Essential Turns Only

Courchevel March 05

Some photos from the latest weekend in Courchevel.


Link: Courchevel March 05 - a photoset on Flickr.

Skiing in Zermatt - hints & tips

Zermatt restaurants, skiing, mountain huts and bad-weather activities.

Intro to Zermatt
see also www.zermatt.ch for lots of info, tel nos, weather, etc.
Telephone numbers, dialling from UK, start +41 27

If there is anything you think I have missed out and should be included please give details using the comments field at the bottom.

www.flickr.com More of IanL's photos tagged with zermatt

News:

• New (for 04/05 season) furggsattel 8-man high-speed comfortable (padded) chairlift from Trockner Steg to the top of the carving piste on the Klein Matterhorn side. Replaces the very long and very cold T-bar that you had to take to get to the GandeggHutte.
  
  Furggsattel lift and carving piste


• Dave & the Murphy brothers now playing in the T-bar nightspot 10pm onwards up to the end of January. From February onwards expect to see them each lunchtime at Fluhalp.

  
  Dave and the Murphy brothers band

Getting there:

Zermatt has a reputation as being quite hard to get to. This is mostly unfounded, and you can get to Zermatt from Geneva in a very similar time as to Val d'Isere and similar resorts. Car and Rail are largely similar in terms of time - possibly slightly longer by Rail, but you get to enjoy the views and relax as you are transported into the heart of Zermatt village.

By Car
Driving is by-and-large easy around Switzerland (apart from some evenings around Geneva - especially if there is an event at the Expo center by the airport).
Zermatt is a car-free village so it is compulsory to park in the next village down, Tasch, where there are several car parks (under- and overground). Most of these will arrange onwards travel once the car is parked. Parking Schaller is usually good, but needs reserving, details are at the bottom of the page.

• from Geneva 2.5 hrs
  The drive from Geneva is pretty easy - on autoroute most of the way. Average time from Geneva is around 2.5hrs, but delays can happen if it is snowing at low level or there is traffic outside Geneva.

• from Milan Malpensa 2.5(+) hrs
  The drive from Milan includes going over the Simplon pass (2005m above sea level). This is generally kept open, but there is always a risk that conditions will be adverse at that altitude and sufficient time should be left to navigate the pass. Snow chains are essential (even if you don't actually use them its safer to have them in the boot just in case), and winter tyres advisable. Make sure you have enough fuel and some gloves and a torch handy for fitting snow chains. If it is dry and clear it is a fantastic drive with some wonderful scenery. If you have time on the way back to Milan consider taking the slower (SS.33) road alongside Lake Maggiore instead of the (A8) autoroute which largely misses out all the great vistas.
  Note: Malpensa (code MXP) is on the north side of Milan and is much closer than Linate, Milan's other airport. BA flies in regularly and flights are generally much easier to get, and are cheaper, than flights into Geneva.

• from Zurich ~4.0 hrs

By Rail
There is a rail station in the center of Zermatt, which is a slight advantage over driving where you have to park down the valley and get a minibus or train into the village. The rail journey from Geneva is very picturesque and winds its way along Lake Geneva and the valleys up to Visp, then you change to get on the mountain railway (a rack and pinion line) which takes you alongside a steep valley up to Zermatt.

• from Geneva 3.5 hrs, change in Visp (or Brig)
  Timings can be difficult coming from the UK in the late afternoon as the last train to get into Zermatt leaves Geneva airport sometime after 6pm.

• from Milan Airport 4-4.5 hrs, change in Milan central and Brig.
  Involves getting a train from the airport into the center of Milan, then getting a train to Brig. Goes through the famous Simplon tunnel.

• from Zurich 5.0 hrs, change in Brig

Skiing Areas:

Sunnegga is great if the snow is good, and has a good artificial base if not, the mecca for long lunches. The black "National" from blauherd is a firm favourite (not too black). Otherwise the skiing on the Sunnega side is good, but not massively challenging. Exactly what is required after a couple of special coffees.

