Alpe d'Huez France; Second Stop in 2009

After 25 years of European ski trips you would think Ski Masters would run out of new places to go. Not so. For 2009 Claudeen Lyle has added Alpe d'Huez to the itinerary. I can't pronounce it but it sounds like a wonderful area. Here is the scoop on the place, compiled from web sources:

Alpe d'Huez is often overlooked when people think about French resorts, which is a shame as it has all the attractions of doorstep skiing in modern apartments combined with a picturesque old town.

These two areas drift seamlessly into one another with lifts going up in a 360-degree pattern, while a clanking people mover, like a string of dustbins dangling from a wire, connects through the middle.

Alpe d'Huez sits at the top of the most famous stretch of road in the Tour de France, 21 hairpin bends over 14km (9 miles) at a height which tends to counter the effects of the south-facing slopes.

The 245km (152 miles) of runs go up to a glacier and down to a couple of old villages, with much in between for everyone from ski-together families to experts.

Mountain facts
· Resort elevation: 1,860m (6,100ft).
· Top elevation: 3,320m (10,890ft).
· Base elevation: 1,120m (3,670ft).
· Number of lifts: 84.
· Number of runs: 123.
· Average annual snowfall: 7.6m (26ft).

Where in the world?
Alpe d'Huez is situated in the Grandes Rousses mountains in the French Alps, high above the Oisans Valley.

Hit the slopes
The main slopes run in a long line across the resort, the bottom runs ideal for beginners. But go higher and you can find far more - the Sarenne run from the top of the glacier, at 16km (10 miles) the longest black run in Europe, or the off-piste terrain from the glacier which funnels through the legendary Tunnel on to the front face and more steep powder.

Intermediates can cruise for miles, taking long sweeping runs down to the villages of Vaujany, Oz and others. Even only moderate skiers can take the gondolas which criss-cross the slopes, leading to a feeling of achievement. The Signal and Signal de l'Homme areas, almost self-contained, are good for family excursions.

The lift pass also includes skiing in Les Deux Alpes and Serre Chevalier, trips frequently arranged by package tour reps.

Beyond the slopes
Your lift pass also includes entry to the magnificent outdoor swimming pool and Olympic-size skating rink, as well as the exceptional sports centre with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, squash, climbing wall, golf range and more. You can parapente (parachute off the mountain with an instructor), and try ice driving along with more usual pursuits such as tobogganing.

Resort Facts
Green Runs (Beginner): 31%
Resort Height (m): 1860m
Blue Runs (Easy): 26%
Total Piste: 245 km
Red Runs (Medium): 28%
Lifts: 84
Black Runs (Hard): 14%
Ski Pass (approx.): 192 Euro

Activities
Indoor
Tennis, Squash, Gym, Aerobics, Swimming, Shooting Range, Climbing Wall, Concerts, Cinemas, Library, Museum
Outdoor
Ice Rink, Curling, Walking Paths (cleared), Tobogganing, Snow-shoeing, Microlight Flights, Sightseeing Flights, Ice Cave, Off-Road Vehicle Tours, Hang-Gliding, Paragliding, Ice Driving School, Snowmobiles, Quad-Bikes

About the Resort
"Alpe d'Huez has been growing, since 1936, at 1869 meters above sea level Grandes Rousses massif south face. The Pic Blanc, reaching 3330 meters at it highest point, offer an impressive and reviving panorama, ranked 3 stars in Guide Michelin.

At 1 hour from Grenoble, and only 4 hours from Paris or Geneva, Alpe d'Huez is a multiple activities area to share between family and friends.

In addition to its sportshop, ready-to-wear shops, grocery stores, bars and restaurants proposing, for some, Oisans specialities : crozets, farcis, ganafles, gratin dauphinois, triees, caillettes, and more, Alpe d'Huez has equipped itself with structures completing the site and giving to holidaymaker indoor or outdoor, sport or cultural activities.

For the day after you have finished skiing there are a number of restaurants and bars to keep you entertained throughout the night whatever your taste in cuisine or night life!" - Alpe d'Huez

For snow report, click here.

