Better add Jo Whiley to all the La Tania bands pics from this Summer…

After the pics from Glastonbury of our XSCAPE 3 Valleys Charity Day headliners we better add in Jo Whiley who was presenting there as usual and a great addition to the Charity Day lineup this year.

With the Dub Pistols headlining the XSCAPE 3 Valleys Charity Day for the last 2 years, the first pic from Glastonbury’s La Tania representatives was taken from right down the front on Friday. Barry Ashworth in a perfect Pistoleros pose…

Sunset Sons our Charity Day headliner from 3 years ago played the John Peel stage on Saturday and got a tremendous reception.

They posted a great pic with Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis and played William’s Green on Sunday evening – La Tania Saisonnaire Ski Bums Auntie Mary & Lindsey who were also at quite a La Tania reunion at their London gig in May getting – were on hand to get a pic with them after their set.

Meanwhile other La Tania related bands are still working hard. Dutch Courage have been in Nice at Wayne’s Bar and The Elements enjoyed a trip to Alderney (oh and Abe got married in Mexico – congrats!).

The Dominos continue to gig in London at The Roadhouse and also some trips across to the Cardiff Live Lounge in between the many private events they perform at. They head to Wayne’s Bar in Nice for a week in September.

Bring Your Sisters have spent some time in the UK, always sought-after for weddings and anniversaries, they played at La Tania stalwarts Keith and Sandy’s party at the end of May – with a little help from some friends…

On a different tack, some of you will remember Dubliner, Gallie who’s played in many of the venues in and around La Tania. Now in Australia, he’s released an album called “The Occuquan River” which is getting some great reviews. More here…

Finally here are Sunset Sons with their soon to be iconic “On The Road” video which has a few clips of them playing Charity Day in 2013.

Snowbound Transfers nominated in World Ski Awards – vote here!

Great to see La Tania’s very own Snowbound Transfers nominated for best transfer company – will be great publicity for the resort if we can persuade you to vote and they win it!

The World Ski Awards are another ski industry award & ceremony but voted for by the public as well as those in the industry so less conflicts of interests like some.

The World Ski Awards are the most prestigious awards programme in the ski tourism industry and is the sister organisation of The World Travel Awards, the “Travel Oscars” currently celebrating their 22nd anniversary.

Snowbound Transfers are the transfer company set up by Phil & Roxanne providing minibus and luxury transfers from the local airports and Moutiers for the Eurostar to all the nearby resorts around La Tania.

Phil & Rox are part of the growing La Tania family of people who met, got married and started a family out here.

Phil was one of La Tania’s original and archetypical Ski Bums in the early 90s. Cleaning the pub toilets early every morning for a bed and a staff meal but getting to ski or snowboard all day, every day and spending Summers working in the Greek Islands – season life can turn out ok in the end can’t it eh?

Vote for Snowbound in the best transfer operator category here: worldskiawards.com/vote/snowbound-transfers-2015

More on Snowbound and the awards here

For further information on all the transfer options to La Tania see our Transfer Page at: www.latania.co.uk/resort/transfers

Phil on the left with Old School Saisonnaires from 1999

Alpine airlines to rejuvenate commercial flights

Article from Le Dauphine local newspaper auto translated in to English.
Original article here

Alpine airlines to rejuvenate commercial flights.

The service existed and made the reputation of Air Alps until 1982. With its turbo observe Vulcanair P68 (an Italian Twin can accommodate five passengers and 150 kilos of luggage), strong air operator certificate issued by the Directorate General civil aviation, airlines Alpine plans to relaunch the activity of commercial flights on demand (air taxi) to the Courchevel Altiport, as of this summer. Where the company now leases space and resides.

Before coming to rest in Courchevel, the aircraft was presented in May in Saint-Tropez (where the airport wanted to highlight this new offering to the Three Valleys resort), major growth area for Alpine airlines from around the connection between the two prestigious destinations. Thus avoiding the passengers to go to the airports of Nice and Cannes on one side, Chambery or Geneva on the other.

“The service aims to offer flexibility and time saving”
“Our goal is to get customers on airports inaccessible to jets (sloping, grassy, ​​with a short track). We are only starting the activity, but we want to be competitive, “says Anne Olivieri, in charge of communication Alpine airlines. Hence the idea of ​​developing comprehensive services: reservations in hotels, Valet on arrival at the airfield … “A luxurious offering, with a sense of the push service, but also relax,” insists Anne Olivieri, estimating cost transfer between that of a private jet and that of a “broad” flight. While aiming to offer an alternative to helicopters which serve the station. “The service aims to offer flexibility and time savings (without time constraints or recording), and a shortened flight times by 30% compared to helicopters. ”