Gornergrat by the train is a 45min scenic trip, but it's actually quicker and more fun to go up the Sunnegga funicular & Rothorn and ski to Hohtali via Gant lift, then ski Gornergrat.

Gornergrat train

Klein Matterhorn has the best skiing, and the highest (at 3400m).

Go to Cervinia for the day trip, but the skiing on the top bowl isn't massively spectacular and neither is Cervinia town. The run down to Valtourneche is a great ski - basically head left whenever you can from the top of Cervinia. There are however a massive amount of drag lifts required to get you back. If you do go, don't miss the last lift!

Cervinia

Lunch stops
(these are highly advisable to book in advance - at the very latest on the morning you wish to go)

Sunnegga

• Chez Vrony (Findeln) [967 25 52] - Must do - at least once

  www.chezvrony.ch

  
  Chez Vrony, Findeln

• Fluhalp [967 25 97]
  in between Rothorn & Blauherd - bear left towards "Gant & Hohtali" lifts, then turn onto a small track off the piste (marked fluhalp)

  
  FluhalpHütte

• Simi [967 26 95] (also Findeln)

Kleinmatterhorn

• Gandegghütte [079/607 88 68] (Klein Matterhorn)
  High altitude lunch at 3030m... take the new furggsattel high-speed chair from Trockener Steg, at the top head down the right-hand carving piste, bearing right down the side of the snow park and looking for a little red sign in the distance (reading GandeggHütte) indicating a sharp right turn off the piste, across another piste (and across a T-bar lift) and onto a winding track that leads to the restaurant. Head for the Klein Matterhorn cable car pilons if in doubt. Need some speed to avoid walking!
  
  Käseschnitte / Croute
  - Good, Rustic fare. Avoid pasta & chili - stick to Dried meats and cheese, Rösti and Käseschnitte (recommended). Nice bit of dôle blanche (local rosé).
  Toilet is reminiscent of "ice station zebra".
  - essential to get there early for either good seat inside or outside.
• Café Furri [966 27 77] (Furri) lower level, nice for lunch if the weather is iffy - not usually necc to book.
• Blatten (below Furri lift) - very low level so normally used for drinks on the way back down after a long day (the café Blatten is great). Food however has been strongly recommended so if the weather is bad up the top then this is well worth a try.



• Zum See [967 20 45] (nr Furi) Got a reputation for good food - at a price (Michelin bib-gourmand in Zermatt). Geographically, it's just between the Furri cable car and Blatten. Watch for the signs on the way down because it's off to the left of the main piste down.
  www.zumsee.ch

Gornergrat
Gornergrat (and Triftji/Hohtali areas) are one of the main meccas for off-piste. Some great runs, but can be cold -in shade most of the day. For food there's not much to recommend other than the Riffelberg & Riffelalp, worthwile skiing Gornergrat in the morning and going to Klein Matterhorn side or Furi for lunch.

Apres Ski/Almost Apres Ski

Good Bars on way down to Zermatt from Sunnegga

• Olympiastubli
  

Good Bars on way down to Zermatt from the Klein Matterhorn side

• Furi
• Blatten

In Zermatt

Good Bars in Zermatt

• Hotel Pollux Bar (Open fire, leather seats, all the peanuts you can eat)
• T-bar disco, underneath hotel Pollux
• The Vernissage - in the sunday times top 10 apres-ski bars.
• Papperla (apres ski scrum)
• Hotel Post (there are enough different bars here to suit anyones taste, from Jazz to House, to 70's.
• Broken cow disco in the basement of the hotel post. Doesn't get more eurotrash than this. Don't forget to dance on the barrel at least once in your Zermatt experience.
• Hotel Alex - for the real swiss "cheese" dancing experience - now redesigned with less cheese

Evening restaurants worth a trip

Demand is usually high for tables at reasonable times in the good restaurants and it's worth booking well in advance

• Moods - excellent. Interesting decor. [967 84 84]
  Different from the usual lamb fillet & gratin.