Lenore Lyle, A Customer Service Phenomenon

Lenore Lyle, the other half of the Ron and Lenore management team, left a mark on the Ski Masters Ski School and European Trips that will be long remembered by those fortunate to have worked and traveled with her. She brought an energy and passion to the business that left her students and fellow travelers coming back for more, year after year.

Lenore has been a fixture in Northwest skiing since the first lifts began grinding up the Snoqualmie slopes. She tells stories of arriving at the mountain early and volunteering to work with the volunteers, side stepping fresh snow on the runs in exchange for a lift ticket. That effort was called “grooming the slope” in the early days.

I first met Lenore back in the 1980’s. My wife, a Thursday ski school bus rider, suggested we sign up for the December “clinics” at Snoqualmie to polish our skills. Little did we realize that the clinics were a farm team for Lenore’s instructor pool. When we finished the clinics it was suggested that we return in January to serve as teaching assistants. That seemed harmless enough and, while we didn’t get paid, I believe we may have scored a modest lift ticket discount. But, by week two, to fill unexpected vacancies we were both elevated to “instructor” status for beginning elementary age kids and were part of the Ski Masters team.

From that “insider” perspective I began to appreciate how Lenore masterfully managed the operation. Lenore applied a “mallard” style of management. When you see a duck on a calm pond they seem to be gliding along with little effort. But, if you could see underwater, you would see lots of action as its busy feet paddle furiously along.

In Lenore’s case, the customer never saw beneath the water. The lesson operation ran with apparent ease as she moved from place to place, addressing questions and issues. During the day she would appear all over the mountain to see how things were going, staying in constant contact with her supervisors by radio. As a novice instructor I confess it made me nervous at first. I had the feeling that, no matter where I took my class, she was watching!

While the customer might be soothed by this calm demeanor, at the same time she would be sorting through the ever present complications of herding classes from place to place while keeping the parents of the smaller kids happy and relaxed. Missing instructors, missing students, broken down buses, lost lift tickets and dozens of other mishaps, some serious and some not, marked each day of lessons. But through it all the customer met a calm Lenore, was given a class A experience and was treated like they were the most important customer of all.

During that era every management consultant was pitching “total quality management,” a customer focused management philosophy made famous by such firms as Toyota, Sony and Honda. Listen to your customer; listen to your staff; constantly look for ways to improve your product was the mantra.

As I looked at Lenore I recall thinking, she could teach this stuff better than any consultant. Whether she took a course or just did it by second nature she had the whole “total quality” thing under control and the quality of her programs spoke to that success.

Then, in 1988, we signed up for our first trip to Europe with Ski Masters and were able to experience the best of Lenore, 24/7. Herding 48 adults to Europe is different from teaching kids but no less challenging. Is everyone at the airport? What did you forget? What, you say, your passport is expired? And so on.

Once again, her mallard management style—calm exterior, busy interior—was at play. Busses would arrive like clockwork, rooms would be assigned, lost luggage recovered all in a way that would put the guests at ease.

Does that mean she is a pussycat? Not on your life. Once the pick-up bus arrived on “Italian” time. Both the driver and bus company management will not forget Lenore. Once a hotel tried to stuff some of her guests in shabby rooms over a nearby barn (yes, there were animals downstairs). That hotel manager will not forget Lenore. One matri’d insisted that the guests dine at the same table each night of our stay. That was their way. It wasn’t ours. That matri’d will not forget Lenore.

As the week progressed Lenore found time to ski with everyone on the trip. Every guest was important and she made them feel that way. While she may have preferred to point her skies downhill and fly, she never forgot that she was in charge and everyone on the trip was one of her customers and guests. And yet, it never seemed contrived. She always expressed a genuine interest in each guest that was reciprocated by the number of repeat travelers. 2009 will be our tenth Ski Masters Trip!


