Ep 61 Is the ski industry outpricing normal families ?

Good Morning Val d’Isère

Another sunny day.

Wow Val is looking so pretty

Sunshine

Snow on the ground

And beautiful red, orange and yellows in the trees.

I am going to start posting photos….

Hesitated as don’t want to make you TOO Jealous

But the bottom line is

I love Val d’Isère

I love living in Val d’Isère

And I want you to know why…

It is not all about skiing…….

Yesterday I mentioned the

Expensive

But injury free

Fondue fire

With one person going to court this week

Charged with negligence.

Nothing compared to the

Tragedy in a 12 storey

ski resort hotel

In January in Turkey

When seventy eight people

Including thirty four children

Died.

11 of those responsible

Have just been given life sentences

Including the owner, his wife and daughters.

the General Manager and the Deputy Mayor. 

I am impressed by the speed of the Turkish

Legal system.

The police are not expected

To make any charges

For those involved in Grenfell

Until the end of next year

Nearly nine years after the fatal fire

That killed seventy two people

In West London.

The Verdicts probably

in   20 30.

The cost of skiing continues to rise…..

Up Thirty five percent in Europe

In the last ten years.

more in Switzerland, Austria and Italy

Than in France.

Italy got a ‘special mention’

For the big hike in the price of life passes.

Won’t help you this year,

But The Dolomite ski area is under investigation

By Italy’s Antitrust Authority

claims of

Lift pass price fixing

restrictions on competition.

This was one report when

I was PROUD Val was not mentioned….

Our lift prices are pretty fair….

Especially considering the number of pistes

And the quality of our high-speed lifts.

Let’s never forget

The cost of daily lift passes in the USA…..

Ski holiday costs are not just about lift prices.

Kit

Rental

Lessons.

Accommodation

And

You still have to eat …

Let alone …. Drink….

VERY difficult, as

Skiing is seasonal

Global prices for

Materials

Energy

Wages

Social charges

Have all increased.

There were 1 million

Fewer Italians on the slopes last year.

Val has still plenty of British visitors

Personally, I feel

That many of those who come

Have had a hard look

At the costs

Before booking.

Maybe come less often…

It is suicidal to price out

‘normal’ families……..

Those children are the future

For our industry…

Do let me know

If you have an easy answer !!

I WILL shout it from the rooftops !

While on lift passes

If you are in Tignes

And have children

Once again

Thanks to The generosity of the Tignes Foundation

And the STGM lift company

Your children can ski for free.

Don’t forget to apply !

Meanwhile in Val

You know the large area

Known as Le Coin

As you go into town

Between the Garage Restaurant

And Chevallot Bakery

That USED to be the main bus station

While it is waiting for

Development

The mairie want to put it to good use…

And are looking for

YOUR ideas as to what it could

Be used for this winter….

Activities for both

Residents and visitors….

All ideas welcome.

Click on the link in the episode

Description, or website,

For more information.

Marchés publics | Mairie de Val d'Isère

Dogs and their poo

Causes animated debates

During the winter.

The law is that you have to

Clean up after your pooch.

I have two doodles

And can’t see the problem…..

Val even provides free poo bags……..

Was interested to see that a French lady

Was forced to pay more than

One thousand euros to her

Neighbour

After her cat

Used his garden as her toilet……

I get angry when I see dog poo

On the pavements

Or where children play…..

I completely understand the

Rage of non-dog-lovers……

Remember ….the police can fine you …….

A big fine……..

Just pick up the poop……

Every time…..

Olympic news….. Le Coq Sportif will be decking out the French team……

Their seamstresses will be busy…….

Twenty one and a half thousand

Tops, jackets, trousers……….you name it……….

For the more than

200 athletes

300 techie peeps

350 officials …..

Interesting in itself to look at the ratio of athletes to the rest of the team !!

If you are in Scotland

Glencoe has closed the Access Chairlift

For maintenance

And loading the brand new chairs……

Will open

On a date yet to be disclosed

In December.

The bike tracks and tubing

Will now be closed until May.

There is always a playful banter

Between the English and the French

Here in Val…..

We tease them

And they tease back….

To us they are the froggies

To them we are

LES Roast Beef……..

Today’s celebration is

From the UK

Roast Dinner Day…..

Not only Roast Beef

But lamb, chicken or pork….

With gravy, veggies and Yorkshire pud.

We all know it can be really good

Or very very bad.

When I invited Michelin chef Benoit Vidal

For dinner

His only plea was………..

PLEASE don’t give me lamb with mint sauce……….

He had only been to England ONCE.

I would LOVE to know

Who had served a mint sauce

That CLEARLY was both memorable and disgusting !!!!

The French idea of English food

Isn’t flattering

Which is a shame

As I think the UK have some of the

Best chefs in the world….

And the tastiest food…..

Off to cook a delicious brunch

On the radio Romu used to introduce

My English news as

The Full English

Before it was explained that

That was ACTUALLY

a fried breakfast.

I love it when they use English phrases

In the wrong context.

Dread to think

How we garble their beloved French….

Will be back tomorrow.