Posts

Posted on

36 hours in Chamonix in Summer

My little boy in Plan Praz in Chamonix. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. 36 Hours in Chamonix in Summer.
Because of a technical glitch with the booking platform for our flat in Morgex, we got overbooked, and this summer we had to spend 36 hours in Chamonix.
 
This was not a bad thing. I’ve thought, as it was going to be a Saturday when we needed to cross the Mont Blanc Tunnel, it was better to stay next to it. Saturdays during the summer season, it get super busy to cross the tunnel.
 
We’ve booked our stay at the Wanderlust Motel. The hotel, an old Mercure, stands across from the Des Bossons Glacier, by the A40 motorway. It is better to pay the difference and have the glacier view. Not only because of the amazing view, but the rooms towards the motorway might get noisy.
View from the Wanderlust Motel in Chamonix. 36 Hours in Chamonix in Summer. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.
View from the Wanderlust Motel in Chamonix. 36 Hours in Chamonix in Summer. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.
 
The hotel itself was very nice. I’ve found the rooms a bit boxy, but the common areas are great. There was a couple of pool tables and football tables, as well as ping pong, and an indoor pool. The boys loved the freedom they had so they were all over the place.
Lobby at the Wanderlust Motel. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. 36 Hours in Chamonix in Summer.
Lobby at the Wanderlust Motel. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. 36 Hours in Chamonix in Summer.
The young staff was mostly from Argentina (as I am), which I found amusing. Looks there is a scheme that allows you to go to work in Chamonix for one year! And all the Argentines are taking advantage of it!
 
The day we’ve arrived, we stayed on the veranda having a drink and reading while the boys were having a splash. Then we had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. Their menu was more of a diner, which was nice enough.
The View from Aiguille du Midi towards Grandes Jorasses. 65 x 50 cm. In my shop here.
The View from Aiguille du Midi towards Grandes Jorasses. 65 x 50 cm. In my shop here.

Continue reading “36 hours in Chamonix in Summer”

Posted on

Mountain Artist Martina Diez-Routh will be Painting Live at the Ski Club of Great Britain 120th Anniversary Dinner Gala

Martina Diez-Routh starting a painting at the easel. Photo: Carry Hornby.

Mountain Artist Martina Diez-Routh will be Painting Live at the Ski Club of Great Britain 120th Anniversary Dinner Gala

 

London, United Kingdom. – London- based mountain artist Martina Diez-Routh will be painting live at the Ski Club of Great Britain 120th Anniversary Dinner Gala on Friday 30th June to be held at the Café Royal in Regent Street.

Martina is exhibiting here on a boat on the River Thames during Listex Luxury.
Martina is exhibiting here on a boat on the River Thames during Listex Luxury.

At the Ski Club of Great Britain event, Martina will be creating a piece that will be a time capsule, to reflect the founding event of the Ski Club of Great Britain 120 years ago, at the Café Royal, and where the club is aiming to be 120 years in the future. It will connect the founding fathers of the ski club, with today and future members through their love of the mountains.

  Continue reading “Mountain Artist Martina Diez-Routh will be Painting Live at the Ski Club of Great Britain 120th Anniversary Dinner Gala”

Posted on

Ski Apparel Review: the Maier Sports Vroni Slim Ski Pants

Maier Sports Ski Pants Review- Ski Apparel Review
I’ve had the chance to try some ski apparel and equipment on my last trip to the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead. This is the indoors ski slope north of London. This review is of the pair of Maier Sports Vroni Slim Pants I have used there.
Maier Sports Vroni Slim Ski Pants. Photo Courtesy of Maier Sports.
Maier Sports Vroni Slim Ski Pants. Photo Courtesy of Maier Sports.
 
Skiing in Hemel Hempstead, is literally skiing in a fridge, and I was cozy and warm with them. I’ve found them super comfy,
with a high waist. The waist is higher in the back with good padding, (so if you tuck you are not showing your bum line!)

Continue reading “Ski Apparel Review: the Maier Sports Vroni Slim Ski Pants”

Posted on

Testing the new Women’s Dynastar E-Cross 82 skis.

