Archives for maart 2018

ES Zermatt Valley Rally 2018: Raising money for the children of Nepal

25 maart 2018 by Emma Farrington

Spring is here. Time for the Zermatt Valley Rally organised by our very own ES Zermatt team! ES instructor, Emma Farrington, takes us through the day as it happened.

“Blue skies and glorious sunshine; a classic bluebird day here in the Swiss mountains gave us the perfect day last week. On Wednesday 14th March, teams competed in the ES Zermatt Valley Rally, raising money for children in Nepal affected by the devastating earthquake a few years ago. For those of you wondering what a valley rally is? It’s an event where teams compete against each other (often in fancy dress), skiing and snowboarding around the mountain visiting various locations, gathering information or completing tasks. It’s always a fun event and competitors can be of any age or walk of life; this year we had a good mix of guests and their instructors, as well as seasonaires and Zermatt residents.

Zermatt Valley Rally 2018 — Stop no. 1: Snowman building.

The background to the Zermatt Valley Rally comes from a group of locals who wanted to help the survivors of the earthquake a few years ago. Now the event is pretty big and is organised by ES, with prizes and sponsors from all over Zermatt. In particular, the money goes towards helping children from the country’s poorest areas get back into education and rebuild their lives. Fresh water and food supplies were cut off as a result of the quake so a lot of the money goes towards providing new clean and sustainable resources and equipment. Hygiene is a basic commodity that so many of us take for granted, so it’s been important to provide for the children and their families to avoid the spread of disease. Emergency aid continues to flow into the country; it’s so hard to imagine the full scale the impact a natural disaster this large can have, both in the short and long term recovery period, which is why it’s such an important cause.

I think everyone who took part can agree that we were incredibly lucky with the weather and snow conditions on the day, as it’s seemed to snow rather a lot this season in Zermatt! The day started off with registration and a gathering at Papperla pub, a local favourite with seasonaires and tourists alike. Each team donated money towards the cause, rules were explained and tasks / maps handed out. Then we were unleashed onto the mountain.

Checkpoints were across all three ski areas in Zermatt – Sunnega, Gornergrat and Kleine Matterhorn. Due to long lift queues at the Matterhorn Paradise lift, most teams headed all together up to Sunnega to complete tasks like taking photos at every lift station including Kumme (for those who did not hear about Zermatt being closed off back in January due to heavy snowfall and avalanches, Kumme bottom station was wiped out by an avalanche). Fun moments on this side of the mountain also saw teams visiting Fluhalp restaurant and taking photos on the band stage as well as building a snowman at the famous Findlerhof restaurant, also known as Franz and Heidi’s.

The next stage was to go over to Gornergrat, via the famous Gornergrat bahn cog railway, and write down all the glaciers on view from the 360 degree platform before a quick ski down to Iglu-Dorf, the home of the famous ice hotel in Zermatt. Teams attempted a handstand here with some interesting photo evidence, as expected. Another dash down to the, again famous, Alphitta restaurant for a pyramid building challenge on the stage.

For those teams that wanted to go the extra mile, it was then a long journey up to the top of the glacier on Kleine Matterhorn to get a photo on the border line between Switzerland and Italy. Quite a lot of points were available for a continuous video of teams going through the freestyle park with at least one team member going over a jump and a box or rail. A lot of fun, but several bruises followed these attempts! The final task on that side of the mountain was to stop by Furi lift station and make the words ‘ES’, ‘ski’ and ‘snow’ using team members and their equipment.

All teams made it back to Papperla by 4pm for drinks and prize giving. More money was raised by guests enjoying après at the bar! Overall a great day was had by all and many fun memories were created. And those bruises from the park run were forgotten after a few beers!”

Es would like to say a massive thanks to everyone who took part on the Zermatt Valley Rally and to those who helped organise. We’d also like to say a massive thanks to the Papperla Pub for hosting, as well as Glacier Sport, Zermatt Massage Centre, Zermatt Rosterei, Bramble Ski, Zermatt Holidays, The Omnia, Zermatt Ski Chalets, Mountain Exposure and anyone else who helped out or donated a prize. It was a great day and thanks for all your hard work!

