and progress my technical skills and work on my BASI Level 2 qualification to further my career as a ski instructor. I’m also looking forward to meeting lots of new people and waking up each day to go skiing. My BASS trainer Ed came to Glasgow to spend some time with me

on the slopes, which was great. The team have also been helping me with recommendations on which skis to buy for the season. They’re all extremely friendly and helpful!

Snow-Camp are an amazing charity who turn young lives around with the power of snowsports, giving young people the realisation that they can achieve whatever they want in life if they put their minds to it.

Thank you Snow-Camp for your incredible support! I’d also like to say a massive thank you to Jaz and the team at BASS Morzine & Les Gets for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. Of course these opportunities are only possible because of the very kind people who donate to Snow-Camp, including my donor Andrew, who’s very generous support has been life-changing for me.

We’ll be sharing Kym’s season on the Morzine Source Magazine social channels, so look out for her!

More Info:

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Snow-Camp: snow-camp.org.uk / +44(0)1273 241383 / dan.k@snow-camp.org.uk BASS Morzine & Les Gets: britishskischool.com/BASS_Resorts/Morzine

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Ouvert tous les jours - Déjeuner de 12h00 à 14h00 - Dîner de 19h00 à 22h00 Open every day - Lunch from noon to 04 pm - Dinner from 07 pm to 10 pm +33 (0)4 50 86 31 12 reservation@vina-annapurna.com

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resort information

121

silence

WILL THIS BECOME THE NEW STATUS SYMBOL?

By Claire Garber

The year is 2019. The month, July. I am in London, somewhere between Piccadilly and Park Lane. I am wandering the backstreets to a deli. It’s sunny. People are milling around outside. There is no need for coats.

We are enjoying summer in the city.

As I wait to cross the road towards Hyde Park, a car silently glides past me. An electric car. A noiseless chariot. With blacked out windows and an anonymous driver. It is graceful. It is elegant. It is… the future. Now, this is not the first time I have seen an electric car, but every time I feel the same. I am overwhelmed with excitement. A childlike tingle passes over me. It feels like I am stood on the precipice of the future world. That, if I reached out and touched that silent electric car (without being reprimanded and screamed at by its owner!), I would be teleported 30 years from now, or maybe 100 years, to a world as yet unknown, a future world, a world I am excited to see.

I have been obsessed with the future for as long as I can remember. My nickname is NostraGarbus. I constantly have a stream of new ideas, visions and predictions, all about our future world.

And these predictions are almost always completely right. I imagined solar trees nestled unnoticed among real forests, their solar leaves creating a constant supply of renewable energy (thought-idea circa my late-teens). I imagined vertical farming, 122

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with skyscrapers doubling as farmland and buildings becoming their own wild ecosystems (dear diary moment earlytwenties). I imagined people leasing space

“My nickname is NostraGarbus. I constantly have a stream of new ideas, visions and predictions, all about our future world” on the sides of their houses and roofs so that farmers can produce food for the local community (quite new). AND I recently

imagined Clothing Twins where, at the end of each season, we send our clothes to our style twin in the opposite hemisphere, so they can use our winter clothes while we enjoy their summer edit. Classy, carbon neutral and a step towards a future where we share our resources (totally brand spanking new).

But as I watched the black Tesla glide past me that day, I started to wonder. What if our future may in fact be more Orwellian than Utopian, and if silence would be the differentiator. Would silence become the new status symbol?

THE SILENT FUTURE. My image for the future had always been that of a quieter one where we cycle, recycle and remake. Where we get back to basics, back to nature, back to ourselves.

Where we reject packaging, share commodities, high-five our resourceful selves. But what if not everyone can afford to make such conscious choices? What if, for example, only the wealthy could afford to make purchases such as electric

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cars? What would that future look like? A future where The Haves can afford to drive expensive electric cars, the ones that seem to hover and glide around the city, like miniature space crafts, orbiting themselves towards secluded off-grid homes where the occupants quietly grow their own food. These Haves have long-since shunned the noise of social media. They have silenced or rejected mobile devices. They have no TVs. They have no WiFi. They meditate. They use words infrequently, sagely, with purpose. They only buy packageless products. If they set foot into the outside world they do so wearing noise-canceling headphones, wearing dark glasses, moving swiftly to their next silent destination. They exist on the periphery of mainstream society. They lead purposeful quiet lives. What they don’t say, says everything. The noise they don’t make, sets them apart. Silence is Golden. Or at least, their silence, is really bloody expensive.

“conscious choices are not always freely available. A quiet life comes at a price. Ethical goods can be exhaustingly expensive.”

The Have Nots, on the other hand, in this imaginary future world of mine, are unable to afford the luxury of a quiet life. They are still forced to drive noisy polluting cars. They still use phones with constantly updating social media streams. They watch TVs. They chitter. They chatter. They have to buy shouty packaged foods from regular supermarkets, that crinkle and rustle, crackle and tear, like noisy popcorn in a silent movie theatre. Because conscious choices are not always freely available. A quiet life comes at a price. Ethical goods can be exhaustingly expensive.

The backdrop of all this, for me, is silence. Silence as the new status symbol - a sign, a guide, of who you are and where you sit in the world. The noiseless 1%. The silent tribe. The quiet haves.

While the rest of us are just noisily trying to get by. For now, these thoughts are the backdrop to my next novel. But in years to come … who knows… I am, after all, Nostragarbus.

Open from 9am until 1am every day

Savoyarde Specialties and Take-Away Pizza

Tel: 04 50 75 78 47

36 Route de Morzine - 74110 - Montriond www.lerocher-montriond.fr

5 4.5/

An authentic, family-run Savoyarde hotel in the perfect location

Mid-way between Morzine and Avoriaz 300m from the Prodains Express lift station At the foot of the Prodains cliffs and surrounded by fir trees Ski to the door Flexible bedrooms Restaurant serving delicious, traditional French food Airport transfers, equipment rental and ski school also available

Prices from €75 to €95 per person per night, half board Discover more

www.leslans.com //

silence - the new status symbol?

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NMoitsstoi!ne #GoMorz SAMEDI 07TH DECEMBER

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DOES HAVING ALL THE GEAR

give you some idea?

By Chloe Hardy

When it comes to skiing and snowboarding, we often see the contrast of penniless seasonaires and working locals sharing the mountains with some of the world’s wealthiest holidaymakers. This accumulates to a lot of different spending habits and attitudes when it comes to shopping for snow gear, resulting in a few different stereotypes I’m sure you’ll be familiar with.

I’m not talking ‘style tribes’, I’m talking the person you see decking it on the nursery slope, clad head to toe in the most high-tech Arc’Teryx outerwear and latest GS skis; that guy from work who buys a brand new, top-of-the-range snowboard every year and then blames it for his lack of skill; your annoying friend who has four pairs of skis and five pairs of goggles and is always complaining they’ve worn the wrong ones; your other friend who bought a cheap second hand splitboard that’s completely wrong for them in every way apart from the price tag. The big question is, which of these people is having the most fun?

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“The big question is, which of these people is having the most fun?”

coqofand bull source advert.pdf 1 & 13/11/2019 your source information for Morzine, Les Gets Avoriaz

13:31

ski & snowboard repairs & boot fitting service +33 (0)6 50 42 88 97 Confession time; I used to be stereotype number four. I would buy cheap second hand stuff if I wanted to ‘give something a try’, like mountain biking and ski touring (they’re expensive, ok?), believing that no matter how ill-suited to my needs and endeavours it was, learning to use it would be character building and make me more skilful. But in fact, it just made everything harder and therefore a bit less fun. And although there’s nothing wrong with buying second hand, quite the opposite in fact, it meant everyone had to wait for me while I was adjusting the seat on my mountain bike with an Ikea Allen key, or slogging up the mountain in the world’s heaviest touring skis. I’m sure the same is true for those who jump to the conclusion that having the most expensive skis is the same thing as having the most expensive car, and that having the perfect set-up for every kind of snow condition will make you a better rider.

