Fish & Pips Blog

Light your fires and put the heating on - winter is here!  It has snowed again and the forecast is cold weather.  Great news for the snow cannons which will start pumping out snow day and night to get the pistes ready for opening on the 13th December.  We are hoping that the snowfall of the last few days, and that due next week will mean the lifts can open a little earlier so we get to stretch our legs before the first guests arrive - just to brush off the cobwebs!

Meanwhile in London F&P are frantically sorting, cleaning, folding, packing and saying farewell as D day (that is departure day) 21st November fast approaches.  The marmite, marmalade, PG tips, Christmas crackers to name but a few are packed in the back of the trusty Polo ready to be loaded into a van tomorrow for their journey to France.  Posing more of a logistical problem are the two giant bean bags for Chalet Corblettes that have arrived - quite how they are going to get into the Polo to be driven to the van (it is a very well thought out plan!) we are not yet sure, but where there is a will there is a way!

One of the best things about our job is the variety and the people we meet - we may be faced with the logistical bean bag car boot dilemma but last week we were at Joseph and his Technicoloured Dream coat courtesy of Matthew - a F&P regular.  Holly is debating getting a copy for her ski jacket for this winter…

Tom Mayne worked for Fish and Pips in their debut season a couple of years ago.  Tom is now training to become a ski instructor and is looking forward to his winter in Verbier to complete his training.  Tom ’s sense of humour will be thoroughly missed by the team this year in Meribel but we hope he comes to visit! 

WOW, where do i start, what a season i had! It was my first European season, and the girls’ first season as employers. Having been hand picked from an extensive list of experienced and thoroughly professional potentials, I was honoured that I had been welcomed into this new and highly exclusive team. All I had to do now was shine!

After days of intensive manipulation under the guiding hands of Miss Eyles and Miss Fisher, we were ready for the first guests to arrive. The combination of extemely high standards, twinned with passionate staff made life so easy for me, enjoying week after week of happy guests!

The work place was one of the best I have experienced due mainly to the girls’ managerial approach, which suited me down to the ground - work hard, play hard.  Some might say I did one more than the other, but I still stand by the fact that I did play as well! 

I like to think of myself as a very punctual, well organised and professional guy, but my love of skiing took hold me! Like a highly addictive drug, flowing through my veins I had to have more and when I asked the girls whether I could have two weeks of mornings off in order to partake my ski instuctors exam, I was happily surprised that they allowed me to.  My gratitude is still to this day not properly conveyed, so thank you girls so much for that, I love you both. 

After passing that exam I was back to work with more vigour then ever before, and quickly the plans of an end of season bbq emerged.  After more and more nights out, more and more people being invited - mainly by the easily excited Holly Fisher, we soon had a bbq that would put Glastonbury to shame! Maybe it was the punch, maybe the altitude, or maybe it was because it had been such a successful, rewarding 6 months but I thought it was the best bbq I think I have ever had. ‘Fishstock Forever!’
 

I had so much fun working for them that I had to come back and do another season in Meribel, but this time I had been propelled into the position of fleet manager, which was a part time role and self-titled (!) but meant that I was in charge….or so I would like to think, of their new minibus.  I have now heard that they may be getting a chalet pet like a small dog or a hamster to keep that homely feel alive. 
 
All the best girls and good luck without me! HA!

4 inches of the stuff…. at resort level… on the 30th October!!  This must be a good sign!

October and November are busy times in Meribel.  Building is going on everywhere, though the rooves that haven’t yet been finished might be a little worse for wear now that we have this amazing early snow fall.  Our sources on the ground report of sliding cars and freezing fingers as the resort and all it’s occupants busy readying themselves for the winter ahead were caught off guard.

What does this mean for the forthcoming winter?  Long range forecasts don’t give a huge amount away, but we are all for positive thinking and hoping for a bumper snow season to put a smile on everyone’s faces.

For webcams, daily updates and lots more Meribel info do have a look at www.merinet.com

The first flakes as they fell yesterday morning on the terraces of Aurigny, Braye and Corblettes.

Mathew Novak and Nicole Fisher came over to Europe from Australia to get more experience of the European way, and of course one of those ‘ways’ is to spend time in a mountain resort on a piece of wood travelling down a slope. Before and after the five months spent ripping up the mountains on a snowboard, they spent time just travelling in their car and camping around every where they could go. Back in Australia now, they are faced with the everyday reality of a job which doesn’t revolve around snow, and settling down, not only in a house for the first time in over a year, but having to stay in the same country!