Now the customer service mantel has been passed to the able hands of daughter Claudeen. Lenore is still the most beautiful AARP member on skis and occasionally joins Claudeen on the trips to Europe; now as a guest, not a leader. The current trips often return to places Lenore introduced to many of us years ago. Her legacy lives on in the memory of the hundreds who traveled with her and Ron in the past and were the beneficiaries of her “high touch” approach to guest management. She has clearly left her mark on Pacific Northwest skiing and the thousands that passed through her lesson programs at our Cascade ski areas.

Kathy and I both feel blessed to have known her these many years as an instructor, boss, tour director and, most importantly, friend.

2009 Trip; Space Available!

What’s new with Ski Masters Europe?
· There is space available on the 2009 trip.
· Carol Mast sends greetings

First, Claudeen Lyle reports that a few spots have opened up for the 2009 trip to Wengen and Alpes d'Huez. (Perhaps some former hedge fund managers had previously signed up!?)

Interested? Act fast as they won’t last long. Contact Claudeen at SMETrips@gmail.com or give her a call, the old fashion way, at 206-799-7141.

Second, after reviewing the Wengen report (Nov. 13th post), Carol Mast, a fellow traveler and prolific writer, offered the following:
“ HI Steve, from Carol Mast, who looks on the coming SMETrip with longing and (already!) regret. It seems [our] son… is going to be a Daddy for the first time …so we are again, reluctantly, going to miss out. …we wouldn't miss this arrival for the world...even if the world includes Wengen and Alpes d'Huez. Not without regrets...but....I'll bet you understand.

Which reminds me that in writing that Kitzbuhel/Corvara bit last year, I managed to mention our "Montlake friends" we spent the winter of 69-70 with in Jochberg twice without naming them. It's probably because it's another Steve...Steve Beaudry (who now teaches for Claudeen at Crystal) and his wife, Susan, one of my dearest friends. Mea Culpa...can you repair my ommission by inserting their names into what I wrote on the SkiMasters Blog?
Thanks from Carol
PS. when we manage to do another trip, I'm happy to write for the blog...and thanks for the bidet links [April 15, 2008 post]. After a lifetime of European travel, I have never used it for anything more than sock laundry and wine chilling (wait a minute...FIRST the wine chilling, THEN the sock washing!) and was glad to see the demo done by a fully clothed Italian man. Very educational!

So now the Beaudrys are duly recognized. We will miss the Mast’s but understand the grandparenting instinct.

Wengen, Jungfrau, Grindelwald; First Stop 2009

March of 2009 Ski Masters will return to Wengen for the fifth time, and for good reason. The area offers a wide range of terrain, an incredible setting and a rich history.

Two classic movies added fame to the area; James Bond pursued evil guys on the Jungfrau in “His Majesty’s Secret Service.” Clint Eastwood climbed the towering Eiger in the “Eiger Sanction.” Both are "must see" movies if you are going on the trip. Skiers don’t have to climb the Eiger; a modern train passes through the mountain on its way to the ski areas of the Jungrau region.
Wengen has a unique setting. Travelers leave their bus in the valley town of Lauterbrunnen and board a cog railway for the wind out of the valley to the hillside town of Wengen. From the station it’s a short walk to the hotel (not unlike Zermatt for you seasoned travelers.)

Skiing is available on the Wengen side of the valley via a network of lifts and a train that links to other hillside towns. But the Wengen side of the valley is only half of the adventure; the Jungfrau Region, across the valley beckons with altitude and wide open runs.

To reach the Jungfrau area visitors take the cog rail line back down to Lauterbrunnen, walk a short distance to an incline railway that lifts you out of the valley to the Jungfrau area. At the top of the incline another train awaits for a short ride to Murren, the launching point for a whole new mountain experience.

It may sound like you spend your entire time on trains but that is far from the truth. The train rides are short and scenic and, once you reach your preferred mountain, you don’t need to ride again until the end of the day when you return to the hotel.

Recalling Wengen I’m reminded of a spoon story from the 1998 trip.

