APASSION

Tarmac Rodéo (electro) swing into Sixt

robin.tarr — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:54:21 +0000

Electro Swing lights-up Sixt Fer-à-Cheval

Thought-out the summer the commune of Sixt Fer-à-Cheval put on free weekly concerts, the Music O’ Jardin, with artists coming from across the country to light-up the grounds of the Abbey with a wide range of musical genres.

This week was swing week and “wow” were we treated to some high energy electro-swing by the amazing Tarmac Rodéo.

No way to describe it so you best just get a taster for yourself from the clip below and understand why the place was swinging!

Apartment ACCORD – Excels in the Summer!

robin.tarr — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:37:24 +0000

Thanks from the Kralls

We’re always delighted to receive such amazing feedback from our guests and its always refreshing when people notice the small details; Like the in-chalet book selection and back copies of “Country Living” magazine!

Tour de France Femme hits Samoëns

robin.tarr — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 06:12:55 +0000

Bravo Pauline!

What a treat to be able to witness the Tour de France Femme take-on the challenge of the Col de Joux Plane. Starting from the village of Samoëns the ascent combines a total elevation gain of nearly 1,000m with an average gradient of 9% and was described by Lucien Van Impe (5 times winner of the Tour de France mountain jersey) as one of the toughest climbs in France.

With over a week of racing already in their legs the ladies of the TdF Femme seemed to make light-work of the heat and gruelling ascent en-route to the race finish in Châtel.

Whist Anna van der Breggen won the race to the 1691m summit of the Joux-Plane with a 45 second lead over the peloton, the day was really only about one lady; The incredible Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who doubled down on her stage win of the day before to win both her second stage of the 2025 Tour but also to extend her overall lead and become the first French winner of the ladies edition of the TdF in over 30 years! Bravo Pauline!

Cirque de Fer-à-Cheval – Where Cliffs and Waterfalls Meet

robin.tarr — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:24:44 +0000

Taking its name from the shape of the semi-circular rock formation (Fer-à-Cheval translates to “Horseshoe” in English) the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval is the largest mountain cirque in the Alps.

The steep sided cliffs that line the valley rise up to over 2,000m and create a stunning back-drop for the many waterfalls that offer the opportunity for a very refreshing dip in the height of the summer.

The Cirque forms part of the Sixt-Passy National Reserve, the largest national reserve in Haute Savoie, which is home to a truly magnificent array landscapes, animals and plant species.

You’ll find more information about the hiking options within the Hiking section of our website

Always a favourite – Hiking to Refuge de Sales

robin.tarr — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:59:24 +0000

A personal favourite - The hike to Refuge de Sales

One of the hikes that we love to do every year and we try and time to see the mix of the amazing flowers and the refreshing waterfalls in full flow.

Refuge de Sales itself sits on a huge plateau, Le Grand Pré, at a height of 1,877m but the hike itself offers a variety of landscapes, stunning views, beautiful alpine flowers and the opportunity to cool-off in one of many mountain fed waterfall pools.

Approximately a two hour hike from Le Lignon the Refuge offers both overnight accommodation for around 60 people, but also the option of a hearty mountain lunch and a refreshing beer for thirty days hikers like ourselves!

During the summer the Refuge hosts a number of events and activities, ranging from wine tasting to talks from local guides about the flora, fauna and geology of the region.

To find out more about some of the local hiking options then go to the Summer Activities section of our website and find out where you might want to go next time you visit the region!

Another 5-Star Review!

robin.tarr — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 08:48:25 +0000

Perfection!

We had the most fabulous time at Chalet ALLURE.

We’re a family of 8 adults, with one toddler and one baby and we couldn’t have been looked after better; Firstly the communication and attention to detail from Rob through-out the booking process and planning everything to ensure our stay was perfect, and then by Peter & Amanda who were the most fantastic hosts and provided delicious food, catering for all our individual needs, nothing was too much trouble.

Chalet ALLURE is a beautiful, modern chalet with lovely big, comfy beds & plenty of space for everyone & fabulous views. We were there in February for the skiing primarily, the modern telecabin is very close by and we didn’t queue once to get on it, we had our own bubble on almost every trip & up and down the mountain which we were amazed at knowing how new & modern it is & the skiing was varied and plentiful.

The villages of Samoëns and Morillon are easy to get to via the frequent free buses and there is a lovely walk along the river joining them, which we did one day, with lovely views of the river & lakes. La Reposette, at the foot of the gondola, is really welcoming & perfect for lovely food & drinks through-out the day & evening & a short walk back to the chalet. We ate at La Boule De Neige on Peter & Amanda’s well earned day off, all we wanted was the traditional raclette and fondue & it fitted the bill perfectly.

Vercland is obviously a small hamlet, not the place if you want lots of nightlife or activity, but for our family had everything we could have wished for with such a lovely chalet to relax in with amazing food, we really can’t rate our stay highly enough, thank you!

The Scammell Family

The Grand Massif tops the Sunweb Powder Ranking!

robin.tarr — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 20:22:12 +0000

Sunweb, one of Europe’s largest on-line travel agents, recently published analysis to highlight which of Europe’s ski resorts have, over the last 17 years, benefitted from the most snowfall. The Grand Massif tops the charts with Flaine ranking 1^st with an average of 59cm of fresh snow in the first week of March and Samoëns ranking 2^nd with 56cm of fresh snow in the same week.

So, if you are either a powder hound looking to make fresh track in the off-piste or just looking for assurance of great piste conditions in the second half of the season, then Samoëns in the Grand Massif is the destination for you!

See the full article on the Sunweb website (published in French).

Apartment ACCORD is Fab!

robin.tarr — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 19:10:06 +0000

Rob and Vicky’s apartment is fab!

It is perfect for families or small groups. The ski lift is literally 150m away which is brilliant with small children. The village is beautiful and there is a lovely restaurant within walking distance. I would advise getting a car for transport (although there are buses) for access to the supermarket and other villages/ski areas.

The apartment is beautiful, warm, practical and spacious. We used a meal preparation service too on the advice of Rob which was delicious, so I would highly recommend them too. Rob was an excellent host, informative, helpful and responsive. We had a fantastic week and would definitely return!

The Fox Family

First Ski de Fond of 2024!

robin.tarr — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 17:40:04 +0000

Back to basics after a year since our last outing so we drove up to Le Col de Joux Plane to start on the gentle nursery slopes and whilst it looks pretty flat we soon worked-up a sweat getting back into the ski de fond / Nordic skiing technique!

Considering it was mid-February we had the slopes largely to ourselves and after an hour and not many kilometres we found a snowy hill for a perfectly peaceful picnic lunch stop!

Why not give something different a try on your next trip to the Alps!

Early season randonnée!

robin.tarr — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 16:59:17 +0000

After the heavy snowfall of the last couple of weeks it was time to check out the conditions!

Preparation of the slopes is well underway and the pistes are starting to take shape. Whilst ski randonnée isn’t for the faint hearted it’s a great all round work-out and enables you to get off the beaten track to places as yet unexplored!

On this occasion we hiked from Samoëns 1600m up to the top of Tête de Saix. We certainly didn’t make first tracks but it was a magical walk up and an amazing ski down on a beautiful sunny afternoon!