Category Archives: La Tania

What the UK’s top Ski Travel Agents think of Alpine Action

We invited some of the top ski specialist travel agents to come and stay with us in Méribel for a ski trip and experience what a Alpine Action chalet holiday is like. Staying with us during the week we had representatives from ifyouski, Alpine Answers, Iglu Ski and Interactive Resorts. As you would expect these guys know a lot about ski holidays and talk about skiing all day long so we thought we would ask them what they thought about our package.

During the trip the agents were based in the Chalet Serpolet as also as had the chance to look around all our chalets.

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Food & Drink

“The food was an excellent standard (particularly the duck!) the menu was varied and everyone had nothing but good things to say. One of our group is a vegetarian and I know that he was also really impressed as sometimes veggies can get stuck with a less well thought out meal day after day!” Rufus – Iglu Ski

“Fantastic food, a varied menu with some lovely treats and fab portions meaning that after a day on the slopes we were amply fed and filled with some amazing food” Mike – Interactive Resorts

“Delicious food, man-sized meat portions, well executed, fresh, varied. Despite knowing the food is good with Alpine Action I was still impressed” David – Alpine Answers

“I thought the wine was pretty decent.”  Harry – Interactive Resorts

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Accommodation

“The accomadation was clean and tidy and well spaced out with very nice décor” James – Interactive Resorts

“In the Serpolet their was a spacious living area, awesome hot tub and the games room was a fab addition and comfy beds.” Mike – Interactive Resorts

“Lovely homely chalets, very comfortable, some chalets were better in person than the photos may show. Impressed with the size of the living areas in more than a couple of chalets.” David – Alpine Answers

“I thought all of the chalets were furnished to a really high standard – it was awesome to have spacious rooms for 2 people” Rufus – Iglu Ski

“Obviously varies from the more basic ones such as Rosalie 1 to the nicer ones such as Bouchot. But this is reflected in the price. Overall, they were all kept in very good condition, clean and all in half decent locations” – Harry – Interactive Resorts

” We worked our way through the La Tania chalets (the Cote Coeur being my favourite) then on to Meribel village where we saw Rosalie I and II, followed some of Meribel 1600 chalets and finishing off with the Meribel centre chalets, which, in my opinion were the best chalets. Of course we had been spoiled by staying in the Serpolet which was probably their best chalet according to the group but that might have been down to our lovely hosts!” Nick – ifyouski

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Favourite chalet?

“It has by far the most attractive setting for the hot tub, giving the feeling of seclusion but still with great mountain views in the evening. The games room is perfect for those who like to have a bit of fun, and adds a lot to the holiday atmosphere.” David – Alpine Answers

“Except for the Serpolet I would say that my favourite chalet was the Toubkal! It looked awesome and I’d love to have a holiday there with a few friends!” Rufus – Iglu Ski

“The Bouchot, spacious, lovely bedrooms, really nice more modern finish, just a great chalet! Lots come close though…” Mike – Interactive Resorts

“The Serpolet- Probably not as nice as Trois Ceours or Bouchot but because of its location, the driver service, the hot tub in a private garden looking over the valley, the games room and its location means it adds up to be my favourite.” Harry – Interactive Resorts

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Driver service

“Very efficient, usually be there within 5 mins of calling them. If pre arranged the night before they were always there bang on time.” Harry – Interactive Resorts

“Excellent, I liked hearing that the drivers can also work extra hours during the day if they want too. I am sure they would only ever do so if rewarded with nice tips, but the fact that they are allowed to continue working can only be seen as a positive approach.” David – Alpine Answers

“The driver service is a huge selling point – I think that most of the chalets are in pretty good positions anyway, but as so many people are obsessed with having a ski in / ski out chalet having a driver can make a huge difference – they were always pretty easy to get hold of and always happy to just suddenly show up – they never took long to arrive so they must be very good at just dropping whatever they’re doing!!” Rufus – Iglu Ski

“Driver service was always on call and happy to help when needing collection” James – Interactive Resorts