A small group was gathered on the hotel patio enjoying the afternoon sun and an adult beverage when we noticed a fellow traveler, we’ll call him Steve, returning to the hotel, skis over his shoulder.
“Where’s your wife?” someone called out.
Steve paused, an “Oh sh**” expression crossed his face. He came closer and, under questioning, explained that his wife, we’ll call her Lin, had gone on ahead to shop and was going to meet him at the Murren train station. In a rush he’d passed through the station, boarded the train and was now three train rides away from the station where his wife (presumably) was waiting.
Steve faced a dilemma. If he retraced his steps he could easily pass her as she went one way and he the other. There was only one thing to do; order a beer.
Some time and two beers later Lin arrived. No words were needed. Her look said it all.

There is no record of their conversation in the room that evening. We do know that Steve earned the spoon that day and, despite the incident, they are returning to Wengen for the 2009 trip.
Wengen will be a worthy first stop for the 2009 travelers.

The resort describes itself this way:

Wengen's ski slopes are located on the slopes of Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg above the resort, which it shares with neighbouring Grindelwald. The regional Jungfrau pass covers all lifts in the area, as well as those at the separate First ski area above Grindelwald and, a train ride down the valley and back up the other side, at Mürren. That same train line continues up to Europe's highest railway station where there's year-round snow and ice, but sadly no ski route back down from the top.

The skiing can be reached either by getting back on the train you took up to Wengen from Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen and continuing up to Wengeneralp, a 25-minute journey that, except for upgraded rolling stock, has little changed for skiers in 80 years, or by a cable car from the village. Both runs open up all kinds of exciting terrain and great runs up to 8km (5 miles) long down to Grindelwald.

Whilst the whole area is open to intermediate skiers, beginners will find good nursery slopes right next to the village. More experienced skiers will wish to pay homage to the legendary Lauberhorn race course at Wengen, where the infamous downhill race is staged each January as it has been since 1930. The course is one of the longest, at 4km (2.5 miles), and toughest, descending over 1,000 vertical metres (3,300 feet).

European Ski Destinations; Ski Masters Favorite Resorts

Since 1982 Ski Masters have made tracks at some of Europe's finest ski resorts. Here is the definitive record of the past trips for those who can't remember when they went where. You may be shocked at how long ago it was that you visited some of these resorts.
1982
St. Anton, Austria
Innsbruck & Five Surrounding Areas
1983
Davos, Switzerland
Innsbruck, Stubai & Hintertux Glaciers
1984
Pozza Di Fassa, Italy & Sella Ronda
St. Anton, Austria
1985
Zermatt, Switzerland
Chamonix, France
1986
St. Moritz, Switzerland
Mayerhofen, Austria
1987
Vigo Di Fassa, Italy & Sella Ronda
Stubai Glacier, Austria
1988
Kitzbuhel, Austria
Champery, Switzerland
1989
Mayrhofen, Austria
Zermatt, Switzerland
1990
Val d'Isere, France
Champery, Switzerland
1991
cancelled
cancelled
1992
Vigo di Fassa, Italy
Lech, Austria
1993
Saalbach, Austria
Wengen, Switzerland
1994
Saas Fee, Switzerland
Val d'Isere, France
1995
Wengen, Switzerland
Val d'Isere, France
1996
Cortina, Italy
Kitzbuhel, Austria
1997
Zermatt, Switzerland
San Anton, Austria
1998
Wengen, Switzerland
Val Thorens, France
1999
Zermatt, Switzerland
Chamonix, France
2000
Covara/Arabba, Italy
Lech, Austria
2001
Zermatt, Switzerland
Val D'Isere
2002
Kitzbuhel, Austria
San Moritz, Switzerland
2003
Wengen, Switzerland
Chamonix, France
2004
Corvara, Italy
Verbier, Switzerland
2005
Soelden, Austria
Val d'Isere
2006
Bormio, Italy
Zermatt, Switzerland
2007
Lech, Austria
Courchevel, France
2008
Kitzbuhel, Austria
Corvara, Italy
2009
Wengen, Switzerland
Alpe d'Huez, France
2010
Soelden, Austria
Courmayeur, Italy
2011
Corvara, Italy
Courchevel, France

Ron Lyle and the Ski Masters Legacy

Since 2003, guests on the Ski Masters European trips have missed a special treat; the presence of Ron Lyle. For the first twenty European trips the Ron and Lenore Lyle team was the heart and soul of the trips. Each played a role, contributing smoothly to the overall travel experience.