• Le Gitan, Hotel Darioli [968 19 40]
  (just off Bahnhofstrasse, nr Pollux hotel)
  Good grill. Quiet & cozy.

• Le Mazot, nr Sunnegga [967 27 77]
  Good grill. Quiet & cozy.

• Chez Max Julen [967 40 44]
  In the Beau Rivage hotel, under the bridge by the church
  - Fish, Lamb specialities

• Chez Heini [967 16 30]
  Has to be seen to be believed. Don't leave before the show starts at 10:30. Worth it for the experience.
  V good lamb

• Spycher Grill [967 77 41]

• Rua Thai [966 61 81]
  Save it for when you just can't possibly stuff in any more lammrucken fillet and potato gratin.
• Fuji of Zermatt - upstairs above Rua Thai - Teppanyaki.
  Actually quite good and not astronomically priced. Entertaining.
  Booking essential for both these restaurants.
  - Under the Hotel Albana Real, just up from the bridge

• Broken Cow Pizzeria, Hotel Post. Sometimes you need a change.

Swiss Wine Tips:

Don't be put off by thoughts of anti-freeze in wine and snow covered slopes - a lot of Swiss wine is actually very good. In the UK we are never really exposed to it because so little actually gets exported to the UK, plus the brits prefer their wine with a little bottle age wheras Swiss wine tends to peak at the 2-3yr maturity.
You will get a much better class of wine by asking for 75cl bottles with corks rather than buying by the pitcher! See the Swiss Wine Pages for more information.

Some selected wines:
White
Fendant. Swiss white grape, Fin Bec is a good producer. Nice with the Trockenfleischtellers and Kasetellers (plates of wonderful locally-produced dried mountain meats and cheeses) - great pre-rosti starters.
Petit Arvin. A local valais grape. Quite reminiscent of a German riesling, with a touch of residual sugar. Good aperitif wine

Rosé
Dôle Blanche is a local grape which produces a nice fresh rosé. Drink as young as you can find.

Red
Humagne Rouge. One of the best red varietals in Switzerland.
Cornalin.
It's also hard to go wrong with the most of the new style Pinor Noirs and Syrahs.

A "mi fletri" - passerille-style - wine that has been left to dry and concentrate on the vine.

Alternative entertainment:

• Cinema - if you fancy a night off, the The Vernissage is a great little cinema with recent films and many shown in english. Booking ahead is advisable and they run a great cine-dinner option where you are served food (and wine) throughout the film. Across the road from the Skating Rink. [967 66 36]

Transport:

• Taxi Schaller [967 12 12]
  One of the biggest (electric) taxi operations in town, and also run a under- and overground parking garage in Tasch

Misc Links:

• www.zermatt.ch - Current conditions, Weather, Hotels and Restaurants
• Zermatt Photos
• www.sbb.ch - Swiss railways
• Touring Club of Switzerland - driving conditions around Switzerland, and the mountain passes if driving from Milan
• Heinz Julen | Into the House

Some Zermatt Photos:

Zermatt

PW/Kidder 97-03

PW/Kidder 2004

PW/Kidder 2005

Flickr tag: zermatt

Courchevel Recommendations

Updated 15th March 2005

www.flickr.com More of IanL's photos tagged with courchevel

see also www.courchevel.com for lots of info, tel nos, weather, etc.

If there is anything you think I have missed out and should be included please give details using the comments field at the bottom.

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Try Kaluma Ski for all your travel needs:
Courchevel, Meribel, Verbier, St Anton and more.

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Skiing

There is so much skiing in the 3 valleys that it is difficult to know where to start. In Courchevel, the first place to head to is the top of Saulire - here you have access to the Saulire bowl (and couloirs if you're feeling brave), Suisses and around into Chenus and Creux. Courchevel 1650/Bel Air area has some good skiing and is generally much quieter than 1850. Hop down into Mottaret for the Meribel side and onwards into Val Thorens and the other valleys.

