Emma in The Alpine Cookery Course winter office

It is that time of year again and as the winter comes to a close we are already starting to look forward to the summer and The Alpine Cookery Courses. The question I ask myself is why do we go back time and time again to a country where I can barely speak the language, the cost of a mushroom is more than a gold bar and my accommodation resembles ‘the old woman who lived in a shoe.’ My knees hurt (that could be my age) and I have what can only described as a bad tan line from my nose down.

Sold yet?

Lets just say once a winter season gets a firm grip of you, good luck to those who think they want to go and work in an office with a small window to breathe polluted air through, sitting on your bottom for nine hours a day, traveling to and from work in the dark and the rain for at least six months of the year. Your day is spent clock watching waiting for your lunch hour to eat a ‘low fat’ sandwich at your desk with your fifth cup of coffee…Is this as exciting as your day gets?

Sold yet?

Right so is it now time to think about changing your life and book onto The Alpine Cookery Course 

Go on do something different and enjoy your life.

The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com

How many of you have sore feet because of poor fitting ski boots?

I suspect that the answer from many people, holiday makers or seasonaires, is Yes.  The cause of this is generally boots that are too big or too small or the wrong shape for your feet. 

So what do you do?  Well you could just throw them in the bin or keep visiting the ski rental shop until you find a pair that are vaguely comfy and put up with them for the rest of your holiday or season.  In the long term this is not the ideal solution to the problem, investing in your own boots maybe costly but also well worth it and will probably pay itself back within 1 season if you ski 2 or 3 times a year.

If you own a pair of boots but find they give you pain, maybe on the bottom or side of your foot, have become too big so you are cranking up the buckles to keep your foot still and giving yourself cramp or pins and needles.  Then you need to visit a good boot fitting shop to get some help.

Most resorts will have a shop that offers some kind of specialist boot fitting service some are better than others but they can help to relive some of the discomfort and sort out a solution to some of the problems.

A common solution to many boot problems is to have a footbed made for you.  A footbed is a moulded insole that matches the shape of the bottom of your foot, this will prevent your foot slipping around in the bottom of the boot, take up some space if your boot is feeling too big.  It can alleviate pain around your foot by stabilising it in the boots, stopping it moving around.   These usually cost from about 80 Euros for a pair and they are certainly worth the investment as the first step towards boot comfort.

Many people think a precise fit means uncomfortable but that does not have to be the case, you can have a well fitting ski boot that is a pleasure to ski in all day; don’t confuse comfort and fit as they can come hand in hand.

If you are planning on buying new ski boots then find a good boot fitting shop like ‘Sole’ in Chamonix.  Anyone that knows their stuff will do a proper “fitting” that should take at least 1 – 2hrs and they will in effect choose the boot for you.  They look at you foot and lower leg shape as well as asking what kind of skiing you do and select a couple of boots for you to try on to see how they feel.  Once the best boot has been chosen then generally they will heat the liner of the boot and possibly the shell; before putting your feet back into them to mould the liner to your foot and lower leg shape.

The next 15 minutes or so is usually spent pacing the floor of the shop with hot feet until the boot and liner cool down and have settled in shape.  The next step is to ski in the boot and see how it feels.  If you buy boots in resort this is obviously much easier to do unless you have a dry slope close by in the UK!  If you suffer any further pain or discomfort then you need to return to the shop and they should be able to sort this out with some wizzardy and trickery! 

Everything from lumps and bumps, high instep, flat footed, poor alignment and more can be dealt with by a boot fitter.  If you are going to be doing a ski season and want to buy some kit before you go to resort then I recommend buying boots over skis.  A good pair of boots can make the world of difference to your skiing and you will certainly get your money’s worth across the season.

Sole Boot Lab and Pro Shop

The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com

Last week was the calm before the storm. The coming week is the busiest week of the season as it is school holidays for many countries. I have therefore been making the most of this week skiing as much powder as I can.
We headed over to Bruson, a hidden gem in the Verbier ski area and hit some deep powder whilst trying to avoid hitting the trees. We managed to get thoroughly lost but popped out at the bottom completely exhausted and very happy. We then completed the day with a bowl of the local nettle soup. Ortie is the French work for nettle, something I don’t come across often in the supermarket. Maybe a new recipe for The Alpine Cookery Course manual!

The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com

EARLY BIRD PROMOTION

BOOK ON TO ANY OF THE ALPINE COOKERY COURSES FOR 2010 BY THE 1ST OF APRIL AND RECEIVE £25 OFF THE PRICE.

Even though the Winter is in full swing and we are skiing our socks off we are already thinking about next season. If you fancy a working a Winter season get ahead of the game and start planning now. Companies start recruiting any time from May onwards so, go on book your place on The Alpine Cookery Course and receive an early bird discount.

