These large, ground-dwelling squirrels are a symbol of the Alps and other mountain ranges. They are easy to recognise from their cute, cuddly appearance, but how much do you know about everybody’s favourite mountain rodent? There are fourteen different living species of marmot Four extinct species have also been identified in the fossil record….
We all know that France and Switzerland are famous for their cheese, from Camembert to Gruyere, and cheese dishes like Fondue or Raclette. Cheese forms a big part of the local culture in the Alpine regions. Consequently, countless stories surround the production and even the names of the cheeses. As a lover of local cheese,…
In March 2017, we ran our first European Ski School Off-Piste course in conjunction with TipTop Ski Coaching. I had already taught plenty of off-piste lessons, including off-piste courses for the Ski Club of Great Britain in Deux Alpes, but it was nice to be launching a new product for the ski school. This time…
Many ski resorts have felt the effects of recent poor winters. Investment in snowmaking is seen as a way to ensure good skiing conditions no matter what the weather does. Here is no exception. The biggest investment over the summer has been new snowmaking in Les Deux Alpes. Whether the recent trend of drier winters…
This post is based on a talk I prepared for my recent International Mountain Leader summer assessment in Samöens. Candidates have to deliver two ten minute talks on topics related to the Alpine environment. I chose to use village architecture as a framework to talk about the geology of the region near Les Deux Alpes….
This is another nice ski tour in the Mont Thabor range. We did it on the last day of the TipTop trip to the Drayères Refuge in April. This is slightly shorter than the previous route (Rocher de la Grande Tempête) and more southerly in aspect, so it makes a good morning tour on a…
The Refuge des Drayeres in the Mont Thabor range is a superb base for a few days ski touring, with plenty of routes suiting beginners to experts. The Rocher de la Grande Tempête is the first tour I did from the Refuge on a visit in April with TipTop Ski Coaching. The route is a…
This August will see the return of the TipTop Family week after the success of last year. Ski racing, piste performance and on-piste fun are on offer to adults and youngsters alike. The week consists of concurrent courses for children and adults, running alongside each other on the Deux Alpes glacier. The adults focus on…
Featuring a slew of sports over four days with competitions, big names and a world record attempt, the Deux Alpes Outdoor Festival promises to kick start the summer season in style. The event is new for this summer, so it will be interesting to see how it lives up to expectations. Judging by the press…
The Pic des Trois Evêchés from the Col du Lauteret runs parallel to the very popular Pic Blanc ski tour from the same start point. In many ways, it feels like a longer version of that route. Both tours take you north-east from the start point along a sunny valley with the peak at its…
