New Meribel Loyalty Scheme.

The Tourist Office and lift companies have developed a new loyalty scheme for regular Méribel visitors. The new club, named ‘Mérifique’ will offer its members a number of advantages: a priority queue for buying passes; discounts on various resort activities; regular newsletters; competitions; and private tours of the changes made to the ski area at the beginning of each season. To join, simply fill in a membership form which will be available at the Tourist Offices this winter.

By kind permission of the Méribel Tourist Office

How many Hearts has your Chalet?

A new Méribel accommodation grading scheme is being developed by the Tourist Office. This will not only allow tourists to more easily find accommodation of the required standard, but will also encourage owners to upgrade the quality of their property. The scheme will award a number of ‘hearts’ to well-kept accommodation, and will be in operation for the season 2004/2005.

(See also Ivan Sellers’ article on luxury chalets.)

Keeping you informed.

Several new ways of passing on useful information to visitors are to be introduced this winter. New electronic information boards are currently being installed which will broadcast details of local events, entertainment, weather forecasts, avalanche risk, and general resort information. These ‘lumiplan’ boards will be located at the Chaudanne, the centre of Mottaret, the Méribel Tourist Office, Rond Point and in Méribel Village.

Owners of mobile phones and electronic diaries will be able to opt to have information sent to these devices during their stay in Méribel, and on a lower-tech note, Méribel Alpina are proposing to create a manned information desk at the Chaudanne.

Equipment - Try before you buy

Would you buy a new car without test-driving it first? So why every season do many British skiers still buy new skis in the UK without even trying them first on snow? Having your own skis will dramatically improve your skiing enjoyment but it is essential to buy the right pair.

Buying in resort provides a wider choice and will allow you to test different models and purchase the one that best suits your style, budget and skiing ability. Do some research before you go on holiday and try to establish what models interest you. Most ski magazines run regular articles on purchasing skis and provide an unbiased professional opinion.

By kind permission of Freeride

Once in resort set aside a whole day to test skis preferably at the beginning of your holiday. Try to find a shop that is reputable and has a dedicated ski test centre rather than just the usual rental models that may be old and worn. Make sure they have knowledgeable staff that speak English, talk to them about your potential purchase, and inform them of your style, ability, fitness and budget. How many weeks do you ski each year, do you spend more time on piste than off piste, are you the type of skier who enjoys a long lunch or do you ski from 9am until 5pm and have a sandwich on the chairlift?

Listen carefully to the advice given and be prepared to test other models that may not have been on your original list, however, try to narrow your choice to three models as more than this will just become confusing.

Once you have narrowed down the pairs to be tested try to choose a day with good visibility and always ski them back-to-back one hour at a time on the same day and on the same slopes. This will give you the most accurate picture of what is right for you, as you will have skied them in the same conditions. Thankfully nowadays bindings generally are sold as packages with the skis, just make sure that they provide sideways and rear release and are similar to the model that you tested and finally remember you will need a ski bag to get them home in!

Darren Kennedy

Just how luxurious is that ‘luxury chalet’?

One of the bibles of every discerning traveller today, at least when travelling in France, has to be the Michelin guide. It is not so much the pictures (they haven't any) but the rating system that allows one to have a pretty good idea of what to expect, especially in the 2 and 3 star categories.

There have been quite a few imitators of the Michelin guide one of which this author used to use religiously in London to choose good restaurants. More recently, Amazon has introduced a fantastic system for rating books and films that even makes recommendations to you based on what you have rated (and on what others with similar tastes have enjoyed reading and viewing).

So why is it that, when it comes to choosing a chalet, there is no equivalent? Try typing the words "luxury chalet" into a search engine and see what comes up: everything from the straw mattress to the place with a sauna per bedroom.

No wonder some people turn to specialised agents that know and have visited most of the chalets for advice. Who wants to go off for a week of well-earned holiday, pay enough for a luxury chalet to have provided the down payment on an apartment, and then find out that they serve you croissants in plastic cellophane bags in the morning or to have some cheeky twenty-something year old tell you to do it yourself because he is off to do his daily quota of skiing? Unfortunately this happens far too often and ruins a good many holidays.

A number of measures are now being implemented to introduce such rating systems for the ski industry. Méribel's Tourist Office will have its own accommodation rating system operational in the 2004/2005 season. Ultimately, however, there will have to be a rating system that cuts across resorts so that like for like can be compared. If two chalets are priced at, say, twenty thousand Pounds and offer the same amenities, how does one tell which one is the two star and which the three star? Indigo Lodges, which is working on such a rating system, suggest that the first place to begin is the photos.

By kind permission of Alp Leisure Ltd

Always insist on seeing lots of photos that are well taken. If the photos do not inspire you the chalet probably won't either (and beware, even good photos can sometimes be deceptive).

Second, ask for the number of square metres: luxury is often, but not always, partnered with larger dimensions.

Third, ask for the ratio of staff to clients: the more staff you have taking care of you the better. Finally, the best gauge of any chalet is the opinion of those that have stayed there previously.

