December in the Val Montjoie

Well, it hasn't taken our intrepid couple, Duncan & Aimee, very long to climb out of the valley into the mountains, now that they've bought themselves all the right gear! Here's what they saw on their last walk!

I'm looking forward to heading out there this weekend, to make sure everything's sorted before our first guests arrive from the UK on the 22-Dec (I'm sure it will all be fine, but I needed a good excuse to escape the bells and jingles of the UK at this time of year).

Just to make me jealous that they're out there in the snowy Alps, and I'm here in snowless Staffs. (the snow has disappeared from here now, maybe only for a rest), they sent me another photo from Les Contamines, this time of the mighty Mont Jolie, that towers over the valley.

I can't wait to get out there 'to help'.

We've hired!

I finally get round to updating you on our new couple for this season. Duncan & Aimee will be working with us this ski season (in fact, they're out there already), taking a break from their jobs in the UK for a late 'gap year'. I was already keen to hire them when I read their CVs stating they were graduates of Reading University, my alma mater. OK, so they didn't study agricultural economics, but Aimee's French and German, and Duncan's law will surely stand them in better stead in the Alps!

When I interviewed them I knew immediately they would be right for us, so offered them the job on the spot. 2 days later they were in their car heading down to the Alps. Now that's what I call getting on with it; no messing around!

Duncan's now got used to using the snow blower and driving on the white stuff, now that they've bought some snow tyres - don't ask him about his experiences before he got the snow tyres!

Busy Summer

It's been a busy summer, for all sorts of reasons, not least at Chalet Kiana, where regulars have returned and new clients have come, gone and re-booked. We've even taken some time there ourselves, which has been wonderful, especially gathering friends to join us. There's so much to do that nobody needs to fall into rank; everyone can return at the end of the day with their account of what pass they've climbed, what mountain restaurant they lunched at or what ascent (& descent) they've made on mountain bikes.

I'm returning there tomorrow, via LHR and BA, then catching the SAT bus from GVA to Les Contamines. I was there last weekend and took the opportunity of snapping some shots for the blog. They're posted now on Flickr, but for those who don't 'do' Flickr, here's one that tickled me.

Cycling down from the Col du Joly, with my 14 year-old son (yes, we cycled up, but not from the Hauteluce/Beaufort side, but from the Les Contamines side, with the help of lifts up to 1800m!) we happened upon a heard of mountain dairy cattle, feeding on the Alpages, to make their creamy, sweet milk for the Beaufort and various Tomme cheeses. If I knew how to post a video, I'd include that too, as the sound of the bells around their necks is magical and, somehow, peaceful...I see a button up there on the bar, so I'll give it a try.

No...it took too long to load. I'll have to go back to my iPhone and edit it there, as it's easier doing it that way than trying to use iMovie! Watch this space.

Summer time and the Alps are calling

Yes, the Sunday Times has reminded everyone again, that you don't have to be an adrenalin junkie to enjoy the Alps in summer.

I've always maintained that adults enjoy holidays with their children more in the Alps than at the beach, because one way or another, children will tire themselves out in the mountain air, leaving the adults some peace & quiet in the evening!

Now they're reminding us that there's more to do in the Alps in summer than walk, cycle, swim, rafting, climbing, tennis...you get the picture.

They've listed (some of) the other activities (painting courses in Chamonix, kite-flying in Megeve) that go on all over the Alps from June to September. Verbier has its classical music festival that is, apparently, difficult to match. Les Contamines has its choir festival in August, the last week of August this year.

Can't wait!

We've hired!

A month ago we announced that we were hiring. We've now hired!

I was out in Les Contamines earlier this month and, in the space of 24 hours, handed in my tax files to the accountants and spent four hours interviewing our new chalet manager, Louise. Since then, she has been so busy working on the chalet and the gardens, that it's taken us this long for us to get a photo of her. When she does send us one, it's of her on the top of Mt. Blanc!

That's our kind of Chalet Manager - living and breathing the exhilaration of the mountains. In fact, this came across loud and clear during our discussions - Louise is sitting her mountain guiding exams this summer and was studying to be a mountain rescuer this winter. No common-or-garden piste ski-ing for her!