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Staff

“Very good. It really does make a difference having staff with experience and who are slightly older than the typical 18 yr old host” Harry – Interactive Resorts

“Please pass on my thanks to the drivers but I think a special thanks needs to be given to Reese and Leanne – they were perfect hosts and seemed to work really well together. They were both great to talk to whilst also making sure we constantly had whatever we wanted. I’ve no doubt they’ll do extremely well over the season and will always get good feedback from customers.”  Rufus – Iglu Ski

“The Resort manager was excellent, really has his staff on side and very confidence inspiring, a real asset who should set the season in good stead. Rhys and Leanne (Serpolet Hosts): Absolutely lovely, such stars, really rated these guys and they were so nice, really relaxed fun vibe, really sincere and absolute assets” Mike – Interactive Resorts

“The staff were all very nice and very helpful. Chalet hosts were superb, relaxed and professional, friendly and funny. Everything you could want from a host.” David – Alpine Answers

“They have a great operation, team and know how to look after their guests! Even the drunk ones….” Nick – ifyouski

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Overall Impressions

“All in all a great trip and a pleasure to stay with Alpine Action.” Nick – ifyouski

“Very impressed by the way the company runs and how much each member of staff knows about the Three Valleys” James – Alpine Action

“Impressed! Better than I expected. I don’t think the pictures on the website do the Chalets any justice. I thought they all looked better when seeing them in person. Staff all organised very well and it all ran smoothly” Harry – Interactive

“Thumbs up” David – Alpine Answers

“Excellent value for money, pictures don’t portray just quite how good the chalets are, always hard to convey the service is superior from comparable priced rivals but really very good” Mike – Interactive Resorts

“Thank you so much for looking after us all last week we all had a great time!” Rufus – Iglu Ski

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Meribel & La Tania – Three Valleys Snow report – Week 6

It hasn’t stopped snowing since our last snow report! We are a week in to heavy snowfall with it set to continue until early next week so there has never been a better time for a visit to Méribel! Weather this week has been hit and miss, with lovely fresh snow comes clouds and even some rain in resort and on lower pistes. However this hasn’t put us off, nothing a vin chaud by the fire couldn’t fix, and is worth it for the mounds of untouched powder we have been greeted by on a daily basis!

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Weather 

This week the temperatures have dropped significantly so another layer was very much needed out on the slopes, the start of the week was milder with the snow falling a little wetter than we prefer. This has all changed now and the snow is falling thick, fast and fluffy!

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The snow is amazing! Some runs have only been pisted down one side leaving the rest pure powder, our chalet manager Eloise (who has worked 4 seasons and skied A LOT) described the champagne powder as the best she has ever skied on, and that’s saying something. The snow pack is over 2 metres deep at the top of the runs and 75cm on the bottom and this is only going to increase over the next few days. As incredible as the powder is the avalanche warning in resort is very high so off piste skiing is not advised at this moment in time.

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Forecast 

The good weather is set to continue with snow expected until Tuesday with some blue skies poking through on Sunday which is set to be spectacular! Temperatures will continue to be low so wrap up warm and layer up on the mountain.

For the time being we have a lot of snow clearing to be doing, not a bad thing at all!

Check out all our last minute ski prices here

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Meribel & La Tania – Three Valleys Snow report – Week 5

The snow has finally arrived and it’s not stopping anytime soon! In the last week the 3 Valleys have been completely transformed with over a metre of snow having fallen and more is on the way. We have been out with our shovels on a daily basis clearing snow from our drives for it to reappear only hours later- not that we are complaining!

Weather Forecast

The weather has been mixed this week, with heavy snow comes poor visibility and we have had some strong winds as well. For a couple of days we have had the holy grail of fresh powder combined with blue skies and beautiful sunshine but even in the poor visibility the snow has been so amazing it’s definitely a fair trade. The temperatures have dropped slightly this week and an extra layer of clothing has been needed on the slopes, especially when you get to the higher points of the mountain.

