2

snowberryF&Fcards

upto 40% discountON OUR PREMIUM15 GEAR (all new this season)

to all seasonaires

Friends & Family cards

now available -treat your family or friends to massive

discounts on ski hire from Val d’Isere’s

most popular ski shop -

everyone must have one

• Guaranteed this seasons new skis

• Over 90 new models to choose from

• Val’s biggest choIce of rental gear

• Overnight storage next to the slopes

• Free lift to the shop

+ loads more

VOTED BEST SKI SHOP

IN E

URO

PE

book on-line @ www.snowberry-valdisere.comVal d’Isere’s English speaking ski shop

PICK UPYOUR FREE

mountain_echo_dec_3.indd 1 24/12/2014 11:18

3

The

Echo

is p

roud

to b

e pr

inte

d lo

cally

in V

al d

’Iser

e on

pap

er fr

om re

spon

sibl

e so

urce

s. P

leas

e re

cycl

e th

is m

agaz

ine

whe

n yo

u’re

don

e w

ith it

.

If you’d like to advertise with us, write for us, send us photographs, or just give us free stuff (which we really like) feel free to contact us via the phone number or email address

above.

Kene Ezeji-OkoyeJosh Hillman

Ben Pryor, Dr. Alan Griffithswww.echomag.co.ukval@echomag.co.uk+33 (0) 674 755 236

FB: themountainechoIG: @echomag

Echo Publications, Ltd. 6 Manchester Road, Buxton,

Derbyshire, UK, SK17 6SB

ISSUE 183 - 20 MAR 2015

step up 4bar & event listings 9

henry’s avalanche talk 12sport listings 13

directory 14news 16

fat face 18bar & restaurant guide 21

restaurant review 25the week in pictures 26

photo comp 36rumour mill 39

celebrity lookalike 40the last word 42

4

W h a t i l o v e m o s t i s w a t c h i n g a n d s u pp o r t i n g a l l t h o s e w h o d a r e , w i t h a d r i n k a n d b u r g e r i n - h a n d .

S o w h i c h c h a r i t i e s ? We a r e s u pp o r t i n g 2 c h a r i t i e s a g a i n t h i s y e a r, t h e f i r s t b e i n g v e r y i m p o r t a n t t o a l l o f u s h e r e i n Va l : t h e E s p a c e K i l l y P i s t e u r s , t o h e l p w i t h t h e i r i n c r e d i b l e w o r k ke e p i n g o u r p i s t e s s a f e .

T h e s e c o n d c h a r i t y i s ‘ R i d e r s A i d ’ ( w w w. r i d e r s - a i d . c o m ) , R i d e r s A i d i s a p r o g r a m r u n b y s k i e r s a n d s n o w b o a r d e r s w h o a r e f o c u s e d o n r a i s i n g a w a r e n e s s a n d f u n d i n g f o r t h e b a s i c n e e d s o f i m p o v e r i s h e d p e o p l e a r o u n d t h e w o r l d . R i d e r s A i d r a i s e s m o n e y t o i n s t a l l B i o S a n d w a t e r f i l t e r s i n v a r i o u s A f r i c a n c o u n t r i e s . To q u o t e f r o m p r e v i o u s y e a r s : “ T h e l i n k b e t w e e n s n o w b o a r d i n g / s k i i n g a n d A f r i c a i s t h a t w e s p e n d 6 m o n t h s a y e a r p l a y i n g a r o u n d o n t o n s o f f r o ze n w a t e r, w h e n p e o p l e i n A f r i c a s t r u g g l e w i t h e n o u g h j u s t t o s u r v i v e ” . I f y o u h av e b e e n h e r e s i n c e t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t i m e y o u w o u l d h av e k n o w n t h i s e v e n t a s ‘ S t e p U p f o r A f r i c a ’ o r ( J u m p f o r J e s u s ) b u t i n t h e p a s t f e w s e a s o n s i t ’s j u s t b e e n k n o w n a s ‘ S t e p U p ’ .

4

STEp-Up!B a c k f o r i t s 7 t h s e a s o n , t h e a n n u a l s t e p u p i s a c h a r i t y e v e n t t h a t w o n ’ t d i s a p p o i n t , w i t h a h u g e s t e p u p k i c k e r , s u n , f u n a n d a B B Q , w h a t ’ s n o t t o l o v e ? w e e v e n h a v e a f o l l o w i n g o f w i l l i n g p a r t i c i p a n t s t h a t a r e c r a z y e n o u g h t o t r y t h e k i c k e r , a n d o f c o u r s e i t ’ s o p e n t o a l l

S o f a r w e h av e r a i s e d o v e r € 10,0 0 0 f o r v a r i o u s c h a r i t i e s a n d w e h o p e t h a t w i t h y o u r h e l p w e c a n r a i s e a l o t m o r e . We h av e c o m e a l o n g w a y s i n c e o u r f i r s t k i c ke r i n A p r i l 2 0 09, b u i l d i n g b i g g e r a n d b e t t e r k i c ke r s , w i t h t h e h e l p o f G u m b y a n d h i s w i l l i n g t e a m o f b u i l d e r s . T h i s e v e n t w o u l d n o t h a pp e n w i t h o u t h i s h e l p , t h e h e l p o f t h e S k i w o r l d b o y s a n d m a n y o t h e r s , s o t h a n k y o u ! ! !

I f a n y o n e w o u l d l i ke t o h e l p w i t h t h e b u i l d t h i s s e a s o n , w e a r e m e e t i n g a t C o c o r i c o o n Tu e s d a y 24 t h M a r c h a t 9.3 0 a m w i t h s h o v e l s , a d r i n k a n d l o t s o f s u n t a n l o t i o n .

