Alf Alderson

LIVING – AND WORKING AT – THE DREAM

gaylord — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:49:31 +0000

At the London Ski Show back in October I bumped into fellow Yorkshire natives James and Gemma Greenway who invited me to visit them this winter at their business Green Mountain Chalets in St. Martin de Belleville, and earlier this week I finally got the chance to ski over from La Tania with my girlfriend Claire and take them up on their offer.

As we sat beside the woodburner in their cosy lounge with a glass of red and chilled out guests passing to and fro I asked them how they’d come to set up the business, and here’s the story they told – in true Yorkshire fashion it’s simple, straightforward and no nonsense and I’m relating it to you because it shows that the dream so many of us have – of a life in the mountains – can be achieved if tha applies thissen…

“We had our first ever chalet holiday in Les Arcs in 2009,” said James, 34, “and on the way back home we discussed the holiday and the idea of living in the Alps and basically thought we could do a better job of running a chalet – so we set about doing so.

“Within four weeks of getting home from that holiday we were back in the Alps having taken more time off from our jobs in Leeds in recruitment [James] and the law [Gemma] to search for a chalet. We didn’t find anywhere straight away but came out again for a further weekend and used St. Martin as a base – it wasn’t necessarily where we wanted to set up our business – but as it happens we succeeded in finding a chalet here that we could rent rather than buy and that was ideal for us.

“So, we then spent April to November of 2009 sorting out all the paper and legalwork for the business, setting up a website, advertising, etcetera at the same time as working in our regular jobs and trying to keep secret from our bosses the fact that we were going to be resigning soon!

“We both packed in our careers in Leeds in November and drove out to the Alps in a £1900 Land Rover for our new life with no real idea how to run a chalet. We’d never even skied the Three Valleys before! Our first guests were a New Zealand family looking to enjoy their first white Christmas, and they didn’t seem at all phased when we told them they really were our first guests – ever.

“But amazingly it’s all worked out – we look back and wonder what made us think we could do it all now, but we’re obviously getting something right as we’ve had loads of repeat custom – one guest has even been out seven times and is booked twice more for this winter”.

Indeed, Green Mountain Chalets has only ever had five star reviews on Trip Advisor, has been recommended by the Guardian and has been voted number one of eleven speciality accommodation listings in St. Martin de Belleville (the prettiest of the Three Valleys resorts, incidentally).

Gemma, 30, probably hit the nail on the head with what makes Green Mountain Chalets work . “The personal touch is important for us,” she told me. That’s apparent as soon as you walk in to either of the two chalets they now operate – there’s an easy going atmosphere and great banter between James and Gemma and their guests, and if you add to that a superb cave for the appetising and filling dinners they provide and warm, cosy lounges and bedrooms in which to relax then really the winning formula isn’t all that hard to attain.

What is hard to attain, however, is the drive, enthusiasm and sheer ballsiness to go out and get what you want in the first place, which is really the moral of this tale. For how many people spend most if not all of their lives dreaming of living in the mountains but never actually do anything practical about it?

Sure, James and Gemma had a lot in their favour when they decided to change the course of their lives – young, driven, personable and with no family commitments it was maybe easier for them than for others – but the bottom line is they weren’t content to merely dream and talk about it, they went out and did it.

Now they get to hit the slopes of the world’s biggest ski area at least three or four times a week, can hike and ride those same mountains in summer, and regularly make new friends from all over the world – all at the same time as making a living doing something they clearly enjoy.

What’s not to like?

But don’t take my word for it. Check out Green Mountain Chalets yourself at www.greenmountainchalets.co.uk or (www.facebook.com/greenmountainch).

You could even book a week with them – they still have space in early February and are offering special deals in March, and with the snow as good as it is this season the skiing above St. Martin should be sensational.

WHEREVER YOU AIN’T

gaylord — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:18:40 +0000

My mornings are being ruined lately by the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Radio 2. The carrot topped one can be irritating at the best of times, but his manic promotion of the execrable Christmas single by the Military Wives is doing my head in – and that of my girlfriend Claire. So much so that Evans and co. have been banned from our kitchen until after Christmas when, hopefully, this piece of musical detritus that he’s so evangelically promoting will have gone the way of Christmas turkey carcasses and uneaten sprouts i.e. to the landfill.

