Fresh Tracks
Ellis Brigham
Mon - Fri:
10.00am - 7.00pm
Thurs:
10.00am - 8.00pm
Sat:
9.30am - 6.30pm
Sun:
11.30am - 5.30pm
3-11 Southampton Street
Covent Garden, London
WC2E 7AJ
GEO:51.5111,-0.122201
Phone: 020 7395 1010
Website
Covent Garden is your one-stop shop for the latest gear you need for a holiday on the slopes. All the following stores are conveniently located just a short walk from each other, making comparing prices a snap.
Where to get the gear
ELLIS BRIGHAM
Tower House
3-11 Southampton Street
WC2E
This large ski and snowboard shop has everything you need to get kitted out for your winter holiday. The staff are genuine experts and can advise not just on equipment but also which ski resorts might suit your level. When it comes to ski boots or clothing it’s always best to try them on for size and get fitted and advised by staff who know their stuff. Top new items for this season include the waterproof Dakine Heli Pro range of bags with handy cross or vertical snowboard carry and fleece lined camera pocket, or the women’s Slam 3.1 jacket from Salomon – a great looking performance item in fully taped ClimaPro softshell fabric with a luxurious fleece inner face.
THE NORTH FACE
30-32 Southampton Street
WC2E
This store, which opened in 2003, was the first dedicated North Face outlet in Europe and they have a range befitting a flagship operation. Every outdoors type knows that North Face gear rocks and this shop carries their entire line of clothing, accessories, and ski gear. What’s caught our eye this season is their selection of women’s hats, from Peruvian-style beanies to on-trend knitted pom-poms and bomber hats with toasty ear protection.
MOUNTAIN WAREHOUSE
3 Southampton Street
WC2E
If you are looking for bargain outdoor clothing and accessories, this is the place to come. Mountain Warehouse sources its own brand products from the same factories as well known brands like The North Face, Berghaus, Craghoppers, Regatta and Karrimor – but because they sell direct to the public you get unbeatable value for money. Current deals include buy one and get one free on own brand fleece neck gaitors and base layer cotton roll necks for just £11.99. Oh, and they have a wide variety of those daft spiky ski hats for kids.
FIELD & TREK
42 Maiden Lane
WC2E
As one of the UK’s leading retailers of outdoor clothing and equipment, Field & Trek stocks everything you need to keep yourself warm and dry in the mountains. Look out for special Christmas sales on big brands at heavily discounted prices. Move quickly enough and you can snap up a Garmin GPS at £325 (£75 discount) – perfect for the ski or snowboarder who’s prone to misreading piste maps!
Choose your level
EXPERT ADVENTURE
Chamonix, France
For off piste aficionados, the Chamonix Valley in the shadow of Mont Blanc is
as good as it gets. The question is whether to stay in the resort, a no
nonsense pedestrianised town with good restaurants and nightlife, or in the
picturesque village of Argentiere, the gateway to the Grands Montets. This is
a seriously hardcore mountain with numerous derring do options, notably the
classic Pas de Chevre descent into the main Vallee Blanche glacier route back
to Chamonix. With six areas on the same lift pass, there are slopes for
everyone, including beginners at Le Tour, but experts have the most to gain.
INTERMEDIATE CRUISERS
Les Trois Vallees, France
With 600 km of pistes linked by 200 lifts on the same pass, the Trois Vallees
really makes you feel you can ski forever. Anglophile Meribel benefits from
its key location in the central valley, with Courchevel on one side and Val
Thorens, Les Menuires and St Martin de Belleville on the other. Val Thorens,
at 2,300m the highest resort in the Alps, is the most snow sure, while
Courchevel’s quartet of height-related satellite developments provides
everything from super chic (1850) through purpose built (1650 & 1550) to
Savoyard village (1300).
ADVENTOROUS BEGINNERS
Poiana Brasov, Romania
Nearly 4000 Britons make the annual pilgrimage to Romania’s lone
international resort on the south eastern fringes of the Carpathian
Mountains, many of them returnees seduced by the warmth of the locals. Poiana
is a modern development set in pine forests at the base of Mount Postavaru a
three hour drive from Bucharest. Two cable cars and a gondola, all of them
venerable, serve 14km of undemanding runs, but many of the instructors speak
excellent English and the prices are very reasonable.