Ron’s traveling expertise and Scottish heritage made him a unique resource. His packing list, still in use today, was an invaluable tool for a first time traveler. His little pre-trip tips on everything from money to medications helped insure a successful journey. While bathroom outlets are available in modern resort hotels, twenty years ago his advice to carry an extension cord was appreciated by travelers who otherwise would be drying their hair while kneeling on the floor behind the TV.

Upon arrival in Europe Ron would chase down buses while Lenore herded her charges through customs and baggage claim. Then, once on board the bus, Ron would take the jump seat, by the driver, and use the PA system for announcements and to point out passing features. His signature sign-on routine was often imitated but never duplicated. First he would tap the microphone with his palm to see if it was on. (It usually was!) Then he would announce, “…this is Ron, in the front of the bus,” as if it could be anyone else, anywhere else.

Ron’s taste in travel music ran toward German oomph-pa bands and, if the bus driver had a collection of cassette tapes, you could count on Ron finding them and playing all the traditional music just “to get the guests in the mood.” The music would only be interrupted by the frequent “this is Ron” announcements or group protests.

After settling into the hotel Ron would head out to scout the best options for lift tickets and make a report at the first available meal. That effort was more involved in the pre-Euro days with varied currencies. Each area offered single and multi-day passes in various combinations. Some offered discounts to ski instructors. Some offered guides. Some didn’t take credit cards. Some required photos and so on. But Ron would sort it out, share the information and make that first day on the slope just that much easier.

Once on the slope Ron was available as a guide, whether he’d been to the area before or not. But he acted with confidence and usually returned with the same number as he left with.

In 1988 I had the good fortune to ski with Ron our first day at Kitzbuhel and my first day ever skiing in Europe. It was a gray cold day but we had a ton of fresh snow to deal with and Ron led with the confidence of an experienced mountain guide. Mid-morning he led our group of eight to one of the charming mountain huts that make European skiing special. Part of a farmer’s home had been set aside as a small eating area with a limited menu. Ron introduced his chilly associates to an Austrian tradition; jaeger tea or hunters tea. It is a warm concoction of tea-like ingredients and may, I’ve been told, contain some liquor. In any case, two cups of jaeger tea seemed to ease the pain of my new boots and created indelible memories for our first European trip.

As an aside, David Black led a group to the same hut in 1996. Unfortunately the farmer was no longer operating a café, as Dave discovered after leading seven skiers into their living room and surprising an Austrian grandmother. The intrusion was good for a spoon.

Ron’s left ear was not his best so he always encouraged you to ride the chair or T-bar on his right. For the same reason he preferred the German language to French or Italian. The German, with its crisp, solid sounds, was just easier to hear and understand. He had an appreciation for written German as well. He could look at a word with 27 letters and take it down to its logical components for translation. So words that looked daunting to others were simply a challenge for him.

He was able to use his experience as a practicing pharmacist to good use on the trip. He was always there to provide medical advice and/or appropriate medications when trouble arose.

On of his greatest contributions to the success of the trips was his knowledge of local retail practices and, above all, where to get a good deal on wine. Most resorts sold wine in either grocery stores or specialty shops. But, as he pointed out, you needed to see what the locals were purchasing if you wanted a really good deal and, possibly, a good wine as well. “Look down,” he advised. The local and, often, inexpensive wines were usually on the lower shelves. Wines with creative labels like “Red Table Wine” or “White Table Wine” could be found tucked away near the floor and were typically quite acceptable.

So, after a hardy day of skiing and a quick shower, it was not uncommon to see Ron leave for shopping, later returning to the hotel with a victorious look on his face and a brown paper bag in his hand. You could bet he’d found what was likely the best buy on wine in the entire valley. His Scottish roots are deep!

