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
2015 Xscape 3 Valleys Charity Day T-Shirts – only £10 inc UK Postage
There are a limited number of Xscape 3 Valleys Charity Day T-Shirts still available.
Sizes left are Women’s L and XL (the women’s XL could be a Men’s M).
Priced at only £10 inc UK postage – please email info@3vcharityday.org with your order and once confirmed we’ll ask you to make the payment via a donation to the 3 Valleys Charity Day Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/latania
Of course anyone can make a donation with or without a T-Shirt and if you enjoyed the day so much why not send a text to 70070 (on a UK mobile) with the words LTCD99 £5 or to just send a quid LTCD99 £1
Donations will be split between our 2 charities The Sebastian’s Action Trust and the Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer
Final ski home to La Tania 24th April 2015
Great last morning skiing in La Tania and Courchevel. PdJ was Suisses and even Arolles down was good as few had skied it.
Folyeres closed, however OK snow cover down to where it meets Plan Fontaine. Cheers, Nick.
England’s Top 10 Moments – For St George’s Day
Because La Tania does Football…
The Ski Lodge Flag on Ipanema Beach, Rio – Brazil 2014
The Top 10 Moments
10. Lineker v Germany
9. Psycho Pen v Spain
8. Becks Pen v Argentina
7. Owen v Argentina
6. Platt v Belgium
5. England 4 Netherlands 1
4. Becks Free-kick v Greece
3. Gazza v Scotland
2. 1966
1. Germany 1 England 5
XSCAPE 3 Valleys Charity Day Thanks & Roll of Honour…
XSCAPE 3 Valleys Charity Day Thanks & Roll of Honour…
The newly renamed, fourth annual, XSCAPE 3 Valleys Charity Day that was held on Wednesday April 8th 2015 in Meribel Village was another incredible success. After our associated costs paid and some monies still left to come in we have already raised €36,000. This represents a €12,000 increase already on last years total which really is #EPIC!
We will be announcing the final total very soon so look out for that on our Facebook page. Thanks to everybody involved, as that’s a truly amazing effort. We thought it might be a big one this year but that figure has really surpassed all our expectations so that’s an incredible total for everybody to be really proud of.
For the second year in a row the Gods smiled upon us with some incredible sunny weather on the day and the stage was set for another #EPIC day of live music and fun.
After taking the event to the Next Level in 2014 with the addition of a headline act, the challenge for 2015 was to somehow improve upon that and make the event even bigger and better.
Our new mainline sponsors Xscape joined us this year and with their support they have enabled us to make the event an even bigger spectacle and reach a wider audience. The addition of the fabulous Jo Whiley as a joint headliner with The Dub Pistols not only made for a great DJ set on the day but Jo brought us a larger profile and wider recognition in terms of sponsorship revenue to the event.
These factors alongside the always incredible contribution of our local bands means we have been able to improve the event once more and increase the amount we raise for our two charities Sebastian’s Action Trust and Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer.
This years XSCAPE 3 Valley Charity Day was attended by over 1600 people, which is quite incredible for an event that started life as a BBQ and street fete outside the Ski Lodge in La Tania 14 years ago.
For this reason we held a smaller scale family orientated event in La Tania on Monday 6th April. This event really harked back to the old days of the first charity days in La Tania and raised €5,500 on the day itself towards our grand total so a massive thank you to everyone involved in that event on Easter Monday.
For the main event on Wednesday in Meribel there were too many highlights and great fancy dress costumes to mention here individually. The Snow Retreat Matt Hatters Tea Party costumes on the sunglasses stand out for me and also it was really great to see Sean Lean and all the La Tania / Bozel kids up on stage during the Jo Whiley set. The future generation of Charity Day organisers were on stage in force showing the crowd how to party!
With the XSCAPE 3 Valleys Charity Day it’s always the volunteers that assist me and give up their own free time and lend their support to make the event happen that are my true heroes. A massive shout goes out to everyone who helped me organise this event this year and make it such a success. You all know who you are and I love you all!