Subsidiary AéroSavoie (seven employees), based in Chambery airport, the company displays a local and especially mountain identity. His two drivers, instructors Trainers, have extensive experience in mountain flying. “Reflection to revive this activity, given the single-engine helicopters, stems from the passion of mountain aviation. Because it really is an adventure that brings together passionate people, dynamic, “concludes Anne Olivieri. If, initially, Alpine airlines will focus its offer on Courchevel, the company does not exclude other removals in the future …

By Jean-François CASANOVA | Published on 22/06/2015 at 06:05
www.ledauphine.com

Update on new ski lift construction in The 3 Valleys – Summer 2015

Latest news on the construction work on the new lifts going in this Summer across The 3 Valleys. As usual we’ll have a complete and comprehensive guide to everything that’s new in The 3 Valleys in our annual What’s New Page around September time.

New lifts are going ahead in Mottaret, St Martin and Le Bettex, but status / progress / timescales on the new gondolas in 1550 and 1650 (and 1850 for that matter) is not confirmed yet. Similarly the rumoured new Bourgne lift and removal of the Stade drag does not appear to be going ahead this year – more info when we have confirmation.

This Summer sees a lot of work going on around Mottaret as the old fixed chairs of Arolles & Table Verte are removed along with the Combes 4-man chair. A new Combes 6-seater routed to the right of where it is now and with a mid-station exit to a new floodlit green run is being constructed. A new beginners area with a short Arolles drag lift are also being built. The old Combes chair is up for sale if anyone’s interested!

Over in the Belleville Valley the occasional bottleneck of St Martin 2 is to be relieved with an upgrade to a 6 seater hi-speed detachable hooded chair with the old 4-man being moved to replace the old Bettex 2-man chair to now give access to the bottom of the Gros Tougne piste for direct access in to Les Menuires.

Removal of the old Bettex chair is now well underway and both the St Martin and Bettex replacements will be in place for December 2015.

Below are the new pylons for the Combes chair that were installed last Summer.

As always many thanks to Renée from www.vacanski.com for the photographs.

S3V have produced an animated video showing the developments going on around Mottaret including the new green piste, the moving of the beginners lift, the new Arolloes drag and night skiing being made available.

End of Driving Licence Paper Counterpart – updated. Still not needed!

Update 14 July:
On 10 July the DVLA announced that the code will be valid for 21 days (not the previous 3 day period). BUT AS WE SAID IN THIS ARTICLE YOU ARE NEVER ASKED FOR THE PAPER COUNTERPART OR POINTS HISTORY WHEN ABROAD ANYWAY.

On the 8 June 2015 the DVLA are getting rid of the paper counterpart of the UK Driving Licence – points and endorsements will be held electronically and these can now be viewed on the DVLA web site. You can generate a code to “share” your licence details with car hire companies etc so they can check for points and endorsements themselves.

The service is free, available 24/7 but codes are only valid for 72 hours and only 5 can be generated in any 24 hour period.

There seems to be a lot of unnecessary media coverage worrying about these changes, however since the introduction of the paper counterpart part of the licence some 17 years ago I have never been asked for it when hiring cars abroad – that includes Geneva, Lyon, Chambéry and Grenoble airports for hiring cars for trips to La Tania with a multitude of hire companies.

Indeed hiring cars right across Europe, the U.S.A, South Africa and Asia – I don’t know of anyone being asked for the paper counterpart, maybe it’s just a UK thing. Has anybody been asked abroad before?

In any case, the chances are there’s WiFi wherever you hire a car from (and almost certainly a 3G signal) and if it was required you can view your licence details on your phone / tablet / laptop as you hired the car surely? Just remember to have your National Insurance Numberavailable.

The link is at: www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence – you need your Driving Licence Number, NI Number and Post Code.

Further information and links on airport car hire for La Tania

La Tania to Meribel Village D98 Road Closure – 01 June to 31 October 2015

The D98 La Tania to Meribel Village road is scheduled to close today (01 June 2015) until 31 October 2015 in a similar repeat of last Summer’s closure as rebuilding of the road takes place. Last year the closure was from 7 July and opened a little earlier than scheduled around the middle of October.

The road has continually required on-going maintenance for years as it gradually subsides and loses its battle to cling on to the side of the mountain. We hear that part of the new road will be moved away from the mountainside to allow rock slide debris to fall past and underneath it – in effect a bridge away from the hill. All in all quite a serious bit of construction work.

Last Summer (when these pics were taken) there was no access through for walkers or mountain bikers for most of the time the road was closed – there were large fences and plenty of explosive about too! The diversion to Meribel Village and/or Le Plantin is via Brides Les Bains and adds about 50 minutes on to the journey.

Thanks to Ferg at Ski Deep for the pics.