The La Tania Ski Blog
Latest news, snow, pics, gossip and information from the locals in La Tania – latania.co.uk
All the latest news from around the Three Valleys from the La Tania locals. A real blog since 2006, not just endless re-posts for search engine optimisaton! Photos, gossip, snow reports, what's on and all the latest on the Apres Ski scene... Now fully optimised for iPhone, Touch and Android Mobiles - just go to latania.co.uk/blog and view on your phone. Our other past blogs & favourites here
Fresh snow on Troika this morning
First settling snow of the 2012/13 season on the piste in La Tania this morning and it’s forecast to snow all day. It’s -6 degrees outside. The winter season is fast approching, salopettes and thick socks for the next few days ! Andrea and Phil www.snowretreat.co.uk
Meteo France Forecast for Sat & Sun – Snow down to 200m
Meteo France forecast showing snow from Saturday afternoon and through all day Sunday with snow as low as 200m.
Sandy claims First Tracks of the Season…
Sandy of Extreme Ski Services makes a bold claim for First Tracks of the season for Winter 2013. No doubt Nick Ski and Ski Deep Ferg will have something to say on this (and Sarah Buckle winner from October 2010)…
La Tania and Courchevel 1650 Crew hit Tignes for a snow fix
Ralph, Hendo, Byron, Jonny K, Sam, Daisy and Pierre enjoy some great October skiing up on the glacier in Tignes.
La Tania Video Snow Report in Tignes last week – new guest reporter…
T Wall’s job under pressure… Auntie Mary filming Lindsay up on the Tignes Glacier going up to 3456m in some fresh snow…
Snow! 3 Valley Webcams & Views 15 Oct 2012
La Tania, Courchevel, Meribel, Mottaret and Val Thorens webcams plus thanks to Mich for a couple of pics too!
Snow level down to around 1500 / 1600 metres. Some snowfall down to La Tania at around 1450m in the early morning but the wet snow and warmish ground meant that nothing really stuck around.
07:45 and Snowing in La Tania
Not quite light yet and snowing at 1400m in La Tania
Nick www.nickskithreevalleys.co.uk
Bouc Blanc terrace above La Tania, the Couchevel Altiport and Le Signal chair above 1650 this morning.
Erna Low is 80 – Chalet Holidays, School Ski Trips, Apres Ski – Blame Erna
The real start of the UK Ski Holiday industry probably happened some 80 years ago this week, although the first ever ski package trip was arranged to Chamonix in 1898 by Dr Henry Lunn, the Ski Club of Great Britain being formed only 5 years later.
In 1932 Erna Low put an advert in the Morning Post (a UK national newspaper that was bought by the Daily Telegraph in 1937) saying “Austria, fortnight, £15 only, including rail and hotel, arranged by young Viennese Graduette for young people, leaving Christmas“.
On Thursday night in London, Erna Low celebrated 80 years and the launch of Mark Frary’s biography detailing the life of Erna and her remarkable life in creating and defining the ski holiday industry as we know it.
From that first trip in order to finance her journey home to Austria for Christmas, to organising house parties in the forties, the first Ski Chalet Holidays in the fifites and the first School Ski Trips in the seventies to the full tour operator, apartment agency and property selling company they are now.
Erna Low is the oldest ski tour operator in the UK offering holidays to over 80 resorts around the world.
It looks like Erna invented Apres Ski too… in some of the archive photos, film, letters and notes that we were treated to on Thursday night there was the comment “and we were dancing in our ski boots after finishing skiing” – and this from the 1940’s – Top work, we owe you Erna…
“Trigger” and Graham Bell on stage
With top skier and Ski Sunday presenter Graham Bell hosting the evening, Peter Hardy of Welove2ski and skiing correspondent for the Telegraph and Daily Mail presenting a video of himself and Graham trying to ski on 100 year old wooden skis (to be fair Graham nailed it Telemark style) plus actor Roger Lloyd Pack (Trigger of Only Fools and Horses who’s mother was a great friend of Erna’s) led a heartfelt tribute to Erna.
The current owner and CEO Joanna Yellowlees-Bound who has worked for the company for 30 years said “Helping Mark sift through thousands of photos, letters ad albums, has reminded me yet again what an extraordinary life Erna had… I am proud to see this book put on record the achievements of an extraordinary 20th century lady”
A fascinating night, check out the video for an insight in to the Erna Low story. Remarkable too that Walter Ingham, also from Vienna started off at almost the same time in a similar vein with Inghams still going strong today as another major player in the UK ski industry.
The Erna Low Biography, Aiming High by the respected travel writer, consultant and Times correspondent Mark Frary is released on 1st January 2013 and is available to by at http://www.ernalow.co.uk/80
We’ve got an advanced copy signed by Mark to give away – email competition@latania.co.uk with your oldest skiing memory that made you get hooked on a lifetime of ski holidays… We’ll pick out the best one and get it sent to you before the snow falls for another Winter…
LT Local Auntie Mary in the fresh snow in Tignes yesterday…
La Tania local “Auntie” Mary up on the Grand Motte Glacier above Tignes yesterday morning.
Poor visibility, but around 4 inches of fresh snow to have fun on. No doubt Mary will be in the first lift queue for the La Tania Gondola at 9am on Saturday 15th December…
Looks like a good chance of some snow down to lower levels from noon on Saturday and through Sunday too!