After all, good gear isn’t about having the best stuff, it’s about having the stuff that’s best for you. While price and quality are absolutely things that should be factored in to our gear choices, what we should be focusing on is how each piece of equipment we buy will benefit us in our chosen sport, and if it has the right specifications for our ability level. Is it the right size? Is it stiff or flexible enough? Will it help your progression?

Damaged your skis/boots/board on the mountain today?

Bring them to us, we’ll repair them by tomorrow morning. (*It may even be possible to have them repaired whilst you wait!)

Services include Hand waxing / Edge fixing and sharpening P-Texing (your base layer) / Core shots with patch Mounting bindings

Because everything goes through your feet…

It’s not surprising that you get tired feet!

But this can be easily avoided when you have well-fitted boots We have years of experience fitting boots many of our customers can’t believe that their feet can be so comfortable on the slopes!

Find us at Café Chaud everyday apart from Wednesday 08:30 - 10:30 for the pick-up 16:00 - 18:00 for the drop off. Any other needs just call.

“After all, good gear isn’t about having the best stuff, it’s about having the stuff that’s best for you” Skiing and snowboarding are about having fun, not pushing through until the end of the day when you can finally have a beer. That’s why it’s always worth doing your research, reading reviews and listening to the advice of a trusty professional; having the right kit really does make a difference, whether it’s a jacket that keeps you really warm or a professionally fitted pair of boots. When you’ve put time and effort into finding that perfect pair of skis, or that perfect board, and they turn out to be every bit as good as you’d hoped, that’s when you’ll have the most fun.

(And for the record, I did love that old bike and heavy skis. They got my mountain biking and ski touring adventures off to a solid start. Hopefully someone else is enjoying them now as much as I did.)

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raving At miNus 27 degreEs

HOW SNOWBOXX MAKE IT HAPPEN

Interview by Amie Henderson

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last four winters, you’ll know that Snowboxx has become a massive part of the ski season here in the Portes du Soleil. Some of the biggest names in music (Fatboy Slim, Basement Jaxx, Stormzy, Rudimental, you get the gist…) have graced the stage, alongside fresh global talent, the likes of which we rarely get to see in the mountains.

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In fact, I can barely remember life before Snowboxx in Avoriaz, but I can certainly remember dragging my sevenmonth-pregnant self up the mountain from Morzine for an unforgetable Chase and Status set. You see, that’s the thing that makes us locals love Snowboxx so much. There’s something for everyone, the atmosphere is unlike anything we get to experience during the rest of the season and the organisers seem to genuinely give a damn about the resort.

But what does it take to host a massive festival at 1800m? And what can we expect from the Snowboxx of the future? To find out, I’m catching up with Festival Director Alan Crofton.

Snowboxx launched in 2014 in Arinsal. What was your ethos for the festival? Was it to compete with Snowbombing?

The idea started by trying to create a group trip that catered for the post-University skiers. The founders Rob and Aden had been at University together and at the time were running trips to Ibiza and a few other locations for groups. Then came the idea to do group trips to a ski resort, which escalated over a few years from 800 to 2,000 people and now 6,000 people. In the beginning there was no thought of Snowbombing really and even now we don't consider it much as the audiences are quite different in reality. Snowbombing is very much a music festival, while we think Snowboxx is a ski and snowboard festival.

The Alpine Foodie Morzine

PRIVATE CATERING CHEF COVER SEASONAL MENUS FINE LOCAL PRODUCE BESPOKE MENUS AVAILABLE www.thealpinefoodie.com +44 (0)7985 162239 joe@thealpinefoodie.com facebook.com/alpinefoodies instagram.com/thealpinefoodie

Snowboxx 2015 was in Alpe d’huez before moving to Avoriaz in 2016. What was it about Avoriaz that made you bring the festival here?

Alpe d'Huez is a great resort, but it did not feel comfortable for a festival. It was difficult for customers to get to festival locations and we really wanted to find a festival area where guests can jump out of bed and be on the slopes. Avoriaz is completely unique for this reason as it is one of only a handful of completely ski in / ski out resorts. For a ski and snowboard festival, this is a huge bonus and sets Snowboxx apart from the rest of the snow festivals out there.

Avoriaz also has a great range of accommodation options between Pierre & Vacances and Avoriaz Holidays we get to offer customers a huge range of options. All the accommodation is within walking distance of the festival activations, which makes the experience that much more intimate and unique. The snow conditions in March are generally great too, which we have seen the last few years.

Avoriaz is definitely the area where Snowboxx has grown and a large part of this is down to the resort. We are always excited to get back to Avoriaz, even for meeting trips in the summer. >> //

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What input and support did you need from the local Office de Tourisme and other resort stakeholders to launch the festival in Avoriaz?

The tourism office has been key to the festival taking place. The assistance and support they provide us every year is essential for the event to happen. There are some incredibly difficult challenges with running a festival in a resort with no roads for example. So without their knowledge and assistance, we could not run the event.

In addition to the tourism office, we work with a range of partners that are essential to making the festival happen. This covers everyone from the bar and restaurant owners, accommodation providers, snow cat drivers right down to the horse and cart providers that transport our artists and guests around the resort.

I get the impression that Avoriaz is now very proud to host Snowboxx and appreciates the awareness it creates for the resort in the UK. Have you committed to Avoriaz for a certain number of years?

It has taken a huge amount of learning on both sides to get Snowboxx to the point where it runs so smoothly in Avoriaz. This takes an incredible amount of work behind the scenes, from both the resort and ourselves. One key person in particular is Clemence from the tourism office; she has been an asset for Snowboxx. For this reason we will be staying in Avoriaz for many years to come.

It is truly a unique setting and we owe a huge credit to the Avoriaz team for making it all happen.

I can imagine the logistics involved in hosting high profile music acts at sub-zero temperatures differs slightly from UK summer festivals in fields.

What are the biggest challenges you face each year? And how long does it take to set everything up?

The biggest challenges we have ever faced were in 2018, when the snow levels were around 9metres over the season and the temperatures during festival week reached around -26 degrees in the evening. It was a constant battle to keep equipment running; the PA systems and generators were literally freezing over. The team worked endlessly fighting these battles over the week and luckily we managed to get through it with very few noticeable issues.

The other biggest challenge is not having any roads. The festival equipment arrives in 18 different trucks from across France, the UK, Switzerland and even Slovenia. We then have to unload everything on to snow cats and then move them across to the various stages. It takes around 10 days to set up and in some areas weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still setting up while others have started. There are always new things coming up on a daily basis with snow melting in places due to sun or too much snow if we have a dump. It definitely makes it a challenge!

Without sounding like Captain Sensible, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on a bit of a safety mission this winter after quite a few tragic accidents and near-misses in recent winters. Can you talk me through the security procedures you have in place for festival-goers?

We have a large team in place that are widely experienced in festivals, as well as working across ski resorts in extreme conditions. We have almost 300 staff that operate 24 hours a day with emergency procedures in place for any foreseeable incident.

These include security, medics, fire teams and even the local Gendermarie, who we are in contact with regularly throughout. It is a mammoth task working to ensure that everyone is kept safe, but we have the best in the business when it comes to these things and we ensure safety is always the number one priority when we plan it all. Touch wood, we have had no serious incidents to date, but we still look to improve things year on year to make sure we are up to date with latest provisions and risks.

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How do you choose which acts to add to the line-up each year? (And can you please bring back Fleetmac Wood again this winter, stand out performance for me last year!)