It's difficult to know whether to introduce Louise as being English, French or Swiss. She speaks French and English like a native, which has probably got something to do with the fact that her parents are English and Swiss and she was brought up 10 minutes down the valley, in St. Gervais. She now lives on the edge of Les Contamines, so can be at the chalet at the drop of a hat, which is great.

Louise will be working with us this summer and, if supporting her husband's (second) attempt to set a world record rowing across the Atlantic doesn't get in the way, we hope she'll be able to manage the chalet for us this winter as well.

We'll keep you posted!

We're hiring

It's that time of year again. Our second ski season has been and gone; our second summer is on its way. Nick & Laura have left, headed for the beach, and we're planning ahead for next season.

What are we looking for? We're looking for two people who are prepared to share accommodation, and who can manage and look after our chalet for the winter season starting 2010-11. We're not looking for Cordon Bleu-trained cooks or Institute of Electrical Engineers-accredited handymen; just practically-minded, service-oriented, reliable people with a passion for cleanliness.

There are two roles we're looking to fill:

i) Chalet Manager

ii) Chalet Assistant

It's over!

The season's officially over this Friday, but we closed up last Saturday. The volcano got the better of us in the end. The weather's been so good here in the UK that people are focused on gardening and other spring activities rather than our offer of free wine for whoever took the last week at Chalet Kiana.

Transfer in luxury

Finally we've found an operator in the airport transfer world who has the same no-compromises attitude to customer service as do the team at Chalet Kiana.

I met James from Deluxe Transfers at the chalet this week and saw his brand-new Mercedes van (that can't be the right word; I'll have to look at Mercedes-Benz's website to see what they call their 7-seat, extended wheelbase, 4-wheel drive, leather-lined luxury...people carrier?). It was so nice I wanted to buy it off him there and then; luckily I couldn't afford it. So, I decided to haggle instead!

Rate Review

We've reviewed our rates again for next ski season (2010/11), in order to help make it less expensive for people to visit Chalet Kiana. How have we done this? We've lowered each week's rate by €250 and made the Jacuzzi an optional extra, at €250. Why? Well, to start with, it costs us a lot to run the Jacuzzi and, if you're not interested in using it, or not sure whether you will or won't, by excluding it from the set rate and making it an optional extra, we're helping you to make up your mind!

It's not cheating...

...to do only part of the GR5 - the Grande Randonnee 5 - as was the headline in the Sunday Times Travel section the weekend before last. But we know that was just an eye-catching headline.

If you missed the article, they were making the point that walking is a great way to spend a holiday. Yes, we agree. They pointed out that there are some famous (and very long) walks in Europe: the way of St. James through France and Spain, Hadrian's Wall, the Canal du Midi and, of course, the GR5.

We're full...

...almost! We've one week left for this ski season, and that's the last week of the season (17-Apr-10). In our experience, or rather what our friends in the village tell us, it's a great week to be there, as everyone's on a high! There are plenty of end-of-season parties and, after 17 weeks of hard work, they party hard! On top of that, the snow's normally excellent, so you don't need to worry about wrecking your skis on the rocks.

Church Mice

For those of you who prefer to stash away the savings outlined in the previous posting (rather than blow them on NetJets flights) and who prefer not to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, you should be aware that we have not one, not two, but three companies who are ready and waiting to transport you from your chosen airport to Chalet Kiana. Two of them (ChamVan and ATS) are linked on our website (under the Travel tab). The third (Ski-Lifts) is new to us this year, so we are testing them out before adding a link to our site.

2010-11 Ski Season Prices

As enquiries are already coming in for the next ski season, we've had to get the calculator out earlier than we're used to! And...we've reduced our rates. Why, when we're one year into a three-year programme of upgrading the chalet? "It's simples"...as the ad goes...interest rates are down.

On average, next season's rates are 4% down on this year but, of course, rates for the most popular weeks of New Year and Half Term particularly (which we could sell many times over) are up. We've calculated that we're 40% less than an equivalent week in Val d'Isere, for those of you who still compare Les Contamines with Val de Sloane Square.

There's no comparison, of course; YSE's Chalet de Pierre (sleeps 10, 5 baths 2 showers) or La Grande Sassiere (sleeps 12, 4 baths 2 showers) will cost you £13,320 (€15,270) for a peak week at La Pierre (assuming you negotiate a free 10th place for having filled the chalet) or £15,235 (€17,650, same assumption applied for having filled La Grande Sassiere).