Mogul Mayhem Zermatt 2018

22 maart 2018 by Harrison Jones

One of our instructors tries his hand at at a fun freestyle moguls competition, the legendary Mogul Mayhem in Zermatt.

“Mogul Mayhem, where to start?

Well it’s my first season here in Zermatt working for ES. So far it’s been absolutely brilliant. I’m having the time of my life, working with a fantastic team of outgoing and like-minded people in what has to be one of the top resorts in Europe!

I was never into ski competitions; I entirely believe that skiing is all about having fun. In my opinion, competitions often get too serious and take the fun out of skiing. I never felt comfortable or confident enough to do them. Never would I have pictured myself in a mogul competition, I always disliked and struggled with skiing bumps and moguls. But when I heard that Mogul Mayhem was coming up and signed myself up straight away. I spent the next few weeks wondering who else would do it with me and I questioned many times if I had somehow lost my sanity, signing myself up for a mogul competition.

Mogul Mayhem Zermatt — Harrison looking fly. Photo: Henry Meredith Hardy

Soon the day came along, after little sleep the night before in anticipation. The teams were sorted, ES had two teams competing, each consisting of four members. A member of the opposite sex or a second discipline had to be on each team in order to compete. The competition was going to be tough.

We all met at Iglu Dorf at 10am, suitably dressed in retro gear and looking a little like an 80s tribute band. The weather was looking bad in the morning but luckily we were in a bit if a sun spot and the sun stayed, right up until the end of the day despite the clouds looming over the Matterhorn in the background.

Looking down the course for the first time was extremely scary, waiting for a few people people to go first just made the anxious anticipation worse! Then it was my turn to go, dropping in felt very uncertain but after a few dodgy turns I started to get into the rhythm of it. Just in time for the large moguls to give way to little rut lines in front of the jumps, of which there were two choices. One large with a very steep lip that kicked you right up in the air and the other a much mellower jump that kept your forward momentum up without sending you up into infinity.

Soon the first competition run came up, after skidding the track a little to smooth out the bumps and take the ruts out of the backside of each large mogul. The runs are judged on speed, style and the jump at the finish.

I managed to pull ahead on the first run and it was all going well down the moguls. Then we reached the ruts at the bottom which I actually found harder to begin with. I kept trying to turn in them and could always feel my edges catching on them, but I made it! I played it safe at the jump with a double handed grab under my boots to stay level in the air and not do the helicopter arms that I’d have done if I’d just tried to do a straight air. The landing was good and I managed to win my first run out of three.

Tim, Beth and Max also put in stellar performances with no crashes. Plus, the crowd was great, too! Everyone was welcoming and encouraging to all the competitors that came down throughout the day and it made for a really fun atmosphere.

We were down for a few minutes before being told to return to the top for our next run. It was quickly noticeable how much bigger the bumps had become from people skiing down them and they now had ruts on the backside again that can catch you out in an instant with the wrong edge angle. There were two lines to go down and everyone had a preferred line / side to take. We all preferred the red side on our team, which we had in our first run, but now we had the blue side to deal with.

We all made it down with no incidents in a good time, Tim did a great 360 off the bigger jump keeping his skis nice and level through his rotation picking up some good points. However the opposing team were far stronger than us and actually went on later to be the overall winners of the event.

The final heat was up next and it was a very tough one indeed; the moguls were now like mini Matterhorns and the ruts were like the grand canyon in my opinion. Beth was up first and got off to a flying start with her competitor crashing near the start giving her a great lead. Right up until one of her skis ejected from the pressure created from skiing the moguls. Luckily she had time to climb back up to the ski, put it back on and complete the run before her competitor, winning the run overall.

Then it was my turn, dropping in I was feeling good and I managed to pick up a slight lead although I could always hear my competitors skis bouncing off each mogul just behind me, so I knew it was very very close! There was a set of three particularly tricky and large moguls, where I put a little extra pressure on my heels to skid a little more and scrub off some speed, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough! I had to hold the slide over the bump. I landed into the next mogul a little backseat and instantly regretted it as I felt my skis ping off the top of the mogul. Before I knew it I’d cleared the next mogul and crashed down in the dip at the bottom, losing my slight lead and therefore finishing second.

