What's New in Chamonix?

Not so long ago we wrote about the Ski Voice device that is proving popular with many ski instructors. Most resorts now have modern “hands-free” lift passes that have a small microchip embedded in them and there are a number of iPhone applications available to help you get the most out of your winter holiday.

Here is a round-up of some of the other gadgets and gizmos to be found around the Alps this winter:

Nintendo Wii - Tignes
If you’ve still got the energy and a full complement of working limbs after a day on the mountain, you can get stuck in to the giant Wii competition that takes place every Monday at 4.30pm at the foot of the pistes in Tignes Le Lac. With your best efforts being broadcast on a giant screen, you might want to have a practice first!

Swatch Snowpass – Alpe d’Huez, Courchevel, Les 2 Alpes, Les Menuires, Méribel, Tignes, Val d’Isère, Val Thorens and Verbier
No more fiddling about with lift passes at the turnstiles, or having to body slam the scanners because your hands free pass somehow isn’t being detected through your jacket pocket. With a Swatch Snowpass watch you can just hold out your arm and pass through in a dignified fashion. The watch contains a unique microchip that can be loaded with any number of days either online or in resort and can be topped up as required. Available in 5 highly desirable designs.

Shoot My Ride – Tignes and Verbier
Swatch Snowparks are giving you the chance to star in your own big air movie – or to publicly humiliate yourself, depending on how well it goes. Your run will be filmed and then shown on a giant screen at the foot of the snow park. It will also be posted on this website, so, as with the Wii, practice first and make it a good’un!

Mountain Pod – Les Arcs
Making skiing a more educational experience, the Mountain Pod is your very own tour guide to the Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry ski areas! Visit this website to download 10 free audio tracks to your phone or MP3 player. Dotted around the ski area are signs telling you which track to listen to, in order to learn a bit about where you are and what you are looking at from a lady with a strange way of pronouncing the word “piste”.

GPS – La Plagne
Many people now have GPS enabled on their phones, allowing them to pinpoint where they are anywhere in the world. La Plagne has used this principal to create a sort of orienteering-style game around the resort; 2 circuits can be done on foot, where you will be given a trail map and GPS tracker with which you must solve the puzzles in order to find your way along the route. These are each about 4km long, one on the theme of nature and the other about mountaineers. Suitable for families and children (will take about 3 hours with nippers in tow). The longer circuit is to be done on skis/snowboard and is race timed; 9 markers must be found using a map and GPS. This takes place every Wednesday and best time wins a prize! The GPS trackers and trail maps can be hired for €15 at a time from the tourist office at Plagne Centre.

For more information send an e-mail enquiry