On busy days avoid the log-jam at Verdons and Saulire and head instead for Plantrey chair (ski under the bridge in 1850 towards 1550, then turn left), Biolley and Suisses or Vizelle to the top.

Restaurants

On the mountain

• La Soucoupe [+33 (0)4 79 08 21 34]
  - great restaurant. Grill specialities. Near the top of the Chenus/Loze/Plantrey lifts.

• Le Cap Horn [+33 (0)4 79 08 33 10]
  - very large, swish and expensive restaurant. Seafood specialities. Great on a sunny day. Don't go here expecting quick service.



• Le Panoramic [+33 4 79 08 00 88]
  - Top of the Saulire cable car station. Great views and very good food. Eat in the restaurant upstairs instead of the self-service downstairs. Good curried chicken brochette.



• Chalet des Pierres [Tel. +33 (0)4 79 08 18 61]
  Piste des Verdons
  - Most expensive omelette in the French alps. Excellent tartiflette. Massively over-priced wine list, but this is Courchevel!

  
  Chalet des Pierres

• Le Bel Air [+33 (0)4 79 08 00 93]
  - Courchevel 1650, Gondola station

In Courchevel 1850 Village

• La Chapelle [+33 (0)4 79 08 19 48]
  Cozy restaurant, grill specialities. Has changed hands, allegedly not as good as previous owner.
• Le Grand Café [+33 4 79 08 42 97]
  Asian/fusion specialities. Quite incongruous for a ski resort but works. Waitresses don't wear much either, which may swing it for some people.
• Le Bateau Ivre [+33 (0)4 79 00 11 71] Michelin **
• Le Chabichou [+33 (0)4 79 08 00 55] Michelin **

  

Further afield

• La Bouitte [+33 (0)4 79 08 96 77] Michelin 1*
  - in St Marcel - just above St Martin de Belleville

La Bouitte Photos

If there is sufficient snow you can ski here directly (with a small off-piste section at the end to drop into St Marcel - turn left off the biolley piste - marker 10 - now with a small La Bouitte signpost), or ski directly to St Martin de Belleville. Allow just over an hour from Courchevel 1850 if skiing directly. This is one of the best restaurants in the 3 valleys and even better for being so far out of the way. They also have some fantastic rooms if you want to make a night of it.
Lunch or dinner can be a simple 2 course or belt-wrenching 9+ course extravaganza. Some of the better things on the menu include: escalope of foie gras with sweetcorn in a honey and balsamic glaze, Fillet of Beef with pecan nuts, however everything is very good and the menu changes according to the season.  The cheese board is fantastic too. The wine list is extensive and has some interesting selections, if not the swathes of grand crus that you might expect from a higher-starred michelin place. Some of the best value wines on the list are from the Savoie, with some interesting older wines and vendanges tardives wines that suit the foie very well.
N.B. Don't miss the last lift - it's a long taxi ride back. If skiing you should be thinking about leaving around 3:30-4:00pm (depending on the time of year) to make the connections back to Courchevel. Alternatively get a helicopter... it's actually quite reasonable (when compared to your final food & wine bill). If driving, it's around an hour to Courchevel 1850 on clear roads.


La Bouitte, St Marcel

• La Transhumance [+33 4 79 08 94 03], Béranger
  A very simple restaurant in the tiny hamlet of Béranger below St Martin de Belleville.
  Involves a long off-piste trek (a guide is pretty much essential) from the "Roc de Fer" lift above Meribel.
  Don't expect a menu, the food comes straight out of the kitchen and they serve whatever they are cooking on that day.
  Note: The Transhumance was the historical practice of trekking sheep and other cattle from the low valleys to the mountains for the summer months.
  
