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    Archives for Marzo 2019

    Easter with ES

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    This Easter bunny is the most expensive you’ll ever own; however you won’t regret it because the memory will be cherished long after the price is forgotten.

    80% of our instructors are usually out delivering private lessons, while 20% of them are working on our famous Kids Academy. Regulars clients, and there are lots, know that at the end of the week over Easter we sometimes give away Easter Easter bunnies in the goodie bags.

    A lot of people have decided that, as Easter is officially in the second half of April, maybe it is too late to go skiing. The smart ones know a secret that I’m going to share with you now. So when is Easter 2019?

    In 325AD the Council of Nicaea established that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21).   This year the full moon fell just before 21 March, meaning a late Easter.  Therefore, because the first full Moon after March 21 doesn’t occur until April 19this year, Easter Sunday 2019 falls on Sunday, April 21!

    This may be pushing it for a Easter ski break certainly.  But here, and it’s bad news for the Council of Nicaea but good news for you, is the secret.  Leading schools have thrown caution to the wind and abandoned their term dates link with the almighty.  Or at least that bit controlled by the dictates of those roguish 4th Century Nicaeane trouble makers.

    Some examples of EASTER HOLIDAY START DATES:

    30th March
    Rugby School
    Thomas’s London
    Kings Canterbury

    29th March
    Tapton Sheffield
    Eton
    Benenden

    But is the snow good? Yes, as I type I’m visiting our school in Zermatt, taking the train because there is 30cm of snow in town and much more up the mountain. Yesterday I skied to Nendaz from Verbier and had fresh tracks on “Tortin”, when we got there, swam in Nendaz spa’s outdoor pool (a great day’s excursion from Verbier that we were testing) and it was snowing there too!

    So what else will you do? Go to your summer haunt? Bad idea, South of France is too cold to swim, you know I’m right.  Hardiness aside here are the water temperatures as I write;

    Biarritz 12.8c Max 15.8 in April*
    Sanary Sur Mer 13.9c today with a project max of 15.9 in April*
    Ibiza 15.9 with a max of 17 in April and 27 in August

    Easter sun in nowhere nearly as good as Easter skiing.

    And who wants to be wandering about in half closed seaside resorts when you could be having all the fun imaginable in Verbier or Zermatt.  Skiing in the morning and enjoying our great mountain restaurants in the afternoon.

    The What: Kids Academy will be running and we have special 4 hr private lessons for those looking for a longer morning and a relaxed later lunch.  Or go for an all day private and make the most out of the day.
    *seatemperature.org

    So yes – book that accommodation, book in some ski lessons for you and your children, and we’ll have that bunny waiting.

    Easter Afternoons with ES Verbier and Zermatt

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    So far this winter our afternoon children’s groups have been more popular than ever, so we have been thinking of some new ideas for Easter! Introducing Easter afternoons for kids at ES Verbier and Zermatt.

    If a morning on their skis is enough, then we have an afternoon programme for your children to keep them active, making friends and having fun. After skiing the children will have supervised lunch, and then do an afternoon activity each day. Here’s the plan:

    Monday -Treasure hunt challenge

    Explore the secret corners of the ski resort under the supervision of ES instructors and see if you can complete all the challenges! Keep an eye out for Easter eggs!

    treasure hunt

    Tuesday -Snowboarding

    Let them try it! Our dedicated snowboard team at ES Ride will arrange everything and let your children try something they have probably been asking about for years. Boots and board rental are included.

    Wednesday -Parapenting*

    See the flights taking off and then try it yourself! Fly above the ski area and enjoy around 20 minutes in the air with a tandem flight from our friends at Verbier Summits or FLY Zermatt. *additional charges apply, please contact us for more details. 

    Thursday -FOREST ADVENTURES 

    VERBIER: Forest adventures that will test your balance, fitness and co-ordination on woodland trails.

    ZERMATT: Discover the forest from a totally new perspective on our Zermatt high ropes course. An adventure for people of any age, on more than 110 platforms, 25 ziplines, and 83 obstacles.

    Friday -Climbing wall or Ice Caves.

    VERBIER: Climbing is great for strength, co-ordination and a lot of fun! Kids will head to Verbier’s indoor wall, entry and equipment rental included.

    ZERMATT: At nearly 4000m above sea level the Glacier Ice palace is a magical collection of tunnels and sculptures deep inside the ice.

     

    A single afternoon is 100chf, including lunch. All entry, equipment and instruction is included. You can choose to do single afternoons depending on which activities appeal, or do the full week of afternoons for 500chf (with no additional charge for the parapenting afternoon).

    Top 5 Hotels in Zermatt

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    Here at ES we are proud to work with many beautiful chalets and hotels. There’s quite a lot of choice in Zermatt too! Award winning architecture, luxury spas and Michelin starred restaurants. You name it. Here are our top 5 hotels in Zermatt. 