T h e e v e n t i s o r g a n i s e d b y S w i t c h C h u r c h , w h o p a y f o r a n d p u t o n t h e B B Q , s a l a d b a r, d r i n k s , r a f f l e a n d s u n s h i n e . W h i c h m e a n s a l l t h e m o n e y t a ke n f r o m t i c ke t s a l e s g o e s s t r a i g h t t o t h e c h a r i t i e s a n d n o t t o p r o v i d i n g t h e f o o d . O u r a i m i s t o p u t o n a n a w e s o m e d a y, a n d r a i s i n g a s m u c h m o n e y a n d s u pp o r t f o r t h e c h a r i t i e s a s p o s s i b l e , a l l

5

6

w h i l e b r i n g i n g t h e c o m m u n i t i e s o f Va l d ’ I s e r e a n d T i g n e s t o g e t h e r, i n w h a t i s o n e o f t h e m o s t e p i c d a y s o n t h e h i l l y o u c a n e x p e r i e n c e .

We w a n t t o b r i n g i t b a c k t o i t s r o o t s t h i s s e a s o n a s b e i n g a p a r t o f a c o m m u n i t y i s v e r y i m p o r t a n t t o u s . I t m a y n o t b e t h e r e a s o n y o u c a m e t o Va l b u t i t s u r e i s t h e r e a s o n y o u s t a y a n d r e t u r n y e a r a f t e r y e a r. R a i s i n g m o n e y f o r 2 w e l l d e s e r v i n g c h a r i t i e s i s i m p o r t a n t f o r t h e c o m m u n i t y a s a w h o l e , s o

d i g d e e p - s o g e t y o u r g o g g l e s o u t f o r t a n n i n g a n d l e t s r i p i t u p !

T h e B B Q w i l l b e i n f u l l s w i n g b y m i dd a y. S o b r i n g y o u r s e l v e s / s k i s /b o a r d s a n d s t a r t h i t t i n g t h e b i g g e s t h a n d - m a d e k i c ke r i n t h e E s p a c e K i l l y, t h e r e m a y a l s o b e a s p e c i a l t r e a t : a s t e p d o w n k i c ke r f o r t h o s e o f y o u n o t q u i t e b r av e e n o u g h t o b r i n g o u t t h e b i g gu n s . W h e n t h e p i s t e s c l o s e a n d /o r w e g e t k i c ke d o f f t h e m o u n t a i n w e ’ l l a l l h e a d t o R i ze C o f f e e B a r ( o pp o s i t e t h e p e t r o l s t a t i o n ) f o r a r a f f l e a n d m u s i c .

S o w h y n o t c o m e a l o n g ? F o r t h e p r i c e o f o n e o f y o u r s h i n y r e d € 10 n o t e s y o u ’ l l h av e a g r e a t t i m e a n d t h e a dd e d s a t i s f a c t i o n o f s u pp o r t i n g t h i s a w e s o m e d a y a n d s o m e a m a z i n g c h a r i t i e s . R a f f l e p r i ze s h av e b e e n d o n a t e d b y m a n y l o c a l c o m p a n i e s .

T i c ke t s c a n b e b o u g h t a t R i ze C o f f e e B a r o r d o n a t e € 10 o n t h e d a y.

W h e n : We d 1 s t A p r i l 2 0 1 5W h e r e : L o c a te d b e t w e e n th e C r e u x a n d E d e l w e i s s p i s te s o f f th e To m m e u s e s c h a i r l i f t .T i m e : 1 2 n o o n u n t i l l i f t s c l o s e A p r e s / R a f f l e : S t r a i g h t to R i ze C o f f e e B a r f o r m u s i c & r a f f l e

K a t G l o v e r

7

Rat RACE 2015

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

CHALLENGETEAMS OF 6 -

MIN. 1 BOARDER, 2 GIRLS

KNOWLEDGE : SPEED : ENDURANCE10 LOCATIONS ACROSS THE ESPACE KILLY

ALL DAY SESSION @ COCORICO+GREENEYE AFTER PARTY @ DOUDOUNE

sign up @ cocorico - WINNERS GET €500 + MEGA PRIZES

10

TM

€10pp

after youcats!

Rat_Race_2015_A5_vs1.indd 1 26/02/2015 16:08

8

EVERYDAY - DRINKS DEALS & MOREMoris Pub: Happy hour 4pm-6pm + 9pm–11pm, 10 for 20e Flavoured Vodka shots, 5 for 15e jager bombs, Daily burger and drink dealsUnderground: Happy hour 5-8pmBananas: Happy Hours 6:00pm-7:00pm and 10:30pm-11:30pm €3.50 Big Beer, €2 Small Beer, €3 Glass of wine €2 Shots.Doudoune: Happy hour and Free Entry from 12:00-1:00amCocorico: APRES SKI - Live Music, DJ & Entertainment HAPPY HOUR 2pm - 4pm on beer & SodaCafe Face: Hourly beer prices. Starting at 4pm, going up 10cents every hour. Free nibbles. Le Graal: Free shuttle bus & burgers from €7 until 5am.Dicks Tea Bar: Apres: €4.50 Pints 5-6pm, free nibbles & beer pong!Pacific: €13 Jugs of Beer or Cider for Beer Pong!Le Petit Danois: Free popcorn & free shots with every drink at apres!Le Lodge: Happy Hour 4:00-7:30pm €3.50 for large beer €2.00 sodaVictors: Happy Hours 16-17 and 22-23.30. 2 shots €5 2 glasses of wine €6 2 pints €7 2 drinks €8.Blue Note: Free Nibbles and cheap beers at apres (3-6pm)Pacific: Cheap Rekorderlig from 4:00pm-6:00pm Monday-Friday

SATURDAY 21stLe Petit Danois: 22h DJ Pocket Sized Dave!Le Graal: DJ GUIM Techno Trance!The Fall Line: FINALS of the 6 NATIONS!Victors: Hip-Hop with Dj Paz killah and seasonaire prices 3,50e pint or glass of wine or 5e drink.Cocorico: Après Ski with Karen LiveLe Lodge: Dj k2 plays house on lodge every Saturday from 7:00pm

Doudoune: Club 21 with Phil Garner & Petit JeanMoris Pub: Moris Brunch, 12-4pm with 3.50 Bloody Marys!Pacific: Sports Sports - Six Nations!Bananas: 3 euro Jager Bombs plus 18 euro Seasonnaire Menu in the restaurant. 3 courses with a small beer or glass wine!