Tim was also caught out in the same spot, but Max managed to get down without any trouble before throwing a backflip off the big jump, and coming extremely close to landing it.

Looking back I’m absolutely stoked to say I took part and tried. Like I said at the start, moguls were never my thing before but now thanks to the training I’ve had over the season with ES and also thanks to this event, I feel far more confident and I’m starting to really enjoy the challenge of skiing them.

Overall, I had such a great day, finished up with a ride back down to town on the (literal) party train, which is also not to be missed!”

Harrison proves that moguls can be fun! It just takes a little practice. If you’d like to learn how to enjoy moguls in Zermatt, Verbier, Nendaz, Chamonix or St. Moritz, get in touch and we’ll organise you a lesson!

What Can You Expect from a Telemark Ski Lesson?

18 maart 2018 by Chloe Hardy

We’re back to ‘free the heel, free the mind’ with a firsthand report from a telemark ski lesson.

If you haven’t already read our blogs about telemark ski lessons and the history of telemarking by resident ES telemark guru, Tug Wilson, I highly suggest you do so. I fact, it was Tug’s first blog (that he one day sent to me completely out of the blue) that inspired me to take a telemark ski lesson in the first place.

When it comes to snow sports I’m the first to admit I can be pretty lazy at trying new things. Despite every year saying I’m going to spend a day on a snowboard or learning to telemark, sorting out all the gear and finding other willing participants is an organisational nightmare that’s beyond my motivational skillset.

Telemark ski Lessons European Snowsport — Getting used to the equipment….

So, when Tug offered me a telemark ski lesson one morning, how could I refuse? Willing participants: check. Telemark skis and boots: check (easy to rent from any good rental shop, I went for Mountain Air in Verbier). Now I had no excuse.

I’d always expected my first day on telemark skis to be spent on my face (because of the free heel format), Tug kindly informed me that it’s actually quite hard to fall on your face on telemark skis. I also expected to spend the entire time on the beginner slopes perfecting my lunge turns, however, we were straight on the gondola and heading over to some mellow blue and red runs. Tug explained that because I could already ski, telemarking wouldn’t be too much of a jump. And, he added, if I ever felt like I was in real trouble I could always put my heels down and revert to the trusty Alpine ski technique.

However, I’m not one to back down from a challenge, so after a brief explanation of the equipment and what to do, I tried to stay in telemark pose as much as possible. And while it did feel a bit strange at first (‘long and low’ is Tug’s telemark mantra), I managed multiple laps of some of Verbier’s easier pistes, and even the home run back down to town without too many mishaps. It even started to feel quite natural after a while. And, bonus: it wasn’t quite as hard on the thighs as I’d expected.

So, what can you expect the first time you try telemarking?

Telemark boots are WAY more comfortable than ski boots. They flex at the toes which makes them much easier to walk in, as well.
Telemark skis don’t have brakes. The lovely folk at Mountain Air provided me with a special clip to keep them together, but be aware: when you put them down make sure you’re on flat ground.
There is a left and a right telemark ski, don’t get caught out!
You will faff around trying to get your skis on, it’s harder than clipping in to Alpine skis! Plus, because there are no brakes you need to attach your bindings to your boots with a special leash.
You’re never as long and low as you think you are.
You may be getting the movements right but nailing that graceful telemark style takes some practice.

All in all, if you’re a confident skier, taking a day out to try telemarking is a great idea, especially if you feel like you’ve hit a bit of a plateau with your skiing. After a morning of telemarking I felt refreshed on my Alpine skis and energised at having tried my hand at a new skill. And (cheesy line alert), I felt like I’d well and truly freed my heel and freed my mind.

If you’d like to give telemarking a try, get in touch with the ES office. We’re always happy to organise you a lesson and raise the profile of this awesome sport! Tug has the BASI level 3 ISIA telemark qualification, which is the highest tele qualification you can get in the UK system and I can confidently say he’s a great teacher. ES also offer telemark lessons in our other resorts, Nendaz, Zermatt, Chamonix and St. Moritz.