FAMILIES
Andorra
Winter holiday enthusiasts have a long running love affair with the remote
principality in the Pyrenees four hours from either Barcelona or Toulouse.
Their affection is three fold: gentle nursery slopes encourage beginners and
children, instructors, often from the Antipodes or Scotland, speak English as
a first language and bars and supermarkets are laden with duty free goods.
There are two main linked ski areas: Gran Valira, which includes fun loving
Pas de la Casa plus Soldeu and El Tarter, and Pal, Arinsal and Arcalis.
PARTY TIME
St. Anton, Austria
Big skiing, big bars: that’s the key to St Anton, Austria’s high octane
party town. The slopes on the Valluga are awesome and the linked village of
Stuben is the gateway to fine north facing snowfields and challenging runs
into neighbouring valleys. On-slope après ski starts early in two legendary
bars, the Mooserwirt and the Krazy Kanguruh. When they close around 8 pm,
patrons dodge the snow cannons on the short run back to the resort before
taking up the late night challenge in Piccadilly, the Funky Chicken and
Kandahar.
New pistes alert!
Last year saw the mighty Paradiski ski domain open in the French Alps, with 200km of runs linking the ski areas of La Plagne and Les Arcs. The super-fast Vanoise Express cable car is what really makes this resort though, shifting skiers and boarders around the slopes at a rate of 500 metres a minute. Kids will love the five snowparks and half-pipe on offer, while parents will appreciate the long, flowing runs through this tree-lined alpine wonderland.
Something a little different…
Ski a volcano
If you’re bored of the Alps, why not mix snow with black lava and check out
Sicily’s Mount Etna and its two ski areas, Rifugio Sapienza and
Linguaglossa for the singular experience of skiing a volcano. Stay at the
pretty two-bedroom farmhouse The House of Camellia which sits on the doorstep
of the Mount Etna national park and boasts beamed ceilings and lava stone
walls.
“www.oneoffplaces.co.uk“http://www.oneoffplaces.co.uk
Get your skates on
For those tired of overcrowded skating rinks full of noisy kids, ice skating
on Lake Weissensee in Austria is a picture-postcard perfect experience
that’s a feast for the senses. Brave visitors can take the winding route
that is the official 16.7km course for the area’s week-long Elfstedentocht
festival (January 20-31) when 1,500 skaters compete on the ice, or simply
relax by doing shorter distances on the practice paths. Stay at the nearby
resort of Nassfeld at the Hotel Wulfenia, which boasts a Michelin-starred
restaurant.
Dog sledding in Finland
Feel the lurch of the sled and the thrill of being pulled through a silent,
white world with a dog sledding experience situated close to the Russian
border. Pile on the thermals and learn to steer your own sled, with the help
of six faithful huskies, of course. For a true taste of the wilderness, take
the four-day trip, staying at cosy log cabins along the way.
Splashing out – five star chalets
Chalet du Cret, Val D’Isere, France
This utterly elegant Alpine retreat dates back to 1632, when it was a cheese
farm run by the local monks. A two year restoration has lovingly preserved
the chalet’s original features, including the beautiful chapel that nestles
in the garden. Age old stone and rustic timbers blend effortlessly with works
of modern art, combining to create one of Val d’Isère’s true jewels.
Throw in an outdoor hot tub, steam room, sauna, butler, a private chef
who’ll make you a five course meal every night and daily transport to and
from the slopes and you’ve got ski heaven.
Chalet Merlo, Le Miroir, France
Brand new this season, it includes iPod docks in every bedroom, a 1000 title
DVD library plus 50 inch plasma TV, gym with
mountain view, a seven course dinner every night from your personal chef and
stacks of in-house entertainment for the kids.
Music festivals on the slopes
Snowbombing, Mayrhofen, Austria
29 March – 4 April
Top bands and DJs come together for the daddy of all piste-based music
festivals. If you make it on to the slopes before lunch, you’re doing
better than most of the party faithful at this bash.
Tignesfest, Tignes, France
15 – 19 April
Last year saw this fledging fest launch, with the likes of Kissy Sell-Out,
The Whip and the Loose Cannons entertaining the crowds in near blizzard
conditions. A cracking little party.