SUNDAY 22ndDicks Tea Bar: DJ Charlie Love hits the decks warmed up by Dan on Saax!The Fall Line: LIVE MUSIC! Ape House 10pm. Man U v Liverpool 2.30pmMoris Pub: Champagne Sundays, free bucks fizz with every brunch 12-4! Night-Lucius brave and toss the boss, try your luck and win a bottle!Le Graal: DJ SCOOT-BE*SURPRISE*Pacific: Sports Super Sunday! Six Nations Live! The Pacific Cider & Real Ale Festival StartsLe Petit Danois: 17h Killerbeez, 22h DJ Charlie Love!Doudoune: Crazy Sundays with Philippe CosteVictors: Live music from 4pmCocorico: Après Ski Live Music with Ed (MULLIT) + DJ Phil GarnerSaloon: The Famous George More Apres 5-7!Bananas: Sunday roast dinner and all the trimmings! 10 flavoured vodka shots for 15e in the barNext Bar: Electro Techno by SCKB #AZREL #OLIV

MONDAY 23rdGraal: Club Crawl!Doudoune: Tara McDonald & Philippe CostePacific: Cider & Real Ale Festival - great deals!Moris Pub: Apres - Kick starting the week, The killerbeez. Night - Dust off your skanking sandals for SKA WARS, the 7 piece ska band!The Fall Line: DJ Pocket Sized Dave

BAR & EVENT LISTINGS

9

10

from 9pmCocorico: Après Ski with Firekind and Phil GarnerLe Petit Danois: 17h The Dominoes, 22h DJ Charlie LoveBananas: MEGA MONDAY!! Happy Hour prices on beer, wine, house spirits and flavoured vodka for all those with the secret password! See the “Le Bananas” Facebook page for details... Ends midnight.Next Bar: Reggae Ska and drum By Kabbaselecta and Convivial Soul

TUESDAY 24thDicks Tea Bar: DJ Joakim and DJ Charlie Love play back to back!Saloon: €15 jugs all night €15 House shooter trianglesLe Graal: 00’s Night!Cafe Face: Mardi Gras!!!Bananas: ALPINE JUNGLE with DJ Pocket Sized Dave!! Drum ‘n’ Bass, Jungle & Funk from 11pm. Come get funked up!!Saloon: St Paddys day at saloon with bbq and Guinness for €6Le Petit Danois: 17h Dutch Courage, 22h DJ Charlie Love!Doudoune: Ride Her First After Party with Phillipe CostePacific: Beer Pong 13 € jugs & 3 tables. Cider & Real Ale Festival - great dealsMoris Pub: Apres-Save some energy for an après with The Dominos! Night-Keep on dancing with The Elements The Fall Line: LIVE MUSIC from 10pm with Pete LeakeyCocorico: Après Ski - Live Music with Ed (MULLIT) + DJ Phil GarnerNext Bar: Electro #Reggae #Hip-Hip by TRIPLE 0 from Star Wax 100 vinyls!Cafe Face: St Paddy’s Day!WEDNESDAY 25thDicks Tea Bar: After Dinner Club with ADC resident musicians Dan Blaxx on sax and Sofia Landgren on electric violin.Moris Pub: Apres-A late après session with The incredible Mikey Gray show until 9pm.

Night-SIR NORMAN JAY, NOTTING HILL FESTIVAL IN VAL D’ISERELe Graal: ELECTRO GRAAL PIRAT PARTY!Bananas: €5 FreestylersDoudoune: Cocoloco Presents Lando and Phil Garner!Le Petit Danois: 17h SKA WARS, 22h DJ Charlie Love!Pacific: Ed Mullit, live music. Old Mutzig lager. Cider & Real Ale Festival - great deals. Beer Pong 13€ jugs & 3 tables.Cocorico: Seasonaires Big Après Ski With To The Sun & DJ Phil GarnerThe Fall Line: GAME DAY!!! Darts/Babyfoot/Beer Pong!Next Bar: Pocket size Dave eclectic selection!Saloon: Saloon beer pong tournament, entry fee €10, all beer included!

THURSDAY 26thDicks Tea Bar: LUNA with DJ Barney back due to popular demand!Saloon: Thisty Thusday - €15 Jugs of Long Island all night!!!Le Graal: Fun Radio Party SPECIAL DJ GUEST!Underground: The amazing Pashgang playing live from 11:00pm!Moris Pub: Apres-The stunning sound of Daisy B and TomNight- A noisy night with the fabulous DJ, B-Trix Kiddo!Le Petit Danois: 17h Alex Davies, 22h Pocket Sized Dave!Bananas: Guys Night 4€ Big Beers, 4€ House Spirit Mixers and 2€ Flavoured Vodka Shots for the fellas!Doudoune: Clarisse Snowmob presents Miguel Matoz and Phil GarnerThe Fall Line: LIVE MUSIC and Wine and Cheese Night with SOFIA!Victors: Live Music from 10pmCocorico: Après Ski - Live Music with To The Sun & Phil GarnerPacific: Cider & Real Ale Festival - great deals. Beer Pong 13 € jugs & 3 tables.Le Lodge: DJ K2 Spinning the

decks at 11!

