Newsletter April 2015

Sempre Ski season ends as
Sempre Cycle says "Hello Summer!"

Snow fell reluctantly across the Alps in December but ski conditions were always good at Jafferau and soon improved throughout the whole Bardonecchia ski area. The season ended on a very upbeat note with fine weather and abundant falls of Spring powder snow.  We were fortunate to have two great reviews of our chalet and resort in the Guardian  and Telegraph this year.  Although we welcome the publicity and plaudits we do love Bardo just the way it is....a hidden gem.

Early Bird Discounts 
Next winter may seem a long way off as we all prepare for summer but we are now taking bookings for the ski season ahead.  We already have several confirmed bookings for 2016 so do check out our website soon for dates, pricing and availability. If you book before August 31st we offer you, as returning guests, an early bird discount and attractive group rates on selected weeks.

Child Care
Our in-house child care proved extremely popular and successful for parents and children alike. We are pleased to confirm that this will become an integral part of the high quality service we offer at Chalet Bianca.

Summer Season and Sempre Cycle
It may be our off-season but we're not letting the grass grow under our feet as improvements are well underway to two shower rooms on the first and second floors to continue our programme of renovation and refurbishment.

We are literally gearing up to set the wheels in motion for the launch of Sempre Cycle in June.  Tailor-made, chalet-style cycling packages are available to suit cycle enthusiasts of all abilities. See our Sempre Cycle webpage for more information and contact us directly to discuss your specific requirements,

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who shared this season with us.  As old friends or first-timers you all played your part in making every week memorable and we look forward to welcoming back many familiar faces in the future.
 

Have a great summer,

Kate, Graeme, Sofia and Chloe
 

Happy 2014!

Happy 2014 to you all! We have had a very busy lead up to the season with the birth of baby Chloe on December 3rd, she is a poppet just like her big sister Sofia who has taken the new addition to our family in her stride.
Great snow in November meant an early opening to the lifts then we had a nail-biting three weeks awaiting the next significant snowfall. Thankfully Santa was very generous this year and Christmas week arrived with over a metre of fresh snow followed by blue skies so the pistes are in perfect condition much to the delight of all our guests. We have swung seamlessly into New Year and the resort is abuzz with skiers and revellers. The town is feeling wonderfully festive with its abundance of snow, Christmas lights and bustling restaurants and bars.
There is fun to be had for one and all so check out those cheap flights now and escape the January gloom back home. With airports at Turin, Milan, Chambery, Lyon, Grenoble and Geneva all within easy striking distance the world of ski is your oyster. With special deals available throughout January you could bag a short break to recharge your batteries before the horror that is a UK February!

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.

BUTTON LIFTS.....A BIT OF A DRAG?

We’ve recently been browsing through wintersports websites for reviews on Bardonecchia and have been surprised to find how scantily researched some of the articles are. We like the fact that Bardonecchia “flies under the radar” of more publicised resorts such as Sauze d’Oulx, Montgenevre and Sestriere. Being the preferred resort of the Turinese gives the resort both its character and authenticity. The slopes are busier at the weekends but this is what makes the town buzz. Shops, cafés and restaurants thrive and prices are genuinely Italian and not simply inflated for the tourist market. Bardonecchia is fortunate to have four separate lift systems transporting skiers and boarders to different sectors of the ski area so at peak times avoid Campo Smith and head instead to Les Arnauds, Melezet or Jafferau. Apart from one quirky 2 man chair at Jafferau which is due for modernisation, the rest of the pistes are well served with 8 man cabins, 4 or 2 man chair lifts and button lifts. Ascending through the most scenic areas of the mountain we love our drag lifts. They are great for natural selection too, those who struggle to make it up are probably not sufficiently expert to be skiing down! So you can rest assured that your descent will not be blighted by over-ambitious skiers and snowboarders out of their depth and out of control!
March 4th 2013

LET THE TRAIN TAKE THE STRAIN

Living in Italy with close families in England and Ireland we have to be very flexible and inventive with our travel plans. We are fortunate in Bardonecchia to be well-served with air, rail and motorway links so we can be quickly on our way homeward bound. Our favourite route to Ireland involves strolling down the road to catch the morning high speed train from Bardonecchia to Lyon St Exupery airport. If booked in advance with Rail Europe we can keep the cost down to £18pp return. Arriving in the actual airport complex we have time for a relaxed lunch before boarding our Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. With five flights per week it affords us a bit more flexibility than the Saturday only RyanAir flight from Turin, though there’s nothing to stop us from mixing and matching airlines to suit our plans. If we really want the train to take the strain when visiting our London and Kent relatives then we travel all the way to St Pancras. Again by taking advantage of the best Rail Europe deals we can travel for as little as £73 single and the total journey time of under 9 hours even allows for lunch in Paris….. formidable!
Use the SnowCarbon journey planner for detailed information on rail travel from London to Bardonecchia.

February 20th 2013

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