February is here and it’s time to draw your attention to a few of the events taking place this month which may just provide that extra bit of inspiration in creating your next getaway to the mountains.

St. Moritz Gourmet Festival

The Gourmet Festival in St. Moritz started on the 30th January and the chefs are just warming up. Over the next few days top culinary professionals from across Europe will cook together creating a Mecca of gastronomy in the snow. Up and coming chefs from the Engadine will battle it out and learn from top guest chefs including Marcus G. Linder of the restaurant ‘Mesa’ in Zurich and the mushroom-loving Regis Marcon, who has three Michelin Stars.

White Turf

No, we’re not obsessed with St. Moritz (well maybe a little), but it just so happens that this other great event is taking place there too. White Turf have three race days in February on the 5th, 12th and 19th. The overall prize purse is 440,000 Swiss Francs and the event attracts an international field of quality riders. Each of the race meets are attended by roughly 35,000 visitors so it’s quite a spectacle. The biggest race of them all, the 73rd Gubelin Grand Prix of St. Moritz, takes place on the 19th. One not to miss.

Alpine World Cup, Sochi

Sochi will make it’s debut onto the international ski racing scene this month, with the men’s downhill and super combined races on 11th and 12th February and the ladies races taking place the following weekend. With Sochi preparing to host the 2014 winter Olympics this will be a great taster for what’s to come in a couple of years time. The races will take place in Rosa Khutor ski resort which is currently undergoing a major revamp.

Also taking place this month

Not that many people realise, but you can ski in the Middle East. The Mzaar Winter Festival which takes place in Lebanon is an interesting affair if you’re looking for something slightly different.

February is one of the best months to go and see the Northern Lights, whilst they can’t be guaranteed you’ll have a great shot at witnessing the magic. You can see the Northern Lights in a number of places including Norway, Lapland, Antarctica and even Australia.

Looking for more inspiration? Check back soon for our Husky Adventures through Norway.

Alpine Guru

Following on from our first Holiday Inspirations – Val d’Isere blog post we thought we’d give you some more ideas to spark your holidaymaking imaginations. This time it’s the turn of Verbier, a resort that both Alpine Guru directors have lived in.

One of our good friends in Verbier, Dre Israel, has some ideas on how to make your trip there extra special. Dre is a true mountain man who runs off-piste snowboard clinics and camps throughout the season. He can create custom adventures for you too so why not get a group of like-minded snowboarders together, rent a chic chalet and have a custom snowboard camp created for you?

Eat: Verbier has numerous fine eateries. If you’re looking for something gourmet then your best bet is the Millenium or King’s, otherwise the Pergola has a wide variety of foods and is nice and cosy with its fire place for a more casual dining experience. For  Pizza fans Al Capone is the choice and they also do great pasta and lasagne.

Drink: Well, what can I say about this one? Verbier has one of the best apres ski scenes in the Alps and if this is what you’re looking for then the Farinet is the place. For the wild child, Farinet’s apres has the live band atmosphere where girls in bras are frequently seen dancing on the bar before diving off for some crowd surfing – not to be missed. If you’re the calmer type then the Farinet lounge bar offers a chilled out comfortable space to enjoy a cocktail or two.

Ride: Verbier is a high altitude resort with great snow conditions from mid November until the end of April. It is listed as one of the top ten off-piste resorts in the world and the pistes are great for families. If you come to Verbier then you must explore some of the hidden terrain that has made the resort a mecca for some of the best freeriders in the world. The back side of Mont Fort is a must but do take a guide because Televerbier do not blast for avalanches back there and it can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Stay: for you and your guests we reckon that Chalet Inverno, which is just a short stroll away from the Medran lift station, would be just right – ideal for those wanting early starts and first tracks combined with quality services and chic alpine surroundings.

Relax: there are a few options for those wanting to relax in Verbier there is the Sports Center where they have jacuzzis, steam rooms, and saunas as well as a very large swimming pool. If you’re looking for treatments then the spa at the Nevai Hotel should be high on your list with its range of treatments, Turkish hammam (steam room), dipping pool and sauna.

Alpine Guru

Whilst some may say it’s a little late, it is most likely that many of you are running around still trying to find gifts. Or perhaps you’re yet to even start the running. We’ve been searching around the web a lot recently and have found a few gift ideas that would make for great presents for the mountain enthusiast in your life. Will you be saying “I want one of those?”