FRIDAY 27thDicks Tea Bar: After dinner club followed up by DJ Filip Anderson.Saloon: Jagerbomb night! €3.50 Jagerbombs all night long!!Moris Pub: Apres-Mike and Richie making some sweet music together. Eve-Famous Friday nights at the Moris with The Dominos!!Cafe Face: Fluro Fridays - it’s going to be colourful!Underground: The amazing Pashgang playing live from 11:00pm!Le Graal: Altigliss Last Party!Bananas: FISH & CHIPS FRIDAY PLUS DJ LUCIUS BRAVE!! Fish & Chips in the restaurant and DJ Lucius Brave busting out beats downstairs from 11:30pm. Shake what ya mama gave ya!!Doudoune: RDV with Philippe CosteThe Fall Line: Gentlemens Club, stay classy, look smart and get a free shot!Cocorico: Après Ski - Live Music with The ElementsLe Petit Danois: Live George More Apres 17h, DJ Charlie Love 22hPacific: Cider & Real Ale Festival - great deals. Beer Pong 13 € jugs & 3 tables.Next Bar: Derby du Signal pre Party!!! Electro Techno

11

12

Extended Weather Forecast (as reported by Météo-France Savoie) for Savoie and the N French Alps

Fingers crossed for some light snowfall! Varied off-piste conditions - some being excellent!

Saturday 21st: Following a bright, sunny morning, clouds will come in very quickly from midday, bringing flat light conditions in the afternoon. There may be some light snowfall later on and into the night (rain/snow limit dropping from 1700 m to 1300 m). Sunday 22nd & Monday 23rd: Sunday: Thick cloud and very light snow (rain/snow limit 1700 m). Monday: Bright and dry with slightly warmer temperatures. Tuesday 24th & Wednesday 25th: Tuesday: Cloudy with a few bright spells. Wednesday: Cloudy with a few insubstantial snow showers. Off Piste Snow Conditions

We are still finding a variety of conditions and they’re very localised. Areas near the French/Italian border (like Le Fornet in Val d’Isere and Val Cenis) benefited from up to 100 cm of fresh snow earlier in the week. In these areas near the border, we are finding some lovely deep powder, sometimes light and sometimes densified by the wind, sometimes a little tricky to ski and other times fantastic.

Areas away from the border received very little fresh snow, and on warm sunny days we’re now beginning to find lovely spring snow conditions in these areas.

If spring snow conditions continue to evolve, we will post a blog on how to find that lovely soft smooth spring snow on henrysavalanchetalk.com/blog

Snow Stability

Fresh snow and strong SE to E winds at high altitude, along with strong gusts of Foehn wind along the French/Italian border have led to windslab forming, particularly on leeward W to

NW facing slopes. The weight of just one skier passing by could be enough to trigger a slab avalanche. The fresh snow has landed on top of very hard surface snow and is not bonding very well to this - there is a danger of natural or skier-triggered slides/avalanches occurring, particularly above 2800 m.

Away from the border, too, the wind has caused a lot of snow to be transported about, leading to accumulations and some surface slab, particularly above 2000 m.

With the return of the sunshine we could also see some natural slides consisting of warm heavy snow, particularly in the afternoons on steep sunny slopes (especially south-ish facing).

The avalanche risk is mainly between 1 or 2 at the moment, but up to 3 or 4 near the border areas subjected to high winds and (possibly) more fresh snow over the weekend. See our ‘HAT Advice’ for the danger ratings’ definitions - they are not much use if you don’t have a basic knowlege of what they mean: http://www.henrysavalanchetalk.com/avalanche-forecasts-danger-rating.

Tip of the WeekAvoid TERRAIN TRAPS. - Even a small avalanche can be bad if it takes you over a cliff, into a small bowl, trees or other ‘terrain traps’!

Check out the daily avalanche bulletins by Meteo France on this link: http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-meteo-montagne/bulletin-avalanches, entering the mountain area of your choice.

We’ll be updating our blog as much as possible, if conditions start to look unstable, or if we have some nice photos from a great ski on www.henrysavalanchetalk.com/blog also on Twitter @HenryOff_Piste and Google+ and Facebook

Ride Hard !! Ride Safe

Henry’sAVALANCHE

Talk

13

SATURDAY 21 MARCH

13H45 MAN CITY V WBA 13H30 ITALY WALES15H30 SCOTLAND V IRELAND16H00 NEWCASTLE V ARSENAL18H00 ENGLAND V FRANCE

SUNDAY 22 MARCH

14H30 LIVERPOOL V MAN UTD16H30 BRISTOL V WALSALL17H00 HULL CITY V CHELSEA

FRIDAY 27 MARCH

20H45 ENGLAND V LITHUANIA (EURO 2016 QUALIFIERS)

SPORT LISTINGSBROUGHT TO YOU BY PACIFIC BAR

ENGLISH MEDICAL CENTRE Dr. Alan Griffiths - In the MEDIVAL Building, opposite the Spar Petrol Station04 79 40 26 80

PISTE SECURITY / SKI PATROL Put these numbers in your phone right now!Val D’Isere – 04.79.06.02.10Tignes – 04.79.06.32.00

POMPIERS (Paramedics / Firefighters) Dial 15 from a landline or 112 from a mobile phone