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Piste Conditions

The snow conditions have been incredible with fresh powder on top of groomed pistes almost every morning this week. There are a few bumps and moguls around which has been great fun, even for those of us who have taken a couple of tumbles while trying to perfect our mogul technique! We asked a few of this week’s guests to describe the snow conditions in one word and this is what we got, “cracking”, “incredible” and we are slightly unsure of this one, but get the gist, “POWDERFUL”!

The slopes are unrecognisable from a mere week ago and things are only going to get better as more snow drops over the next week. Over the next 5 days we are anticipating another metre of snow to drop on the 3 Valleys so there are plenty more powder days on the horizon! The temperatures will continue to drop to around -10°C so if you are coming out remember to pack your thermals.

Check out all our last minute ski prices here

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Three Valleys Commitment to Snow Making

The start of the 2015/16 season wasn’t the best in terms of snowfall with many resorts being forced to postpone their opening. The lack of snow at the start of the season has highlighted how impressive the snow-making infrastructure of the Three Valleys is. While other ski resorts suffered the Three Valleys was boasting that it had 70% of runs open and they were in pretty good shape.

When the Three Valleys opened up in full on the first week in December the last snow had fallen three weeks earlier and the temperatures were not consistently low. However, on opening day Méribel looked like this.

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And after two weeks they looked just as good with the run down to La Tania being one of the best maintained slopes in the area.

So why is the snow cover so good?

The Three Valles has made a huge commitment to snow making. It currently has 2186 snow cannons located across one third of it’s 327 runs, which are attend to by a 72 strong fleet of piste bashers. The snow making starts long before the lifts open for the season as the cannons get turned on as soon at the temperature drops low enough. It is also rumoured the Méribel alone spends half a million pounds a year just making snow.

When we had a chat with the manager from Méribel Alpina, the company that runs the mountain, he was keen to point out that part of their promise to skiers coming to the area is to always have the highest number of runs open in Europe. We thought we would test this by comparing 29th of December 2015 in Méribel to five of Europe’s most popular resorts and looked at the percentage of lifts they had open.

Méribel 76%
Avoriaz 45%
Les Arcs 46%
St Anton 74%
Val d’Isere 37%
Verbier 68%

Booking a ski holiday at the beginning of the winter season has always been a gamble and this had been reflected in the prices of December ski holidays. But the work that goes on behind the scenes at in the Three Valleys means that snow is as guaranteed as it can be throughout the season. Take a look below at our snow report from the end of December and you can see that despite there being no snow since the resort opened the piste were in pretty good shape.


Meribel & La Tania – Three Valleys Snow report – Week 2

It has been a beautiful second week of the season here in Méribel and La Tania for our guests and us! Over half of the lifts and pistes have been open this week, with decent snow, mild temperatures and a lot of sunshine. Around resort you can begin to see the faint lines of goggle tans emerging, so you know the weather has been good!

Piste Conditions

With only a sprinkle of snow in the last week some of the busier runs are starting to show a little wear and tear, however thanks to the 3 Valleys trusty snow canons the pistes are being topped up with cultivated snow overnight. Half of the resorts lifts and pistes are now open with many more expected to open next week for our Christmas guests.

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Weather Forecast

As we move into one of our busiest, and most magical, times of year we can expect more sunshine and mostly clear skies. There is no snow forecast for the next few days but the solid snow pack means you will be guaranteed a white Christmas! Temperatures are set to stay mild, between 2 and 5 °C with some spots of cloudiness throughout the day.

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Whats on

If you are coming out to join us this Christmas make sure to dig out your best Christmas jumper as there will be plenty to do in resort. Vin chaud, hot chocolate, Christmas markets and even a visit from the big guy himself, there truly isn’t a better place to spend this time of year!

Check out all our last minute ski prices here.

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Meribel & La Tania – Three Valleys Snow report – Week 1

Empty Slopes on Opening WeekendAlpine Action Snow Report 08/12/15

Report By – Keira Podyma

An exciting week in Meribel and La Tania as we have seen the lifts open and the slopes come alive once again! Blue skies and a decent amount of snow on the pistes, has led to a very successful opening weekend. As always, only the main lifts have been open but good weather and empty slopes have made for enjoyable skiing and boarding.