On a personal note, as always thanks to Tim Wall for providing advice, support and sometimes a much-needed injection of humor in the inevitable tough moments that arose along the way.
I would like to say a massive thank you then to the following….
Organisers – Ralph Corner, Sandy Jardine, Tayla-Elise Rogers, Tim Wall
Bands & Entertainment Schedule – Rich Roberts
Band & DJs – Jo Whiley, Dub Pistols, The Dominos, Le Zarettas, Bring Your Sisters, The Elements, Daisy B, Codfish, Alex Davies & Conor Owen, Les Deux Roux & Retro Rentals.
Pub Le Ski Lodge – La Tania – Tim and Debbie Wall, Crispy, Rob, Scott, Billie, Toffa, Tracey Powell, Charlie Gorman, Adby, Nic Atkinson and Karen Bolton.
SnowBugs Child Care & Nanny Service Kids Zone – Tayla and Katie
XSCAPE – Lee Wickendon, Candy, Montana & Rick
Catering – Alan & Michelle Slater, Dada Chef, John Warren, Carol Warren, Rachel Butcher, Jemma, Paul, Karen and Charlie Gorman, Lindsay & Mary, DJ Ben and Toni ‘no free drinks anymore‘ Torti, Nick & Helen Lean.
Tartiflette – Provided by La Saucisse Savoyarde, Kirsty Convard, Debbie Wall, Elyse Pannetier, Martine & Christine Dunn
VIP and Ski Lodge Tents – Luke McDonald & Alpine Intent
LDV Chicken Sandwiches – Chris & Lodge du Village Crew
BBQ & Stock Donations – The Trading Post and Savoieire
Meribar – Georgie and the Meribar team
Champagne and VIP Tent – Ulf, Fabian & Patrica, Le Verre Gourmand and Alpine Escape
Grand Prize Draw – Le Ski, Ski Higher, Magic in Motion, Hotel Telemark
Raffle Ticket Sales – Ski Higher, Magic in Motion, Ski Beat, Alan Slater, Carol Warren & Michelle Slater, Le Ski
Staff Security – Heidi Young & James Ashton
Tombola – Amy Dennis Jones and Mad Eddie
Skate Park – Tomas Flack
Event Video – Guy Cotton from Cyclop Productions
Venue and Support – Meribel Marie & Meribel Tourist Office, Clement and Xavier.
Advertising & Social Media & Photos – Tayla-Elise Rogers, Toffa & La Tania – latania.co.uk & Carolyn at Jardine Michelson Public Relations
T Shirt Design – Sarah Henderson and Paul Middlewick Grid 24
Poster Design – Thomas Johann
Radio Advertising – Amy Favrieries at Radio Meribel
Retro Rentals – Retro Rentals!
Money Security & Door – Neil Williams, Adrian Hill, Julian Appino, Lanky Phil & Scotty
T Shirt Sales – Tim ‘ Tracey ‘ Walsh, Lilly, Cherry, Tayla, Flacky, Ulf and Ralph
Sunglasses Sales – Andrea, Phil & Snow Retreat Crew
Sebastian’s Actions Trust Volunteers – Jane, Daniella, Becca, Adele & Lauren
Compare – Rich Lett
Security – Kipp and his team
Sound System – Jimbo
Local Sponsors – Alpine Intent, Chop Shop, Extreme Ski Services, Family Friendly Skiing, JL Décor, Mountain Movers, Ski-Dazzle, Taking the Piste, Meribel Tourist Office, Snowlinx Transfers, Lodge Du Village, Pub Le Ski Lodge, SnowBugs, La Tania – www.latania.co.uk, Slide Candy, The Freeride Republic, Ski Higher, Snow Retreat, Lotus Supertravel, Go Ski Meribel and Fish & Pips.
Sponsors Party plus Bands & Sebastian’s Action Trust Accommodation – Family Friendly Skiing / Hotel Telemark.
