Ski Grand Massif

Sailing in the Canary Islands with CanarySail.com

You even get live music with canary sail

Heading in to San Sebastion

Sunrise over Mount Teidi

Canary sail is an RYA sailing school based on the island of La Gomera. Jim Grey, the proprieter of canary sail and a great friend, skippered the boat for myself and three mates. This has to be one of the best places in the world for sailing/sail training. If you’d like to know more I recommend taking a look at the Canary Sail web site www.canarysail.com.

We flew to Tennerife South and then took a 45 minute ferry to San Sebastion, the capital of La Gomera. The boat was a few minutes walk from the ferry - could not be simpler. San Sebastion is a charming, very unspoilt place with plenty of good, very reasonably priced restaurants and bars.

We were sailing for six days and visited the islands of Tenerife and El Hierro as well as two other ports on La Gomera. Sailing conditions could not have been better ie warm and windy, we had some pretty exciting times in the ‘acceleration zones’. On the final day sailing, we set out well before dawn to look at the stars, fantastic, very little light pollution and to see a most spectacular sun rise over Mount Teidi on Tenerife. During the six days sailing we saw dolphins and flying fish.

On the last day we rented a car and explored the island. The interior has a national park which has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s a fascinating place, very green, wooded and humid and about 10 degrees cooler than the coast.

Tour de France passing Chalet Andelain in 2010

Once again the Tour de France is passing close to Chalet Andelain. We have accomodation available for week comencing 10 July 2010. On the 11th July(stage 8)  the tour climbs the col de la ramaz (approx 30km from chalet andelain) to Les Gets (24km) to Morzine (30km) and finishing at Avoriaz (42km). The 12th July is a rest day. The 13th July sees the tour starting in Morzine, passing through Chatillon which is the closest point to Chalet Andelain at 9km/10mins drive, through Cluses and then climbing the col de columbiere (approx 30km at top from chalet). For reasonably fit cyclists any of these places would be within comfortable riding distance and great veiwing points. Web site for Chalet Andelain is www.ski-grand-massif.co.uk

Snow sure resort status confirmed at Les Carroz (Grand Massif)

There really is a lot of snow

Exciting stuff in the airon bowl

More snow than you can shake a stick at is what springs to mind. With snow depths of up to 3 metres in the Grand Massif there is certainly plenty of the white stuff. Yesterday we had great piste skiing in Les Carroz and Flaine and superb off piste at Gers, Flaine, Vernant and Airon bowl. Temperatures are very low at present so keeping the snow in really good condition with super soft powder off piste.

Sun reflecting off tiny ice crystals floating in the air

Gers powder bowl opens at Flaine

Deep and steep

What a playground

Gers powder bowl at Flaine is a valley going down towards Sixt from the grand platiere at Flaine. There is two black runs and lots of off piste with a long steep drag lift to get back to the top. Myself and Darren arrived there today just after it opened for the first time this season. We had lots of untracked powder to go at and kept going until our legs wouldn’t play any more (although Darren reckons he could have managed another one or two runs, yeah heard it all before).

First powder of 2010

After two days of snow I figured it was about time to get out on the skis, have not been able to for the past two weeks due to a bad back. Conditions yesterday (5th jan) were near perfect, lots of new snow and very few people so lots of untracked powder off piste. Darren and myself skied in the airon and vernant valleys off piste and then a few piste runs in Les Carroz. The Grand Massif is an excellent ski area with something for everyone. From easy greens, wide cruising blues/reds and some very challenging blacks plus extensive off piste.