Oh I know it’s all in a good cause and we should all get behind it, but for those of a cynical nature this is easier said than done due to a couple of salient points that seem to be have been overlooked by Mr. Evans, namely:

Since the BBC is supposed to be independent what’s he doing promoting a single that’s competing with another heap of dross (Little Mix anyone?) for the Christmas honours?
Just because it’s for a good cause doesn’t mean to say ‘Wherever You Are’ isn’t utter bilge to rival the worst of Cliff Richard

Of course, we can’t say any of this because it would be interpreted as criticism of ‘our brave boys’ in Afghanistan, which raises another interesting point. The servicemen out there are regularly referred to as ‘heroes’, but are they? Surely not every single one of them can be a hero? Seems to me anyone who chooses to do a job which may lead to you quite literally wasting your life for a country and culture that would rather you were never there in the first place is a bit daft if anything.

Again, you can’t say that in public so we go on fooling ourselves that the military are on a brave and worthwhile mission in Afghanistan when it’s really no different from any other foreign incursion into the country over the past few centuries i.e. a demonstrably foolish and utterly pointless action with no chance whatsoever of success. And it’s about time politicians and generals stopped telling us otherwise.

But, of course, my ranting is all in vain. Come Christmas ‘Wherever You Are’ will be at number one in the charts (poptastic, friend) and come the New Year more British servicemen will die needlessly in Afghanistan as our government of morons continues to waste lives and money on a foreign policy that is beyond pathetic.

Happy Christmas everyone!

STYLIN’

gaylord — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:17:44 +0000

I guess that these days we all have our dress codes – indeed, come to think of it society has always been thus. Here in Pembrokeshire, for example, you’ll see everything from surf-style attire on the local beaches to the cheap trainers, baggy trackie bottoms, logo-ed sweatshirt and tats of the obese chavs of Milford Haven and Haverfordwest.

This admirable diversity of sartorial style and peacockery has recently led me to question two aspects of the phenomenon, namely:

Why do corpulent chavs have such a fixation on sportswear when the only thing they’re ever likely to get in a sweat over is dropping their packet of chips?

And why do toffs insist on wearing their keks at half-mast (although I may have the answer to this one – it could be to better reveal their snappy taste in lurid socks and well-polished brogues; or it is perhaps to assist small mammals in entering and exiting bottom of said trews?).

But these are merely guesses. If anyone has the authoritive answer to the above questions, do tell…

SIGN OF THE TIMES

gaylord — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:06:51 +0000

My good colleague and fellow curmudgeonly northerner Mr. M. Axelby Esq recently informed me of the following notice he had observed whilst suffering the unfortunate experience, to use a fine phrase from that splendid movie ‘Withnail and I’, of finding himself ‘on holiday by mistake’ in Boscombe.

Said notice informs one and all that ‘Boscombe reef development in conjunction with the urban surf apartments, restaurants and cafes means Boscombe is one of the top European surf destinations’ (at the same time there was also a sign advising that the surf reef was ‘closed for repair’. Oh dear…).

If you surf you are probably now picking yourself up from the floor, since this is the biggest load of bollocks you are ever likely to read in relation to the fine art of riding waves.

Let’s briefly analyse why. For any surf spot to be a ‘top’ destination it can be generally agreed it must have the following essential features:

Consistent swell
Well-formed waves emanating from that swell
Consistent offshore winds

Additional bonus points can be added for warm climate, warm water and lack of crowds.

Unfortunately Boscombe (‘top European surf destination’) has none of these. Nothing more need be said on this score and I am yet to hear anyone justify the ludicrous expenditure that has been put into creating the reef here, a reef that rarely sees a solid groundswell pass over it.

It says a lot about the direction that surfing in the UK has taken in recent years that a district council should feel they can bullshit the public like this, and that ‘urban surf apartments, restaurants and cafes’ are considered prerequisites for becoming a top class surf destination.

My scathing comments are based on personal experience, having surfed at Boscombe whilst working on a hateful commission for the Guardian a couple of years ago when, travel pages being what they are these days, it was necessary (as is usually the case with journalism) to sell my soul when writing the piece and try and make out that the whole ‘urban surf scene’ is something surfers should come and check out.

The facts – it’s rubbish and not worth travelling a mile for – wouldn’t make for a 21^st century travel piece which invariably relies on positive feedback on whatever destination is being covered, but that’s another matter.