Don't expect chalet operators to serve you up anything but praise, but if you can talk to a reputable agent they will be able to tell you what problems there have been in the past. If you are not happy everyone knows you won't be coming back.

Ivan Sellers.

Méribel Property – buying a property through a company.

In the first edition of this series we discussed the types of contract relating to property acquisitions and as an integral part of these, a substitution clause will have been included to allow the insertion by the purchasers of a third party, particularly an incorporated body or company, to take their place in the transaction.

There are many reasons for which it might be of interest for a company to become the owner of the intended purchase rather than the individuals concerned but these generally fall into three main headings: social, fiscal and inheritance.

Firstly, in a case where there are two or more parties or members involved in an acquisition, the formation of a corporate vehicle helps to establish the relationship between them through the rules set out in the company statutes. This is particularly useful where the various members’ shares in the whole may not all be equal or where there is no other formalised relationship between the members such as a marriage.

Secondly, should individuals be an owner of a property which generates an income which is taxable in France, the choice of fiscal regime available to them is limited. However, with the introduction of a company, a range of taxation systems may be adopted to suit local circumstances, as well as those abroad in the case of non-resident owners.

Finally and also in the case of non-residents, the introduction of a company means that the individuals concerned are removed a stage from ownership of the property and may therefore benefit from the application of succession laws that apply in their own country rather than those in force in France.

The selection of vehicle is not limited to one incorporated in France but some general guidelines may be useful in making the choice:

Expensive complex corporate structures are not necessarily the most advantageous.
Companies registered in countries considered as tax havens are subject to an annual tax of 3% of the value of any French property they own.
Trust and nominee arrangements are in principle not recognised in France,

Non-residents should check the ramifications of using a French company with regard to their own taxation system.

It should, however, be noted that there are no magic solutions and that after all, it may be most beneficial to avoid using a company altogether.

The above is provided by way of general information and in no way constitutes professional advice, which should be obtained on an individual basis from a relevant specialist.

Edward Mannix

Rescue me!

Mountain Guide Francis Petex explains who will rescue you in the mountains should you have an accident.

The various different rescue organisations in France are as follows:

• Service des pistes (pisteurs secouristes). These services are under the responsibility of the Commune, or a company appointed by the town hall.
• Gendarmerie Nationale avec le Petotons de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne. These military personnel are answerable to the Ministère des Armées.
• Police Nationale avec la CRS Alpes. These state employees are answerable to the Minister of the Interior.
• Sapeurs Pompiers avec l’Equipe Montagne. These professionals are employed by the local Départment.

These different services are distributed throughout the area with their own bases, equipment and hierarchies. In general, the pisteurs secouristes are responsible for ski areas, while the other services cover all other areas.

The helicopters sometimes used in mountain rescues may be either public or privately-owned. Public services are run by the Gendarmerie Nationale based in Modane (blue helicopters) and the Protection Civile, (red helicopters). In winter the latter is based in Annecy, Grenoble and Alpes d’Huez, and in summer at Courchevel as well. Private services are run by Secours Aérien Français (SAF) based in Courchevel, which has a contract with most of the Tarentaise ski resorts.

To alert the rescue services from within a ski area, contact them via the Services des Pistes. Alternatively, phone 112 from anywhere in France (and increasingly from all of Europe). A 24-hour departmental switchboard will answer your call, and organise assistance wherever you are, calling in the service that is most suitable for your needs. You can even be put directly through to the rescue service, a doctor, your family, a translator etc.

The general rule in France is that emergency assistance is free. However, since 1987 rescue services for alpine and cross-country skiers within a ski area incur a charge.

A ski area is considered to include the pistes but also marked off-piste areas which can be reached by the action of gravity from, and lead back to, the ski lifts. The majority of the off-piste itineraries in the Three Valleys are considered as being included in the ski area and a rescue from them involves a fee (e.g. Lac de Lou). In addition a law passed in 2001 allows local town halls to declare rescue from certain zones or certain activities as no longer free.

The Gebrolaz glacier, however, cannot be attained from a lift using gravity (requiring one and a half hours’ walk) and so, as an itinerary not included within the ski area, rescue from it is free.

Skiing on the Gebrolaz glacier by C Learoyd

Next week we look at how much a mountain rescue costs, and what insurance cover you need.

Francis Petex

Contributors:

Ed Mannix runs London Overseas Consultancy, and specialises in advising British property owners in Méribel.

By Darren Kennedy
MD of specialist ski shop Freeride.fr in Méribel & Courchevel (www.freeride.fr)

Ivan Sellers runs luxury chalet specialist Indigo Lodges. ivan@indigolodges.com

High Mountain Guide Francis Petex can be contacted at Fpetex@aol.com

Chris Learoyd is Director of luxury chalet company Alp Leisure Ltd (www.alpleisure.com)

Simon Rowe is an accounts consultant.

Next Issue: Letting your property, Skiing insurance, Meribel golf course redesign, Ski fashion 2004.

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