OK, so those are catered prices, including charter flights from LGW and transfers to the resort (3 hours from Grenoble!). But our peak weeks of New Year and Half Term are €6,700 and €6,500 at our self-catered rates. That leaves you on average €10,000 to fly 10 people to GVA and transfer them to Les Contamines, plus food & drink for a week. If the food and drink for 10 is €3,000, then that leaves you €7,000 for your flights and transfers! What's Net Jets' number?!

Nick & Laura's First Post

Our team in Les Contamines (Nick & Laura Pomeroy) took advantage of the beautiful sunshine last week to take a trip up the Mont Blanc Tramway from Saint Gervais. It's a route that takes around 50 minutes from the station to the Bellevue plateau, opposite the Bionnassay Glacier.

The tramway goes up to 1795m during the winter months, and continues up to the Nid D'Aigle (Eagle's Nest) at 2380m in summer. Works began in 1904 and the winter route was finally completed in 1926. The steam engines were replaced by electric motors in 1956, and the trains were named “Anne”, “Jeanne” and “Marie” after M. Noury's (the owner's) three daughters. It's around €18.00 for a return trip and offers access to the Les Houches / Chamonix and also Evasion Mont Blanc ski area, with some lovely walking tracks into the forests. 

Spectacular views all round, over the Val Montjoie (Les Contamines), the glaciers and also the Chamonix Valley – the small restaurant at the top serves up a great chance for a drink with a 360º view!

Lift passes

Another question that I'm often asked (by English clients) is whether it's possible to buy lift passes either at a discount (wishful thinking!) or in advance. They can be bought on-line, if you prefer to avoid getting your point across to a French lady across a glass-paned booth (it's bad enough in England!), but the minimum number of days that a pass can be bought for on-line, is five days.

Click on Lift Pass for the on-line service. The 'Assurance' button is actually not cheap life 'assurance' but accident insurance to cover your (pretty speedy) repatriation off the slopes by helicopter, if needed. If you're annual insurance already covers this, then there's obviously no need to pay for it again, but I've started to pay the extra €16 that they charge for a week of helicopter-if-you-need-it back-up, as I don't want to have to find out afterwards that the cover I thought I had is only valid if the prevailing wind that fateful day is from the east!

If you want to ski the neighbouring slopes of Megeve, St Gervais etc (see below) then choose 'Domaine Evasion' on the drop-down menu that appears when you 'Choose your ski area'. It's a huge area for those who like to pull their piste map out every other minute!

Otherwise, for Les Contamines (below), select 'Contamines-Montjoie/Hauteluce'. We've always found plenty to keep us busy ski-ing the Contamines/Hauteluce side, especially as it's much easier to let kids who can ski well roam free over this area, but I know adult-only parties like to spread the wings a bit and see the neighbouring ski areas too.

Finally, when you select the period for which you want the lift pass to be valid, everything's pretty obvious other than what a '5/6/7 days Liberte' pass is. In contrast to the 'consecutive' options, this one allows you to choose 5/6/7 non-consecutive days, in case you want to go off to another ski area or fancy a day lolling around in the chalet, or shopping in Chamonix or Megeve.

NB: You need to do this at least two weeks in advance of your holiday.

Master Suite

I'm often asked by people booking the chalet which is the 'master suite'. The simple answer is that no bedroom stands out from any other in such a way that it could be considered a master suite.

This is what I wrote recently to a client visiting in January:

There is no obvious master suite - all rooms have their pluses and minuses. Two bedrooms are on the middle floor; the rest are on the top floor. When we first started visiting the chalet (in 2001), my wife & I stayed in the top-floor, front-facing twin [CH. 3 below]. It's a good size and has lovely views, and the benefit of a window if you like fresh air but don't want to get it by opening the doors to the balcony. But the bathroom is smaller than the front-facing twin on the middle floor [CH. 1 below], and the shower is a bit cramped if you're 6' 3" like me! So, over time, we've drifted down to the front-facing twin room on the middle floor [CH. 1 below]. Its only drawbacks are that it does not have a separate window for air control at night (but you can achieve this by leaving the window open in the adjacent bathroom) and it is next to the sitting room and opposite the kitchen. That's only a drawback if you want to retire earlier than other guests at night, or if you like to lie in while others get breakfast ready for you, as the kitchen is opposite. There is a nice front-facing double room on the middle floor [CH. 2 below], which is further away from the kitchen and sitting room, but it's only a double or queen size bed, and we're used to having a bigger bed than that, so my wife & I don't use it. Its bathroom isn't as nice as the twin, only because it doesn't have a window. Friends who have used it, love it; so I leave it to you to decide! It's worth noting that we've spent all but a few days of our time at the chalet in summer and spring, when it's warm, hence the windows at night issue. It's probably not an issue in January!

