Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces new sustainability strategy to ‘save the glacier’

Skyway Monte Bianco. Photo: Skyway Monte Bianco- Courmayeur Mont Blanc. Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces new sustainability strategy to 'save the glacier'

Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces new sustainability strategy to ‘save the glacier’

Skyway Monte Bianco, part of Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces a new sustainability strategy. The aim of it is to ‘save the glacier’.

Skyway Monte Bianco is a unique rotair cablecar that reaches 3,466 and takes you in two steps. Skyway is the first company proposing an environmental sustainable project to preserve the Mont Blanc glacier.

Skyway Monte Bianco is a start for the off-piste itineraries towards Courmayeur and Chamonix. Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces new sustainability strategy to 'save the glacier'. — Skyway Monte Bianco is a start for the off-piste itineraries towards Courmayeur and Chamonix. Photo: Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc. Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces new sustainability strategy to ‘save the glacier’.

The town of Courmayeur, at the bottom of the Monte Bianco Massif. Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces new sustainability strategy to 'save the glacier'. — The town of Courmayeur, at the bottom of the Monte Bianco Massif. Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces new sustainability strategy to ‘save the glacier’.

The cablecar Skyway Monte Bianco unites the Italian Alps to the French. Therefore, the idea of this project is to create a plan that is social and friendly to the environment.

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The Skyway Sustainability Initiative

Skyway has curated this report out of a three-years’ study. They have formed the Save the Glacier project. They started by cleaning up an area of he Gran Flambeau glacier. Here there were many signs of human damage left behind. Partnering with the technicians operation and the Grivel, they retired twenty tons. Scrap and iron materials taken downstream to dispose with safety.

After studying how glaciers are suffering, Skyway wants to take concrete actions. This will be in form of green-certified supplies. Skyway intends to reduce waste volume. These will also reduce energy sources and emissions and water. The idea is to have a green consortium.

The views from Skyway Monte Bianco are amazing, wherever you look. You are on the roof of Europe! Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces new sustainability strategy to 'save the glacier'. — The views from Skyway Monte Bianco are amazing, wherever you look. You are on the roof of Europe! Photo: Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc. Skyway Monte Bianco. Courmayeur Mont Blanc announces new sustainability strategy to ‘save the glacier’.

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September 15, 2020

EU Regulations for travelling with your dog if we have a ‘No Deal Brexit’.

September is when we have to plan ahead if we plan to travel with our pooches after 1st Jan 2021. The Withdrawal Agreement ends on 31st December. If there is not a special agreement done for travelling with your pets to the EU, then you need to think in advance. I mean, four months in advance! If at the last minute we have an agreement, then we could be lucky! But as of today, negotiations are not looking pretty. So better to prepare than being sorry later!

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If you want to take your pooch to the Continent, act now! Here Ozzy poses with his jacket and preferred ball. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. EU Regulations for travelling with your dog if we have a 'No Deal Brexit'. — If you want to take your pooch to the Continent, act now! Here Ozzy poses with his jacket and preferred ball. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. EU Regulations for travelling with your dog if we have a ‘No Deal Brexit’.

What steps to take to travel with your pet. EU Regulations for travelling with your dog if we have a ‘No Deal Brexit’.

So what you have to do? Well, for starters, your dog needs to have a rabies vaccine. If you regularly go to the continent, then you should have given your dog a rabies test to travel. The vet needs to put a microchip to your pet, but this is pretty common practice in the UK when you get a pet.

Your pet needs to be at least 12 weeks old to receive a vaccine.

Even if your pet received a vaccine, your vet, might suggest you to give another rabies vaccine. This is because you need to wait at least 30 days to take some blood samples from your pet to send to an EU-approved lab.

The UK government states that you need to wait 3 months from the date of the succesful blood sample to travel. The vet will need you to give you a copy of the test results and include the date the blood sample was taken. He/she will have to write this on an animal health certificate (AHC).

Then, if the blood result is not successful, you have to repeat the vaccination and blood test after 30 days… Imagine the pain…

September 14, 2020

Switzerland Tourism is asking to offer tests to tourists to avoid quarantine.

Crans-Montana in winter. Photo: CMTC Luciano Miglionico. Swiss urged to 'hit the slopes' to save ski season. The situation for skiing in December in the rest of Europe.

Switzerland Tourism is asking to offer tests to tourists to avoid quarantine.

Switzerland Tourism is asking to offer tests to tourists to avoid quarantine. Covid-19 high risk countries visitors should be able to travel in Switzerland. With negative corona tests they could avoid quarantine, say tourism officials.

From Swissinfo.ch – NZZ am Sonntag/sb

Now people arriving in Switzerland from high risk coronavirus countries need to quarantine. The Federal Office of Public Health updates this list in frequent basis. People not complying with the quarantine risk a fine. Quarantine in Switzerland is for 10 days.

With winter season starting in less than three months, it can be very detrimental for tourism.