This is a never-ending task! We start working on this from the second each edition finishes, sometimes even before. We have a few staff dedicated to working on getting this right and we involve various people from across the office for feedback and suggestions. We have some really ambitious ideas for 2021 already, but it will be a while before we can talk about those!

Fleetmac Wood were amazing and we will be looking to get them back soon for sure. Keep an eye in 2021…

The entire Snowboxx offering seems to expand massively each year.

What new elements will we see in 2020?

We have some great new ideas that will really add to the main stage show this year. These will be clear for those that get a ticket and are in the thick of things. With Annie Mac, Andy C and the next headliner we are going to announce we really want to go all out. All bring such high energy and fun sets and we can't wait to have them all in Avoriaz!

We are also looking to shake things up across the schedule by adding some après pWarties inside the Village Igloo in Avoriaz.

These will be intimate parties with some amazing acts! Tickets will fly out for these as they’ll be limited to just 100 people per event. Guests will ski in for a 1 - 2 hour party inside the Igloo.

The Sledge Races last year were amazing and we have big plans to expand on these. Many more inflatables and ideas for a crazy obstacle course are in the pipeline. The Skim Pool will be back once again and hopefully this time nobody breaks the tarp and drains the whole pool. It's been pretty unlucky the past couple years!

We have a couple of new ideas for a new activity too, but so far have only got as far as fancy dress and a kicker. More to follow on what this ends up being...

We loved the addition of comedy last year, can we expect more of the same this winter?

The comedy shows were great and were part of a partnership that we had in place for 2018. We have a new concept to introduce on the Friday evening, which will be Snowboxx version of a Quiz Night, but with some weird and wonderful differences! News for this coming soon…

We like to mix things up for all our returning customers so every year we try to change lots of little things to keep the experience fresh.

If you weren’t responsible for the entire festival and you could enjoy it as a punter, what would your perfect day at Snowboxx look like?

I will base this on me not being hung-over, which is quite unlikely out there, but here we go. I would definitely start the day at one of the Bottomless Brunches, then hit the slopes in a slightly more confident state than before (needed for me!).

Make it back to the resort around 4pm to watch people fall into the skim pool. Wander across to la Folie Douce to get the drinks started again till around 6pm, and then off for a quick bite to eat at Chapka Restaurant. A few quick pre drinks at the apartment and off to the main stage to do it all again! I take my hat off to any of our crowd that manage to do this every day as I wouldn't last two...

100,000+

HOURS OF LESSONS TAUGHT

27 YEARS AND COUNTING

INSTANT

ENQUIRY RESPONSE

info@supremeski.com

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where will our snow go?

THE BIG QUESTION

with montagne verte

So, there’s a climate emergency. The Alps are expected to loose around 35% of their snow cover by 2035. How’s that going to work for Morzine?

Snowfall levels in the French Alps dropped an average of 64cm each winter between 1960 and 2007 and it’s certainly fair to say that Morzine isn’t the highest ski resort in the Alps. Yet what we lack in altitude, we more than make up for in clever community folk and inventive, unique ideas. Step forward Montagne Verte.

What’s Montagne Verte then?

It’s a not-for-profit public benefit association launched in Morzine in March 2019 with one simple mission; to drive an ambitious programme of change by providing local residents, visitors and business owners with solutions to minimise their impact on the environment and subsequently reduce our valley’s carbon footprint.

Nice idea, putting it in the hands of the community. But who’s going to push this forward while everyone’s busy running businesses and what not?

It’s funny you should ask, because Montagne Verte have thought of that. I told you they were clever. They’ll be

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using funds generated by membership to hire a full time, permanent Sustainability Director. It’ll be their job to undertake research on behalf of the resort, drive ambitious projects such as eco-purchasing cooperatives and plastic reduction strategies in addition to sharing and promoting sustainable business practices.

Can we really make a difference though?

Seriously? None of this is inevitable, it’s important that people realise this, otherwise the change we so desperately need will never happen. From making sure you can vote in local government elections to eating less meat, there are a tonne of things you can do to make a difference. Buying locally produced food, avoiding fast fashion, switching to electric vehicles, reducing the volume of plastic in your life…

Montagne Verte have practical tips and excellent resources on all of these things.

So it’s about future-proofing the resort then?

Precisely. On 1st August 2019 the Greenland ice sheet lost more water volume in one day than on any other day since records began in 1950, shedding 12.5 billion (YES, billion) tonnes of water into the sea. This monumental and scary climate change is real in the Arctic and it’s heading our way.

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

The temperature in the Alps has risen at almost twice the global average and we’ve lost 50% of our glaciers since 1850, so we’re calling a climate emergency now.

When it takes ten years for the ambulance to arrive, it’s worth getting the call in early.

Sounds expensive though. Who’s going to pay for all this action?

Well, I hope we all are. Because everyone – every business owner, every second home owner, every season worker, every holiday maker stands to benefit.

If you love the mountains or if you make a living here, you’ve a vested interest in helping Montagne Verte achieve their objectives. It’s good for the planet and it’s good for business.

What’s it going to cost me then?

Barely anything, or loads, you choose. It’ll cost Montagne Verte €4000 per month to employ their Sustainability Director and this will be directly funded by us, the community. The larger the financial investment from members, the more impact Mountagne Verte can have. For €10 per month you’ll become a Contributing Member, which gives you a range of benefits including membership marketing assets, downloadables, social media posts and more.

Foundation Members on the other hand, invest €40 per month, have voting rights at the associations annual general meeting, can write guest blogs for the Montagne Verte website and receive a highlighted eco business directory listing on the Morzine Source Magazine website. From a business marketing perspective alone, it’s definitely worth becoming a member. Saving our snow, that’s the bonus.

Moyen Âge EXPOSITION TEMPORAIRE

& PUBLICITÉ

OK, I’m almost convinced, what else have you got for me?

Honestly, Max from Montagne Verte said it best at a recent presentation. “If not now, then when?” Everyone shrugs. “If not here, then where?” Good question, since this has never been tried before. “If not us, then who?”

Well I’ve not met such a passionate group of people in a long time, so who knows…

Du 20 au 15

DÉC. 2019 OCT. 2020

My work here is done.

Head to montagnevertemorzine.com or email bonjour@montagnevertemorzine.com and Montagne Verte will do the rest.

Mise en page : New Deal Grenoble © Visuel : J-J Guillon/TJSP.

OK, I’m in and I can’t understand why no one has done this before. Where do I sign up?

ABBAYE D’AULPS

Saint-Jean-d’Aulps - Tél. 04 50 04 52 63

www abbayedaulps fr //

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forces for good IN MORZINE, LES GETS & AVORIAZ

By Amie Henderson

Change is coming to the mountain holiday market and businesses across our valley are leading the way when it comes to lowering the impact of our industry on the local environment. Inspired by the work of Montagne Verte, we’re seeing some innovative and excellent new sustainability initiatives, which, combined, provide quite a few good-news stories for the mountain holiday industry.

ON THE ROAD One large local airport transfer company predicts that they’ll be able to swap their diesel minibuses for electric ones in the very near future, such is the progress in eclectic vehicle (EV) technology. At Chalet Fourmiliere, Tom and Alex are negotiating with a large vehicle manufacturer to bring the first electric chalet minibus to Morzine in the coming seasons, but in the meantime, smaller in-resort vehicles such as Gitem’s delivery vans are changing to EV, a decision which owner Benoit Feuquieres doesn’t regret.