On many a evening, with the right music in the dining room, Ron would offer polka lessons to all takers and seemed to relish taking the floor with multiple partners. Regardless of how hard he’d skied he had energy left for a good polka. He even tried singing along on occasion, though with less critical success.

Ron no longer travels with the group but the many Ski Masters traditions he fostered live on in the capable hands of Ron’s charming, well trained and competent daughter, Claudeen. But those who traveled with Ski Masters before 2003 will always cherish the warm memories of Ron Lyle’s many contributions to those wonderful and memorable trips.

Cameron's Spoon Report, 2008

In March, 2008, The Ski Masters Spoon traveled to European ski slopes along with the annual Ski Masters tour. And, true to form, Spoon winning performances were put in by the participants. Doug Cameron was kind enough to document them for posterity.

"THE TWELVE MOST SPOON WORTHY EVENTS AT KITZBUHEL AND CORVARA - 2008"

12. (A Good Deed) Brittany Barker and Michelle Marikos and Alex and Jim Wise hosted the St Patrick’s Day and the Hawaiian Parties!

11. John Anderson, aka Mr. Rogers singing "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood", as he cruises down the slopes.

10. Connie Cameron getting her glove jammed in the gears at the top of the rope tow causing the tow to shut down.

9. Demeree Schaefer used the "children's sink" in her bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her hair. Everyone else used it as a bidet.
(For the record, Demeree claims these charges are fabrications and is threatening to publish embarrassing photos of trip participants in retaliation.)

8. Nan Hahn totally frustrated as she was trying to open her hotel room door with her ski pass.

7. Rick Seim, "Pappa Grappa", dispensing shots of grappa at the joint US/Italian party at the top of the mountain, until they finally threw us out.

6. Judy Jones recently upgraded from Spoon Award to "Good Sport MVP Award", for her dramatic face plant on the mountain. (We are glad you are on the mend!!!)

5. Larry Mast lighting his personal methane creating a "Ring of Fire" and caused the fire doors in the hotel to close. Song written in memory of this fiery event:
Tune: Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

To get the spoon's a treat
On Larry, it looks so sweet
He only lit a match
His gas made a huge flash
His room turned into a ring of fire
The fire doors closed, but the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns,
The Ring of Fire
The Ring of Fire

Larry Mast responds…………I received the spoon from John Anderson. In Kitzbuhel our bathroom did not have a fan and, being concerned with olfactory sensitivity, I mentioned my concern to Steve Beaudry who then gave me a book of matches to help disperse excess fumes. The first and only time that I used the match in the bathroom, the fire alarm was set off and when I went out into the hall, I noticed that all the automatic fire doors were closed. I couldn't believe that one match would cause the alarm to go off. I made the mistake of telling John Anderson what happened after he asked about the fire alarm that morning. Our conversation was over a beer at the end of the day and in strict confidence. We were laughing because John had just skied through the children’s slalom course at the bottom of the hill and couldn't understand why the kids kept skiing around him. John looked down and saw that he was right in the middle of their course. I told him the story of the match because I felt that I was protected by what he had just done….a mistake. It was a great trip with a lot of laughs.

4. Rick Blumberg and Andy Hill were seen trekking through the cow pies. Andy preferred just walking through with his ski boots, while Rick preferred to slide on his rear end.

3. Nancy Celeron hands down the winner of the "skin game" on Hawaiian night.

2. Spencer Seim - what can we say? Winner of the "hands game" at the international party. Civil law suits should begin soon.

(Mark Quandee believes Spencer should also receive an award for pushing the cork all the way through the Lemoncello bottle into what was left of the free Lemoncello offered to the powder Marmolada group at Bar Diga.)

1. Tie. A. Claudeen Lyle managed to get her ski pole caught in the chair lift pulley stopping the lift.
B. Craig Stuart kidnapped the daughter of the owner of the Posta Zirm hotel to play the "Devil's Fiddle" at our final dinner.
C. Everyone got the "spoon" the final night for the great friendships and camaraderie and many screw-ups.

The legacy of the Ski Master’s Spoon continues.