1. The Hammerhead

A lightweight performance sledge to crush the competition? If you’re the daring type or perhaps just plain foolish then you might enjoy shooting off down the slopes on a sledge. This extreme performance sledge even comes with add-ons and extra features – kind of like a super car. The basic version of the Hammerhead (the sport VLD to be precise) with handling like, say a Golf TDI, comes in at just shy of $US200, but if you want the all singing all dancing model you’ll have to add another $US150 to that figure. That does give you a sledge with the performance of a KTM street racer through the turns though.

Or if you prefer you could try this new ‘bobsleigh‘ from Porsche, which we must say is rather stylish at a mere £180 seems like a bargain.

2. Recon Instruments MOD Live

Say it isn’t so? Unfortunately we can’t. Yes the time has come for a car dashboard with video game style icons to be incorporated into a pair of goggles. While this may seem like an idea that is either slightly over elaborate or perhaps a touch dangerous, we still want them. Features include a speedo, navigation system with location intelligence, mileage, camera connectivity (rear view mirror anyone?) and even jump analytics.

3. Otter Box

The Otter Box is a shell and protective cover for your gadgets, from iPhones through to iPads and even the Blackberry. Whilst these are neither as expensive nor as thrilling as the previous items, they are certainly beneficial to both the mountain man and woman. Some of the Otter Box range protect from the weather (including water and snow, obviously) and they’re crush-proof and therefore especially good for beginners and those who are liable to frequent falls and tumbles. These are only sold in the USA but they’ll ship to the UK and Europe so fear not, although we’re probably a little bit late telling you that now if you want one for Christmas.

What’s under your tree?

Alpine Guru

After weeks of blue skies and virtually no precipitation snow has finally come to Europe – thanks to the winter storm dubbed “Joachim” by Europe’s meteorological services.

This rather nifty animated satellite image from the meteosuisse website shows how, in the space of two days, Joachim dumped 1 to 2 meters of snow across much of the Alps and rescued the 2011-2012 season from what was looking like a very bleak start.

Ski resorts in Europe are now opening up for business as usual and the snowsports industry and holidaymakers alike are looking forward to a much happier Christmas.

Alpine Guru

The Alpine Guru blog’s newest contributor James Ferguson runs Swiss and UK companies specialising in control diagnostics for sophisticated buildings. Generally clients are of rather larger buildings (The Tower of London, for example) but as your home is your castle do drop into his blog and you will find a warm welcome. Over to you James…

The author holding thought  - and yes ‘solar gain’ can be an issue

As I sit down to write this this on Saturday 17th December 2011, the first snows have arrived in Niederried, in the Bernese Oberland where I aimed to live ever since as a boy I saw ABBA performing at a “Snowtime Special” for the BBC in Leysin. That was during my first school skiing trip and that was, as you may imagine, a few years back.

Leysin: During my baptism in skiing

So I grew up and learned a trade – environmental control of buildings, little knowing that it would soon become important to my first love, the Alps, and even permit me to fulfil that childhood ambition.

Having seen the Rhône gletscher retreat over thirty years, I do worry for the snow – but like “Arnie” I am quite sure it will be back one day.

How much better though if we can stop it going altogether. Alpine Guru kindly asked me to write a little about sustainability in the context of Alpine buildings as many of you are quite passionate on the subject (sustainability rather than buildings I assume). So while nobody wants to read a textbook during a vacation, we can surely confess that after a Raclette or a good Fondue, it’s not a bad thing to be armed with some knowing tidbits to exchange in friendly banter over the brandy or perhaps a schoggie baetzli (Hot chocolate with home-distilled pear schnapps – yum). So here I am to offer what I am able…

Disclaimer: I was once advised in Tignes that one should prefer to debate subjects during holidays where one enjoys little or no real knowledge, the better to forge the mettle of ones’ rhetoric – Translating, a skiing holiday is a license to shade the hue – from true blue that looked red, to darkest black. In exactly that spirit I trust you leave this foray into the sustainable design of Alpine buildings as over-confident as a holiday skier discussing skiing this couloir, that sadly “I just didn’t have time for.”

So all, rather surprisingly, boils down to a little etymology – in England we build buildings, whereas in the Alps they construct chalets. What’s a chalet? – “a wooden shelter with a gently sloping roof and widely overhanging lateral eaves, generally south facing that is common in Switzerland and other Alpine regions.”

Key to that mouthful is the Indo-European root of chalet – “cala” that which means shelter.

If chalets are inherently Alpine; what then is an alp? My neighbour informed me in rather exquisite English that an alp is, and I quote,  “the summer mountain residence of a cow”. So where Bergkäse is simply mountain cheese (milk from the alp processed into cheese in the valley), a genuine Alpkäse is cheese made by the traditional senner on the alp (think Heidi, Grandfather and Peter the goatherd perhaps) So, Alpkase is worth paying a little extra if you care for the beauty of rural alpine traditions.