“If French guests are absent in the autumn and winter season, we will be hit hard,” Martin Nydegger, director of Switzerland Tourism, told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper on September 13.

Saas-Fee is one of the prettiest ski towns in the Valais region. Switzerland Tourism is asking to offer tests to tourists to avoid quarantine.

Valais is concerned for the upcoming ski season

The resorts of the Valais region are nervous with the panorama this winter. Resorts such as Verbier, Zermatt and Crans-Montana depend a lot on international visitors.

“There is a lot at stake for us,” said Christophe Darbellay, head of the Valais Department of Economic Affairs.

Winter tourism brings in around CHF2 billion ($2.2 billion) a year. Half of the winter tourists come from abroad, from Europe, according to NZZ .

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September 11, 2020September 12, 2020

To extend or not to extend… that is the question:

By Chino Martinez Ski Pro at Aspen Mt Ski School

To extend or not to extend… that is the question:

Up and down, down under, cross over,

retraction turn, bend you knees… etc etc etc.
what happened with this “old skool words”?

How come we could ski like this for years and years, but now we don’t do it anymore…
I know most of you are going to answer like a ski instructor or a coach:
-“the equipment has changed”!
-I understand that but the mountains and the snow DON’T. They didn’t change.

-So how come we don’t talk any more about extension, and flexion?
Has it become too complicated and confusing to teach our clients, student, and racers?

Ski Pro Chino Martinez. To extend or not to extend… that is the question.

This is simple physics: the mountains (as we skiing down) is falling down, dough!
So if you want to stay in touch with the snow you have to extend and flex? Otherwise you……..?- jump, yes!.
Ski-snow contact is coming from your extension and flexion: period.
As you start a new turn your legs are getting longer and as you finished the turn your legs are getting shorter!, How can we call this anything but flexion and extension?

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September 8, 2020

Family trek to Lago d’ Arpy, Morgex, AO

Sentiero to Lago d’Arpy, Morgex, AO (Aosta Valley) – Family trek to Lago d’ Arpy, Morgex, AO.

Summer in the Italian Alps.

We came to take a five-weeks long holiday at our home in Morgex, called Il Cuore della Valdigne. This is a great spot for hundreds or thousands of trekking paths. Italian called them sentieros.

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Going up towards Lago d'Arpy you have great views of the Catena di Monte Bianco. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. Family trek to Lago d' Arpy, Morgex, AO. — Going up towards Lago d’Arpy you have great views of the Catena di Monte Bianco. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. Family trek to Lago d’ Arpy, Morgex, AO.

The most renown place in the Morgex area I would say is Lago d’ Arpy. Arpy is a great spot in winter for its cross country trails and snow-shoeing paths. In summer it is the place to go out for treks, mountain biking and swimming in the freezing lake. The lake is further up the road from the Ostello di Arpy. The Ostello is a rustic lodge that has a cafeteria/restaurant and some rooms. It also offers rental for cross country skiing and snow shoes.

We went up the road until passing the hotel La Genzianella and we parked next to some public restrooms. There it was the start of the sentiero 15, at 1,954 m, that takes one hour and five minutes to reach the lake. The sentiero is pretty simple categorised as T: turista. It has a bit of a climb, but nothing major (140m) and an average gradient of 3%.

Sentieros‘ classifications in Italy.

Sentieros are classified, at least in Italy, in T as Turista, E, Escursionistico and EE Escursinisti esperti (expert). Then there you have the alpinist classifications, EEA is for expert with via ferrata o attrezzata, EEA-F (ferrata facile); EEA-PD (ferrata Poco dificile), EEA-D (ferrata difficile) and EAI (excursionism in snow).

While you walk through the sentiero, you have amazing views of the Macizo di Monte Bianco. Usually this path is very busy with families and dogs, but we managed to go pretty late, and it was pretty quiet.

The sentiero 15 takes you from Colle de San Carlo to Lago d'Arpy, and if you continue, to Lago di Pietra Rosa. Family trek to Lago d' Arpy, Morgex, AO. — The sentiero 15 takes you from Colle de San Carlo to Lago d’Arpy, and if you continue, to Lago di Pietra Rosa. Family trek to Lago d’ Arpy, Morgex, AO.

Another option for reaching Lago d’ Arpy

You can do a bit of a more challenging walk with more climb if you stop at the Ostello d’Arpy. That is a sentiero classified E: Excursionista. To be honest I was not sure where to start, so we kept on going up the road as there was a sign to Lago d’Arpy. And then we’ve stopped before what it looks to go to the Colle San Carlo and down towards La Thuile.

The path to Lago d'Arpy, sentiero 15. Family trek to Lago d' Arpy, Morgex, AO. — The path to Lago d’Arpy, sentiero 15. Family trek to Lago d’ Arpy, Morgex, AO.

When we arrived, our dog ran straight into the freezing lake. The views were magnificent. It was a tad cold as it was windy, and up at 2,066 m you had not much to guard you.

Month: September 2020