Verbier’s Five Best Mountain Restaurants

12 maart 2018 by Luca Barletta

Have you ever wondered where the best restaurants in Verbier are? You might be surprised but quite a few of them happen to be up the mountain! Luca Barletta is a long-standing ES team member and founder of our Double Black program, which helps our instructors deliver the best ever ski experience to their guests. No-one knows the Four Valleys mountain restaurant scene quite like Luca, so we asked him to share with us his top five places to eat on the mountain:

Best restaurants in Verbier le Dahu — A relaxing atmosphere, great service and Verbier’s best pizza! Image: Le Dahu

Le Dahu

“If you fancy a proper pizza made by mother yeast and wood oven, you will find your place at Le Dahu. Even if your partner views carbs like a penguin views a white Caribbean beach, don’t worry; Le Dahu makes some of the best salads in Verbier as well.

P.S. The beef tartare is just divine.”

Le Dahu is located at the base of the La Chaux area in Verbier and is easily accessible on foot as as well as on skis. Exceptional views also make it a great lunch spot for groups with non-skiing members.

Best restaurants in Verbier le Carrefour — Carrefour, the ultimate restaurant for meat lovers! Image: Le Carrefour

Carrefour

“Carrefour is the main meat / beef place on the mountain. Its hot stones dishes (where you can cook your own filet or whatever else you like) are totally original and it provides a great opportunity to taste some high-quality Swiss meat. The salads and soups are amazing, too, probably some of the best up the hill.

P.S. If you love meat, the Carrefour tataki is an absolute must during your holiday!”

Carrefour is easy to get to either from the mountain or from Verbier town. Skiers will find it located just at the top of Le Rouge piste, while from town you can take the no.1 bus straight there. It’s also a great choice for an evening meal, with the option to sledge back to town afterwards!

Best restaurants in Verbier Cuckoo's Nest — Cosy, welcoming and exceptional food at the Cuckoo’s Nest. Image: Cuckoo’s Nest

Cuckoo’s Nest

“Cuckoo’s Nest is high, the terrace is big, the panorama is marvellous and it is a Porsche Club restaurant. If you have a Porsche and you show your club card or the car keys to the waiter, the restaurant will offer you a glass of champagne with your meal. Cuckoo’s Nest is a very good restaurant; the fondue Chinoise is their top dish, you can find it alongside the handmade ravioli with truffle and delicious curry.

P.S. Do you like frogs’ legs? Christian, the owner, has a passion for them and his frogs’ legs are for sure the best ones in resort.”

Cuckoo’s Nest is also a great option for skiers and non-skiers. It be accessed on foot by taking the Funispace from Ruinettes. It has a wonderful laid-back atmosphere, the service is impeccable and the walls are decorated with antique cuckoo clocks.

Best restaurants in Verbier la Marmotte — Go to la Marmotte for the best burger in town. Image: la Marmotte

La Marmotte

“Would you like something local and tasty, but you are on the Savoleyres side of resort and you don’t want to go all the way through Verbier to eat? Don’t worry! Go to La Marmotte. All the Swiss food here is great. Fondues, meat, assiettes and potatoes… but if you really want an amazing burger this is your place.”

La Marmotte is a little tricky for non-skiers to get to, but it’s worth the walk. You can access it on foot via a track from Carrefour, just make sure the track is open before you start!

Best restaurants in VerbierLes Chottes — Les Chottes is a must-do if you’re doing the Four Vallées tour. Image: Les Chottes

Les Chottes

“If you go for the Four Vallées tour, you will realise the other valleys have much more basic restaurants compared to Verbier. But you can still find something unique and delicious. The best place is called Les Chottes in the Four Vallées resort of Veysonnaz. From here you can admire the Sion valley from the most stunning point in the entire ski area. The restaurant has a quite limited choice but the management runs a family farming business in the summer; all their cured meats, cheeses and sausages are handmade and very authentic. The assiette Valaisanne brings together all the best farm products in one dish.”