To return to my thread, a chalet is a shelter, of wood, with a gently sloping roof on an alp. And an alp is infamously cold or it might otherwise be the winter mountain residence of a cow. So lets break down some aspects of efficient design regarding sustainability.
Now your acquisition rate of snippets of extra-ordinary knowledge can accelarate like a skier taking air off the Hundschopf (9.82 meters per second squared or 1g – it’s what we have all fallen for)

Insulation is naturally key to sustainable building and is measured in the poetically named units of Meter-squared-Kelvin per-Watt-inches or the R-value: In short it stops heat flowing. The best insulation I can think of is the SIGG vacuum flask (used for keeping hot-toddy hot). It is about five times better than the ski-jacket – Thinsulate, but we can see how these stack up. With building materials, thinsulate is about another five times better than the best possible building material.

It is probably hard, and rather expensive, to build a chalet of Thinsulate or SIGG flasks great products though they are – so what are the best building materials of all? – Ask an Inuit if you cannot interpret the chart below.

This explains the gently sloping roof: if you want a warm home, then you want snow on the roof .

As far as both sustainability and good looks are concerned we really must ask what not to build with – in short as we see that both glass and concrete suck hard – and although my Granny (bless her) thought otherwise – “suckhard” is not how you pronounce a famous Swiss chocolate brand and anyway my wife prefers Ballenberg chocolate.

So, if budget is available build with bulk hardwood with high tech insulative lining, followed by softwood and miles down the line thereafter – modern bulk materials.

Another aspect of a gently sloping roof is that heat does not “pool” in the eaves – where it escapes faster, rather it is spread across the roof area near head height so it is appreciated and circulates as it cools down over the walls, to the floor where believe it or not we humans tolerate cold better.

Southern, facing with wide eaves, why ? Firstly the sun, and the wide eaves means that sun, that is low on the horizon in winter sees much of the front facade, and is partly trapped by the eaves, and in summer, the high sun provides welcome shade to the warmest point of the house the southern high points. More obviously Dach-lavinen (roof avalanches) are prevented from shooting to the front of the house, and the path is sheltered from snowfall for ease of access.

What about internal temperature settings. Colder than you are used to at home particulalry at night – for several reasons, with exercise you sleep more deeply (and your body temperature drops). Why does it drop ? You are less active, you lie flat so you lose heat less rapidly, you have cosier clothes, and there are sources of humidity which in the warmth means mugginess and potentially mold. However, a roaring fire is de-rigeur, there are expert services that can check its efficiency, but one of the single greatest sources of heat loss is an unclosed chimney. Most alpine chimneys have vent flaps of one sort or another, and they make a huge difference.

Mark Twain recommended the German oven – and I do too, though the maintenance cost is not insignificant it is a ceramic source of joy which we use in our house, heating only from wood we cut ourselves. Mr Twain exaggerates a little in this wonderfully partisan account from ‘Europe and Elsewhere’: -

“Take the German stove, for instance … where can you find it outside of German countries? I am sure I have never seen it where German was not the language of the region. Yet it is by long odds the best stove and the most convenient and economical that has yet been invented.

To the uninstructed stranger it promises nothing; but he will soon find that it is a masterly performer, for all that. It has a little bit of a door which seems foolishly out of proportion to the rest of the edifice; yet the door is right; for it is not necessary that bulky fuel shall enter it. Small-sized fuel is used, and marvelously little at that. The door opens into a tiny cavern which would not hold more fuel that a baby could fetch in its arms. The process of firing is quick and simple. At half past seven on a cold morning the servant brings a small basketful of slender pine sticks – say a modified armful – and puts half these in, lights them with a match, and closes the door. They burn out in ten or twelve minutes. He then puts in the rest and locks the door, and carries off the key. The work is done. He will not come again until the next morning.

All day long and until past midnight all parts of the room will be delightfully warm and comfortable, and there will be no headaches and no sense of closeness or oppression. In an American room, whether heated by steam, hot water, or open fires, the neighborhood of the register or the fireplace is warmest – the heat is not equally diffused throughout the room; but in a German room one is as comfortable in one part of it as in another. Nothing is gained or lost by being near the stove. Its surface is not hot; you can put your hand on it anywhere and not get burnt.

Consider these things. One firing is enough for the day; the cost is next to nothing; the heat produced is the same all day, instead of too hot and too cold by turns; one may absorb himself in his business and peace; he does not need to feel any anxieties or solicitudes about his fire; his whole day is a realized dream of bodily comfort.

