SKI ITALY...YOU WON'T REGRET IT

Snow, spectacular scenery, sunny slopes….say no more!

Kids are always welcome, Italians love their bambini.  Children under 7 ski for free.

International cross-border skiing,Bardonecchia to France is just a peak or two away.

 

Inexpensive on and off the slopes in comparison to elsewhere in Europe.

 

Transfer times are the shortest in the Alps.  Turin to Bardonecchia is just 1 hour’s motorway driving….and no hairpin bends!

Alpine restaurants serving regional dishes – enjoy snacks and lunch on the slopes or take an evening ride in a snowcat for dinner on the mountain top.

La Dolce Vita - Forget après ski and happy hours, the Italian custom of a pre-dinner prosecco and accompanying free aperitivi in local bars is so much sweeter! 

Year-round resorts cater for skiers and non-skiers alike. Real life goes on beyond the slopes offering something for everyone.

TIME & TIDE....

We've just been looking back at our original blog on http://alpscateredskichalet.blogspot.co.uk/  It's amazing to reflect on the past three years and realise how much has changed since those early days. Now we feel like veteran entrepreneurs on our way to our fourth successful summer season. No longer just newly weds with a common vision but parents to our beautiful Sofia too. What a lot we've accomplished and what a future we have ahead of us.

THE PEAK OF MOUNTAIN DINING

Here in Bardo the fun doesn’t have to stop with the closure of the ski lifts at the end of the day. We are fortunate to have several mountain restaurants offering evening meals with a difference. In collaboration with the ski lift company the restaurants have arranged transport up and down the mountain in Snowcats, the piste bashers which keep our slopes so well groomed. With seating for up to twenty in their cabins the Snowcats give their passengers a thrilling ride as they wend their way methodically around the steep gradients lighting up the night slopes as they go. Our favourite port of call for a great evening out is Bar Punta Colomion at the very summit of the mountain above Campo Smith. Run by Aldo and Rachel you can be assured of the warmest of welcomes, the heartiest food and convivial dining. Fuelled with antipasti, polenta, pasta, roast meats and dolci we choose to forego the Snowcat descent. Instead we strap on our head torches and take to our skis for the journey down on perfectly groomed pistes under starlit skies. A magical end to a magical evening.
February 12th 2013

FROM NURSERY TO NURSERY SLOPES

Skiing has always been a family affair for us when as youngsters we took to the nursery slopes from three years old. But what are you to do with young babies and toddlers before they develop their ski legs? No parent can enjoy their own holiday unless their offspring are happily settled and entertained. With Sofia now over a year old she loves the company of other children and so we take her to the local nursery just a short stroll from our chalet. Located on the same site as the Primary School il Nido (the Nest) is beautifully equipped and staffed by well-trained, sympathetic nursery nurses. A perfect solution for us with a flexible 30 hours of childcare for €225 to use as and when we wish, it’s proving to be a very popular option for our guests with younger children too. So instead of leaving your kids at home or hanging up your boots to gather dust for a couple of years, you can head out onto the slopes with a happy heart.
January 30th 2013

SNOW BLOWER FUN

So we are four weeks into our ski season and Christmas and New Year seem far behind us. Our season began back in early November putting the finishing touches to the chalet and testing out new recipes as we finalised our dinner menus with Pete the chef. Then we held our breath and waited for the snow and guests, hopefully in that order! Fortunately, both arrived in spades and since then Graeme has been putting his new toy, a snow blower, to the test clearing the drive and pathways leading from the chalet. Although it means an early start to the day and over an hour of hard labour before heading to the kitchen to cook full English breakfasts all round, it’s strange that he won’t relinquish the task despite several offers of help. There is obviously much satisfaction to be gained from tinkering with a temperamental engine and spraying snow into neat sculpted banks with his multi-directional chute. Now I’m not sure when we have a new dump of the white stuff whether his excitement is for a day’s boarding on the slopes or his dawn snow-clearing duties!

January 16th 2013