Les Chottes is located just next to the T-bar of the same name in Veysonnaz. It’s a wonderful restaurant but unfortunately it can only be accessed on skis and can take a while to get to from Verbier. Make sure you leave plenty of time before your reservation!

And there you have it: the five best restaurants in the Four Vallées, as recommended by a seasoned Verbier foodie. If you’re having lessons with ES, our instructors will be happy to make you a reservation at any of these restaurants and more. Just let them know what you like to eat and they’ll do all the hard work for you! If you’d like to organise ski, snowboard or telemark lessons for yourself or your party, we’re just a phone call or an email away, get in touch!

ESSE: Taking care of Swedish half-term in Verbier

9 maart 2018 by Chloe Hardy

ESSE, the only dedicated Swedish ski school in Verbier

February half-term is a big deal in the Alps. It means full steam ahead for pretty much every business and all ES resorts fill up with families looking to enjoy the snow. While the English, French and Swiss holidays are the big ones, Verbier is also renowned for having a rather large Swedish population. At the end of February, the town fills up with eager Swedes, so it’s a good thing we’ve got ESSE, our Swedish ski school in Verbier to take care of them.

ESSE Swedish ski school in Verbier — Just a few of this year’s ESSE team in this winter’s uniform.

ESSE Verbier (European Snowsport Swedish Experience) is European Snowsport’s Swedish contingent, and is the only dedicated Swedish ski school in Verbier. Started in 2008 to cater exclusively to Swedes skiing and snowboarding in Verbier, ESSE has made a great name for itself and not looked back since. During Stockholm half-term week, or week nine as it’s more commonly known in Sweden, we look after more Swedish clients than we can count.

ESSE Swedish ski school Verbier — The ESSE team from a few years ago. These guys rock a different uniform every year!

ES prides itself on being the ski school that speaks your language, and in Verbier, ESSE’s small but mighty team of ten dedicated Swedes does exactly that and more. While the ESSE uniform goes through a different incarnation every year, this winter you’ll recognise the team by their sleek dark green uniforms (made by Swedish brand, Houdini, of course), and their exceptional skiing skills. In fact, two of our ESSE instructors, Elias Henderson and Timmy Sepp, are sponsored freeride athletes.

Half term is split regionally across four weeks in Sweden, with the busiest by far in Verbier being week nine. This is the week our awesome kids’ group lessons fill up with children from in and around Stockholm, so not only are they skiing with other kids from the same area, they also have an instructor who speaks their language. All ESSE instructors speak at least English and Swedish, so even when there is a nationality split in a group, these guys can handle it expertly. Our aim is for your kids to leave their group lessons having made great friends, and not just friends from the same country as them, friends from all over the world.

ESSE Swedish ski school in Vebrier — ESSE instructor Elias Henderson is also a sponsored freeride skier.

This half-term was particularly successful for ESSE. We had six different kids’ groups on the go, as well as seven of our international and Swedish instructors teaching private lessons to Swedish families. And we’re happy to tell you it all went swimmingly. We’d like to say a big thanks to our ESSE instructors for all their hard work and to everyone who took lessons with us. We hope you had a great half-term, and see you next year!

If you’re Swedish and you’d like to book lessons with ESSE for yourself or your kids, get in touch. We’ll pair you with an Swedish instructor who speaks your language on and off the slopes.

ES, Mountain Air and Petit Verbier: The ultimate way to enjoy family skiing in Verbier

5 maart 2018 by Chloe Hardy

Verbier may be renowned for its steep slopes and amazing off-piste, but don’t let that fool you. It’s also a great destination for families. Here at ES, we know Verbier is the ultimate choice for your family holiday, especially as we work alongside some amazing companies that will make your trip as hassle-free has possible. Family skiing in Verbier has never been so easy!

Family Skiing Verbier — Skiing with the family doesn’t have to be an organisational nightmare!