America could adopt this stove, but does America do it? The American wood stove, of whatsoever breed, it is a terror. There can be no tranquility of mind where it is. It requires more attention than a baby. It has to be fed every little while, it has to be watched all the time; and for all reward you are roasted half your time and frozen the other half. It warms no part of the room but its own part; it breeds headaches and suffocation, and makes one’s skin feel dry and feverish; and when your wood bill comes in you thin you have been supporting a volcano.

We have in America many and many a breed of coal stove also – fiendish things, everyone of them. The base burner sort are heady and require but little attention, but none of them distributes its heat uniformly through the room, or keeps it at an unwavering temperature, or fails to take the life out of the atmosphere and leave it stuffy and smothery and stupefying.

Closing thoughts

Build naturally, build locally & build to last. Traditions work, poor goatherds avoided unnecessary labour. Combined with Alpine charm, and newer technologies as appropriate, your alpine home should be a joy. And if you really care, forget the heli-skiing, try instead skinning from hut-to-hut with a guide. It offers joys, warmth and a traditional cosiness that you will never forget, rounded off with lashings of tall-tales, virgin powder and a glow on your cheeks that comes from the heart.

Alpine Guru

We had a discussion earlier about the coolest experiences on snow, the bucket list, the ultimate things to do before you die. Here are a few of the ideas that we came up with that everyone should consider for their own ‘Skiers Bucket List.’

1. Watch the Hahnenkamm Downhill Ski Race

The Hahnenkamm takes place in Kitzbühel every January with slalom, super g and downhill on the cards. This has to be one of the greatest and most nail biting races of any sport and will keep you on the edge of your seat (or jumping with excitement at the bottom of the slope if you’re lucky enough to be there.) This race will get anyone in the mood to get creative with skiing adventures.

2. Heli Skiing in Colorado

The resorts of Colorado have and always will be one of the ultimate mountain playgrounds. There’s something about the combination of resorts like Aspen and Breckenridge with heli-skiing that just make your hair stand on end. Whilst there are certainly more adventurous places to go like Alaska, nothing can rival these Colorado resorts when it comes to the complete experience.

3. Adventure from Ushuaia to Antarctica via Drake Passage

Ski, hike and watch nature in blissful surroundings – this trip combines some of the greatest sights in the world and skiing with the knowledge that very few have skied the same lines and terrain. From checking out the whales as you cross through the Drake passage to seeing penguins at Georges Point, not to mention the skiing with numerous descents, tours and hikes. This is an experience like no other with a price tag to match.

4. Ski Japan’s glorious powder

Up until a few years ago we didn’t hear of skiing in Japan all that often until suddenly the world woke up and saw the seemingly endless snowfall in Japanese resorts. Well despite being a more widely-frequented spot now it is still one to make sure you check out if you haven’t done so already.

5. Spitsbergen Ski Cruise in the fjords of Norway

Imagine skiing untouched terrain just a few hundred miles south of the North Pole. Sailing through the fjords you can explore new terrain and routes at 79 degrees north. A group of like-minded individuals spotting out new challenges in the mountains where few would dream to go.

6. Ski the resorts of the Silk Route

China through Central Asia and finishing up in Turkey – not the easiest challenge to take on. Skiing resorts that even the most die-hard skiers haven’t heard of, this cultural experience would take you along one of the greatest trading routes of times past. This is a longer-term adventure and would probably make for a great season’s trip – if you had the time to pursue an adventure like this over 5 months then you’d be foolish not to.

What Else?

We’d encourage you to add your own items to this list by making a comment, tell us what snowy adventures you’ve been dreaming up and if you’ve already experienced some of our ideas then we’d love to hear your thoughts on them. If you’d like to discuss any of the adventures listed above or any other ultimate experiences then do get in touch with us 0044 (0)203 004 8750.

Alpine Guru

The annual Christmas market in Grimentz, which takes place on 17th and 18th December is soon to be upon us. The old village is transformed into a Christmas wonderland, with stalls from all over Europe, Father Christmas arriving by dog-sled, fireworks and general good cheer. And the ski lifts will be open, what more could you want?

You’ll smell the gingerbread, listen to folk music and drink mulled wine. Maybe take a sleigh ride with Santa too?

So if you’re feeling the Christmas spirit and would like to immerse yourself into a true village Christmas market, including snow, then it’s definitely worth heading over for a long weekend, or even a week. We have availability at Chalet St Clair from 17th – 24th December for 5,645 CHF. That’s a saving of 17%. The chalet accommodates up to 8 guests on a self catered basis, although daily continental breakfast will be delivered and if you do want a chef we can arrange it.

