Thoughts and Observations

Hi everyone and welcome to the latest post from your favourite blogging Méribel ski instructor. Well, there's no denying the fact that we are well into autumn, and not that far off from winter. The clocks changed a while ago, the days are getting noticeably shorter, darker both in the morning and afternoon. In theory it should be getting colder, although this long mild stretch is hiding any chill at the moment. And also the first World Cup races took place a couple of weeks ago on an Austrian glacier. All of the signs are there that the ski season will be starting soon, in fact the ski lifts will open in Méribel and Courchevel in under a month's time. By the way, all of these photos were taken in the last three winters or so to give you a flavour of hopefully what's coming up soon.

It's also the time of year that my friends and family know that I'll be leaving Leamington Spa soon, and ask the understandable questions of when I'm leaving and is there any snow out there yet? I'm not going to lie and say I haven't been on any webcams yet, because I have a few times. But I've also heard on the ground reports. About ten days or so ago there was a big storm that dropped a fair bit of snow in the French Alps. It's not unusual for snow to fall in October, but this was quite a big storm. A friend in the valley confirmed this to me recently. Plus, a couple of friends I know in Leamington Spa had just returned from Morzine who said they experienced this same storm.

But of course, although exciting to hear this news, you wouldn't expect much of this snow to stick at this stage of the autumn. It has been mild in the Alps just as much as it has here in the UK. Having said that, I've noticed on the webcams that there is snow on the ground from about 2,000 metres and above. It's not normally until the very last part of November, at the earliest, that the cold temperatures start to appear. However, I have noticed that the snow cannons are starting to be switched on overnight in places like Val Thorens and Tignes from about 2,300 metres. It's still very very early days yet.

I've also been catching up with various bits of French admin recently. Including all sorts of form filling, checklist ticking, hoop jumping, head patting and stomach rubbing stuff with the ski school. There are a lot of things that go on in the background in the build up to the ski season; the job isn't only just sliding around on the snow. This is a process that occurs every year in October and November, and is a reminder that the ski season is very soon upon us.

For me, whilst looking forward to the coming winter, I often reflect a little on the one. An observation that I've made was confirmed in the big end of season ESF (Ecole de Ski) meeting. They announced a change in trends with bookings, which has also been reported by the Tourist Office and the various hoteliers both in Méribel and other resorts close by. For many years the very busy Festive Period was followed by a much quieter January period, some would say it was a deserted month. The last couple of years, this really hasn't been the case. I've always done well with work in January, and I guess this is because it is a popular month with British visitors. But the last couple of years I've been even busier than usual, but also noticed that the school had been as well. There has without doubt been an upward tick with other overseas visitors.

There are definitely more skiers coming across from North America. I've mentioned this on previous blog posts. I've also skied with several Canadians, but mostly with Americans. So why are skiers coming over from the United States, when they have plenty of their own ski areas? Even with long haul flights, it is proving similar in cost, if not cheaper than skiing in the US. And what they often do is double up with holiday time (vacation) away from skiing, for example a visit to at least one top European city. Hotels are confirming that more bookings are being made by skiers from North America.

Visitors from the Middle East are definitely increasing for sure. Both Méribel and Courchevel are benefiting from this, by providing quality hotels and nice mountain restaurants. The timing of their visits are dependent on when Ramadan takes place. So for example this coming winter Ramadan is from mid February through until mid March. This confirms that January is a popular time for visitors from the Middle East, away from Ramadan. Interesting isn't it?

Those from the Southern Hemisphere are now coming to ski in Méribel in January. Why? It's their summer holiday period. Folks from Brazil and also especially Australia, take the plunge and jump on a very long haul flight. It's not uncommon now to hear Portuguese being spoken on the mountain, or hear the Australian accent.

The British market has changed as well. There are far fewer chalet companies operating now since Covid, and the UK exiting the EU market. This means that there is less choice of a much cheaper option during the 'quiet' month of January. Are there the same options/discounts available for those booking into self-catering, Airbnb and hotels now? That I don't know.

One country that we are seeing far fewer visitors from is Russia. January used to be a favourite time for Russians, with a later date for their Orthodox Christmas. Since Covid, and the ongoing war in the Ukraine, there aren't as many now, certainly compared to ten years ago or so.

So a slightly different type of post there, sharing my thoughts and observations with you. I hope you found it interesting. Cooler weather looks set to arrive towards the end of this week, I wonder if people will start twitching more knowing that skiing is just around the corner. I'll post once more before the big drive down to Méribel. As ever, let's all say together..... Live With Passion. Martin.

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