If you’re travelling to Verbier with the whole family, you’ll probably want to keep everything as simple as you can. After all, it’s a holiday, the last thing you want is the hassle of getting to lessons, hiring ski equipment and organising childcare. That’s where ES, Mountain Air, Brasserie le Bec and Petit Verbier come in; to make sure your family holiday goes as smoothly as possible. We’re a ski school, ski rental shop, a restaurant and a nanny service all working together under one roof, right next to the Medran gondola in the centre of Verbier. We know you already have enough to worry about, so why go to the hassle of schlepping round town trying to get everyone where they’re supposed to be every morning when you could do it all in one place?

Mountain Air

Let’s start with Mountain Air. Located a stone’s throw from the Medran at Place Blanche, Mountain Air makes your ski rental experience truly hassle-free. From booking online to making sure you only get the best quality rental gear, ski hire has never been easier.

You can even get your ski equipment delivered and fitted at your accommodation so you don’t have to run into town to pick it up as soon as you arrive. And you can keep it safely stored in the shop when you’re not skiing. That means you don’t have to worry about schlepping all that gear back to the chalet after a long day on the slopes.

Aside from providing high-quality rental equipment, Mountain Air sells all the ski and lifestyle accessories you could need during your time in Verbier and beyond, from clothing to backcountry and touring accessories.

Inside Mountain Air, you’ll also find the amazing Brasserie le Bec. Le Bec serves up tasty lunches, après ski snacks, cakes and some of Verbier’s best coffee. Perfect for a pre- or post-ski drink, snack or meal.

European Snowsport

Mountain Air is home to the European Snowsport sales desk, so if you have any questions or would like to book lessons, just pop in and say hello! We offer private lessons for adults and group or private lessons for kids, so you have plenty of options. The meeting point for ES kids’ group lessons is also right outside Mountain Air, so you can drop your little ones off in the morning, get straight on the Medran and enjoy the slopes.

You or your kids can have ski lessons for the whole day, just in the morning or just in the afternoon so you can spend some time skiing together as a family when it suits you. We strive to be flexible and fit your lessons around you, just get in touch to find out what we can do. Group lessons are great for kids as it allows them to learn in a fun and friendly environment, and make new friends. Plus, at ES we never have more than five or six kids (depending on age) in a group.

Petit Verbier

If your kids are very young, Penguins Afternoon Club is a great option. Petit Verbier is Verbier’s premiere nanny service and they will take great care of your kids in the afternoons after their ski lessons.

ES Penguins lessons are for children aged between three and five, who are too young to ski all day. After skiing with our fun and friendly instructors all morning your kids will be dropped off at Mountain Air, where they’ll be looked after by Petit Verbier nannies in the dedicated play area just behind Brasserie le Bec. If the weather’s nice, activities like feeding the ducks, building snowmen and nature walks will help your kids make the most of the glorious Alpine environment and get lots of fresh mountain air. This means you can make the most of your ski day before sliding back to Place Blanche to pick them up in the afternoon.

If your kids are even younger, Petit Verbier provides a flexible nanny service for babies and toddlers that can be tailored to your ski day. They can even organise you a babysitter in the evening so you can enjoy a night out.

And, there you have it. Hassle-free family skiing in Verbier, right at your fingertips! Why not take a look at the ES, Petit Verbier, Mountain Air and Brasserie le Bec websites and start planning your next trip? We hope we’ll be seeing you very soon! Here at ES, we’re available every day by phone or email to book in your lessons and answer your questions.

ES Zermatt Valley Rally 2018: Raising money for the children of Nepal

Spring is here. Time for the Zermatt Valley Rally organised by our very own ES Zermatt team! ES instructor, Emma Farrington, takes us through the day as it happened.

Mogul Mayhem Zermatt 2018

One of our instructors tries his hand at at a fun freestyle moguls competition, the legendary Mogul Mayhem in Zermatt.

What Can You Expect from a Telemark Ski Lesson?

We’re back to ‘free the heel, free the mind’ with a firsthand report from a telemark ski lesson.

Verbier’s Five Best Mountain Restaurants

Le Dahu

Carrefour

Cuckoo’s Nest

La Marmotte

Les Chottes

ESSE: Taking care of Swedish half-term in Verbier

ESSE, the only dedicated Swedish ski school in Verbier