RIDERS REPUBLIC

NEWS

Ski Sunday Returns
Ski Sunday returned on 13 December showcasing the best World Cup action and gearing up for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Presented by Graham Bell and Ed Leigh , it mixed classic races with personal insights from Britain's medal hopes as Vancouver looms. Skier Chemmy Alcott and snowboard-cross star Zoe Gillings were featured along with the skeleton and bob teams. Bell assessed the chances of the world's best ski racers, as well as getting up close and personal with some of the classic downhill runs from Val d'Isere to Kitzbuehel and Wengen. Leigh met our British hopefuls and sampled night-time ski jumping at the climax of the Four Hills tournament in Bischofshofen, Austria. Ski Sunday will be broadcast between 7.30 and 8.00pm every Sunday during the winter ski season.

Zinedine Zidane in La Plagne
La Plagne was buzzing last weekend with the presence of the footballing legend Zinedine Zidane who was in resort for the 'Etoiles du Sport' (Sporting Stars) project. This weekend was the second meeting between Zidane and the 20 young sporting hopefuls the former Juventus and Real Madrid footy star in mentoring. Seven months ago they met in Lyon and the weekend in La Plagne was clearly the first time in the mountains for many of the youngsters, who come from disadvantaged backgrounds in inner city Lyon. Zidane himself commented : "It's great to be here in La Plagne with the CRESS (Centre for research and Sport Education and Health) kids. For many the mountains and ski resorts are unknown territories for them. I'm delighted to be part of this project so I can impart my experience and what I learnt during my footballing career." It wasn't just about meeting the kids and talking though, as the inspirational player braved a run on the famous Olympic bobsleigh track in La Plagne, much to the delight of the watching kids as they cheered on their hero who hurtled past at a serious rate of knots!

New Cross Country Ski Pass for the Whole of the Rhone Alps!
Great news for cross country skiing fans, with the announcement that a new pass will be available covering all of the nordic skiing centres in the whole Rhone Alpes area. This means that with one pass you'll be able to go cross country skiing everywhere from Chamonix and Tignes, to Les 2 Alpes and Morzine with one pass. The newly created 'Nordic Pass Rhone Alpes' will cost 110€ for the whole winter season and will be available at all cross country ski centres within the Rhone Alpes area. This means you have all the pistes within seven different departments to try: Ain, Ardeche, Drome, Isere, Loire, Savoie and Haute Savoie. Representatives from all concerned departments have been working together as the 'Rhone Alpes Nordique' committee on this plan for over two years and regrouping 80 different cross country ski areas has been no mean feat. However, discussions progressed so well, that the ski areas will be rolling out a new global computer system too. This winter we can expect a dozen or so ski areas to have the new system installed, with all cross country ski domains expected to fall in line within a couple of years. The committee will be responsible for dividing out how the income is shared amongst the participating areas and the information on where the cross country skier bought their pass and used their passes will be collated to help make such decisions. Young cross country ski fans are well looked after with a special tariff for those under 16 of just 30€ for the season pass. So with the price of alpine ski passes set to increase once again this winter, it could be time to swop that one planker or those floppy fat skis for pair of matchstick-sized skis and a bit of lycra and get into this cross country skiing malarky with a global Rhone Alpes season pass at just 110€!

A Great Summer for La Plagne
With the weather finally starting to cool a little, La Plagne waves off the last of the summer guests. It has been a Clear buoyant summer season probably as a result of the excellent weather, as many drive up to escape the stifling heat in the towns and cities by spending time in the mountains. It seems many are coming to La Plagne for the mountain biking which is becoming increasingly popular and the facilities are getting better each year. The new walking routes at Grande Rochette have also been very well received. The new global lift ticket Pass'Glacier has been a real success with 13 700 people taking advantage of the new offer during the two months of summer. Now the station is looking forward to the forthcoming winter season, with the lifts due to open in La Plagne on the 12th December 2009.

BMI Baby offer free ski and board carriage
Bmibaby is offering free ski and board carriage on flights from the UK to Geneva, and Grenoble this winter as British Airways announce they are to charge for the same services. The offer is for a 'limited time only' but the airline has not released a closing date yet for this deal which will keep skiers and boarders happy this winter season. However, the small print does say the offer is not valid during school holidays.