Dynastar-womens skis

Yesterday I had the chance to test the new women’s Dynastar E-Cross 82 skis. I have not skied Dynastar for a long time, as I have sticked to my Volkl, and then only tried Black Crows in Aspen. I was really looking forward to testing these pair of Dynastars!

Here I was going to try the new women’s Dynastar E-Cross 82 skis-an all mountain ski. I was yesterday at the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead, an indoor- ski slope fill up with man-made snow. That is tricky in itself, as in the mountain, it tends to be a better experience.

Still, I had a blast. These skis are so responsive, doing short or long turns with no problem. I could get on top the harder spots of the slope with complete control, pointing them down and turning immediately. I had an hour of pure bliss, just doing lap after lap, like a little kid!

Dynastar built this pair of skis thinking on an intermediate to advance skier who wants to ski on piste or be free to do a bit of freeride.

Dynastar Skis
Testing the new Women’s Dynastar E-Cross 82 skis. The Dynastar waiting for me on the rack. Photo: The-Ski-Guru

Continue reading “Testing the new Women’s Dynastar E-Cross 82 skis.”

Posted on

A New Mountain Art Trail in Courmayeur and Morgex

Lago Blu & the Cervino- Soft Pastels, Pan Pastels and Charcoal on La Carte Pastel- 60 x 80 cm. In my shop.
I’ve put together a new mountain art trail in Courmayeur and Morgex of my soft pastels paintings.
 
You can go up and down the valley, enjoying seeing different hotels and bars. At the same time, you can see my paintings. They are in permanent exhibition there. Please note that the hotels close in the low season, and you might have to contact them before going.
Art Trail Map - Mountain Art of Martina Diez-Routh
Art Trail Map – Mountain Art of Martina Diez-Routh – A New Mountain Art Trail  in Courmayeur and Morgex. See the paintings here.

Continue reading “A New Mountain Art Trail in Courmayeur and Morgex”

Posted on

Snow sport practitioners advised to adopt the ‘reapply rule’

Skiing in Alta Badia- photo credits: IDM Sudtirol Alex Moling. Snow sport fans advised to adopt the ‘reapply rule’

The Melanoma Fund has teamed up with the UK’s leading snow sports organisations to get those heading to the slopes this season to improve their sun protection habits, to avoid the risk of sun damage and skin cancer. During summer sports, we know that sunscreen sweats, washes, and rubs off easily, meaning we must reapply more often. However, snow and strong winds erode sunscreen even faster, exposing skin to the intense UV rays, found at high altitudes.

Courchevel photo. Snow sport fans advised to adopt the ‘reapply rule’
Courchevel photo. Snow sport practitioners advised to adopt the ‘reapply rule’
Le Vieux Grenier with Monte Bianco- 80 cm x 60 cm. In my shop.
Le Vieux Grenier with Monte Bianco- 80 cm x 60 cm. In my shop.

Continue reading “Snow sport practitioners advised to adopt the ‘reapply rule’”

Posted on

How Much Snow does a Mountain Need to Open its Pistes?

Skiing on top of Piste 2 in Pila, with inversion in the bottom. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. The Must-Read Guide to Pila, Aosta Valley
How much snow does a mountain need to open its pistes? With the news of incredible warm temperatures in the Alps, and how many lower ski resorts could not open or needed to close last week, I want to dig in how much snow does a resort needs to open.
 
It is not a straightforward answer!
Evening ski in Pila. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. How Much Snow does a Mountain Need to Open its Pistes?
Evening ski in Pila. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. How Much Snow does a Mountain Need to Open its Pistes?
 
It depends on several factors:
 
*Altitude
*Mountain Orientation
*Depth of Snow before Snowfall
*Has the mountain grassy fields or rocky soil
*Temperatures
*Availability of Snowmaking (man-made snow)
Le Vieux Grenier- 80 cm x 60 cm - £1300 + shipping. In my store. Soft pastels, pan pastels and pastel pencils on La Carte Pastel.
Le Vieux Grenier- 80 cm x 60 cm – £1300 + shipping. In my store. Soft pastels, pan pastels and pastel pencils on La Carte Pastel.
 
Let me delve a bit more on each subject!

Continue reading “How Much Snow does a Mountain Need to Open its Pistes?”