POLICE MUNICIPAL (Local Police)04.79.06.10.96

GENDARMES (National Police)04.79.06.03.41

ROADSIDE ASSISTANCEPoint Auto, La Daille 04.57.55.50.28

AVALANCHE SAFETYHAT run weekly avalanche safety talks as well as excellent beeper training courses - 06.29.21.33.00

SKI SCHOOLSProgression Ski & Snowboard School - 06.21.93.93.80 www.progressionski.com

New Generation - 04.79.01.03.18 www.skinewgen.com

PIZZA DELIVERYFlash Pizza - 04.79.41.96.06 www.flashpizzavaldisere.com

PHYSIOTHERAPY / REFLEXOLOGYMASSAGE / PILATESProgression Physiotherapy and Massage - 0033 (0)6 27 38 56 46

RADIO/TV VAL D’ISERE 96.1FM and online www.radiovaldisere.com - 06.27.38.56.46

SWIMMING POOL / SAUNA / GYMClLIMBING WALL / YOGAThe Aquasport Lesiure Centre at the bottom of the Face. 04.79.04.26.01

MOBILE PHONES / SIM CARDS / DVD & HEADCAM RENTALPhilips Shop, near the tourist office - To hire DVD’s or headcams you ‘ll need to bring your passport and pay a deposit.04.79.06.05.64

TOURIST INFORMATIONOffice de Tourisme, located at the main roundabout. Open 7 days a week from 8:30 am until 7:30 pm. - 04.79.06.06.60

LOCKSMITH/KEYS CUTAndy @ Prestige Renovations - 06.74.73.92.41

ACCOMODATION Pierdor - Accomodation by the week, month or season - 06.80.47.11.70

AIRPORT TRANSFERSEurope Transfer - 06.29.52.37.50

STVI (Lift Pass offices)04.79.06.00.35

WHEN CALLING FROM A FOREIGN PHONE ADD 0033 AND DROP THE FIRST 0

14

€€€

15

16

G eorge Osborne del ivered the UK budget this week, akin to a l ight f luff ing for voter s with the general e lection around the corner. A 1p cut in beer duty with a pint in London around £4.50, has effectively created the wor s t reward c ard in his tory. Danny Alex ander pres ented the L ibDems alternative budget later on to a near ly empty Commons, with only a third of h is par ty ’s MPs turning up; probably s t i l l more than they wi l l have by the end of May. Red Ed continues to prove an easier target than Adele at a buffet after i t emerged a photo of h im and his wife in their modes t k itchen was taken in the smal ler of the t wo that they have in their £2m London townhous e; apparently a l l champagne s ocia l is t s are created equal but s ome are created more equal than other s .

Footage of Greek f inance minis ter Varoufakis s ugges ting his country should ‘s t ick the f inger ’ to G ermany, making the corresponding ges ture , has been us ed on a G erman talk show ahead of this week’s EU s ummit . Whi le the footage was quickly dismis s ed as fake or taken out of context , i t ’s doubtful an offer to s tick the f inger wi l l sway Chancel lor Merkel to us e any thing other than a hard l ine with Greece in Brus s els , i f i t ever has . Pres ident Ohaha has yet to congratulate Benjamin Netanyahu on his s urpr is e e lection v ictory ; probably bec aus e he dropped his Pales tinian State pledge pos t-election fas ter than an MP’s chi ld abus e inves tigation.

A F lor ida cycl is t d ied after accidental ly shooting hims elf in the ches t with a handgun that was in his

jacket pocket ; I gues s technic al ly he didn’t take the correct s afety prec autions . A man dres s ed as Dar th Vader robbed a bank in Nor th C arol ina with a r i f le ; I real is e quel l ing an intergalactic rebel l ion doesn’t come cheap, but would i t have k i l led him to us e his l ight s aber. An Aus tral ian news anchor has c aus ed a s ocia l media s torm after wear ing a top with a neckl ine that looked l ike a penis on the weekend news; bal lsy. C lean Water Services in Por tland is petit ioning the counci l to a l low them to us e recycled s ewage water to make a lcohol ic beverages ; no reas on this should be an is s ue as Budweis er has been doing i t for year s . Str ipper s acros s Mos cow, inspired by Pres ident Putin’s decis ion to cut his s a lary ear l ier this month, have s lashed their s by 10% and expanded their s ervices in a bid to s ave the Rus sian economy; unles s thos e s ervices include ne gotiating a peace treaty with Ukraine and ending the economic blockade I ’d s ay they’re buggered. I ta l ian pol ice are inves tigating c lothing l ine Ros s o di Sera for b lasphemy after a bi l lboard featur ing a bare-breas ted nun was erected ahead of h is v is i t to Naples ; before you ask , her hands were cover ing her naples .

And f inal ly, a C al i fornian man arres ted on auto theft and probation violation charges attempted to spray paint hims elf b lack to avoid the cops ; not ex actly playing the percentages there , unles s he us ed to play in the NFL. Unti l next week, I ’m off for an expanded s ervice in Mos cow.

Ben Pryor

WITH BEN pRYORWorld News

17

Route du Parc des Sports, 73 150 Val d’Isère Tél: +33(0)479060652 E-Mail: Victors@langley.euKeep skiing, keep it simple and spend your nights at VICTOR´S

FANTASTIC

18

We gather you did a fair few seasons Tim, what were you doing before that?“I Spent a bit of time walking the streets of London wearing a pointed hat apparently being a policemen, then I swapped the black uniform for a yellow one and ended up in Gran Canaria as a holiday rep.”

Bit of a transition from the Police to a 20’s rep in spain! What made you do a winter?“Well lots of the guys I did my summer with did winters, and I wanted to learn French! Sadly, nobody spoke French in Meribel!”

So your first season was in Meribel, when was that?“I was in Meribel when I was 21 after my first summer season so that would have been 1987!”