The Alpine Action team managed to squeeze a welcome day on the slopes into our busy training week, showing those new to resort why the 3 Valleys ski area is one of the best in the world. Snow conditions are a huge improvement compared to this time last season, the snow is soft, well-groomed and plentiful at the summits. Plenty of corduroy to ski on, even later in the day. The 3 Valley links are all up and running so even in the first week of the season Courchevel and Val Thorens are just a couple of lifts away.

Meribel Staff Ski Day

Conditions

There are varying reports of snow depth in resort, from 50-80 cm at the summits to 20 cm as you descend. Even with limited lift and piste openings this weekend there was fantastic skiing to be had, no matter your level or ability. It was something quite special to have a run to yourself, on a bluebird day, at two in the afternoon!

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Forecast

As the season kicks off for us at Alpine Action the weather is looking fantastic with blue skies and sunshine for the next week, except for expected snowy showers on Wednesday the 9th. Although no huge dump of snow is anticipated in the next week it will be cold enough for the snow canons to be working their magic and topping up the pistes as the week goes on.

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What’s On

From Saturday the 12th the rest of the lifts and resort will open up for the first wave of guests, which means all of our favourite après venues will also be opening up for the first time this season! La Folie Douce, Rond Point and Lodge Du Village in Meribel, as well as Pub Le Ski Lodge in La Tania will be throwing open their doors with live music, dancing on the tables and toffee vodka galore.

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If you would like to get on the slopes next week take a look at our last minute ski deals to Meribel & La Tania from £359pp for 7 nights including flights, transfers, accommodation and our wonderful chalet food.

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Everyone is excited about the snow in Meribel

The excitement is growing amongst the 3 Valley locals as the ski area is due to open on Saturday the 5th of December.

First Tracks

But some of us can’t wait so we strap on our touring skis and start the ascent. Its all familiar faces who make the climb up the Saulire , either from Courchevel 1850 or Meribel Altiport. Ski Touring has become much more popular as the equipment is far more user friendly, light and very trendy. Its most likely the athletic fat free look of most ski tourers that has brought in the most recent converts. The rewards for the 2 hours of effort are first tracks, either on the pockets of powder or manicured piste already prepared for Saturday.

The Current Conditions

The good snowfalls on the 26th November along with ideal snow making conditions have created a fabulous base on the main pistes of all the 3 Valleys. Its a consolidated 50cm at the top with a lovely base all the way down to 1450m.

The enormous investment into the latest snow making in Meribel and La Tania is a game changer in modern Ski Resort infrastructure. Its pure science at its best. The recent low overnight temperatures and an accumulated high altitude water storage equals big snow making.

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Snow Making

The state of the art 3m high canons produce huge mounds of fresh snow,they appear like dorsal fins on the slopes. The exterior of these mounds are usually rock hard like egg shells but with the best chalky man made inside. Prior to the big day on Saturday the piste machines will move in and distribute the stockpile on the existing base. Its left very rough initially to avoid any melting. The corduroy effect is left to the last moment and in the 3 valleys its an art form.

The end result on Saturday is first class pistes from Saulire at 2750 ms to Meribel Chaudanne at 1450m.
The East facing Tougnete side has had the same treatment. The pistes under Tougnete 2 chair look particularly good. Most of the runs are at their mid winter width. The poles were put in yesterday by the security des pistes who get to ski weeks before every else.

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All the locals will benefit from the quality skiing prior to Christmas, why don’t you too ?

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Méribel Snow Report 26/11/15

The snow for the 2015/16 winter season has arrived and who ever was in charge of ordering should be congratulated. At the weekend there was so much snow that may people were referring to it as Snowmaggedon and one person lost their car, although we are told that they have now found it. Then after a few days of blue skies the snow started again and is still falling as we type. There is so much snow that Courchevel has opened some of it’s lifts early which also meant that Val Thorens, who had initially postponed it’s opening date due to lack of snow, was able to get the lifts turning and people skiing.