For those for whom words are not enough, there are lay-out plans on our website (smaller versions inserted below) which will help you picture what I describe above. There are also plenty of photos on our website, which will help even more.

Summer in the Alps

At this time of year, as freezing weather grips Northern Europe (something we seem to be becoming unaccustomed to, with our minds set on global warming), the English and French are plotting their summer escapes.

We've had a repeat two-week booking of the chalet and the apartment from our friends at Mammoth Lifestyle, whose col-conquering needs we met last year (look at the 'rogues gallery' in the chalet for proof of their cycling exploits) and, this week, our first French booking for the chalet and the apartment for the first week in August, from new clients based in Paris.

For those who don't know Les Contamines in the summer (we first came here in the summer), it's a thriving place, with endless ways of tiring everyone out, whether on walks through the Alpages, paragliding down the valley, white-water rafting on the Arve, tennis at the Dominguez centre, swimming in the lake, trampolining and aerial confidence courses and climbing school (all within cycling distance of the chalet), mountain-biking along the many mountain tracks (the lifts take your bike up!) or, as Mammoth followers prefer, cycling up and down every col in the area, and following the Tour de France in the process.

Kids roam free here (or at least ours have since they were about 10) as the village is at the end of a valley, there's no through-traffic, and it's populated and visited by wholesome people pursuing old-fashioned aerobic activities. No games consoles here!

And it can be hot! Last summer, we had many weeks in the 30s (deg. C); that's climate change for you!

E-mail us now with your preferred dates by clicking here..

Ski & boot hire

We've been coming to Les Contamines since the summer of 2001, and ski-ing here every year since the spring of 2002. In all that time, we've always hired our skis & boots from Eric & Thierry Ronchail, who run & own the two Intersport shops in the village. They speak fluent English, as do many of their staff, like Giles who works at the central location.

The map shows their locations, one in the centre of the village, the other closer to the lifts. It doesn't matter which one you hire from as they work together, as you'd expect. So you can walk down to the shop in the centre of the village (from La Frasse), get fitted out and take your skis with you and, if you need to have any adjustments made during the week, you can always pop into the shop near the Lay lifts and Thierry or one of his merry men will help you out.

Eric & Thierry have kindly agreed to offer Chalet Kiana customers a discount on their competitive rates, as follows:

Jan/Mar/Apr: -20%

Feb:               -10%

That means for top level ("Black") ski & boot hire for 6 days in Jan/Mar/Apr, you'll be paying about £100. And if the skis or boots don't suit you, or you want to try another type of ski, you simply take them back and ask for something else. (Discounted rates that you may see elsewhere rarely offer this level of flexibility; you hire for a fixed period and that's it!) If you only ski for 4 days, with our arrangement, you take them back and only pay for 4 days.

Give them a call: Ronchail Sports (InterSport)

Club Kiana

Chalet Kiana continues to differentiate itself from the crowd! We're now launching Club Kiana - membership is free...but it's only open to returning clients!


So what's it all about? There are five aspects to membership that should interest you:

1. Discounts on our rates - rising
2. Security Deposits - banished
3. Leave your skis with us - for free
4. Blog with us
5. Party
   

1. Discounts on our rates

For returning clients, we're offering a rising scale of discounts on our published rates. Members (i.e. returning clients who have posted a review on Holiday Rentals or Abritel) can claim a 2.5% discount on their first return visit, rising to 5.0% on their second return visit...and so on, up to a full 10% discount on peak weeks (Christmas, New Year, Half Term and Easter) and a staggering 20% on all other weeks. Generous or foolish; I'm not sure which?!