What was your first winter season job? “I was a barman in The Pub.”

Was it good? What’s the worst season Job you’ve done?“Yer The Pub was great, the worst job was working for a donkey safari in Benidorm. The Spanish owner used to rub his mount’s cock to make it go faster. He also made the sandwiches…”

So how did ‘Fat Face’ get started up?“In my 2nd season in The Pub, I brought some T-Shirts out from the UK and sold them out of a bin liner over the bar. They all went in the first week. It seemed like a good idea, so I stopped pulling pints and went back home to get another batch. That was the start of Fat Face.”

CONT ON p 34

A seasonnaire success story with tim slade

founder of;

19

20

CHEESE SPECIALITIES

- FRESH AND LOCAL

PRODUCTS

- BOOKING STRONGLY

ADVISED :

04 79 06 02 00

- UCPA BUS STOP

- SPECIAL OFFERS ON

FACEBOOK.COM/HOTELLAVANCHER

Genuine and charming

21

DICKS TEA BARLocated in the centre of town, does this place really need an introduction? Open from 4pm to 5am with great (read: sexy) staff, an amazing lighting and sound system as well as a cosy amibance during apres. Drinks promotions every night from 11pm – 12pm. Book ahead for VIP tables. 06.77.03.61.20

LE GRAALOne of the smartest nightclubs in town complete with a flashing dance floor. Free shuttle bus 11pm - 5 am: see following page for details. Free wi-fi and an all-night burger bar make it a great place to hang out before the crowds show up (about 10:30pm-1am) or a great spot for a late night snack.

MORIS PUB25 seasons old and still going strong with the chalet girl’s favourite drink, the 1080, live music every après and evening there is plenty on offer at the Moris. The Home of Val’s Best Gourmet Burgers, homemade & huge. The Brave take on the legendary doubledecker Moris Burger. Also offering up veggie choices as well as massive portions of wings & nachos. Come hungry...

SALOONLocated on the slopes and in town at the same time, this place is a good meeting spot during the day and party spot at night. Après ski is wedged in the middle with live music and even a ski attendant. Keep an eye out for their epic theme parties!

BLUE NOTELocated next to the hotel Omelune, opposite the ESF office. Serving up all your classic drinks to a mixture of jazz and funk. Atmospheric and friendly with free nibbles and specials at aprés (3pm-6pm). They also have a pool table as well as table football and show main sporting events especially boxing due to owner Matt’s armchair obsession.

DOUDOUNE CLUBDoudoune Club opened 2008 and has since then brought some of the biggest nights to Val d’Isère.World class residents Phil Garner & Phillippe Coste will together with weekly guest DJs give you a clubbing experience you won’t forget! Located under Cocorico - Apres Ski. Open daily from midnight - 05.00. Free pick up 06.01.45.69.07

FLASH PIZZABetter known for its delivery and take out service, it also offers an eat-in service with a relaxed atmosphere, super friendly service and wine bar. It is located next to the Galerie des Cimes in the centre of town. 04.79.41.96.06

THE FALL LINENewly renovated after being bought by 3 of Val d’Isere’s most legendary barmen, you won’t recognize the old Bar la Foret. A great cocktail list, reasonable prices, an abundance of chalet girls, plus Handsome Giles and Charming Timmy behind the bar, what’s not to like?

22

BAR L’ALEXANDRALocated near the post office down the “front de neige” and open from 5:00pm till 1:00am. Bar Alex is a seasonaire bar with a very chilled ambience and the best pool tables in town. Also famous for their cocktails and cheap happy hour prices (5:00-7:00pm).

RiZE COFFEE BARLocated at the front of the Portillo. Serving freshly ground Baristo style coffees, smoothies, yummy paninis, homemade cakes and soup. A selection of great beers and wines also available! Open daily, 8:30-19:00. Chilled, comfy and cosy!

COCORICO - APRèS SKICocorico is a new Après Ski concept in Val d’Isère opening its unique terrace for the season 14/15. Open every day 2pm - 8pm. Live Music, DJs & Entertainment daily. Ski in, Walk In, Bus In!

LE PETIT DANOISOffering good all round service and live music at apres. Will create your hangover at night with the highly intoxicating Red Erik and scandie fun but cure it the next day with a full English breakfast. Open for food all day from 10am to 10pm serving traditional breakfasts, the Danois also serves pies, great wraps, salads, curries burgers, and steaks. Located in the centre above the bus stop roundabout. LOOPLocated at the foot of the slopes in the centre of Tignes Le Lac, Loop is a perennial favourite for tourists and seasonnaires alike. Great DJ’s & live music at night. When the sun shines, there is no better place than the terrace overlooking the lake and peaks to kick back with a gourmet burger and refreshing beer.

PACIFICJust past the second roundabout in the centre of town. Well known for its huge selection of cider, beers, live music during apres and in the evening,

plus snacks and nibbles to keep you going. There’s Beer Pong on the go all the time and 13€ jugs of beer and cider at apres. Most importantly Pacific shows all the live sports. so it’s the place to go whether it’s hand ball, footie, rugby, F1, cricket or superbowl you’re after....... you name it, Guffy and his friendly team will show it!

UNDERGROUND CAFEA sleek basement bar situated right in the center of town it’s got a modern New York feel, great DJs and has some of the best cocktails in town. It’s sister restaurant is just above it on the corner and features a great selection of burgers to eat in or take away.

FOLIE DOUCELocated on the mountain on the OK/Orange, this ‘daytime nightclub’ creates one hell of a party up there with live DJ’s and singers mixed together. The mountain restaurant offers a full range menu in a luxury environment. Eat inside or out and soak up the party atmosphere!