What can we say? We had some of the best moments of our lives in the 2007/2008 ski season in the middle valley, Meribel, of Les Trios Valleys. Of course we loved the chalets and our work there, but we lived for the moment when we could get up on that golf chairlift from Meribel Village and up into the mountains. Even if we didn’t go snowboarding every day (like when the night before proved too much for Matt (!) or when I hurt my knee) it was enough to BE there, to know that you COULD.

When we first arrived in the mountains, it was before the rest of the team and we thought that Holly and Phillippa had been pulling our legs as there was no snow! However, by the time the rest of the team arrived and we started our training, we had over 2 feet and everyone was getting excited.

At the moment, we have flown back to Perth, Australia and unlike all our friends from the mountains, are not facing a white Christmas, but we will remember always the times we had in the French Alps.  The experience of a lifetime, fitted into five months.   Happy skiing, Matt and Nicole xxx

Nick joined the Fish and Pips team last year all the way from Newcastle, Australia where he had been working as a chef since leaving school.  Nick has spent this summer working for a top Asian Fusian restaurant in the City of London, and is looking forward to another season in the snow as chef in Chalet Le Christophe this winter.

Living in the French Alps, skiing, and cleaning the odd toilet - I know what your thinking life doesn’t get much better than this!

Last year was my first season in the Alps and working for the girls at Fish & Pips was a pleasure.  The first couple of weeks were a bit hectic; getting chalets cleaned and ready for guests, planning menus and moving fire wood plus exploring the mountains and of course a few of the bars as well!  But before we knew it Abi and I were at the front door of Chalet Le Christophe waiting for our first guests to arrive.

My first white Christmas was a day I’ll never forget.  It was a beautiful sunny day in the valley but by the afternoon a little snow had started to fall, not quite like normal in Oz! Cooking a British Christmas dinner was a bit daunting but as I sat down with our guests and Holly they reassured me I had got it all right!

Being in a ski resort for a season enables you to meet some great people and form great friendships.  My partner in crime in Chalet Le Christophe, Abi, was great - to spend as much time together as you do in a role like this and not get on each others nerve is a credit to us both.  We got along great and helped each other out when we needed it.  .I can get a bit moody on a changeover Saturday, a little tired from a big week of work, boarding and beers and trying to make a bed to Abi’s high standards, but she kept me in line!

The whole Fish and Pips experience was great, we had a brilliant team who not only worked well together but managed to ski together too and even fit in a spot of après at the end of the day.  

I think doing ski seasons are very addictive - a beautiful location, great guests, amazing snow and meeting friends that will last a life time.  Bring on December when the Le Christophe dream team of Nick and Abi is reunited for another winter of fun!

A little flutter of excitement hit the Fish and Pips office this morning as an email popped into our inbox.  Photos of the first snow fall of the winter – and it is only 6^th October!  Not only were the peaks glittering with white snowflakes, but there was a covering all the way to 1000m.  The valley may have been green again this morning, but the peaks are still covered and the cold weather is set to continue.

Although temperatures are set to rise this week, there is another cold front coming in next week bringing with it the chance of more autumn snow.   Long distance forecasting is not giving anything away for the winter’s predicted snowfall, but we remain hopeful at Fish and Pips that this snow on the peaks will form the base of a good snow depth for the season ahead.

Last winter saw a first for Fish and Pips… our first Fish and Pips engagement!

In January whilst Laura and Paul were on a Fish and Pips skiing holiday - at the top of the mountain… he popped the question!  Watch this space for Laura’s account of this magical day….

We can hardly believe it is the middle of September and we have just over 2 months before we head back to the Alps for the winter.  It is even harder to believe considering the glorious sunshine, 30 degree heat and lush green hills we saw when we visited the Alps a couple of weeks ago.

If you have never been to the Alps in the summer you are missing out.  Whenever Holly and I drive from Geneva airport for our yearly off season visit and weave our way up the mountains, we always say in unison how silly we are to have let another summer pass without spending any time in Meribel.  I suppose this summer it was made all the more prominant by the glorious sunshine - something it is fair to say we haven’t seen a huge amount of here in London!  The fresh air, amazing scenery and the incredible peacefulness of Meribel in August is wonderful.  The cows are quietly grazing, the locals are out in their fields growing vegetables, hanging baskets bursting with vibrant flowers hang off every chalet and all the while in the background teams of builders are quietly fixing, building, roofing ready for the winter.