Posted on

Review of the new RS1 Panda Optics Goggles with Interchangeable Lenses

Panda Optics RS1 with all weather lens. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.

Review of the new RS1 Panda Optics Goggles with Interchangeable Lenses

Just got in the post my new pair of Panda Optics Goggles. I have been skiing with them for a couple of years- just before Covid! I took them first to ski in Morzine, and also ski all the time with the Panda Optics lenses.
 
I am kind of a convert, but this is a new model, which has some new feature which I think it is a game changer!
      
Apart of the super wide lens, which helps for sideways vision, now you can change the lens in one minute. This is thanks to magnets attached to the borders of the lens. I have seen this technology before in a pair of goggles I have for one of my kids, and always thought it was amazing.
 
I have been for years changing lenses and try to fit them in the plastic ream of the googles… That is pretty much mission impossible, more if you are in the mountain and need to take your gloves to deal with it in the cold outside!

Continue reading “Review of the new RS1 Panda Optics Goggles with Interchangeable Lenses”

Posted on

Travelling via the Grand St Bernard Pass as an option to the Mont Blanc Tunnel

Coming into the Aosta Valley passing the Grand St Bernard Tunnel from Switzerland. Travelling via the Grand St Bernard Pass as an option to the Mont Blanc Tunnel

Travelling via the Grand St Bernard Pass as an option to the Mont Blanc Tunnel

 

Another option on how to get into the Aosta Valley through Switzerland.

 

This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer here. 

 
For those of us driving to the mountains from the UK into Italy, the classic and fastest route is to go to Calais. From there, you take the A26, A5, A31, A39, A40 and you cross the Mont Blanc Tunnel. This past summer the queues at the Mont Blanc Tunnel where horrendous. That is why we thought why don’t we do our travelling via the Grand St Bernard Pass as an option to the Mont Blanc Tunnel.
Chaumont. Travelling via the Grand St Bernard Pass as an option to the Mont Blanc Tunnel
Chaumont. Travelling via the Grand St Bernard Pass as an option to the Mont Blanc Tunnel
 
We’ve first tried that on our way back, as a way of a road trip. Usually, the day of the long stretch we go from Morgex (10′ down of Courmayeur, by the Mont Blanc Tunnel), to Reims. This time, the first day, was falling on the day of my eldest’s birthday, and it would not have been too much fun to be sitting in the car for hours. So we’ve decided to go to Strassbourg and then Brussels. There it was sensible to go through the Grand St Bernard, as it is pretty a straight route.
Lago Blu & the Cervino- Soft Pastels, Pan Pastels and Charcoal on La Carte Pastel- 60 x 80 cm. In my shop.
Lago Blu & the Cervino- Soft Pastels, Pan Pastels and Charcoal on La Carte Pastel- 60 x 80 cm. In my shop.
 
My husband was not happy thinking you have to pay the Swiss vignette. At about 40 CHF, it is nothing if you compare it to the tolls of the French Autoroutes.
Obviously, this means that there are more cars on the road. The Swiss vignette gives you access to all Swiss motorways for the calendar year.

Continue reading “Travelling via the Grand St Bernard Pass as an option to the Mont Blanc Tunnel”

Posted on

Best ski resorts for a weekend trip

Le Tour - L'Alpage de Balme. OT Vallée de Chamonix. Photo: Salome Abrial. Best ski resorts for a weekend trip

Imagine yourself leaving your office on a Friday evening, gliding down snow covered slopes for the next two days and returning to your desk on Monday morning with a grin as wide as the mountains.

This unbeatable travel experience is none other than a weekend skiing trip, but it requires a lot of work and rushing around to make this type of a trip a huge success.

Mégève. Photo: Green/Pixabay. Best ski resorts for a weekend trip
Mégève. Photo: Green/Pixabay. Best ski resorts for a weekend trip

From choosing the perfect place to ski carefully and slopes that suit your style of skiing to resort owners willing to take bookings for just two nights, and that too during the peak rush days of the week,there are few ski resorts that are ready to oblige.

So here are a few resorts that not only cater to skiers who only have weekends to spare, but across a broad range of skiing tastes and abilities as well.

Our pick of best resorts to spend your ski weekends at – 

Continue reading “Best ski resorts for a weekend trip”