La Tania Transport – Le Praz Transfers
T Shirts – Coniston Corporate Embroidery
Event Ticket Sales – Lodge Du Village, Pub Le Ski Lodge, Meribar, Jack’s Bar & Le Bubble Bar
Prizes – Everyone who donated prizes to the event
Event Programme – Tayla-Elise Rogers and Thomas Johann
Vodka Shots – Mad Eddie
Jo Whiley Hospitality – Anna Richards, Snow White Transfers, Slide Candy, Extreme Ski Services, SnowBugs & Rachel Butcher
Tuesday Set Up / Thursday Clean Up – Scott, Welsh Matt, Tomas Flack, Tim Wall, Ralph, Tayla, DJ, Alan Slater, Michelle Slater, Ulf, Sandy and John Warren
Chief WAGs – Natalie Earl, Tomas Flack & Rebecca Jardine
See you all next year!
Ralph Corner
XSCAPE 3 Valleys Charity Day
La Tania Family Charity Fete – Thanks & Roll of Honour
Dear all generous supporters,
We would like to say a huge “THANK YOU” to all of the fantastic people who helped to make the Charity Fete De Familles such a great success.
It was lovely to bring back the family fun this year to where the original Charity Day began in La Tania in 2002. Together with the La Tania Tourist Office, the 3 Valleys Charity Day team were supported by many businesses & La Tania locals who provided a fun packed programme of events.
We received some very generous prize donations for our tombola, which Rachel Butcher ran with me ; it raised over 500 euros – many thanks to Family Friendly/Hotel Telemark, Ski Magic, John & Blossom Ski, Ski Higher, Alpiski to name a few.
Congratulations to Cath Haskins; the winner of our Cake Competition run by La Saucisse Savoyarde and judged by Julien Machet, the Michelin-starred chef of Le Farcon restaurant. Cath created a fantastic “Frozen” cake which then went on to raise an amazing 150 euros in our auction. Congratulations also to 2nd prize winner Blossom from John & Blosssom Ski and 3rd prize winner Kirsty from La Saucisse. Well done to all other competitors, we all enjoyed eating your fabulous creations !
Thank you to ESF for running their ski races, to the Tourist Office for great activities (including the Treasure Hunt, Face Painting, a dance competition), Family Friendly for running the Bouncy Castle (& thanks to Ralph & DJ for collecting and setting it up), Extreme Ski Services for their fun activities of a coconut shy, egg smashing & egg painting, Magic in Motion for their Magic Mouse Mascott & balloon sales, Alpine Escape for their Nerf Gun stall, Snow Retreat for sales of their charity sunglasses and Sam & Pat for their musical entertainment.
Raffle tickets were sold for a grand prize draw at apres gigs around resort, during the Fete and at the Xscape 3 Valleys Charity Day. We had amazing prizes from Le Ski, Magic in Motion, Ski Higher & the Hotel Telemark – thank you! Thank you to Le Ski, Ski Higher, Magic in Motion, Ski Beat, Sebastian’s Trust and locals Slippery Slater & Carol Warren who tirelessly helped me sell raffle tickets. Congratulations to prize winners Ben, Carl & Gerrald. The raffle raised 1700 euros.
We were all very well fed and watered by the Ski Lodge & La Saucisse’s Tartiflette who each generously made donations to the total fund.
The day concluded with a very successful auction – hosted by Russ who really helped to raise the bidding! We were lucky enough to receive a family meal from Le Farcon, family ski lessons from ESF, a Eurogroup apartment for 4 for a week, a 6 day Courchevel family lift pass from S3V and from latania.co.uk we received a Galaxy tablet, an Ipad cover and Cadbury’s cream eggs. The auction raised an amazing 2040 euros – so well done to those who placed winning bids (especially those who paid 50 euros for 5 cream eggs!).
We are delighted to announce that the day raised 5500€ for our 2 fantastic charities; Ligue National Contre le Cancer and English Charity Sebastian’s Action Trust. Sebastian’s Trust have created the UK’s only purpose-built facility that offers respite holidays to very sick children and their families, enabling precious time to be spent together. They also give emotional, social and practical support to families of children battling with life-limiting illnesses. Sebastian’s Action Trust has been the proud recipient of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, with founder Jane Gates being awarded an OBE.
