|
Friday, 09 March 2012 06:26 |
|
If you haven’t done it before, spring skiing is something very special and this year, with 270cm of snow still in Avoriaz, is going to be pretty special. Here are some crude maths to prove this:
- The last 2 weeks have been really warm and we’ve lost about 2cm of snow per day (i.e. Not very much)
- Assuming it will continue to be that warm for the rest of the season (which is very unlikely) we will lose another 70cm of snow in the remaining 35 days of the season
- This will still leave us with a whopping 200cm of snow on the last day of the season (Apr 22nd)
And here is what you have to look forward to if you book an AliKats holiday between now and the end of the season:
- Spring temperatures mean skiing in t-shirts (Ben was skiing with his top off altogether the other day, but then again he is a bit of a poser)
- Powder like conditions at certain points of the day. Normally between 11-2pm, just when the snow is soft enough and before it gets too slushy, the snow behaves like powder – lots of fun!
- Long daylight hours. With the clocks going back in 3 weeks, skiing in April is like a summer holiday and a winter holiday in 1!
- Long boozy lunches. Not sure this point is necessarily any different to a normal day’s skiing but worth adding anyway.
- Live music on the pistes. There are a number of different festivals scheduled between now and the end of the season in Morzine and Avoriaz so there is always something going on
- Spring barbeques. If the weather is right, we may even be doing a couple of barbeques for dinner!
We still have various bits of availailability so get in touch if you like the sound of this...
|
|
|
Friday, 17 February 2012 14:57 |
|
This week marks the half way point of the season, as well as UK half term which is our busiest week of the year. And with 27 in the chalet this week (and still feeling surprisingly spacious), we thought we’d take a few minutes to summarise the 1st half of the inaugural AliKats season in numbers:
1 – Our ranking on Trip Advisor for B&Bs in Morzine
2 – No of weeks since the beginning of the season when it hasn’t snowed.
3 – The number of replacement sets of snow-chains we have had to buy this season due to over-usage
4 – The number of AliKats staff we haven’t regretted hiring! (it’s 4 out of 4 in case you were wondering)
6 – The number of bookings we have taken for next Christmas!
7 – The number of mentions Al has had on Trip Advisor
8 – The number of mentions Murray has had on Trip Advisor
27 – The number of “Excellent” rated reviews we have had on Trip Advisor
70 – The number of days since our 1st guests walked through the door
260 - The number of cm of snow on Avoriaz lower slopes
300 – The number of cm of snow on Avoriaz upper slopes
In summary then: lots of snow, lots of happy guests, great staff and lots of fun! |
|
Monday, 23 January 2012 14:11 |
|
The start of this season in Avoriaz has been unbelievable for snow and as we started 2012, it was the best snow on New Year’s week since the turn of the century! So, we thought we’d compare it to 4 of Europe’s other big resorts (Meribel, Val d’Isere, Kitzbuhel and Zermatt) and the answer was better than we could have possibly imagined….
Avoriaz currently has 290cm of snow on the top slopes, which is 55cm more than 2nd placed Meribel. On the lower slopes, Avoriaz has a whopping 250cm which is not far off TRIPLE the amount Kitzbuhel has! It has also had more snow in the last 7 days than any of the others and there is another 10cm on it’s way as well. With the temperature staying nice and low, that snow isn’t going anywhere either.
So how come Avoriaz has 1 of the best snow records in the Alps when it is perched right on the northern edge I hear you ask!
One theory is that the humidity builds from Lake Geneva and then hits the cold front surrounding the giant Mont Blanc (4880m) which is only 50km away. The result is our little town becomes a dumping ground for snow!
There’s more forecast over the next few days and we have got availability still in February so get in touch to make the most of this historic snow… |
|
Friday, 13 January 2012 13:11 |
|
Here’s our view of how our favourite activity compares to a ’10 things to do before you die’ list…
1. Climb Mt Everest. Ridiculously impractical, likely to suffer awful altitude sickness & 10% of climbers die doing it. AliKats verdict: Less good
2. Take the World’s Most Awesome Roller Coaster. Dubious entry into a top 10 list of the world’s best activities. AK: Definitely less good!
3. Realizing a childhood dream. Our childhood dreams consisted of being at the top of a snowy mountain on a blue sky day, except without beer. AK: Nope.
4. Develop a talent. How has this even made it into a top 10 list? AK: No contest
5. See for yourself that the earth is round. Admittedly, that would be pretty sweet but given it is an economically unrepeatable activity, it can hardly be classed a favourite. AK: Good effort but still less good
6. Skydive. Good fun but over before you’ve had the chance to take it in. There is always time to take in the view on a mountain, therefore verdict = Unlucky!
7. African Safari. High likelihood of seeing nothing. AK: We'll stick to our mountains thanks!
8. Swimming with Sharks. High likelihood of death. AK: Ummm, no.
9. Experience weightlessness. Surely this is covered in #6? Very much doubting the validity of this list. AK: Ditto
10. Visit the great wall of China. It’s a wall. AK: Not even close
So there you have it, scientific proof that having a beer on a snowy mountain on a blue sky day is the best thing in the world. Next week, how the ski industry is helping halt climate change… |
|
Thursday, 05 January 2012 08:33 |
|
When Kat said to me she was going to be offering a 6-course menu for a special AliKats New Year’s Eve dinner, I sarcastically replied: “6 is too easy. Do 7”. So she did. She has achieved a lot of amazing things in her life but serving 7 courses to 22 people (including 1 vegetarian, 2 no fish and 1 nut allergy) has got to be up there! So, here is a quick breakdown of the menu and the thinking behind it…
- Champagne and Canapé reception. The champagne was actually a specially bought Rosé Cremant de Bourgogne which won the pink bubbles award last year and has a lovely light sparkle and gentle flavour that perfectly accompanied the pesto pinwheels. This got the taste buds going before sitting down for the 1st course
- 1st course – Smoked duck appetizer. A simple but delicious dish of smoked duck on a cucumber and sesame salad. Nothing too big or heavy to start, just enough to further tease the tastebuds
- 2nd course – Smoked trout starter. Served with a shot of watercress purée and chopped on a slice of freshly baked wholegrain bread.
- 3rd course – Frozen green tea, mint & lime pallet cleanser. Cold, refreshing and preparing the way for the main course…
- 4th course – Fillet mignon of pork. With a chorizo stuffing and served with apple sauce made from apples from the AliKats garden.
- 5th course – Bellini jelly pallet cleanser. A champagne jelly with peaches and raspberry designed to clear the pallet again ready for the dessert
- 6th course – Hazelnut meringue and chestnut purée. Served in an Eton Mess style with raspberries and a hot chocolate sauce and accompanied by a shot of home-made toffee vodka to kick the party off
- 7th course – Cheese and Port. The cheese was a perfectly ripe Vacherin Mont d’Or and the port was actually a local French version which we picked up at the beginning of the season from a passing wine merchant!
This paved the way perfectly for the fireworks display at midnight, organised by one of our guests Jesper, which everyone watched from the balcony of the chalet.
Having served 154 plates of food, plus canapés, in 1 meal – the rest of the season is looking quite relaxed in comparison!
|
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 2 |