CAFÉ FACELocated in the centre of town, this is a cosmopolitan bar with live music from five. Hourly beer prices from 4pm going up 10 cents an hour until 10pm and free gastronomic finger food.

P’TIT CREUXAlways our favourite pit-stop on the way home from a long night out P’tit Creux is open all day serving tasty cooked-to-order takeaway pizzas and kebabs. The fact that we’ve spotted a famous 3 Michelin star chef walking away with one of their kebabs speaks volumes.

LE LODGERight in the centre of town this is a great place to eat in a vibrant atmosphere. It’s always busy so book ahead. It’s fondue is pretty much the stuff of legend, and the bar downstairs has a great happy hour and chilled house music. 04.79.06.02.01

23

Reggae

Hip-Hop

Trap

Cumbia

Drum

24

TIGNES CUISINEBased on the slopes at Tignes Le Lac you can ski to their south facing terrace for fast and fun asian cuisine. They steam fry their dishes to ensure the fresh ingredients remain healthy and tasty. Look out for some super-tasty new menu items this year.

4 SEASONSSituated in Bar Alexandra (next to the post office), 4 seasons has a great alternative menu, including Wraps, Curry, Thai, in a fresh relaxed atmosphere. Eat in and take away, it’s open for lunch midday till 2pm weekdays and open for dinner 6:30pm till 11pm 7 days. They also do Tapas from 5:30.

BAR JACQUESIn the middle of town Bar Jacques is a great, cosy, family run restaurant with a menu focusing on food from south-western France and the Savoie. Fantastic Foie Gras and the best Cassoulet you’ve ever tasted. 04.79.06.03.89

DANS LE JARDIN DES ALPESVal’s newest restaurant in the end of the Gallerie des Cimes features a unique concept with a deocor that brings the countryside indoors (think massive trees and a starry sky), an upmarket sandwich shop (featuring the cheap and HUGE Hunger Breaker) and a chef who puts his own touch on mountain classics - not one to miss! 04.79.07.93.04

VICTORSLocated above the Spar supermarket. If you enjoy good cocktails and being surrounded by attractive Scandinavians this is the place to be. starts out with excellent cocktails and finishes off with full on craziness. The restaurant offers food until 11pm, some say it’s the best value for your money. 04.79.06.06.52

ARBRE DE VIE‘The Tree of Life’, one of Val’s newest restaurants located in the Galerie des Cimes opposite the Bus Station. Manu, Caro, and the rest of their ‘Fab’ team welcome you with a warm and friendly atmosphere. Open every evening, as well as at midday on the

weekend, their chef uses fresh quality products to bring you Alpine specialities with a touch of world flavours. 04.79.06.17.97

BANANASLocated steps off the snowfront, Bananas is back in full-swing! A great little Tex-Mex influenced restaurant by day serving up Fajitas, Tacos, Steaks, Salads, Burgers and more. Now featuring Fish & Chip Fridays, Sunday Roasts, and affordable 3 course menus for seasonnaires on the weekends! At night it turns into a great little basement bar with an amazing ambiance famous for bringing in chalet girls by the truckload. 04.79.08.01.62

L’AVANCHERThis hotel/restaurant is a piece of Val d’Isere’s history, first opening in 1958. Now operated by a young, ambitious team for the second year running, its reputation is maintained by the quality of its Savoyard specialities and the fresh, local products used, but you can also enjoy a large variety of main dishes, including the Chef Tom’s famous hamburger! Located after the UCPA bus stop towards the Fornet. Reservations are strongly advised. 04.79.06.02.00

NEXT BARLocated kitty-corner to the bus station underneath the famous Tocade Burger, you’re in for a nice surprise if you’re popping in to Next for the first time. A cosy decor, pinball, pool, games on the tables, and one of Val d’Isere’s most passionate barmen make it an ideal place for a Belgian beer or great cocktail with ingredients made in-house. They’ve also got a nice little menu on offer as well as live music/DJ nights a couple times a week.

AU BON POULETLocated outside Portillo one bus stop down from the centre of town. Bon Poulet does freshly cooked rotisserie chickens, fresh veg soup and awesome satay, chilli or curry noodles with beef, shrimps or veggies! You can even have them delivered to your door! Open every day 06:00pm-22:00pm 06.89.06.64.35

25

LoopLoop is located in the centre of Tignes Le Lac just off to the right of Piste Trolles, as the weather really heats up towards the end of the season the Loop terrace is the perfect lunch stop! The menu has a bit of everything from soups to nachos, scampi to pulled pork, and also an incredible range of their famous Loop burgers! We went for the Texan Burger topped with spicy jalapenos and cheese. It certainly hit the spot after a morning’s skiing. Head over to Loop and kick back in the sun with a drink and some good food you won’t be dissapointed!

Loop is open 11:00 - 01:30 and they serve food from 11:00 – 20:00 - Enjoy!

26

The

WEEKIn

PICTURESAsk to wear the helmet and see what happens...

Fraser’s Back!

27

28

29

St Paddy’s Day Saloon Crew!

30

You may get branded in the final weeks if you’ve misbehaved this season...

Bird Feeding in Bananas!

31

Someone’s Birthday Jade?!

32

Thug Couple!No Words

First couloir!

33

Fab Photobombed!

34

Did you ever conceive how big it could become?“It’s not really something that Jules and I talked about to be honest. We were having a great crack, driving around different resorts in a beaten up van with bin liners of sweatshirts. We never even thought about it becoming a proper job.”

How did it grow so quickly?“We gave free kit away to loads of seasonnaires and it seemed that everyone on holiday wanted a shirt to take home with them. We literally couldn’t make them fast enough. A little later down the line in 1992 we opened our first store in Fulham. By 1998 we had 18 stores. In 2005 we sold the business and headed back to the slopes where we belong. Today there are over 200 stores!”