    Cervo

    cervo

    The best on our list for a reason. A beautiful collection of apartments scattered around the woods with truly spectacular views of Zermatt and the Matterhorn. Cervo pride themselves on the finer details whilst allowing you the flexibility to tailor your stay. Every day they provide some of the best après ski in town whilst you watch the sun set behind the Matterhorn on their stunning sun terrace until 7pm, when the music stops you are almost instantly enveloped by the magic of Zermatt at night. Whether the moon is out or not you will be captivated by the lights of Zermatt, the twinkling stars and the almost total silence the location of this hotel provides.
    As well as being able to ski back to your hotel you will be able to sit back, relax and enjoy either of the 2 restaurants on offer, the beautiful design of the buildings and their interiors, the numerous music events and if you are really lucky you might even find their hidden “Speakeasy” called Grapes and Juniper.
    A truly top hotel (winner of best hotel in Switzerland in 2016). We cannot recommend a better place to stay in Zermatt.

    The Omnia

    omnia

    Perched just above the centre of Zermatt, the Omnia offers some of the best views whilst also great access to the fantastic shops, bars and restaurants the town has to offer. The hotel itself is renowned as having the best service in town, striving to make your stay as perfect and relaxing as possible. This added to the great facilities and the Michelin starred restaurant staying here is a no brainer.

    The Firefly

    Hotel firefly Zermatt 1050x700

    Located just 5 minutes’ walk away from the town centre this bespoke private hotel offers something a little different to usual. The Firefly’s owners have designed the hotel to look and feel like the coolest mountain lodge you’ll have been to. The bar in the hotel is a great place to while away those après ski hours before dinner. They serve the best cocktails in town (try a Moscow Mule!!) in a relaxed atmosphere or play pool in a Harley Davidson themed games room or even smoke fine cigars in their smoking room. This is a top-quality hotel that once you have been, you’ll find it hard not to comeback every year.

    The Mont Cervin Palace/Petit Cervin

    mont cervin

    This is one of the more traditional hotels in Zermatt but don’t be fooled by the classic exterior. It hosts a number of fantastic restaurants, the most incredible ski room and also a top-class spa and swimming area. If this hasn’t convinced you then maybe being picked up by a horse drawn carriage and taken to the front entrance of the hotel will! Located in the very centre of town means that your access to everything that Zermatt has to offer is unparalleled. Combine this with probably the best concierges in town and it becomes a true contender for top hotel in Zermatt.

    The Schweizerhof

    61159 01

    Having been refurbished very recently, this is a new arrival on our list. Situated a very short walk from the train station means getting around will be easy and the nearest ski lift is only 200m away. When you enter the hotel, you will be bowled over by the beautiful lobby/bar/reception area. This is a great place to chill and try a number of their tasty cocktails (keep an eye out for the coolest oven/grill spitting out flames by the kitchen). With all the modern amenities of any top hotel, the Schweizerhof tops them with friendly staff, good food and beautiful design.
    I truly think this hotel will continue to rise up our list over the next few years.
    ​

    Mogul Mayhem 2019

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    It’s that time of year again in Zermatt! A few frantic weeks of bumps skiing for ski schools across resort finally came to a head yesterday at Igludorf for the annual Mogul Mayhem competition.

    Building the course

    Making a mogul competition course isn’t easy. Markers are placed at intervals in the snow then stamped into place to make the beginnings of a rut. Then the rut is skied and slipped again and again to form moguls or bumps.

    This year plenty of work went into getting it ready, only for a snowstorm to come in just days before and fill in all their hard work. So without much time left builders rushed back to the course to get it race ready once again.

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    Building the course on a sunny day! Lots of digging needed for the start area.

     

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    Slipping the bumps is an important part of building the course. They need smoothing out between skiing so they don’t become too big.

    The Rules.

    The rules are simple enough. Each team is made up of four and must either be mixed gender or mixed disciplines. As a result we not only saw traditional alpine skiers taking to the rut lines, but also telemarkers, snowboarders and snowbladers -no easy feat.

    Teams go head to head down the red and blue flag lines and are marked on their technique in the bumps, overall speed and trick over one of two sized jumps at the bottom. So you won’t necessarily win if you reach the bottom first.

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    ES Instructor Tim in the bumps

    The teams are ordered from slowest to fastest, leaving the best till last. After all four skiers from each team have skied against their opponent the scores are added up and the winners go through to the next round. The teams with the highest scores then compete in the quarter finals and the knock out continues until the final head to head.

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    ES Instructor Max trying out the Snowblades…

    Competition Day.

    After a few final practice laps and one more slip of the bumps the teams lined up at the start, many sporting fashion statements as impressive as the moguls they were about to ski. ES put forward three teams this year, all sporting fancy dress. Even our team Penguin made an appearance.

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    ES Instructor Gareth during a practice lap.

    The day started fair weather wise but as the competition progressed and the finals closed in, so did the visibility and the finalists found themselves competition in flat light and fresh snow. As if it wasn’t difficult enough already. That didn’t stop them from putting down some impressive runs however, really putting on a show for the crowd.

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    Throwing some big moves off of the jumps.

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    Thanks to all those who organised, built and sponsored the event, not to mention those who were mad enough to compete! See you next year!