Alpine Guru

If you’re looking for some ideas to make your ski holiday incredible this winter then look no further than Val d’Isere for the first stop of the Polo Masters Tour. The BMW Polo Masters 2012 Val d’Isere will take place over four consecutive evenings, from 11 to 14 January.

One of our friends in Val d’Isere, Ceri Tinley, who also happens to operate some of the finest chalets around has some ideas that can make your break extra special:

Eat: try taking lunch at the Tete du Solaise which is at the top of the solaise lift and then head to La Becca for a glamorous and sumptuous affair with a delicious menu and incredible wine list, it has truly earned its Michelin star this summer.

Drink: Before you head to the restaurants have a cocktail in the lounge at Avenue du Lodge then after your meal try the newly refurbished Dicks T Bar where it gets a little livelier into the early hours.

Ski: for those die hard ski enthusiasts who want to get stuck in straight away head over to the Casacade Express lift to access Pissaillas Glacier on the Fornet ski area and ski down the Cascade and Pillaillas runs where the snow is usually in abundance and in fabulous condition. There’s a new restaurant at the bottom of the Cascade ski lift offering BBQ’d delights on the sunny terrace. For those of you looking to glide in more steadily you can take a scenic route around the Solaise area starting at Madeleine Express and ending the day at the Tete du Solaise.

Stay: for you and your guests we suggest the magnificent Chalet Himalaya The chalet can be rented exclusively for up to eight guests, with an additional two suites for four more on request. We’re offering this property from the 2nd – 15th January for £52,715 and that includes everything from a chauffeured vehicle to champagne receptions and exquisite dinners prepared by your chef.

Relax: Your chalet has great spa facilities with swimming pool which is half indoors, half outdoors with Jacuzzi jets and swim jets and a floor which rises to close it at the touch of a button, a sauna and massage room but you could also venture to the Barmes de l’Ours and get a full body massage or for those who prefer to relax out of the spa you could enjoy gliding around the outdoor ice rink in the centre of the resort.

For more information and bookings for Chalet Himalaya call us today on +44 (0) 203 004 8750. Alternatively you can contact us with your requirements via the booking form.

Alpine Guru

Recently we had a thought…

Russia’s penchant for skiing is, as you would expect, currently experiencing rapid growth. With the winter Olympics in Sochi 2014 it seems that Russia and many neighbouring countries are undergoing a winter sports renaissance. With these countries’ economies growing at the same rate as their adoration for winter holidays, well it makes quite a package.

A few weeks ago we started thinking about how and where to spread Alpine Guru’s wings further afield. The obvious market which sprung to mind was – yes you’ve guessed it, Russia. With over 300 million people who love to travel, play host and an ever-growing desire for the finer things in life, the country and its people are a perfect match for Alpine Guru.

So, the following day we started to build our Russian website which we released just over a week ago.

Initially we’re focusing on the high end of the market and over the next year we will translate the content for a significant percentage of our chalet portfolio into Russian.

We will also be visiting Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia to discover the best winter sports locations and places to stay in this part of the world. This will give us an opportunity to grow this portion of our business and ski in some really deep snow at the same time, which is always an important key decision making factor.

If you’re a Russian speaker please take a look at the website and let us know what you think. Or even better, book a holiday with us.

Alpine Guru

So you’ve decided that a skiing or snowboarding instructor course is for you, well you’ll probably be wanting to teach a bit too? Get the desirable ski school uniform so that you can talk the talk in the après bars? Or just want to share your passion with others?

Well whatever the reason for you wanting to teach the best way is to be qualified going into the winter season. You can head down to the southern hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina) and get your ski instructor certificates, have a laugh and improve your skiing. This, obviously will give you much more of a chance of getting to teach on the hill over the winter here in the Northern Hemisphere.

You’ll find few guarantees of work with any instructor course operators, a select few will get jobs from each course – but don’t be disillusioned into thinking that with this you’ll be working everyday.





By being qualified in advance of the winter you’ll increase both your chances of getting a job and the amount of work that you’ll get whilst there. Another query you may have is on which awarding body you should become qualified with: there’s the British Association (BASI), Canadian (CSIA), American (PSIA), New Zealand (NZSIA) to name a few. Firstly consider where you want to go and secondly take time to look at what each of the associations are offering and their progression through levels – does what they’re offering fit with your ambition? If you are bi-lingual you could even consider the French or Swiss systems too.

Try these summer instructor courses to get you on your way to becoming an alpine virtuoso:

Warren Smith Ski Academy has a summer course in Saas-fee Switzerland – Qualification BASI 1 + 2

Sit-Co run courses in New Zealand – Qualification NZSIA 1 + 2

International Academy run courses in Mt Hood, USA – Qualification CSIA 1 + 2

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