The Xscape 3 Valleys Charity Day on 8th April in Meribel Village was also the most profitable yet raising a staggering 36,000€ – so our combined fundraising efforts have made for a record breaking year!
Thank you once again for your generous support, you helped make the day an enormous success. We hope that you look forward to being involved again next year.
Very best wishes
Michelle Slater on behalf of the 3 Valleys Charity Day Team and La Tania Tourist Office.
A proposal after 18 years & more fun in the sun
After being given the mic by Bring Your Sisters we thought he was going to sing a song but Pete got down on one knee with a ring and proposed to Lucy – took him 18 years but congratulations to you both!
A Ski Lodge Conga required to celebrate…
Dog-in-law Rupert Flacky dressed up to celebrate too…
And another…
Finally, more animal related stuff – The Gorlla Stage Dive again…
Closing Time Parties, Courch lifts 24 Apr, VT 10 May
Still plenty of green showing on the piste map displays this morning. 
Some key lifts that are closed now (due to lack of interest, not snow!) include Vizelle, Coqs and Foret but plenty of alternatives on offer and both green & blue runs down to La Tania remain open.
So still a lot of skiing to be done but many places starting to close down now even though French school holidays are about to begin – hence the craziness of a La Tania to Meribel free bus service starting up today until the end of the season but no service over Easter (and the route to Courchevel now requires a change at Le Praz).
Bus Timetables at http://latania.co/ltskibus
Friday 10 April – Hotel Courcheneige, above 1850 closes.
Friday 10 April – Closing Night at The Den, Méribel.
Saturday 12 April – Hotel Telemark, La Tania closing night, drink the bar dry…
Sunday 12 April – Last Evening Menu at La Terrasse, Méribel Village.
Tuesday 14 April – Doron Pub, Méribel Closing.
Wednesday 15 April – Jack’s Bar, Méribel Final Après!
Wednesday 15 April – Final Bring Your Sisters gig in Méribel at Dicks from 12:30am (Thu) with DJ Danz.
Thursday 16 April – Meribar Closing Party with The Elements.
Thursday 16 April – Le Bubble Bar, 1650 End of Season Charity Party.
Friday 17 April – La Taiga closes for the Winter season with a massive Open Mic Party.
Friday 17 April – Folie Douce Méribel closing party – Le Folie Circus – runs in to Saturday too!
Friday 17 April – Final Après Ski & Closing Party at The Rond Point, Méribel.
Friday 17 April – Closing Party at Lodge du Village, Méribel Village.
Sunday 19 April – Pub Le Ski Lodge Closing Night – A Bring Your Sisters party plus some special guests…
Friday 24 April – Le Bouc Blanc Mountain Restaurant above La Tania closes.
Friday 24 April – La Tania, Courchevel and Méribel lifts close.
Sunday 26 April – Le Farçon, La Tania closes.
Sunday 10 May – Val Thorens last lifts close.
Xscape 3 Valleys Charity Day 8 April 2015…
A fantastic day – great weather, top people, music, food and drink – and most importantly, looking like a record amount raised of around €36k for our two charities The Sebastian’s Action Trust and the Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer
Definitely #EPIC
Headliners – The Dub Pistols
Jo Whiley and #BabySnowRetreat
Another Buckles 3 Valleys Escapade in a Day completed
Monday 6 April 2015
Toby – 16, Hannah – 17 & (Dad) Peter caught the La Tania bubble at 9.15 am on a mission to complete this latest version of the Three Vallees Escapade in a day – arriving back at their apartment at 4.40 pm after a successful mission (the day before the Foret lift closed for the season).
This is the third time that Toby (& his Dad) have completed the escapade in a day, and a fantastic first for Hannah.
The guys arriving back and with their certificates…
Locals & Their GoPros – Keith’s Zip Wire plus Sam & Simon
The highest zip wire in Europe can now link you back from the 4th Valley to the top of Val Thorens.
Surely Keith is one of the oldest (and bravest) to do it…
Ex Salad Chef Sam Slade has his go…
and then there’s this one from Simon Hall…