  
• Le Ya-Ca [+33 4 79 08 41 04], Le Praz
  A very nice little restaurant off the back streets of le Praz. On first appearance you are in somebody's backroom, but the food and ambience soon convince you otherwise. If you are in time get the house speciality Gigot d'Agneau, which is slow cooked infront of the large fireplace in the dining room. Varied, seasonal menu.

Bars

Courchevel is strangely lacking in quality bars. Le Jump in the Hôtel de la Croisette is the saisonnaires favourite and has a good atmosphere. It is also the smokiest bar in the alps due to the lack of venting. Piggy's is the Irish bar below the croisette. Le Kalico is on the basement level of the Forum.

There are plenty of other bars, none of which spring to mind instantly. If it's a quiet, civilised drink you're looking for, go to one of the hotel bars.

Accomodation

• Hotels - Quality, at a price [see also courchevel.com]
• Chalets

  Cheaper options include self catering (which can be arranged through the tourist office) and the excellent Club Alpin (details here).

Photos

courchevel photo album

Links

• Courchevel Official Website
• Kaluma Ski

• Courchevel Saisonnaire's mag

3-Valleys Links:

• Les 3 Vallees
• Meribel
• Les Menuires

Press:
Times story 20 Dec 03
Guardian 3 Dec 01

Telephone numbers, dialling from UK, start +33 4

[This was first posted in February 2004]

B*stards

 

California 2004

Photo Albums:
San Francisco
Napa Valley
Yosemite National Park
Monterey Bay
Santa Barbara & LA

Black cab woes

Why is that taxi driving is the only profession to gain if they're crap?

There should be an inverse sliding scale of charges - pay more for a quick, clever cab and pay less for the idiot who thinks it's a good idea to go through kings cross at 7am on a monday morning (or at any time for that matter).

public transport is sh*t

Missed my first flight ever tonight. Thameslink was to blame - 1hr 40mins from london bridge to gatwick (30mins journey). Arrived 15 mins before the flight was due to depart and they had already closed it. No alternatives available - cancelled weekend away.

Lessons learned:
1. Thameslink is crap
2. I'm never going to commute to sussex
3. Gatwick is a crap airport
4. Delayed trains means airlines don't care because they don't have to refund tickets, and train operators will not cover your wasted plane ticket.

Think you're covered?

Question at time of purchase: "There's no spare, what happens when you get a puncture?"
Mercedes marketing spiel: "Don't worry about it, it's fully covered - we'll come out and fix it, no problems"

2 punctures in less than 6 months - in a car with no spare tyre. It's not funny. Neither is Mercedes Mobilo/Mondial assistance, the paltry cover supplied with new mercedes cars.

Timeline:
Friday evening rush hour, en route to Wiltshire
5:50pm A4 driving west, reports of big pile up on M4, air ambulance called - take the M3 instead.
6:30pm M3 J7- (Her) "Can we take a small detour to look at some pretty villages where we might look for a house?" (Me) "grr, hmmph, ok"
6:55pm Tiny village in the middle of nowhere, nr Basingstoke: Run over lump in road, hear a pop.
Impending sense of doom.
6:58pm: Front passendger tyre flat as the proverbial pancake. Try the merc "self-fix" puncture repair kit, which seems to involve pumping rubber solution into the tyre and it pissing straight out onto the road. Great.
7:00pm Call Mercedes Mobilo/Mondial: "No problem sir, we'll have someone straight out to you".
Impending sense of doom abaits temporarily.
7:40pm Local pick-up truck arrives, loads us on and says "we'll drive you home, don't worry about it". Heads off towards A303.
7:45pm On A303 - driver gets a call - "oh, you're not covered for repatriation home, Mercedes only cover for delivery to local merc dealer". Turns truck around heads back to garage.
Impending sense of doom returns with avengance.
8:00pm Arrive at recovery garage. Spend next 1.5 hours arguing with Mondial why we can't be taken home with the car - the alternative is £45 towards taxi (and be left with no transport at home) or arranging car hire (good luck on a Friday evening, out of hours).