“Our electric Partner van has a range of 150km, making it perfect for local deliveries and our repairs service. We’ve had the EV for one year and we have no regrets.” Over at Alpine Property, Gareth Jefferies charges his EV using power from

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his solar panels; they generate enough electricity to cover his annual mileage, whilst Nicole at Mobile Mountain Massage is offsetting the carbon produced when she and her team drive for treatments by planting trees. She’s also committed her business to the Mountagne Verte Pledge and encourages everyone else to do the same.

As our local roads get busier, the team at Century 21 Call Home have found a quicker and cleaner way to travel around the valley. They have a fleet of two electric bikes to use for property viewings and client meetings, whilst Lisa at Total Chalet Services encourages her team to walk to work whenever possible.

Freeze Frame - Source Advert.pdf 1 Avoriaz 24/10/2019 your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets &

20:01

IN THE CHALET It’s fair to say that it’s inside your mountain accommodation that you’re able to make the biggest impact and a staggering number of ideas and initiatives have been introduced by some of our valleys most forward-thinking chalet and apartment businesses.

At AliKats Mountain Holidays, there’s an entire environmental policy, giving you the confidence and certainty that your time in the mountains is having as minimal impact as possible on your surroundings. If you’re travelling by train instead of plane and you’re vegetarian for example, you’ll get a 10% discount on your catered holiday in addition to free transfers to and from the train station. Mountain Heaven have also launched a similar 10% eco discount too. Coffee pods, takeaway coffee cups and straws can also be regular features during your holiday and at R&S Chalet Collection they’ve been replaced by biodegradable alternatives.

YOUR HOLIDAY PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE ALPS capture the adventure Have you been on holiday and returned home with disappointing photos, or worse, you’re not in them?

We connect holiday makers with professional local photographers in an easy-to-use platform enabling a worry-less photography and holiday experience.

Creating memories of your adventure is the best holiday souvenir.

GET IN TOUCH FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PRICING

The entire concept of single use plastics just seems ridiculous these days, as do those disposable bathroom toiletries that we all once loved. At Chalet Fourmiliere, you’ll still find those lovely Molton Brown goodies in the bathroom, but they’ll be in refillable containers. Guest slippers are now 100% biodegradable, whilst reusable water bottles are offered to guests as they leave the chalet to ski. At Ride & Breakfast, Alexis and Joylita have sourced sustainable suppliers for their guest amenities, including bamboo toothbrushes and Q-tips; they’ve even purchased biodegradable and compostable garbage bags whilst fitting their bathrooms with water savers to reduce consumption by up to 50%. Elevation Alps are moving to refillable bathroom toilets this year, whilst also phasing out those once-beloved Nespresso machines, replacing them with espresso machines that use ground coffee instead of dreaded capsules.

WWW.FREEZE-FRAME.CO | INFO@FREEZE-FRAME.CO | +33 767 136 769 Evo2 Source Quarter Advert.pdf

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25/10/2019

09:55

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forces for good

+33 450 74 02 18

Of course, designing sustainability into a chalet at the moment of its conception can also make huge improvements. At Gourmet Ski, Richard and Fiona specified a biomass boiler, solar water, class-leading insulation and rainwater harvesting when they built Chalet du Chêne, whilst the pre-cut and formed SIPS panels produced a near-passive property. Matt at Chalet Roc has even installed a Tydom system this year, which automatically adjusts the heating inside his chalet based on the outside temperature. >>

Ski & Snowboard School Off Piste / Ski Mountaineering guiding Winter activities: E-Fatbike / Night Sledging Paragliding / Snowshoeing morzine@evolution2.com

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IN THE CHALET

ON THE PLATE

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS…

Dom and Stef at Skiology are on a three to five year mission to become the accommodation provider in the Alps with the smallest carbon footprint and we absolutely love their commitment. They’ve already reduced the food packaging used in their chalets by 30% through clever menu optimisation and they’ve introduced a competition amongst their chalet hosts to see who can produce the least waste.

There’s a towel change charge, the takings from which are donated to CoolEarth and they’ve created a little eco army by challenging all of their suppliers on their green policies too.

Sarah at Chalet Chefs has come up with an entire composting initiative for our valley and with enough support, she’s hoping to turn it into a reality. Last winter she composted everything, including the tea from inside her tea bags, using two 120 litre wheelie bins placed at her back door. The resulting compost had her veg garden blooming all summer long and she’s asking chalet companies, restaurants and other local chefs to do the same or introduce a buddy system, whereby someone who needs compost takes away your food waste.

Sustainability as a mindset is the key to making our valley as green as it can possibly be and, regardless of the size of a business, it seems the change is now infectious. Local artist Sue Neal calls her changes “small”, but she’s making her own paints using naturally occurring pigments. “I even painted a pansy with colour taken from a pansy” she explains. Morzine and Les Gets are famed for their family friendly pistes, but beginners investing in all that expensive kit should think twice. “The very essence of what we do is sustainable,” Michael at Crevasse Clothing explains. Renting your ski kit rather than buying it new every one to two years represents a massive win for the environment. They’re even removing the plastic bags from their returns process and introducing a reusable holdall instead.

At Mountain Xtra, Lorna and Dom are introducing new technology into their booking process, offering guests the chance to calculate the expected carbon impact of their mountain holiday at the time of booking, before offering them an optional carbon offset donation at the point of payment. “Their donation will then be sent to our chosen carbon offset projects which will include tree planting, reforestation, community projects and certified emission reduction projects,” they explain.

By their very nature, accommodation providers have the opportunity to raise environmental awareness with the thousands of guests they host each winter, and here, we believe, lies the key to education. At Morgan Jupe, Jess and Josh provide a digital property booklet to all of their guests, explaining how they’re reducing their environmental impact and inviting guests to do the same. They’re also working to educate their team by running a season-long competition to reward the chalet team who use the least amount of energy in any of their properties.

At Snow and Trek, Vicky and her team have installed recycling specific bins in each of their self-catered properties, essentially doing the hard work for their guests when it comes to sorting rubbish.

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Reducing food miles is also a key focus for many local businesses. When you have so much glorious local and regional produce on your doorstep, why buy from miles away? At AliKats, entire menus are constructed based on the availability of local ingredients, which change seasonally. At Dinners Direct, tasty vegetarian meals have been created to give diners a meatfree option based on locally sourced vegetables and other ingredients.

IN THE OFFICE Back in the Century 21 Call Home office, Sylvie has changed all the lightbulbs to LED alternatives, coffee capsules are a thing of the past and each year the team organise a collection of unwanted or pre-loved toys, which are then donated for a second life with a childrens charity. Jo and Caroline at Geranium Immobilier have made their busy office paperless, “now we hardly print anything!” Jo tells us. Additionally, they’re also recommending green energy suppliers to their new property owners, rather than automatically going with EDF when handing over the keys to a new home.

And have you ever considered how your beauty regime might impact the planet?

Fortunately, Carrie at Little Mountain Beauty is doing the hard word for you. Getting your legs waxed may seem fairly harmless but those strips of hairy wax will live on for a very long time. Carrie now asks clients to choose between traditional waxing and a sugar paste alternative. “It’s traditional, natural and the end product can go in the compost,” Carrie explains. The products used in other treatments are sustainably sourced too, with refillable bottles, bamboo or glass packaging whenever possible. “Beauty should be working with nature and living here in the mountains, that’s never far from my thoughts,” Carrie continues.

It’s clear that there’s a true passion for a sustainable future here in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz. I challenge you to find a collection of mountain resorts that care more about the environment that we do. No, I really do, because protecting the mountains that we all love isn’t a competition; we all need to inspire, support and learn from each other.

MORZINE’S ORIGINAL APRES BAR

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13th December 2019 - The opening of ‘THE OFFICE’ our brand new bar!