2. Security Deposits
Security deposits are banished from now on! You've been before, and didn't trash the place, so we're guessing you'll behave similarly next time! We've had three significant breakages this year, two in the chalet and one in the apartment. But we didn't hold back any client security deposits; nor did we send the bill to any of them! We just got on with it and fixed it. We didn't spot the broken arm on the new sofa in the apartment until well after the offending guests had left & we'd handed back their deposit (clever rearrangement of the sofa meant it wasn't obvious!). Nor did we spot the broken glass inner door in the oven - but our guests owned up, we got it fixed and swallowed the cost! We did spot the broken glass panel in the sliding door, which cost an arm and a leg to fix, but we left it at that. Too nice? Probably, but we're learning!

3. Leave your skis with us
If you're a Club Kiana member (it's a really tacky name, I know, so I'm going to have to ask readers for inspiration on an alternative - watch the blog!), you can leave your skis with us when you leave. We'll get them tidied up at the end of the season so that they're sharp-edged and waxed for your return.

4. Blog with us
Yes, we're happy to let members contribute to our blog; just let us know by sending us an e-mail (chaletkiana@mac.com) and we'll sort you out as a contributor.

5. Party
Every year we're going to hold a drinks party, for Club Kiana clients. The drinks party will be held in London and will give us a chance to meet our clients (rather than just send them e-mails and receive their cheques!). We're not only looking forward to meeting you and hearing how much you enjoyed yourselves, but also, we'd like to hear from you first-hand what more we can do to make Kiana and Les Contamines a great place to take a break.

If there are other aspects to membership that you'd like to see, please let us know!

The snow's falling...

...here in Staffordshire! It's driving me nuts; not because everyone else drives at 20 mph on the road; nor because the country grinds to a halt. No, it's because I'm sitting at my desk in the Home Office, rather than carving through powder in Les Contamines!

I can't help myself from looking at the multitude of apps that tell me what the weather's doing in every nook and cranny around the world. It helps to make me even more frustrated to know that more & more snow is falling in Les Contamines (according to SnowReports' app, feeding me information provided by OnTheSnow.com) and I'm not out there enjoying it! The pain of the modern era is unremitting!

Anyway, it's nice to see that Les Contamines has more snow (as usual) than the finest resorts of France, Switzerland and Austria! (I haven't been ski-ing in Italy so I have no reference resorts there to ogle at). Base depths in Les Contamines (Lower/Upper) are now 20cms and 195 cms, and it's only the first week of January! Here are the others, for the data-hungry:

• Megeve: 50/145
• Chamonix: 70/365 (they must be measuring the snow on Mt. Blanc!)
• Morzine: 50/160
• Courchevel: 74/115
• Meribel: 60/115
• Champery: 30/80 (call yourselves a ski resort?!)
  
• Flims/Laax: 100/168
• Grindelwald: 20/102
• Klosters: 32/120
• Murren: 57/152
• Verbier: 30/165
• Zermatt: 15/109 (oh dear!!)
  
• St. Anton: 130/145
• Kitzbuhel: I'm not that cruel!
  

So, there you have it...I'll no doubt have started a snow war amongst other-resort fanciers!

New Team

I'm very late in sharing with you the fact that we have a new team working with us this year. I say 'with' us rather than 'for' us because that's how it is. Rather than employ Nick & Laura Pomeroy, I have engaged them as 'service providers', just like a supplier, albeit a 'partner supplier' in modern business parlance.

Anyway, technicalities aside, Nick & Laura have set up their own company, Unique Powder Holidays Ltd and, luckily for us, have decided to base themselves in St. Gervais, as their friend and business partner Jamie lives there. We have engaged them for the whole season as Chalet Manager (Nick) and Chalet Host (Laura). They're there to help you with as much or as little as you like.

That means Nick'll clear the snow around the chalet in the mornings, see to the Jacuzzi, bring wood in and lay the fire up for your return from ski-ing in the afternoon and then help Laura give the chalet a quick tidy before they head out for the mountains (it's difficult to keep them away from boarding or ski-ing the white stuff).

Laura's also an experienced chef, as is their partner Jamie, when he's not jumping off cliffs. Laura can deliver anything from a single meal to be left out for you to put in the oven to a fully-catered week. It's up to you to let us know what you're after. If it's anything more than haphazard cooking (where you're prepared to take the risk that Laura isn't cooking for some other chalet in the valley) then you need to book her at least three weeks (preferably more) in advance. She'll then make sure that her time is kept free for your catering needs.