Snow Conditions

It was reported that up to 120cm fell in some parts of the Three Valleys during the weekend leaving a base of up to 50cm in many places. In the La Tania snow report Ralph from Free Ride Republic described the conditions as “Fantastic” when they went out riding the Jardin Alpine piste. There were no words from Ian our resort director when asked to describe the off piste condition but his face in the video below says it all.

Snow Forecast

The temperature is set to stay in the minuses which means that more artificial snow can be made to complement the exsisting snow. In the short term snow making isn’t going to be necessary as there could be another 40cm falling over the weekend.

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Meribel isn’t set to open until the 5th of December  but that could all change, as soon as we know we will tell you. But if they wait that means the slopes are going to be in perfect condition for the opening weeks. We still have availability for the 12th of December starting at £359pp take a look here for all our last minute ski deals to Meribel and La Tania.


Meribel Weather Forecast

Snow Alert

The season is almost upon us and the snow is on its way. This weekend we could see up to 70 cm of snow in the Three Valleys and as the temperature is set to drop it means that the snow will stick around. Here is our round up of the snow forecasts for this weekend in the Alps.

This map from Snow-Forecast.com shows that the Three Valleys can expect between 40 and 70 centimetres of snow on Saturday!

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Other forecasters are in agreement.

*** VERS L’ARRIVÉE DE CONDITIONS HIVERNALES ***Le temps très doux et sec qui persiste depuis le début du mois de…

Posted by Meteo-Alpes on Saturday, 14 November 2015

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Meribel is set to open on the 5th of December and Val Thorens was due to open on the 21st of November. Due to the current poor snow conditions and the massive snowfall that is predicted for this weekend Val Thorens has decided to postpone the opening until the 28th as they believe that they will need the week to prepare the slopes.

 

 




More snow is expect in the coming weeks which could mean that the start of the season will be full of amazing powder days.

There are some great deals on ski holidays to the Three Valleys for the beginning of the season.

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Join the Méribel Weather Facebook group to keep up to date with the weather throughout the season.


Our guide to skiing in bad visibility

If Alpine Action could arrange the weather ………………… It would snow all night then in the morning, there would be fresh powder, clear blue skies and sunshine!

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However, if you have skied a bit then you will know that you always get a bit of everything when it comes to the weather.

So if you wake up and see it snowing, don’t panic. Here is my guide to skiing in bad visibility. Take your goggles helmet or hat!

Try to stick to runs with trees, it gives you definition in a whiteout. There are lots of runs lower down in both resort Meribel and La Tania with trees.

If you are in Meribel then head up the Rhodos bubble and ski the Rhodos or Altiport runs, If you are feeling a little more confident and want to go a little further head down the Lapin run to Meribel Village, the Lodge du Village is at the end for a well-earned coffee or beer!

If you are staying in La Tania, just head to the Folyeres blue run, tree-lined and easy to follow back to La Tania, for those wanting a bit more of a challenge try the red run Murettes or Jockeys the black into La Praz, at both resorts you will find a coffee or beer waiting at the bottom.

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Top Tips

Use the piste markers. The pole on your right-hand side always has an orange top. This way you will always know that you are on the piste if this is on your right-hand side. This is the best tip I can give you.

If you are really nervous just ski from pole to pole ensuring the orange tip poles are on your right-hand side. I often use this when leading my group.

Ski in pairs at least. If you are skiing in a group, stick together, stopping and checking you are all there. Discuss where you are going heading too.

Stay on the piste, so you know exactly where you are. It can be really disorientating, even for the most experienced skiers so stay on the piste, then there is no risk of falling off a drop or path.

Use your piste map and try to stick to runs that don’t split off in too many directions. That way you will always end up at the lift together.

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And finally ……….. enjoy! A whiteout normally means that there is a ton of snow. It doesn’t hurt falling into the soft fluffy white stuff!

So smile, laugh and fall then get up and do it again. It is a great feeling having mastered skiing in a whiteout! And if you have ever decided to not ski you will know it’s a long boring day around a chalet!

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