Mondial: "you're covered for £45 towards taxi, hire car or hotel"
Me: "It only costs £100 to take me and my car home"
Mondial: "It's not covered"
Me: "It's cheaper than what you are offering"
Mondial: "It's not in the cover"
Me: "The local mercedes garage is closed, where is my car going to be stored?"
Mondial: "The recovery people will put it in secure storage until the morning"
Me: "I'm standing in the secure storage area - the forecourt of the garage on a quiet lane just off the A30/A303/M3 - about as ideal as it gets for car thieves."
Mondial: "I'm sure it will be secure"
Me: "I called at 7pm, it's now 9:15pm - will I ever get home?"
Mondial: "We will call despatch and get them to find out your nearest car hire, get a taxi, prepare the car."
Me: "Don't bother, i'll pay the recovery people cash to take me and my car home - we'll sort this out tomorrow"
Mondial: Splutter "that's not in the cover"
Me: "Just orgainse a pick-up from my house to the local Salisbury dealer and the delivery of a hire car tomorrow"
Mondial: Grumble, grumble "ok then".

9:30pm: We pay cash ourselves for the recovery vehicle to take us and our car home. Why didn't we do this at 7pm???
10:40pm: Arrive home

Saturday
8:00am: Local recovery firm picks up car to take to dealer
9:00am: Mercedes dealer Salisbury "we have recieved your car, 2 new tyres will be around £130 each - we can get some and they should be done today"
10:15am Rental car arrives
At this point everything is going to plan, sighs of relief. Mercedes can do something right after all.
11:30am Mercedes dealer calls - "I'm sorry sir, those 2 tyres I said we had have been sold - your car won't be ready today. And by the way, when the car is ready we have to call and cancel the hire car"

Me: "I work in London, how am I supposed to get my car?"
Mercedes: "Sorry, I can't do anything else"
Me: "What happened to the tyres between 9:00am, when you had them, and now"
Mercedes: "They were sold"
Me: (Blood pressure increasing) "Have you tried anyone else for the tyres?"
Mercedes: "We only have one approved tyre supplier"
Me: "I'm going to call Kwik-fit Salisbury"
Mercedes: "I can't help you with that"
- - -
Me: "My car is in Mercedes, have you got any 225/40/Z18 tyres and can you fit them?"
Kwik-fit, Salisbury (less than 100m from Mercedes garage) "Yes, no problem, we've got some Dunlop Continentals - i'll send someone around to pick up the 2 wheels if you can get Mercedes to take them off"
Me: "Fantastic"
- - -
Me: "Kwik-fit are coming round to fit 2 new tyres, please can you take the 2 front wheels off"
Mercedes: grumble, grumble "ok then".

1:00pm Work gets done, drive down to Salisbury - leave rental car, pick up car keys.

Mercedes "Service" Manager: "We have to charge you 0.2hrs labour (£20) for taking off and putting back on the wheels"
Me: "You have to be joking"
So-called Service: "No"
Me: "Labour is covered under the Mobilo cover"
So-called Service: "Only if we use our supplier"
Me: "I've had to do all this myself - it would have been cheaper not even calling Mercedes/Mondial"
So-called Service: "that's £19.98 please"

- - -

Other tales of Mercedes woe:

ihatemymercedes.co.uk

Top Gear Mercedes duffers

Weekend in Paris

Six-Nations rugby: France v England in Paris

Golf, gastronomy and rugby.

photos

Links:

Lavinia 3-5 Boulevard de la Madeleine, Paris

Great (if expensive) wine shop with a bar and restaurant. Wine and Champagne in the bar and restaurant are at retail prices, which is fantastic value in the center of Paris. Great range of accessories also.
Lavinia is a Spanish-owned chain that has main stores in Madrid and Barcelona - it's amazing that the Spanish are showing the French how to create a good wine shop in Paris]

Chateau Hotel Mont Royal, Roissy CDG

Updated Album: Safari

Safari travels in Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana. Click here to view album, or use the Photo Album links on the left.