That said Boscombe may be something that novice surfers with more money than sense might want to check out. If your requirements in terms of waves are very low then it may just come up with the goods; if you also feel the need to sip cappuccino and eat tapas whilst recovering from your exertions then you’re in business; and afterwards you can go and spend too much on designer surfwear and maybe even buy a cool surfboard that’s totally unsuitable for your level of ability.

In fact that sounds like the perfect day out for a London surfer…

TOP GEAR

gaylord — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:54:19 +0000

Many who read this blog – ok, the few who read this blog – will like me be keen winter sports enthusiasts who probably have various old, unused bits of kit lying around the loft, the shed or under the bed.

Old ski boots, old skis, gloves or hats you don’t use any more – stuff you’ve never bothered to get rid of but won’t use again even though it still is in decent nick.

So, here’s a suggestion as to what you could do with it. Donate the stuff to Gear4guides.org. This is an admirable little operation that provides ski and mountain guides (and trainee guides) in Kyrgystan and Turkey with equipment that they otherwise would find too expensive to buy themselves.

It’s run by Dutch dude Olaf Seuters, who has enjoyed many epic freeriding expeditions to the remote and spectacular mountain ranges of these countries and is keen to give something back. Olaf’s aims are fourfold:

1. To provide decent quality ski, snowboard and mountaineering gear to local guides
2. To stimulate winter tourism by bringing attention to the amazing backcountry skiing possibilities in these countries
3. To provide training and support for local mountain guides
4. To cut the high unemployment rate in these areas, especially in winter

Olaf cites the example of Hayat Tarikov who is responsible for developing winter tourism in the mountain village of Arslanbob in Kyrgystan’s Jal-alabad region (see http://www.gear4guides.org/projects/16-projects-winter-season-2010-2011.html)

Hayat is a self- taught skier and the co-ordinator of the Community Based Tourism Association (CBTA) in the village. He hosts and guides about 60 clients each winter from all over the world as well as being busy setting up a kid’s ski school because he feels they should be involved in winter tourism in the future since the region has great potential as a perfect freeride base as it is surrounded by several peaks over 4,000 meters.

But as you can imagine getting hold of gear for all this is far from easy. So, if like me you have old ski gear cluttering up your loft why not – also like me – try and get it out to Hayat and co. and let someone else not just enjoy it but perhaps even make a living from it…?

For more info on all of this go to http://www.gear4guides.com

ABOUT AVERAGE

gaylord — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:55:57 +0000

Just take a moment, if you will, to read the paragraph at the end of this blog, which is the current long term weather forecast from the Met Office. I think even Dr Liam Fox MP would be hard pressed to come up with something more ambiguous.

What is the point of a weather forecast that abounds in phrases such as ‘likely to be’, ‘perhaps’, ‘around average’, ‘close to’ etc.? There isn’t a single hard statistic or prediction in this ‘forecast’, which makes it totally meaningless.
The Met Office might just as well say ‘Actually, we’re not sure, so let’s just wait and see how it turns out’.

Not a lot of use, admittedly, but still a million times better than the screeching alarmism of that excuse for a newspaper otherwise known as the Daily Express which recently advised that we are shortly to be plunged into a mini Ice Age and temperatures will soon fall to minus 20C.

Is that the day before the aliens invade, riots break out in the streets (again) and the BBC starts screening hard core porn 24 hours a day?

‘Temperatures are likely to be close to or just below normal for most parts of the UK to end October. However, they are likely to return back to the seasonal average as we progress into November, perhaps slightly above at times in the south and east. Rainfall amounts will continue to be around average throughout the period, perhaps slightly higher than average towards the west at first. Sunshine amounts will also be close to the seasonal average for the time of year, with the best of the brightness towards the south and east.’

TODAY’S CONUNDRUM

gaylord — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:25:57 +0000

Today’s conundrum, my friends, is:

Who is the most despicable c++t? Dr. Liam Fox MP or Wayne Rooney, pug faced Premiership footballer?
It’s a difficult one, but to mix the languages of football and politics, at the end of the day let me make myself quite clear that the winner is…

Dr. Liam Fox MP

The jury awarded the prize to the dissembling Conservative minister on the basis that as a well-educated bastion (that’s bastion) of society he really has no excuse for having no ethical or moral compass and lying repeatedly to the people who pay his wages; or to use the incisive terminology of my good friend N.Edwards Esq. for being a c++t of the first order.

