Ski Equipment - For Women Only

There was a time when skis designed for women proffered nothing but different graphics from their male counterparts and a W at the end of their names. Many women shied away from these W skis, feeling them to be sub-standard and maybe a little condescending. Ironically very often these skis were no more than a marketing campaign, with no particular functions specific to women.

These days ski manufacturers do take into consideration not only our different physical form, but also women’s expectations of a ski and their skiing experience.

Barbara Bischof by kind permission of K2

No longer do we have to struggle in lift queues, trying to find the most comfortable way to carry our heavy skis in order to avoid asking a guy to carry them for us – unless, of course, we feel like it or someone irresistible offers!

Lightness comes from the construction of the ski. Salomon’s Crossmax 8 Pilot Women, as sure to be a success this season as last, has a Power Foam PU core to keep weight down. It is reassuringly easy to ski, yet stable at speed and in trickier snow conditions.

Bindings should be mounted further forward on the ski, assisting with keeping one’s weight forward and therefore with turn initiation. Head’s Monster i.M Lightening Railflex for women, brings the ski and binding together for greater performance. The toe and heelpieces are free to glide, allowing the ski to flex more easily with no compromise to edge grip.

Look too, for skis with rounded tails such as the Head mentioned above or the K2 T:nine series. This feature will help turns link more smoothly, with less bite.

K2’s T:nine series for beginners to all mountain gals, has been developed by women for women. This year the K2 Women Ski Camps are to involve both fun on skis with seminars with an emphasis on wellness and beauty. They are to be held in various luxurious hotels in Europe. Contact www.K2sports.net for more information.

And call me shallow, but aesthetics are important - and if the performance is great too then I’d call that a win-win situation for women.

Emma Kennedy

More snowfalls in Méribel

Snow at 1100m

Méribel is enjoying unusually heavy pre-season snowfalls this autumn. Several snow showers over the past week have resulted in over 20cm of snow now lying in the resort and considerably more on higher slopes. Does this portend a good winter? Sadly there is no accurate method of forecasting a snowy winter, but many of the locals believe the coming season will be a good one. The last summer as hot and dry as this year’s (1976) was followed by a cold and snow-filled season.

How chalets have changed

Some of you may remember the day when spending a week in a chalet meant mucking in with the whole family, a few friends and probably some of their friends too, all sharing one loo and two bathrooms. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about let me take you back.

A chalet holiday used to be about renting a private chalet from a friend of a friend and a Churchillian British spirit was required to endure a week of heating breakdowns and the wine running out. In some chalets the central heating oil dial was marked on arrival and departure to estimate your heating bill and lighting the fire came with a 50p charge per log!

It is understandable why the market moved towards the complete package including that awful wine we all drank to excess because, rather like Everest, it was there. The chalets were still somewhat basic but it least you didn’t have to fork out extra for the laundry.

As skiing became more mainstream, specialist operators realised that the levels of service and accommodation had to rise. This lead to a plethora of chalets being specially built for the tour operator market, with the welcome novelty of ensuite bathrooms. Rooms were often meanly sized and athough a party of 16 people could be accommodated quite comfortably there was usually only space for half that number in the living area. The ‘all mucking in together’ feeling remained.

Today the discerning skier demands more, and chalets with standards of comfort and decoration of a private home are now available on the rental market. More of us are paying more attention to the “holiday” part of our skiing trip, and this is being reflected in the type of chalets that are currently being built.

Chalet Bartavelles - Modern high
standards of comfort and decor.

Following consumer demand more flexibility is now being offered by some chalets operators. Holidays can be tailored to your requirements so you can choose whether to partake in the local plonk or a fine Bordeaux Grand Crus.

There is now a good range of accommodation available and it will not be long before new chalets will come with Jacuzzis as standard. Beware, however, of the word “luxury”. It is a much-misused word in the chalet market. After all, a pokey chalet 15 minutes’ minibus drive from the slopes is luxurious compared with the cowshed next door!

Chris Learoyd

Méribel in figures

16 Méribel establishments are mentioned in the Michelin Guide

20 (metres cubed) snow is produced by a Cyrus snow canon per hour

27 piste-grooming machines are in use in the valley

33 kilometres of cross country trails

34 blue runs in the valley

36 is the percentage of total visitors to Méribel from Britain.

36 is the number of days until the 2003/4 ski season starts

72 is the age at which lift passes become free

100 (bars) is the pressure that a Gasez avalanche blaster exerts

230 (km) is the combined length of all the Three Valley lifts laid end-to-end

2738 is the height of the highest lift in the Méribel Valley

240 000 (skiers/hour) is the total capacity of all Three Valley lifts

4.5 million Euros is the cost of a piste-grooming machine

17 million Euros was the cost of the Pas de Lac gondola lift.

Contributors:

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

Emma Ward is fashion and Accessory buyer, Freeride
(www.freeride.fr)

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

Méribel Property – The “Copropriété”

Whilst the vast majority of Alpine holiday property purchases are apartments in what is known as a “copropriété” or co-ownership, it is surprising that so few British owners understand what they have bought.

By kind permission of the Méribel Tourist Office

In simple terms, this very European of structures is no more than an associative body made up of all the various proprietors of the different parts or “lots” of a freehold which is most commonly an apartment block, the principal being however applicable to any building or land whose ownership is divided between different people with some parts common to all.

It has something similar to statutes which are known as the “Etat descriptif de division et reglement de copropriété” and these set out the precise make-up of each lot and of the common parts, how the “copropriété” is to be administered, how common costs are to be shared between owners and the general rules as to how the various parts of the property are to be occupied.

Each proprietor or “copropriétaire” is therefore deemed to own any number of specific lots that might include say, a flat, a cellar and a garage space, along with the corresponding proportion of the common parts of the freehold, the proportion usually being expressed as so many ten thousandths of the whole or “dix-millièmes”, this being the basis of calculating the financial contribution each co- owner must make to the operation of the building.

The “copropriété” has annual general meetings and the members elect a management committee or “conseil syndical” to convene more often and deal with immediate or less important issues. The meetings also vote to appoint a managing agent or “syndic” who is usually a qualified estate agent and who is responsible for the administration of the “copropriété”, the day to day management of the building and collection and disbursement of the funds needed to operate and maintain it.

When buying a flat it is generally advisable to check the “reglement de copropriété” for any specific conditions which may affect the intended occupation of the premises such as restrictions on animals, hanging out laundry and satellite dishes as well as limitations on the use of certain parts of the building, particularly as regards commercial use which would be relevant were a UK chalet operator ever to become a tenant.

Owners should also remember that despite the insurance arranged for the benefit of the “copropriété” itself, they should organise their own cover for fire, contents, water damage and broken windows in their apartment as well as for their liabilities towards the “copropriété” and any other third parties. All too often fires start in an apartment but spread to other parts of the building which may either be the exclusive property of another owner or are common to all owners such as the roof.

It should be noted that the above is by way of general information only and in no way constitutes professional advice which should be obtained from a suitable specialist on an individual basis.

Ed Mannix

We’re interested in your views. Please e-mail us at yourviews@themeribeltimes.com  

For more information on Méribel see independent website www.merinet.com, and www.meribel.net, the official Tourist Office site

Feel free to forward this to friend but please keep it in its entirety.  All rights are reserved.

To subscribe either go to www.themeribeltimes.com or click subscribe@themeribeltimes.com. 
To unsubscribe click unsubscribe@themeribeltimes.com

© THE MÉRIBEL TIMES