08/10-14   -   Press releases

The alpine club launches st martin uncovered - a blog on life in a ski resort

Boutique chalet operator The Alpine Club, which is based in the charming Trois Vallées resort of St Martin de Belleville, is launching a blog this season aimed at lifting the lid on life in a ski resort.

"˜St Martin Uncovered' will feature in-depth interviews with a range of key people who work in St Martin and help it to function as the most sought-after hidden gem resort in the Trois Vallées. These individuals range from ski instructors to massage therapists, ski shop owners to apr ès ski bar managers, estate agents and more.

The blog will reveal what their job entails, whether it be managing on only four hours' sleep a night as the local bar owner or checking weather reports and booking overnight stops in mountain huts as the ski instructor. It will also feature insider top tips covering everything from the most scenic, secret ski run in the resort to which are the most popular skis to hire for the season and where to get the very best hot chocolate on the mountain.

Helen Raemers, the owner of The Alpine Club, which runs a collection of beautiful chalets in the resort, comments: "We really appreciate the contribution that these crucial people make to life in St Martin de Belleville. They are the behind-the-scenes unsung heroes, and we wanted to highlight what they do and to thank them.

"Where would we be without the massage therapist who rubs our aching limbs after a hard day's skiing? Or the restaurant manager who serves up perfect tartiflettes every day? Or the bar owner who lays on lively, impromptu apr ès-ski sessions each night? They all deserve praise and attention for the hard work they do, plus we thought it would be fun to delve into their worlds a little."

"˜St Martin Uncovered' will feature two profiles each month. Among those appearing will be Didier Collomb, a private ski instructor for the local ESF school, Lucy Chittenden who owns and runs the famous Piano Bar in the heart of St Martin, and Sandy Ritters who manages Le Montagnard restaurant in the village. Others include Olivier Bertrand who runs the Twinners ski hire shop, Emma Horsfall who works for the local Leggett Immobilier estate agents, realising people's dreams of buying their very own chalet in the Alps, and even Estelle Roy, the local tourist officer, who keeps visitors informed on local events, furnishes them with piste maps and even directs them to their chalet or hotel.

Helen will also be revealing what it is like to run a leading chalet operator in the Alps, in her capacity as owner of The Alpine Club.

"There is a real buzz in St Martin now about the blog," she says. "Everyone seems to want to appear on it, which is fantastic. We just really wanted to put something back and to thank these brilliant people for the contribution they make to the running of this wonderful, properly local, Savoyard ski resort that lies in the heart of the Trois Vallées."