WHATS NEW FOR 2009_2010 SKI  SEASON in MERIBEL & MOTTARET

Free skiing for adult beginners
Beginners can learn for free in Méribel with Première Glisse (First Steps). 50% of adults who try skiing give up after one day. To help adult beginners get over this first hurdle, Méribel has introduced Première Glisse, a free day of learning with help and support. The first day on snow includes:
• free equipment hire
• free pass for the beginners’ ski area
• An ESF instructor on site to give basic instructions to beginners and advice on how and where to progress.
Premiere Glisse is available on Sunday and Monday mornings, except during school holiday periods.

Ski Area Improvements
A major re-shaping of the Lievre run. The previously tricky lower part of this blue run leading to la Chaudanne is now wider with an easier gradient, offering less-confident skiers an easier ski back into the resort.

3 hour liftpass
For those who don’t like to ski all day, you can now buy a 3 hour liftpass starting at any time. You will be able to ski for three continuous hours in Méribel’s ski area, starting at whatever time you like, for 32€ (the same price as a half day pass starting at 12.30pm).

New “ski-taxi” service
For those unable to ski, now there is an easy means of accessing the ski area. The ESF (French Ski School) is offering a ski-taxi service, inspired by disabled skiing. Seated in a “sit-ski”, the passenger is propelled along by a qualified instructor. This offers an ingenious means of travelling around the slopes and reaching the most beautiful spots in the 3 Vallées – and of course, the restaurants which can only be accessed on skis.

Children’s freestyle area and off-piste courses
The P’tit Moon offers an area especially designed for mini freestylers. A beginners’ boardercross for children aged 5 to 10 will enable tiny freestylers a place to practice banked turns and whoops in safety. For a slightly older age group, there will also be Freeride courses with a High Mountain Guide this winter. Méribel’s Mountain Guides’ Office is offering teenagers the chance to discover the pleasures of off-piste and become aware of safety issues with experienced guides.

Chairlift safety device available to all children
Chairlift safety device, Magnestick, is now available to all children (previously it was offered only to those in ESF group lessons). Chairlifts in the area covered by the Mottaret Minipass (8 easy slopes for adult and child beginners) are equipped with the Magnestick system. Children wearning the magnetic Magnestick bib are safely ‘stuck’ to the chairlift. The bibs will be for sale and rent from sports shops this winter.

Green snow
Méribel is committed to ecologically sustainable tourism (it was recently awarded the ‘Marianne d’Or du Grenelle 2009’ environmental award for its managment of waste water from mountain restaurants and lift stations). Green initiatives this winter include:
• quieter snowploughs working in the resort (the previous ear-piercing siren is replaced by a more restful “cry of the lynx”
• All 1300 lamps lighting up the resort at night will drop in voltage from 230 to 180 Watts to save on electricity.
• Méribel’s Christmas decorations are to be fitted with mercury-free, long life LEDs.

Major events winter 2009-10
Méribel bid to host the 2013 World Cup Finals but, sadly, was not selected. Major events scheduled for this winter include:

December 16th: FIS Freestyle World Cup

December 30th: Ice Hockey League Cup Finals

January 30th – February 6th: British Forces International Ski and Snowboard Championships

March 20th -26th: Altitude Comedy Festival

March 27th – April 13th: British Ski Championships

 Flight Information:- 

• BMi Baby – have released flights to Geneva from Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff & East Midlands
• EasyJet – Winter flights now bookable. including new Birmingham-Geneva route
• British Airways – flights available to Geneva from London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford & Manchester
• Jet 2 – flights available from Leeds Bradford & Manchester to both Geneva and Chambery
• Swiss – flights available from both London City & Heathrow to Geneva
• Satellite Travel (travel agent) – flights available now to both Geneva and Chambery airports
• Ski Flights – flights available now to both Geneva and Chambery airports
• Globespan have both announced their winter flight programme. They fly from a variety of UK airports (including Scotland) to Chambery and Geneva