12 different beers on draught including craft, IPA, Guinness, Cider & Lager Speciality wines and cocktails Crepes, tapas, snacks & pizza always available Private room available for parties and groups

THE DIXIE MICKS ARE BACK! 29th 30th & 31st December NYE sessions

17th - 24th January 23rd Feb - 2nd March 3 Fiddles Andy 14th - 18th March

Looking forward to seeing friends old and new!!

Open 11am - 2am every day - Showing ALL live sports

Find out more:

www.thedixiebar.com thedixiebar@gmail.com

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resort information

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rest-less THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP

By Claire Garber

Like a great cup of coffee, or eight hours sleep, rest is hard to come by. For me, it’s impossible, because I have an 18 month old ultra-toddler who is the earliest of all risers and constantly on a mission to Mars. But for the rest of you, are you getting enough rest? I am not just talking about sleep. Rest is downtime. Rest is time-off. Rest is the nothingness between the crazy. Because in a society obsessed with productivity and an economy that doesn’t generally reward those who take time to smell the roses, trying to get enough rest can in itself feel stressful.

WHY IS REST SO IMPORTANT? Rest is good for you. This is factual. Relaxation slows our heart rate, reduces our blood pressure and relieves tension. When we relax, the flow of blood round our body increases, we have more energy, we’re calmer, we have clearer minds, which in turn aids positive thinking, concentration and memory. And those are just the headlines. Because R&R also feels nice, looks nice, creates an interesting InstaFeed. The easiest way to rest is, of course, to sleep. But those eight hours aren’t ‘mythically’ good for you. Those eight hours are biologically essential. Did you know for example, that during those eight hours, the space between brain your cells actually increases, allowing the brain to flush out all the toxic molecules that build up during the day.

The brain can’t do this at any other time. And these

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toxic molecules, they potentially have the effect of accelerating neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson's, and motherfluffing Alzheimer's. Your body also goes about repairing your muscles, organs, and cells while you sleep. It chucks a bunch of chemicals into your bloodstream to strengthen your immune system. It repackages and consolidates all your learning and memories, while problem-solving your life, giving you Ah-Ha! moments when you wake. All while you lie around snoring, farting, and dribbling. So sleep-rest is bloody marvelous. But let’s get back to waking-rest, which is even harder to achieve. If you are short on time, what are the best ways of getting some all important rest while still managing to keep your job, marriage and life commitments?

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Cookie Cafe.pdf

MICRO-REST: Meditating, yoga, walking in sunshine, reading a book, a lazy swim, a quick hike, dangling your feet off the end of a pier into a calm lake, skimming stones, baking a cake, smelling the roses. All of the above can help us to switch off from the stress of life, even if it’s just momentarily. Mediation even changes the structure of your brain, in a good way. Sara Lazar and her team at Harvard found that mindfulness meditation increased cortical thickness (a good thing) in the hippocampus (also a good thing) and reduced stress, anxiety and depression. Google it. And the NHS now prescribes daily nature walks to some of their sad miserable patients, highlighting, yet again, how important it is to relax, just for a second, just for you, at least once a day.

MACRO-REST: Macro rest could be an annual holiday, sabbatical, maybe looking at semi-retirement, or a different kind of working week. On a smaller scale (but larger than micro) it could include taking a course (not related to work), learning something new (ditto), DIY projects (by choice, not by nagging partner), starting an allotment and growing vegetables. It’s all about carving out time dedicated to your personal rest, or rather, stepping away from your personal work, whatever that may be.

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THE ANTI-REST: There are two evil characters in the world of rest that will do anything to prevent you truly resting. No1, is screen time. No.2, is you!

Screen time includes TVs, laptops, phones, ipads. They are not relaxing. They are not downtime. They are not rest.

Even the blue light emitted from them interferes with your body’s ability to rest. It messes with your brain’s ability to produce melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep/ wake cycle (circadian rhythm), making it harder to fall asleep and then stay asleep. And please don’t get me started again on the importance of sleep. Then there’s the effects of the Electromagnetic Radiation they emit, or the social disengagement they create, or the increase in the use of these devices to numb (blah. blah. blah.). In short. Put down. Switch off. Step away.

The other big block to rest, is you. Because you can organise the best holiday under the sun. You can meditate the shit out of life. But if you are actually spending the time making mental To Do lists or checking your emails every second minute (I am talking about you, self-employed people) then you might as well just work. As a freelancer, I get it. When I stop working, I stop earning. It’s a terrifying fact. So be realistic with yourself and your circumstances. If work needs to be a part of your holiday, if your office needs to stay connected, then be structured about it. Block out a fixed time that is dedicated to checking in with work. Tell this to whomever needs to know.

Stick to it. Then stop. Walk away. Switch off. And dedicate yourself to resting. Understand the value of it. It’s importance.

Rest and relaxation slows our heart rate, reduces our blood pressure and relieves tension…need I say it all a second time?

It’s not frivolous. It’s not a luxury. It’s not slacking off. It’s a basic health requirement.

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the science of sleep

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A BEE’S

life

By Natalie Elvy

When we inherited an empty beehive and my husband Jeremy seized on the idea of making our own honey, I felt we were under prepared. I knew bees made honey and sting people, but beyond that I’d never considered them further.

I’d previously sniggered when reading about some school children who’d thought honey came from ‘milking’ bees; now I realised I had no idea how honey DOES come from bees. (FYI, in case you’re as clueless as I was, bees regurgitate nectar into honeycomb cells, which they then fan with their wings to remove excess moisture. The final result is honey.) And where do you put a hive full of bees? Wasn’t it a significant commitment that carried responsibilities (to the bees) and dangers (to the keepers - thinking of that bit in 'My Girl’)? Surely we were too young to do this by a generation?

From here on in, bees were on my radar. Having never noticed any beehives (I’d assumed they’d be stowed well away from human habitation given their lethal occupants), I realised we are surrounded. Social media seemed suddenly packed with advice on what to do should you find a tired bee (a tea-spoonful of sugar water will pep her up), and the importance of bees in the ecosystem (incredibly, every 3rd mouthful of food is produced thanks to bees pollinating and fertilising crops: without their pollination powers, we’d struggle to feed the world).

The more I learned, the more incredible bees and honey became. Jeremy started attending weekly bee school. He

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learned that our strategy of leaving the hive under a tree and crossing our fingers, hoping that a colony would just ‘fall into it’, wasn’t a good one. Apparently bees, and consequently hives, have different personalities - busy, aggressive or chilled-out depending on where they come from, gene-wise. It’s advisable for beekeepers to invest time in deciding what kind of colony suits them best. Given our novice status, we decided to look for chilled-out, hippy-style bees, who’d hopefully be tolerant of interruptions and cack-handed hive manipulations.

And happily we found them! After this year’s wet spring, there was a surplus of queens (bees can’t fly in rain and when they are stuck inside they get restless so start making new queens), and we re-housed one. Our little colony is very zen and we can visit them en famille: my five year old (on his best behaviour) takes responsibility for smoking the hive to keep the bees chilled, while my husband checks the frames inside the hive for signs of illness and indications of too much / little work being done before administers any necessary remedies. Good bee husbandry demands that a hive should have enough honey to maintain itself through the winter months, and so we haven’t harvested any yet. We did sneak a taste though and honestly, to my totally inexperienced taste buds, it tasted just like honey you

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Bee facts: • There is 1 queen per hive, who’ll lay around 1500-2500 eggs a day during busy season (spring) • All worker bees are female. Initially they are House Bees, responsible for cleaning, feeding baby bees, looking after the Queen’s every need, packing pollen and nectar into cells, building and repairing honeycomb and fanning to cool the hive, as well as general hive protection. They grow up into Field Bees, responsible for nectar, pollen and water collecting, as well as gathering propolis, a sticky substance for waterproofing the hive.

