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March – Its been like reaquainting ourselves with old friends!

April 1, 2012

Lots of repeat guests came to the chalet this month. It is one of the best things about running a small ski business. Every year you simply say ”hello” to old friends.

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Mid February – Finally, the temperatures warmed up!

March 4, 2012

Mid and late Feb we had many repeat guests arriving at the chalet. It is one of the best things about running a small ski business, it’s like greeting old friends each Winter. They did bring some of their own friends with them and other new guests arrived as well. And luckily the temperatures got warmer – making the skiing just fantastic!!

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Sure it’s been cold but that means the snow has been fantastic!!

February 19, 2012

Awesome snow and lots of sunshine on crisp, cool days with the added bonus of quiet slopes – certainly in Switzerland. True, you have had to wrap up warm and make sure you stop for lots of Vin Chauds!! Here’s a cross section of our guests experiences during early February……..

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Top Tip if you’re going skiing over the February holidays

February 12, 2012

The latest in the series of tips from the BASS ski school in Morzine.

The February periods do mean slightly busier slopes, here is the first of two strategies to help you enjoy your skiing when there are more people around:

TT Busier 1 image

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v02lj3vTQbw&feature=youtu.be

Use continuous and predictable movement so people can anticipate where you are going more easily. Easy to say when you are as well balanced and controlled as this top BASS instructor.

Visit the BASS Morzine Facebook page to view the second strategy next week (and to see more Top Tip videos, Slope reports, Competition Give-aways and many other pieces of interest)

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TOP TIPS from the snow

January 29, 2012

Our friends at BASS Morzine are running their ‘Top Tips’ series again this Winter. The first is entitled ‘Harmony’ – being at one with your skis, your body’s natural athletic ability and the mountain to unlock your potential.

Please click on the link below to see the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz9-RHrgHFY&feature=youtu.be

Harmony Clip 2

Hope you will enjoy and benefit!!

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January – There’s been just so much snow!!

January 29, 2012
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Xmas, New Year 2012 – Winter couldn’t have started any better!!

January 8, 2012

Sophie and Erin visited Chalet Margaritka over New Year with their parents Mick and Louise who had stayed at the chalet last year with friends. They had never ski’d before. Look at the video to see what can be possible due to modern equipment, a bit of desire and application on behalf of the new skiers and just a little guidance for a few days over a long weekend………

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St. Petersburg; an Autumn visit or maybe your thoughts are drifting to Winter?

August 28, 2011

We’ve had a beautiful 10 days in Russia. The weather has been unusually fantastic for the second half of August (quite often you know Autumn is coming); non stop sunshine, mid 20s every day, evenings still warm enough to sit outside in t-shirts drinking a few beers. Rita and Alex (The Tsar) went to St. Petersburg for a few days to see their aunt. They had a great time visiting the Winter Palace, Peterhof – Tsar’s Summer residence and took a boat trip along the Neva River/ Baltic Sea. Please have a look at some of these fantastic links to get a feel for how beautiful St. Petersburg is:

Official site of Saint Petersburg – one of the MUST VISIT places in Europe

Beautiful Peterhof – Summer residence of Peter the Great

Hermitage – or Winter Palace, fantastic museum and former residence of Russian Tzars

Alas, in a few days they will be departing for France (The Tsar has to go back to school) to leave me moping around for a few weeks/ months until I see them again or I’m regularly back in France. Usually, at this time to cheer me up my thoughts drift to Winter and the fluffy white stuff. In preparation I throw myself into getting fit, working off the excesses of our long Russian/ Bularian Summer. I spend lots of time in the gym or on my bike when I visit France for the weekend. The important thing is to keep the fitness drive fun and relevant to skiing.

Have your thoughts drifted to thinking about your Winter wonderland yet? Here is an article which focuses on some tips to ensure you really enjoy skiing holiday/ experience:

It is not all about hard work, make sure you enjoy your training and have fun, read this article by Hugh Monney Director of the BASS Network, for tips on how to have fun whilst you train.

 
Hugh Slackrope
 
Our thanks to BASS/ Hugh Monney for these articles and content. The Tsar and I are off to see Spartak V CSKA today, the big Moscow derby. We are sooo excited!! Check out the pictures from last year if you want to get a feel for the atmosphere!!
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Enjoyed it so much we had to return – Bulgaria!

August 14, 2011

This year Rita and Alex decamped to the Black Sea for over one month. I, of course, flew back and forth from Moscow (tell a lie I did go for two weeks non stop, as well – perfect!). We all had a great time. The villa Ralitza, Rita rented in St. Vlas, was only 100 metres from the beach with totally unobstructed views of Sunny Beach (10 kms, sandy bay) and Nessebar – across the causeway on the point of the peninsula/ bay. This ancient Greek/Byzantic/Turkish/ Bulgarian town; has incredable history and architecture which brings thousands of tourists to this part of the world every year.

 St (Sveti) Vlas is a beautiful village built on the hillside overlooking the sea directly opposite Nessebar – on the other side of the bay. It is a lot less commercial than Sunny Beach, perfect for families and those who like a more gentle, sedate pace of life on their holidays. The village has a brand new Marina (claimed to be one of the top 10 in the world!) with lots of restaurants and beach bars surrounding, and an older part with narrow streets leading up from the sandy beaches to the old town square where there are also lots of restaurants, cafes and shops.

If you’re looking for somewhere different to go for your Summer vacation that offers sandy beaches, great climate and extroadinary value then we thoroughly recommend St. Vlas. It’s only just over half an hour from the airport at Burgas, along a beautiful coastal road that winds around the Black Sea. Beware though – it does attract a lot of Russians since the flight to Moscow is pretty short and the languages are very similar. Bulgaria was once treated as the 16th state of the old Soviet Union (they had 15 really!)

Since the family was there for over a month we invited various members of our Welsh/ Russian clans to come and spend some time with us enjoying the villa’s great location and all St. Vlas and the Black Sea has to offer. Daniel, our Scottish Brother in Law, particularly enjoyed the local bar where beers were less than 1 Euro a pint! The pictures below tell the story of our Summer adventure, off the beaten track in St. Vlas…….

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Summer tips – How to be a better Skier

July 10, 2011
The influential ski website, PlanetSKI, reviews Ski Performance Breakthrough. A book which this blog has referred to many times in the past and can definately help improve your skiing; by the Director of the BASS Ski School, Hugh Monney. 

”There are many ski instruction books on the market but this is one of the best;  
clear, concise and easy to read without too much jargon”.

”It is written by one of the best in the business and Hugh’s passion and knowledge
of skiing comes leaping out of the pages”.

Read this and put just some of it into practice and you will become a
better skier.”
Read more here
 
James Cove,
ski journalist and content editor of PlanetSKI

Top Tips in Under a minute – Rhythm and movement. Click below

top tips, Rhythm

A study of short & medium radius skiing; ideal visualisation tool for aspiring and good level skiers.

Click here to see full-size video

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