The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com

Join the Discount Revolution

Get your privilege alps card

What is it?
A handy credit card sized fold out card packed full of discounts for shops, bars, restaurants and outdoor activities for those living and working in the resort of Chamonix. 

How does it work?
Pick up your card from one of the on-the-ground distributors in Chamonix or online via their site http://www.privilegealps.com/ or pop into their office in Chamonix.   It costs just 10 Euros and has up to 100 Euros of available discounts.
1 Privilege Alps card = 1 discount per person per transaction.

Get your card HERE to take advantage of the great offers on every Privilege Alps card.

The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com

Photo courtesy of Tom Greenall  www.idriskis.com

Since the start of the 2009/2010 ski season I have been out enjoying the snow.  So far we have had a pretty good amount of snow across the Alps inter-dispersed with some very cold weather before Christmas as well as some warmer days too.

In Chamonix we now have excellent snow after a big snowfall on Monday on 4^th Jan, we got approximately 40cm of beautiful cold fresh powder and the skiing all this week was amazing.  I managed to sneak out of the office for a few hours on Wednesday to do my first run down the Vallee Blanche of the ski season.

I joined some friends and we headed up the Aiguille Midi cable car to the summit at 3842m, the sun was out, very little wind and great snow conditions.  We decided on the Envers du Plan route down the glacier, which is a spectacular route but this time we had to make the route down as it had yet to be skiing.

Negotiating the crevasses and overhanging seracs was interesting to say the least, its intimidating heading down a route such as this with no prior knowledge if your route will suddenly be barred by an un-crossable crevasses.  It certainly tests your navigation and terrain reading skills!

Fortunately my good friend Stuart MacDonald was with us, who is a IFMGA Mountain Guide, so is very capable at the route finding.  The snow was fantastic, at least half a meter of beautiful cold powder snow, lots of face shots and fresh tracks were had.

If you want to ski the Vallee Blanche then you need to be a good skier with some off piste experience and its essential you have a Mountain Guide with you.  To book one check out http://www.mountaintracks.co.uk/winter

Photo courtesy of Tom Greenall  www.idriskis.com

I have also enjoyed some great skiing on New Year’s day on the Glacier du Toule in Italy, some tree skiing at Le Tour and some steep skiing with my friend Roger Knox on the Brevent ski area in Chamonix.  We skied the ENSA couloirs last Sunday which is a 45-50 degree couloirs on the south face of Brevent, with the view of Mont Blanc in front of you and the town of Chamonix 2500m straight below you.  It’s an exciting ski for sure especially when you get in powder snow all the way down.

The weather forecast is good for next week, some sunshine but with the air temperature staying cold which will mean the snow will stay good.  I am sure Emma will update you with her skiing antics in Verbier since Christmas when she can.

Don't look down, ENSA Couloirs

The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com

Well me neither. Actually I can but it did take me years of practise to get it right, even after watching colleagues demoing it at cookery courses. I do remember being taught a method at cookery collage involving a large pan of hot water a splash of vinegar and a whirlpool! Fortunately egg poaching day had no bearing on the pass or fail as mine turned in a soggy scrambled, stringy mess.

After many attempts of poach an egg I finally got it sussed out – the temperature of the water is the most essential point to get right – hot, steaming water but not boiling or even simmering, when you can see a few little bubbles just forming on the bottomof the pan, that’s the right temperature. Then have an egg at room temperature, not straight from the fridge, make a small whirlpool in the centre of your saucepan and crack the egg into it.

Hopefully the lightly swirling water will assist to keep the egg white together ish. Now you need to wait and keep an eye on the water temperature, if it starts to look like it might boil, take the pan off the heat and the water is more than hot enough to keep the egg cooking. Try to resist the temptation to poke or agitate the egg as you can so easily cause the yolk to break.

You know when it is cooked as all the white should go white and no longer be a clear/opaque colour. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, gently lift the egg off the bottom of the pan and remove it from the water onto a plate, dry it slightly with kitchen roll and its ready to serve.

To make your life even easier you can invest in a Poach Pod, this is a silicon pod that you crack your egg into, then place the pod into a pan of very lightly simmering water. Father Christmas gave me 2 this year and they are absolute genius and work a treat, especially if you are trying to do more than 1 egg at a time. The egg cooks perfectly in the pod and they are really easy to remove by running a spoon around the side and you can just pop it out.

Try them out, you can buy them in any good cook shop like http://www.lakeland.co.uk/and they cost around £4.99 each. Here’s what they look like:

The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com

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The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com

Winter has arrived in the Alps and there is good snow in all the resorts, lifts are open and people are out skiing and having fun. Most people starting their seasons will be arriving in their resort or on their training week, eagerly learning their way around the resort and their chalet, meeting their colleagues, going shopping, cooking and finding out the best bars in town.

