Mountain Air Blog

The winter 09/10 season came to an end with the last lifts and pistes closing on the 25th April, at least 1 week later than most resorts in the Portes du Soleil. Chatel is turning into the green summer playground before our eyes and with so many world class events in the next few months we are looking forward to a busy summer season. We have a coupe of weeks preparing our chalets and apartments before our first summer guests arrive at the start of June.

Summer 10

The Alps continues to grow in popularity each year and with so many great events this summer many of our self catered chalets and apartments are almost fully booked for July and August. We still have some self catered and B&B availability so let us know if you are thinking about a holiday in the Alps this summer. You can see a list of some of the great events that are taking place plus all the activities on offer on the summer holidays page of the web site. 

We have less than 4 weeks to go until the end of this winter season with the last ski lifts closing on the 25th April. As usual there will still be plenty of snow around at the end of the season but if its like any previous season it will be very warm.

We have had 2 warm and sunny weeks in March however its back to winter with fresh snow arriving this week. This new snow will ensure the conditions remain very good until the end of the season.

We took the chance to ski one of the most spectacular off piste routes a couple of weeks ago with our proffesional guide. Le Vallee de La Manche runs from the top of the Fornet area of Avoriaz down a superb back country route to a small village near Morzine. This has to be one of the best off piste routes around.

This weekend Joseph and the Chatel Ski Club are competing in a Super G in Morgins just 5 minutes from Chatel, the event will be opened by the mens Olympic Downhill Champion Didier Defago as Morgins is his home town.

So plenty of great skiing to be had in the next 3 - 4 weeks before we turn our attention to the summer season.

We have had our first really good dump of snow over the ast 24 hours or so and now have a good 50cm on the mountain and around 30cm in Chatel. Temperatures look like staying cold and more snow is forecast later this week.

The winter 09/10 season is about to begin so the arrival of some decent amount of snow is well timed. Chatel may open at weekends for the next week or so and then everyday from 12th December. Our first guests arrive in a couple of weeks and I am hoping to get my first ski of the season this weekend!

Keep up to date throughout the season with the latest weather and snow conditions on our own web site:

http://mountainairholidays.co.uk/latestnews.htm

The winter season is nearly here and the arrival of snow at resort level this week has made it feel all the more real!

Chatel is planning to open at weekends from 28th November, if we have enough snow, and everyday from 12th December 09, closing at the end of April 2010.

You can keep an eye on the very latest snow conditions in Chatel and the whole of the Portes du Soleil on the “latest news” page of our web site from December. http://mountainairholidays.co.uk/latestnews.htm

Its been a few weeks since I updated the Blog and there are a number of things worth telling you about so here goes:

This winter season promises to be another exciting one in Chatel and around the Portes du Soleil. Chatel continues its huge investment in the ski area with fast new lifts and much more.

New Lifts: The “Echo Alpin” 6 seater chair lift is currently being installed in the Linga area. The new lift will take skiers to the Col du Linga at over 2000 metres and will have the capacity to carry up to 2700 people per hour. It will also be one of the fastest lifts in the Portes du Soleil.

Guaranteed Snow: Additional snowmaking cannons are being installed in the Linga and Combes area bringing the total number of snowcannons in the Chatel area to 180.

Redesigned Slopes: Much work has been done through the summer on redesigning some pistes making the skiing even more enjoyable, especially for beginners

Resort Opening Dates: The resort is planning to open for the 2009/10 season on the 12th December 2009.

The summer 09 season continues to be a busy one in Chatel, we have had some great events during June, July and August and the weather of the last 5 weeks has been superb, very warm, dry and sunny. In the last day or so it has gone much cooler but the forecast is looking good for the next few days.

The really busy summer weeks have gone and Chatel is now much quieter. All the children go back to school next week and with the slightly cooler weather its a great time to visit this part of the Alps for sightseeing and walking.

The next few weeks are likely to be a little cooler and certainly quieter around Chatel. It is a busy time for us taking bookings for the winter season. We already have limited availability for the peak weeks over Xmas, New Year and February so if you are thinking about a winter holiday this season check out the prices and latest availability or email us for details at enquiries@mountainairholidays.co.uk    

Resort Opening Dates Winter 2009 / 10

Chatel will open for the 2009/10 season on the 12th December 09 and close on the 26th April 2010. Look out for more news about whats going on this winter with new activities, brand new lifts and much more!

I know its been said many times over the last few months but “what a season”! I dont remember any week during the season when the snow wasn’t great.  Snow conditions change during the winter from powder to packed snow, but with regular snow and cold weather throughout most of the season, its been superb. The last lifts closed on the 26th April 09 having been open since November last year, so its been a fairly long season to!

We now take a short break before getting ready for the summer season which starts in June when we see the introdution of the new “multipass portes du soleil” which will give all guests staying with us unlimited use of the summer lifts, swimming pools tennis courts and much more for just 1 euros per day.

Need also to go shopping to buy some new snow shovels, they are all worn out!

We have just 2 weeks left to go until the end of the 08/09 winter season in Chatel.  As you will have read in our previous blogs the snow this season has been superb.  The last lifts will close in 2 weeks time on the 26th April, and despite a very warm and sunny couple of weeks we still have 2 metres of snow at the top of the mountain!

We are heading off for a well earned rest in May until we start the summer season in early June. Look out for our newsletter in the next couple of weeks which will have more details about what is happening this summer and next winter 09/10.

The amount of snow we have had this season has been amazing and its still falling, another 40cm has fallen in the last 48 hours!  With a base of over 2 metres and regular fresh snow on top, the lifts in Chatel and Avoriaz will stay open until the very end of April at least!

If you want a last minute ski holiday let us know asap, our only availability is from Friday 20th March - Sunday 29th March and from Sunday 12th April.

Both should be great weeks, quiet slopes and great snow!

We have just reached the half way point of our 5th winter season in Chatel with more snow than we have ever seen before at this time of year.  With heavy snow in November, December and early February we have nearly 3 metres of snow on the mountain.

If you are still hopeful of getting in some skiing this season please get in touch as availability is now limited although the ski area will be open until the very end of April and possibly the first week of May!