Unfortunately we had a pretty tight schedule and hadn’t left much time for the longed for snoozes in the afternoon sun.  Too much of our time was spent meeting with various people and taking photos of the chalets, which was the main focus of the trip.  We have recently invested in a mega camera which Holly masterfully commanded whilst I was prop girl - making beds, laying tables and holding lights!  I hope you like the new images.

The new images make up a very important element of our new site which we are thrilled with.  Having decided to switch our site into HTML from Flash (for boring IT reasons more than anything) we set Mike, our trusty web designer, the ardous task of creating an HTML site to look exactly like, if not better than our Flash site.  I hope you will agree he has done a fantastic job!

Abi Kernaham worked as Chalet Host in Chalet Le Christophe for the winter 07-08. Abi graduated last June with a degree in Biological Sciences before deciding to come to the Alps for the winter, here Abi tells of her ‘Fish and Pips’ experience. Abi has returned to the world of science for the summer months but looks forward to returning to us at Fish and Pips in December to continue hosting in Chalet Le Christophe for the 08-09 winter.

On the 3^rd of December last year Jen, Nick, Hans and I flew out to Geneva where Philippa, Holly, Tom and the Fish & Pips Mobile were waiting. We wound our way up the mountains reaching Meribel in darkness and…. already covered in about a foot of snow! This made an exciting to start to some of the most enjoyable few months of my life!

We spent the next week deep cleaning the chalets, preparing them for our first guests, eating delicious 3-course test dinners and even a spot of wine tasting!

The lifts opened on the 14^th and we were straight up there exploring the vast skiing area that Meribel and the other two valleys have to offer.

Our first guests arrived and Nick and I greeted them with excitement and a few nerves, but we soon settled into our roles and Nick never failed to cook fantastic food whilst remaining very relaxed in typical Australian style! We had some brilliant guests, several of whom I’m looking forward to seeing again this winter.

Most days I skied and skied – I found that even after a several months the novelty of having the slopes just metres from the door was such a draw that I could not resist going up the mountains. We were also spoilt with the amount of snow and sunshine we got!

On the odd lazy day we would peruse the shops, chill out and watch a film or even go to the Spa (the health one not the supermarket!) which made you feel very pampered.

Meribel is a fantastic place to go on holiday, ski, work, live and just generally have fun….. And I can’t wait to get back there in December!

Jenny Weller worked as Chalet Chef in Chalet Braye for the winter 07-08. Here she tells of her experience as someone who had spent little time on skis before last December. Jenny is currently cheffing her way through the summer picking up new skills before returning to us at Fish and Pips to continue creating culinary feasts in Chalet Braye for the 08-09 winter.

April saw the end of the 2007-2008 skiing season in Meribel, which luckily for us had plentiful snow dumps throughout the season. The last few weeks in April saw some spring snow and the Lapin run back down to Meribel village was still open! Although the best snow was to be had up high and in Val Thorens.

Having only skied once before I was amazed at how much snow there was when we arrived in December and throughout the season. No matter how much snow you have seen in the UK it’s nothing like the amount that falls on the Trois Vallees every year.

During the week I got accustomed to waking up every morning with a view of the beautiful Savoie mountains. Each Saturday however I was reminded of this view as new guests entered the chalets and saw the mountains for the first time.

After picking up skiing pretty quickly I was soon exploring the expansive Trois Vallees which are on the doorstep of all the Fish and Pips chalets. While enjoying their afternoon tea the guests often saw one of the staff ski back, dropping in on the deck outside as they returned to work to cook supper.

By the end of the season the Fish and Pips team were, shall we say ‘knowledgeable’ about where to go for the best après – ski! The famous Rond Point is not to be missed with their large sun deck and live music which you can enjoy and still be back at the chalet in time for dinner.

Sadly after many a good bye party and the last few days of skiing it was time to return to England. For me the hills of Surrey don’t compare to the Alps which is why I cannot wait to return to Meribel and Fish and Pips this winter to continue cheffing in Chalet Braye and exploring the 3Vs.