So what does training week really involve? Well you usually begin your training with all your fellow staff who will be working in the same resort, you might do this in a different resort to the one you are actually working in. For example a big company like Crystal may take all its staff to Val d’Isere for training week, if you are working for a smaller company then your training will be done in the resort and chalet you are working in. You will be split into groups and under your chalet or resort manger, along with the area manager you will do resort orientation – finding the tourist office, ski hire shops, where to buy lift passes, the medical centre/doctor, the ski lifts, other chalets and much much more.

As chalet hosts if you have set menus from the company you will spend 3 – 4 days cooking meals from these menus so you know what they look like, how they taste, how to present them and getting used to using different ingredients and finding your way around the kitchen. You may do a big shopping trip to the supermarket down the valley to stock up your chalet for the coming winter too. You will have sessions on cleaning and making up your chalet ready for each week of guests, you manager will take you through how you receive information on your guests your welcome speech on their arrival, how to deal with any problems and complaints; you are likely to receive a manual from your company that you keep for reference throughout the season.

Once all this has been done you will be moved to your resort and settle into your chalet and begin to get it set up for the arrival of your first guests. You maybe lucky to have a week or two of guests before Christmas, which will get you into the swing of things before the busiest and most tiring week of the season!

Hopefully in amongst all of this you will get to go skiing a little bit, don’t be surprised or upset if you are not given your lift pass until training is over. This is often the case as you have so much to focus on first that they don’t let you out onto the mountain until your chalet is clean, stocked and ready to rock.

Once you do get out skiing, take care you don’t want to hurt yourself and end your season straight away. You have 5 months of skiing ahead of you and plenty of time to have fun, improve, explore the area and learn how to do a 720!

We hope to have some updates on our students from this year’s cookery courses who will be letting us know how their season is going, no doubt with some great times and some bad times too. So check back to our blog regularly for updates from resorts.

The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com

Not very relevant to cooking but I just want to show off my new skis, all we need now is some snow…

Even before I had set a foot into the vast exhibition hall of Olympia and the ski show, I had spent weeks thinking about and researching what new skis to buy for this season. Spending 5 days at the ski show on our stand there also gave me time to look around the other exhibitors and most importantly at the dazzling array of shiny new skis on offer for this winter.

So how do you decide on what skis to buy? Well for me the choice was relatively simple and as I live in Chamonix all year round they will get plenty of use all winter long, so the cost is justifiable. Skis get fatter and fatter every year and it has taken some time to win me over to the huge fat ski’s you now see. I’ve always thought, “well if you can ski less fat skis fine and have plenty of fun then who needs a massive pair?” Well I think this is still true to some extent but there is no question that the fat skis are more fun and technology has moved on so much that they can be skied across the whole mountain on and off piste with relative ease.

So a pair of FAT skis it is for me, by this I mean a width of more than 100mm under foot. So moving onto the make of ski, where you have so many to choose from. Everything from the main stream brands of Salomon, Dynastar, Rossignol to the new small relatively unknown ski makers like Black Crow’s, White Dot and Heidi Skis; where do you begin?

For me the choice was easy, Volkl. I already have a pair of Volkl skis which I love, they suit my style of skiing and felt great from the moment I first used them. They are made with a wood core which gives great feeling and a more uniform flex along the ski; they have a reputation for making excellent bombproof skis and they work with many top ski racers and freeskiers so their R&D is also excellent. And fortunately most of the skis they produce they make in a size that is right for me, 170cm or thereabouts.

Looking through their range of freeskis, some are just stupidly huge like the Kuro that comes in at a whopping 164-132-139 side cut, a snowboard some would say! I decide on the Kiku a women’s version of their much raved about Gotama ski. The Kiku has a side cut of 137-106-122, so big but not too silly! It has the new rocker system in it, which makes the ski look like its bent up the wrong way! According to Volkl’s website “Volkl’s ELP rocker design is a complete system that enhances the versatility of the ski, it allows easy turning and speed control without sacrificing is performance on firm snow”. The ski should combine amazing flotation in powder snow with all-mountain versatility.

All sounds good to me, they are now proudly sitting in my house waiting for some binding to be mounted onto them and more snow to fall so I can take them out to play. Now I just need to move the other 4 pairs of skis already in the garage, to one side, to make room for the new ones.

The Alpine Cookery Course is the leading chalet host training course for ski season workers.  We teach you everything you need to know to successfully run a ski chalet, cook delicious, nutritious meals with minimum hassle & maximise your time on the slopes.

www.thealpinecookerycourse.com  ‖ info@thealpinecookerycourse.com