• If a worker bee stings you, she’ll die.

• Drone bees (the males, who’s only purpose is to pass on their genes they do nothing else) don’t have stingers.

• There are between 20,000 and 50,000 bees in a hive.

• Bees live 4-6 weeks during spring (busy time) and around 3 months in winter (quiet time)

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• Worker bees have to gather nectar from two million flowers to make 500g of honey.

• She has to fly about 90,000miles (three times around the globe) to make 500g of honey.

• She’ll make only about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.

• She’ll visit 50-100 flowers during a collection trip.

• She can fly for up to six miles at a time, at a speed of 15mph. Her wings beat 200 times per second.

• A single beehive can make more than 45kgs of extra honey (extra honey is what the beekeeper can take without risking his/her hive’s wellbeing).

• Bees are the only insect in the world that make food humans can eat.

• They have been producing honey in the same way for 150 million years.

• They produce five substances used by humans: honey, beeswax, propolis, pollen and royal jelly.

• Pots of honey found in the pyramids were still good to eat.

Any factual errors about bees, beekeeping and / or hives are entirely mine, thank you to matteroftrust.org/20-amazing-honey-bee-facts/

get in the supermarket. I’ll admit I was disappointed for a moment (I thought honey straight from the hive would be life-changing-amazing), but because it’s packed with its own preservatives, it doesn’t need to be processed or modified to make it edible (apart from extracting it from the hive, obviously). So it’s not surprising our honey tastes like other honey - the only thing that changes its flavour is the flowers the bees visit. My disappointment didn’t last long either: now I know how honey comes from bees, it tastes a million times better than it ever did.

So far, beekeeping has demanded little to no effort from us beyond borrowing a bit of a neighbour’s field and investing in the cool suits. I’m proud to say that none of us have been stung, so there have been no fatalities in our colony due to us. These days a pot of honey is no longer a mundane larder essential; now it’s a little monument to one of the most remarkable processes I’ve spent 38 years being totally ignorant of.

initiation: 30 minutes 36€ Classic tour: 1h 55€ advanced tour: 1h30 82€

www.skijoering.fr +33(0)686 07 31 32 //

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THE 2020 MORZINE SOURCE MAGAZINE

awards for excellence NOMINATIONS OPEN

MONDAY 16TH DECEMBER 2019

What started as a bit of fun, an informal round of applause if you will, for those business owners and resort staff that work so hard all season, has now turned into a hotly contested battle. The number of businesses nominated in our 2019 awards was five times more than when we started the awards in 2015. Seven times more votes were cast and it was harder than ever for our secret judges to choose their winners. Let the Winter 20 games commence!

Our aim here is to recognise and reward the very best of the best in Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz and the surrounding valley. We’re looking for the local businesses that consistently go above and beyond to make holidaymakers and local folk happy. We’re on the hunt for the local businesses that do an outstanding job of promoting our destination. We’re seeking those who always deliver what they promise and then go that extra mile too.

AWARD CATEGORIES There are six awards up for grabs in 2020 with two different nomination processes.

Favourite Customer Service Favourite Accommodation Favourite Bar Local Hero Best Food The Montagne Verte Sustainability Award 142

awards for excellence

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LAST YEAR'S WINNERS

FAVOURITE ACCOMMODATION – TREELINE CHALETS

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FAVOURITE CUSTOMER SERVICE – ALIKATS MOUNTAIN HOLIDAYS

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+33 771 86 65 47

Morzine | Les Gets

BEST FOOD – GUERRILLA DINING AT HIDEOUT HOSTEL

LOCAL HERO – ALICE ADAMSKI //

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Voting in the Favourite Customer Service, Accommodation and Bar categories works as follows…

ROUND 1 Head to morzinesourcemagazine.com/awards and complete the nomination form. Tell us which local business has impressed you and why they deserve your nomination. The more information you can include at this stage, the better chance your nominated business has of proceeding to the final round of the awards. Nominations open at 9am on Monday 16 December and close at midnight on Sunday 8 March 2020.

ROUND 2 On Monday 9 March 2020 we’ll announce a full list of all the nominated businesses in each of the these three categories. You’ll be able to vote for your favourite business on our website for the next 14 days, but note IP address restrictors will be in place and you’ll only be able to vote once per IP address.

Voting in Round 2 closes at midnight on 22 March 2020 and the three businesses with the most votes in each category will enter the final stage of the awards. We’ll announce our finalists on Monday 23 March 2020.

ROUND 3 We’ll present our team of secret judges (all locals, all entirely independent) with all the nomination forms for our three finalists. They’ll choose their winners in each category based on guest and customer feedback.

We’ll announce the winners in each category at the Source Suppliers Show at the Domaine du Baron on Lac Montriond on Tuesday 7th April 2020.

Voting in the Local Hero category works as follows…

There’s no shortage of inspiring, stand out heroes in our valley, that’s for sure. In fact, you’ll find a few of them on the pages of this very magazine. But who blows your mind? Who do you want to recognise for their outstanding contribution to our community? We’re dying to know.

ROUND 1 Head to morzinesourcemagazine.com/awards and complete the nomination form. Please include as much information as you can about your local hero, including why they inspire you. Nominations open on Monday 16 December 2019 and close on Sunday 8 March 2020.

ROUND 2 Our top secret and entirely independent set of judges will meet to consider all the nominations on your submissions and they’ll select their winner.

Nominating in the Best Food category works as follows…

Chefs, whether you’re cooking in a chalet, hotel, restaurant or café, we want you to be bold and brave and nominate yourself. If you’re getting excellent feedback from diners, or if you’re doing something unique, we want to help you showcase your food. But to do that, you need to complete our selfnomination form.

ROUND 1 Head to morzinesourcemagazine.com/awards, scroll down and tap on the link to the Best Food nomination form. Go through the motions, including as much information as you can in each section.

Nominations in this category open on Monday 16 December 2019 and close at midnight on Sunday 8 March 2020.

Our top secret, entirely independent judges will then meet to consider all entries and draw up a list of three finalists. We’ll announce who they are on Monday 23 March 2020, each finalist will be invited to our cook-off in round two.

ROUND 2 Each chef will prepare and present a standout dish for our team of judges to showcase their style and their skills. This cook-off will take place at the Source Suppliers Show at the Domaine du Baron on Tuesday 7 April 2020 and you’ll be able to use the venue’s kitchen to prepare your dish.

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OVO source 19.pdf 1 Avoriaz 07/11/2019 your source ofnetwork information forsummer Morzine, Les Gets &

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Nominating in the Montagne Verte Sustainability Award category works as follows… ***NOTE*** This award is open to all businesses.

We’re passionate supporters of Montagne Verte, our valley’s very own eco initiative to reduce our impact on the planet.

We’ve therefore joined forces to launch this new award category, which comes complete with a special prize for the winner.

Do you run a green business? Is reducing your impact on your local environment at the core of all your business processes? Do you work hard to educate holidaymakers about the risks faced by our beautiful snowy playground? You should nominate your business for two reasons; firstly for recognition and secondly to share your efforts with others so they can learn from them too.

Head to morzinesourcemagazine.com/awards, scroll down and tap on the link to the Montagne Verte Sustainability Award nomination form. Go through the motions, including as much information as you can in each section. Nominations in this category open on Monday 16 December 2019 and close at midnight on Sunday 8 March 2020. If you haven't already signed the Montagne Verte pledge, we recommend you do as this is a great way to showcase your commitment to the environment.

We’ll present all nominations to the team at Montagne Verte for discussion. Between them they’ll pick their local eco hero based on a number of factors, including business processes, education and more. The winning business in this category will be showcased extensively in the Summer 20 issue of Morzine Source Magazine.