That’s insane - and without really meaning to do it! Can you tell us what the scariest thing that’s happened to you on the mountain was?“I took 16 people out for a long lunch at The Fruitiere last year, you were one of them! It was when the waiter handed me the bill…”

Ha sorry about that! What’s the stupidest thing you’ve done?“Me, Jules and a gay friend of mine (Jonny Hillman) thought it would be fun to dress up as Margaret Thatcher to watch the England v France match at the New Zealand Rugby World Cup. The only problem was that we looked nothing like her, in reality when we arrived at the stadium we were just three old blokes in blue dresses and high heels… that didn’t go down very well with the Kiwis”

Finally Tim, now you’re retired and you’re no longer running Fat Face what do you get up to? And what are your plans for the future?“I’m still involved with a few businesses. The kite surfing is coming on and I’m back and forth to Chamonix quite a bit as one of my kids is alpine racing. I travel as much as possible. This summer we chartered a real pirate ship around the greek islands with my kids and their friends… stuff like that still gives me a buzz, I’m a big kid still at heart. As for the future? I wouldn’t mind doing it all again, so if there’s anyone out there with a good deal on bin liners I’m in!”

Give the man back his hat!

CONT FROM p 18

35

CONT FROM p 18

36

RIDER: THEO JENNINgS NExT WEEk IT COUlD BE YOU!

Each week we host a photo competition sponsored by our favourite homegrown brand: PLANKS. It’s free to enter and the winner gets to grab themselves a beanie

from their fresh new 2014-15 lineup.Think you can do better? Prove it. Send your entries to val@themountainecho.co.ukThe Fine Print: By sending in a photo in you’re giving us the right to publish it, crop it, and generally use it in any way we want to.

Kind of like your mum. Prizes must be collected in person at the Planks store in Val Village.

37

38

facebook.com/moris.pub

THURSDAY|Night- Daisy B & TomFRIDAY |Apres- Mike & Richie Night- The Dominos

N O T T I N G H I L L C A R N I V A LC O M E S T O V A L d ' i s e r e

39

Calamity Cliff After posting a video to our Echo page a week ago of a skier trying to take a selfie on top of a cliff and then falling badly off it by accident. It was fairly ironic but also very scary that Kene (Echo) managed to do the same thing on Tuesday. Standing on a 20 foot cliff in Le Fornet, Kene temporarily forgot where he was while he tried to get his Go Pro out for filming, as he did so he slid backwards straight off the cliff with a small squeak. Luckily he was fine and had a soft landing, narrowly missing a large rock! We’re only slightly upset he didn’t switch the camera on in time to record it. We did get a photo at the bottom though!

England’s FinestIona (Project Ski) had a team of Oxford University graduates last week, she assumed due to their obvious intelligence they would be a fairly easy group to look after… This was of course proved wrong when she was called to the Chalet on the first night to break up a house party with the Gendarmes

imposing a large fine. They did a pretty good job of fucking up their chalet, as well as losing all their rental skis, and managing to miss their flight home. These are among the smartest people in Britain…

Saloon Win Paddy’s Day:Sorcha (Saloon) threw up on the dance floor while working and then cleared it up and pretended it didn’t happen. Her colleague Sam decided during her shift the most appropriate place to pee was in fact the bin in the bus boy room. Finally Max followed in another seasonnaire’s footsteps from last week scoring a double. More impressively while working a split shift! One on his break and one after Dicks… Both being other bar staff in town…

Nice to be noticed.When closing Bluenote on Thursday Ilaria found someone was still inside the men’s toilet. After a lot of banging on the door sleeping beauty finally emerged. Her friends clearly hadn’t noticed she’d disappeared an hour before and not returned!

40

Quote Of The WeekLorna (Moris) “You can poke me all you want…”

Sophie (Pacific) seems to love being in the Echo, she came out with this line shortly before passing out at the bar: “Sex isn’t that bad it’s just like playing tennis.”

Spiders Attacks in ValWithout wanting to terrify the Val community too much, this is the result of a spider bite

on Marc (Snowberry)’s wrist! He’s got the super strength but has yet to don a lycra suit or spin a web!

Perfect Match?We’re not sure who set up Chalet Hotel with it ’s own tinder profile? Maybe it ’s going to be the the new sales technique for matches that need a quick room? We swiped left!

As usual, nothing printed in the Rumour Mill has been properly researched and everything should be taken as fiction rather than fact.If you’ve got any questions or comments, or just want to spil l the beans on your mates shenanigans, please email us: val@echomag.co.uk

Pat RossiSki Bum / A poor man’s Jack Sparrow

Gary (Team America)“You’re going to fool everyone Gary!”

41

42

The LASTWordComedian Ron White once said: “I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.”

I suppose that’s kind of the philosophy behind Step Up this week; those of us lucky enough to live in/visit Val d’Isere have definitely been given a life full of vodka and good times. Sharing a bit of our wealth is probably the right thing to do, especially seeing as all we really need to do is drink some beer and eat some BBQ on the side of a mountain.

That’s all I’ve really got to say this week. Now I’m off to fulfill my life’s goal of being as cool as these 3 dogs spotted outside Loop in Tignes.

Until next week, keep your stick on the ice.KE

Photo: Victoria O

’Hagan

43

Best after ski in Val. Legendary Hourly beer prices from 4pm!!Brio&Co

LIVE MUSCIANS FROM 5PM EVERY DAY !IMMEUBLE CHRISTIANIA 73150 VAL D’ISERE - T : +33 (0)4 79 06 29 80 - CAFE FACE - WWW.LAFOLIEDOUCE.COM