It’s been a real pleasure to go out in sunny and relativity warm conditions (compared to the previous 3 weeks), the pistes are all in excellent shape and the off-piste is good fun too.

This February has not been as busy as previous years, the main UK school holidays were last week and it was a long way off as busy as usual. The main car parks at Pre-la-Joux have not been totally rammed which is usually the case in school holidays. Defiantly a sign of people being careful with their money.

Not much snow forecast for the coming week so time to get the sun cream out and enjoy the snow.

We still have a few spaces left for late March and April, get in touch for get some great ski deals

I have been advising our guests for the last couple of weeks to wear all the ski clothing they have brought with them, 2 pairs if thermals / glove liners / extra fleece and nobody has complained about being too warm !  A few days when the wind was blowing it bitter cold on the mountain, trying to keep fingers and toes warm was a real struggle.

The pistes are all super smooth and even the off-piste has stayed very skiable with the cold temperatures.

Anyone driving a diesel fuel vehicles in the mountains needs to be careful in these super cold temperatures as the fuel becomes waxy and can easily cause the vehicle to stop. A top tip is to fill your tank with local diesel from the highest filling station on the mountain, they will add more additives to the fuel to ensure it continues to work as expected as temperatures get very low.

Out on the ski slopes the snow is in excellent condition but the wind chill is rather painful on the ski lifts at the top of the mountain.

We where treated to super fluffy powder last week which stayed in amazing condition for several days due to the very low temperatures.

I have been skiing in the most clothes I have even worn out on the mountain and only just been warm enough.

Was great skiing while being able to see the Alps in their snowy winter blanket.

The weather changed back to snowy / cloudy / sunny spells at the end of last week, currently the trees up the mountain are still frozen white.

Forecast looking like cold / cloudy / some snowfall over the next week or so, just time to enjoy the last week of quiet January skiing before the kids & crowds return in February.

This season is turning out to be a corker with absolutely tonnes of snow on the mountain now, just need a sunny day so we can go out and enjoy it.

But the cloud is back today with a dusting of snow this morning and the forecasts showing lots more snow to come over the next week, with only a few sunny spells if we are lucky.

The snow conditions on the mountain are excellent at the moment and can only get better from more of the white stuff.

Our first couple of weeks of guests have been and gone now, everything is running smoothly in the chalet with our chef producing superb meals every night.

The chalet is filling up fast but we still have a few weeks of availability in late February and March, contact us for some special late ski deals.

Get in touch to help organise our 2012 ski holiday.

1. We’ve had more combined snow fall this year so far then the whole of last winter season !! I’m not sure this is actually true but its the word around the resort at the moment. At the moment there is over 160 cms of snow on the top slopes, and conditions are superb.
2. Chatel and the Portes du Soleil are the largest linked ski domain in the WORLD, offering over 650 kms of pistes and 198 lifts. The 3 Valleys has 600 kms and 180 lifts.
3. The new 6 man Rochassons ski lift at Pre-la-Joux has the latest safety technology with an automatic raising safety bar that pops up just before you disembark.
4. The Pre-la-Joux area has just finished a 4 year and 14 million Euro improvement program to install snow cannon along all the pistes in the area, which required the creation of a massive new reservoir to hold water for the upper slopes.
5. Next year work is due to start on the much debated and long awaited link between the Pre-la-Joux and Super-Chatel ski areas. There will be  new lifts are pistes installed connecting both areas at the top of Chatel near Lake Vonnes, which will give an alternative to getting the ski bus to/from Pre-la-Joux.
6. A new sports and well-being centre is to be built next year on the site of the open air pool. This will give a year round sports centre for Chatel, current budget is 13 million Euro so I expect it to be good.
7. Airboarding has arrived in Chatel !! Ever fancied sliding down the slopes on a modified lilo ?
8. Lake Vonnes at the top of Chatel village has the highest altitude fountain in all of France at 1300m, and throughout the winter people can explode under the surface with ice diving.
9. St Laurent is the patron saint of Chatel and the whole village turns out to celebrate on the first Sunday of August with a village fete.
10. Chatel is at the head of the Abondance valley which is populated by Abondance cows, who in turn produce Abondance cheese. The local hard cheese which has been granted  an Appellation d’origine contrôlée or AOC.

We still have rooms free in Chalet Les Trois Canard, contact us now for cheap ski holidays in France and we can organise your perfect ski holiday.

Massive storm currently over the French Alps, very heavy snowfall and strong winds up high. Looks like we could have almost 1 metre of  fresh new snow falling at the top the mountain over the next 24 hours. Followed by some very cold temperatures in the next few days, down to -20°C at the top.

I think we have probably already had nearly the same amount to snow fall this year as we received all of last year, looking good !!

Today we woke to a bit of rain in the village with snow higher up but very quickly the rain turned to tea-bag sized snowflakes which continued to fall until late afternoon. That should have dropped another 20-30 cms at the top of the mountain.

First guests will be arriving tomorrow and looks like they be in for lots more snow throughout the week.

Snow chains are fairly simple to fit if you know what you’re doing, but if the first time you open the box is in the middle of a snow storm in the dark then it could easily turn into an epic struggle.

Here is quick guide to fitting snow chains to your car, the first 3 steps should be completed BEFORE you even set off on your journey.

1. Check the chains are the correct size for your tyres. Incorrect sized chains cause big problems, too small will be impossible to fit or too large will not tightened up
2. TRY FITTING THEM AT HOME. If you spend a short while understanding how they work in the warmth / daylight / comfort outside your home I guarantee it will all be a lot easier when you try on the roadside up a mountain in the cold / dark / snowstorm
3. Carrying a pair of gloves / torch / small shovel can make the whole experience a lot more pleasant too. In France it is a legal requirement to carry a warning triangle and hi-vis vest, both should be used if you are working at the side of the road