We’ll announce the winners in each category at the Source Suppliers Show at the Domaine du Baron on Lac Montriond on Tuesday 7 April 2020. Everyone is welcome to join us at 3pm for our awards announcement!

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If you don't try, you don't know LAUNCHING CHABLAIS BIKE

By Gaullaume Le Lan

I was really upset when the 2018 summer season ended on the 1st week of September. As I only have a downhill bike, it felt like we couldn't ride anymore!

So in May 2019, I gathered all my friends working in different mountain bike businesses (Santa Cruz, SERMA, Pleney, local bike shops, etc) at my place to have a chat about what could be done to develop mountain biking. It was here that Chablais Bike was conceived.

We knew that many, many people already tried to get in touch with the local council, they’d created documents to explain why we ride bikes and how it can help a resort, but all this ended up into nothing. They weren't heard by the administrations.

From here came the idea of creating an official association that would gather all the riders. The more we are, the more we'll be listened to. We want to help develop mountain biking in Morzine, but also in all the resorts of the Portes du Soleil. That's why we chose Chablais Bike as a name. It sounds good in French but also in English.

The community support has been amazing, as always.

We started the association with no proper idea of what to do, so we started memberships to have weight in

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launching chablais bike

the French administration, but also to gather money for funding a pumptrack. A huge thanks to Bec Jaune Brewery, Bike Morzine, the Morzine Summer Film Festival, our members and everyone who trusts us and made donations or joined the association. Thanks to all of you, we raised €2027,60 in only two months (we officially launched the association on the 1 August 2019).

We have several objectives for our association. First, we want mountain biking to be accepted by the local population of Morzine. We know it's hard, but we want to help make signs and better regulating bikes in Morzine during the summer season. For example, see Whistler?

You can't ride your bike in the village. Out of the bike park, you have to walk. So when we see mountain bikers doing manuals down the Rue du Bourg, even though it is fun, it is dangerous and it annoys the locals.

// © Sam Taylor Photos

Torico Source quarter page.pdf 1 & 08/11/2019 your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets Avoriaz

14:59

Follow Chablais Bike's progress: chablaisbike

Secondly, everyone dreams of a pumptrack in Morzine.

The small black one that's next to the Skatepark is not ideal and can be dangerous (falling from the top of the bump is dangerous for a child for example). That's why we are trying to gather money for having a proper one.

We know it is expensive, but with the help of the region and the town council, we can make it.

Thirdly, all the riders dream. Having longer summer seasons? Opening earlier? The weekends of May for example? Or closing later, but the hunting season starts, which makes it tricky. Anything is possible, and we want to help make it happen. Some resorts already do it in France such as Lac Blanc, La Bresse, Les 7 Laux and many more. Morzine is the best place in Europe for riding bikes. All the professionnal riders come training in Morzine before World Cups!

We understand that the resorts have money to place into different things. The Community in Morzine is mostly younger and from different parts of the world.

We are not all from here, we have seen what happens in different resorts and we want to have them here, where we live. The resort managers don't have the same ideas as us and maybe don't understand them. That's why the community is important. If the money brought by the community and the financial help of the resort make wonderful things happen in our hometown, then I think this is right. I like saying "If you don't try, you don't know". Here we try, we'll see what happens.

A pumptrack in Morzine is a place where every one can have a good time. You can train your cardio, you can have fun with your mates, children can have fun and train as well, just look at the Combloux one or Morillon. Right after school, the place is full of kids! You can skateboard, rollerblade, scooter, bike. Everything with wheels works! It would help all the bike schools and their instructors too! It also helps working on your technicality on your bike. Riding a hard tail bike properly really helps improving on a full suspension bike.

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As a conclusion, we'd like to say that the association's financial target for the pumptrack is â&#x201A;Ź15,000. When we reach that, we'll get in touch with the town council and the region to see how much money we can bring all together. For example, Morillon's pumptrack cost â&#x201A;Ź120,000.

Also, as this year was the launch of the association, we don't have proper marketing partnerships. But for next summer we'll work on having discounts in shops, bars, bike rentals and also we hope we can get discounts off lift passes for the members. Once more, thanks again to everyone who donated or joined Chablais Bike, we are happy and proud to do it for the community.

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launching chablais bike

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THE AVORIAZ

yoga festival When the Avoriaz Office de Tourisme brought together a collection of high profile yoga teachers in July 2019, no one knew exactly how many yogis would join the party.

Of course the idea of doing yoga at 1800 metres has some obvious advantages; the views, the tranquility, the connection with nature. But this event was unique and entirely untested for a resort that relies so heavily on its winter tourism.

As it happens, precisely 173 yogis joined the Avoriaz Yoga Festival and the event was so popular, its 2020 version was immediately scheduled to take place between 31 July and 2 August. Sessions in 2019 included Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin, AcroYoga, parent and child yoga and even aqua yoga in the resort’s Aquariaz swimming pool. There were a number of workshops hosted

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by international teachers and speakers hailing from as far as Canada, Bulgaria and Switzerland.

The programme also featured guided hikes and meditation to complete the experience.

In 2020 the three-day event will follow a similar format, with teachers from across the globe gathering in Avoriaz for the festival. Sessions will take place in both French and English and various passes are available ranging in price from €40 for a half day session to €300 for the whole festival. Yogis of all ability levels, from beginners to advanced are welcome and you’ll discover a supportive, inspiring atmosphere throughout.

// © Avoriaz Office de Tourisme

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Two supermarkets for all your needs

Carrefour Market Morzine

Carrefour Saint Jean d’Aulps

(Below the Rue du Bourg, access through Intersport)

(On the road between Montriond and Saint Jean d’Aulps)

In the center of Morzine: Wide selection of fresh produce, organic product, Fruits & Vegetables, beer & wine, regional products ...

A very large supermarket with butcher, traditional charcuterie and fishmongers, a wide choice of non-food products: household appliances, textile, international press ...

Winter opening hours 7 days a week 08.30 - 20.00

Fuel available 24/7 Free electric vehicle charging Car and van hire

141 Route du Plan

4679 Route des Grande Alpes

Winter opening hours Monday/ Friday/ Saturday 08.30 - 19.30 Tuesday/ Wednesday/ Thursday 08.30 - 12.30 and 14.30 - 19.30 Sunday 08.30 - 12.30

drive: www.drive-morzine.fr Order before midnight, pick up in store the next morning

Daily food shopping All you need near you: Fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, artisanal bread, groceries, alcohol, regional products ...

535 Route de la Plagne, Morzine

Winter opening hours 7 days a week 08.00 - 20.00 //

resort information

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summer FOREVER

As our regular readers will know, it’s not a winter issue of Morzine Source Magazine without a summer preview. Here are some of the very best things occuring in our valley during the hotter months.

An Extended MTB Season Until you’ve been on a summer holiday in Morzine, Les Gets or Avoriaz, it’s hard to appreciate how big mountain biking is in these parts. Ski lifts across the network are adapted to carry bikes and from mid-June onwards, our villages come to life. Mountain biking, whether it’s of the downhill variety or its cross-country alternative, is great fun for everyone. Families with little ones love the thrill of whizzing through the mountains, and for the hardcore adrenalin junkies, our trails are world-famous.

But the summer season usually comes to a very abrupt end when September arrives, much to the confusion of many. Typically September brings glorious weather and as long as we’ve been publishing this very magazine, there’s been a campaign to extend the summer season in Morzine.

To coincide with the arrival of the UCI MTB World Cup in Les Gets between 19 and 20 September 2020, the summer lifts on Morzine’s Pleney will run until Friday 18 September for the first time in history.