Rooney, on the other hand, left school at the age of seven and is as thick as pig shit, and can therefore be excused for being a greedy, over paid c++t. Especially since all those he plays footie alongside are exactly the same. Especially Frank Lampard.

Tomorrow’s conundrum:
Which is worse, X-Factor or Pobol y Cwm?

I’LL HAVE CHIPS WITH THAT

gaylord — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:12:17 +0000

Having lived in Wales for over twenty years I can with all honesty say I rather like the place – the scenery and the people are first rate, I’ve never experienced the age old English complaint of “and as soon as we all walked in the pub they all started talking in Welsh” (how do you know ‘they’ weren’t speaking in Welsh before you entered the pub – after all, it is the native language?) and apart from the pubs in Pembrokeshire being pretty rubbish it’s a part of the world with much to recommend it.

So why do so many of the natives go and spoil it all whenever Wales do well at rugby, as at the moment? Here’s what I mean:

In my experience, when England are successful in sport we English tend to celebrate in the usual way – a good old piss up followed by endless repeats of the glorious event on TV for the next year (cricket)/four years (rugby)/until the end of time (football).

In Wales, however, the modus operandi on success in sport, particularly rugby, is take time out from your celebrations – and for the next few days or years to come – to text, phone or e mail anyone you know who is English with pathetic jokes at our expense. Even so-called professional commentators on the sport can’t resist a dig – take Eddie Butler, former Welsh player and now anti-English rugby commentator.

After last week’s dismal performance against the French he just couldn’t let it lie with a critique of the game, he had to follow in the time honoured footsteps of so many of his countrymen with this: “France had a proper mutiny and are through to the semi-final. Isn’t it wonderfully Gallic to be so perverse? England just went on the lash and is it any wonder that a group of sour-faced boozers cannot make the top four. You can only get away with excess if you are winning.”
Hard to imagine an English commentator either making such remarks about the Welsh or getting away with it…

The trouble is Eddie that all you’re revealing with that (apart from pettiness and lack of professionalism) is the same gigantic chip on your shoulder as so many of your fellow countrymen.

And what’s even more ironic is that such remarks are mostly met with utter indifference by the English.
Unfortunately though, when you’ve endured 23 years of it, it wears a bit thin, so whereas I know I should by rights be supporting Wales in their clash with France this weekend, I may well find myself getting behind the French – after all, they won’t insult me if they win.

JOIN THE BAND

gaylord — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:08:06 +0000

I recently got my hands – or rather my wrist – on a Trion:z wrist band – and you may well be wondering what the hell that means…

Well, a Trion:z (www.trionz.co.uk) is one of those magnetic therapy wrist bands that these days you’ll see being worn by everyone from lard arses like me to some of the world’s top sportsmen and women such as golfer Rory McIlroy and triathlete Michelle Jones.

The theory behind magnet therapy is that when a magnet is placed around a specific joint or body part, more blood is attracted to that area, leading to an increase in oxygen and nutrients, which leads to a faster healing process (where required) or a general feeling of well-being when you’re not injured.

At least, I think that’s the story. I’m not actually currently injured (a rare state of affairs) so I’m not really in a position to say whether the Trion:z is effective in that field (excuse the pun – think about it…) and I’m not one hundred per cent sure whether it’s actually made me feel like a new man, but I have to say that the surf sessions that I enjoyed last week whilst wearing the band were a lot of fun and all the usual aches from old injuries in my back, knees etc. didn’t seem to bother me too much, so maybe all these magnetic rays really do work…

I’m a cynic at heart so would normally be inclined to dismiss magnetic therapy as unproven hocus pocus, but it ain’t doing me any harm wearing my band and if it works for the like of the golf bat wielding Mr McIlroy it’s got to be worth sticking with it and seeing how things go.

Who knows, if I wear it for long enough perhaps I’ll make the British Surfing Team for the 2012 Olympics. What, there isn’t one…?

BLUE SWAY

gaylord — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:47:35 +0000

Is surfing the most creative and visually spectacular sport on the planet? Who knows, but rather than waste your time reading this drivel, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFRHgk6niIc to see a magical surf film/music collaboration between legendary surf film maker Jack McCoy and some muso bloke called Paul McCartney…

Meanwhile I’m off to the dentist…