The extension is very welcome news for both business owners and locals. “This is great news for Morzine and the local businesses who have been pushing for the summer mountain bike season to be extended,” explained Tim Jackson from local bike hire company Torico.

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“The weather can be great in September, it gives holiday makers the chance to visit outside the main holiday period and still benefit from the lift system and the great trails the area has to offer.”

Such is life, the decision on whether Morzine’s summer season is permanently lengthened beyond Summer 20 will always come down to money. A private company operates the Pleney’s lifts and they’re expensive to run. There also needs to be commitment from the rest of the resort; there’s no point inviting mountain bikers to Morzine in September if there’s nowhere for them to stay, eat or drink. “All Morzine businesses need to get behind this change and be prepared to stay open into September. Global warming may cause our winter season to shorten; if we can lengthen our summer season this would offset the losses that we might experience in future winters” Tim believes.

If you’re reading this article and you’re a mountain biker, we’ve a shameless request. Come to Morzine in September and ride bikes. Tell your friends who ride bikes. Help our resort to make this work for the future.

We’ll be covering Morzine’s Summer 20 extension over on morzinesourcemagazine.com.

// Oreli.b - Avoriaz 1800

your source of information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

Ourea Trail

The Morzine Montriond Triathlon

Here’s another pioneering event from the powers that be in Avoriaz. Not content with hosting high-altitude yoga festivals, championing the e-bike charge and welcoming mega music festivals to the Portes du Soleil’s highest resort, this summer sees the launch of Ourea, a brand new trail and ultra running event.

Between 11 and 18 July 2020 Avoriaz will be home to some of the globe’s elite trail runners and there’s a variety of events taking place, ranging in distance from the Ourea Xtrem (eight days, seven stages, 250km, 19,000 metres of ascent in case you’re wondering), to the Ourea Solo, where you can participate in just one stage on one day. In order to attract some of the best ultra runners on the planet, a prize fund of €200,000 has been offered up. Head to ourea-trail.com for registration information.

Here’This is a further example of an event that was much needed and has gone from strength to strength in the last two years.

Brought to you by our local triathlon club Tri Montagne, the Morzine Montriond Triathlon takes place with Lac de Montriond at its centre. There are three distances to choose from; the sprint (750m swim, 20km cycle, 5km run), the super sprint (300m swim, 5km cycle, 2km run) and a Tri Stars event for children aged between 8 and 12 years (100m swim, 2km cycle, 500 metre run).

Although the Summer 20 dates have yet to be announced, the event usually takes place at the beginning of September. Head to triathlon-morzine-montriond.com for more details.

Weddings

As mentioned above, we’ve the UCI MTB World Cup in Les Gets to thank for an extended summer season of bikes in Morzine in 2020. But what can you expect over in Les Gets during this epic September weekend? Last summer’s event was massive, packing out the resort with thousands of tourists and broadcasting our little corner of the Alps worldwide. On 19 and 20 September 2020 the DH and XCO World Cup Finals arrive in Les Gets, along with the best riders on the planet. Keep an eye on our website and on worldcuplesgets.com for event details.

Could there be a more stunning backdrop to the biggest day of your life? We think not and it seems an increasing number of couples agree! Weddings in our beautiful little corner of the Alps have never been more popular, probably because of the number of skilled locals who can make it happen. From wedding planners to experienced venues, outside caterers to celebrants, beauticans, photographers, videographers, hairdressers and live bands, your perfect wedding is entirely possible in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz. For more inspiration head to weddingsinmorzine.com

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news roundup THE MORZINE SOURCE MAGAZINE

Here’s what’s new at your favourite little resort magazine…

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Source Seasonaire Sessions

Source Suppliers Show

This winter we launched a series of workshops aimed at keeping resort workers safe during their winter season.

Along with our pals at Café Chaud, Laury’s Bar and Hideout Hostel, we’re passionate about keeping the seasonaire community safe and sometimes the risks of resort life aren’t obvious. With the help of personal safety and alcohol awareness experts, first aid professionals and a qualified psychotherapist, we offered three different workshops designed to give seasonaires the skills they need to enjoy their season safely. The most responsible local employers integrated these short workshops into their induction training for their resort teams and we covered issues such as looking out for your mates, dealing with an accident on the mountain and how to cope with stress, anxiety or mental health problems during the dark days of winter. We’ll repeat and likely expand the Source Seasonaire Sessions next winter, if you’d like to get involved email info@morzinesourcemagazine.com.

Our seventh annual trade show takes place at the Domaine du Baron on Lac de Montriond on Tuesday 7th April 2020. This is a unique and well-established businessto-business event that brings together a collection of local product and service suppliers. Each year over 45 exhibitors fill the hall at this beautiful venue, whilst 600 visitors attend the one-day show, which opens at 10am and finishes at 5pm. “I exhibited at the Source Suppliers Show in 2019 to create awareness for my new interior design business, and to showcase my style and skills in putting together new interior projects,” Lisa Dodd of R&S Interior Design explained. “I made several new contacts at the show and it certainly met my expectations.” If you have a new product or service to launch in the Haute Savoie and you’d like to meet several local businesses on just one day, then this is the event for you. It costs just €99 to join us as an exhibitor and the event is free to visit. Head to sourcesuppliersshow.com for further details.

Source Subscriptions

Morzine Source Magazine Online

Launched last summer by popular demand, did you know that you can now have your favourite resort magazine delivered directly to your door? Our magazine has always been, and will always be, free of charge for our readers, but to cover the cost of postage, we’ve launched a €15 subscription service, which includes two issues of our magazine. You can choose from a limited supply of back copies, or our next two issues and they’ll arrive automatically in the post. Head to morzinesourcemagazine.com/shop to order your magazines now.

Eagle-eyed Source followers will notice that, in addition to giving our entire magazine a facelift this year, we’ve also redeveloped our website. Our resort guides have had a refresh, there’s live webcam footage on the homepage, plus all the events you need to know about to make your holiday go with a bang. Our Source Shop is where you’ll find our subscription service and our remaining Source Poster supplies. Inside the business directory you’ll find ski schools, airport transfer companies, chalets for your next holiday, shops, beauticians and more. We also add new articles, features and news to the website regularly so make sure you bookmark it! Head to morzinesourcemagazine.com.

news roundup

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skiofcosy source.pdf 1 07/11/2019 09:37 your source information for Morzine, Les Gets & Avoriaz

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Pairs of Dragon goggles and sunglasses, 686 outerwear sets, works of art, rucksacks, sunscreen and more… we’ve given them all away over the last couple of years in our big weekly competition. Join our mailing list and each Friday you’ll receive details of a brand new competition delivered to your inbox. Our competitions are always ridiculously easy to enter and the prizes are always awesome! Sign yourself up for updates on our website homepage.

The Alpine Collective Each month we co-host a lively and productive networking event with our friends at coaching company You, Me and the Masses. Created to connect, share and support the many ambitious small business owners of Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz and the surrounding valley, you’ll often find 50 plus people joining our regular events. We invite along inspiring guest speakers from the worlds of tourism development, business start-up, public relations, marketing and more, before enjoying tasty food and drink; this is France after all!

You’ll find information on our forthcoming meetings in our Facebook group – search for The Alpine Collective Morzine or email amie@origami-media.com.

Service de ramonage | Chimney Sweep service

Member of the European Federation of Chimney Sweeps

Morzine Source Magazine Summer 20 As you’re reading the final words of our Winter 20 issue, we can pretty much guarantee that we’ve already started work on our next issue. If you’d like to see your business feature on the pages of Source Summer 20, now’s the time to get in touch.

Head to morzinesourcemagazine.com/advertise to view our latest media pack or email info@origami-media.com.

info@proramonage.com

/proramonage

Tel: +33 (0)6 82 57 56 41 we accept:

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