Corporate Events Blog

Saturday was a pretty good day in Chamonix; early snow had prompted the Grands Montets lifts to open before the scheduled date. It was the alpine equivalent to rush hour on the London underground as people crammed themselves onto the GM cable car.  The mountain was ramajammed, it seemed that most of Cham had popped up to test out the snow.  There was a mix of people either feeling a little rusty or expert skiers who zipped down the mountain like they’d been skiing all summer long.  For the rusty lot it had the makings of a great social skiing day to ease gently back in.

Since Saturday, Grands Montets has quietened down and with a sprinkling more snow on Monday, the conditions are great up the mountain.  With blue skies and fresh snow, Chamonix has had a promising start to the winter season.  For people who enjoy a bit of variety, the rest of the mountain areas aren’t far behind, opening next weekend.  Roll on the bus rides and chats about which is the best ski area.

A world with no colour sounds rubbish right?  Not if it’s all white in Chamonix.  It was looking bleak last week; there was a little smattering of snow on the peaks but it wasn’t looking too promising. But today the residents of Chamonix have woken up to find a blanket of the fluffy white stuff covering pretty much everything.  For the residents of Chamonix this marks the start of the winter season.  As fresh faced seassonaires start to grace the aisles of SuperU the town will soon totally forgot their interseason blues as the the winter kicks in.   Lift passes will be snapped up and ski and boards serviced ready for the first lift opening in December.

For our clients who love to ski this will be great news as it will mean the company ski trip isn’t too far away.  Take a look at our snowy office pictures on facebook to get you in the mood.  Although if you’re waiting for your company to book  a trip there are affordable ski trips to be had from the start of the season this year. So dig out your thermals and sign up to our email newsletter to  take advantage of these great prices by emailing us at info@ten80events.com or get hold of us through Facebook or Twitter.

The Ten80 walk to work.

Ten80 are bringing you news hot off the press, Chamonix will be home to a new après ski bar ‘The Vallee Blanche’. It will be apart of the Vallee Blanche hotel in a great central location just off Chamonix town square, but this will be no ordinary hotel bar.  With the focus on après ski this place will open in time for some fun after a hard day on the mountains.  A great variety of beers will be served up and you can take advantage of the happy hour form 5-6pm every day.  There will be a host of bands playing throughout the season so each night will have a real party atmosphere.  There will be some tasty grub too served until 9, the menu will consist of simple yummy home cooked food to warm you up and help soak up some of the beer.

The launch party on November 20^th is well anticipated in resort, before the season starts to kick off, it gives the locals an excuse for a celebration. If you’re planning on a trip to Chamonix this winter The Vbar/The VBbar (we’re not sure which nickname will stick yet)  sounds well worth a visit.  If you’re not planning a trip then a new bar in Cham is a good excuse to organise a trip to the valley to check out the new nightlife and the mountains for some skiing.

Visit Chamonix's new apres bar

A local event to Chamonix and the surrounding area, Sunday saw the annual cow fighting in Argentierre.  Not as lethal as it sounds, the local breed of heron cows are placed into groups categorised by size from different herds.  They are then put in a ring together, apparently as the cows are from different herds they are more likely to fight.  Most of the cows try to make a quick exit and these cows are taken out of the ring.  The one’s that are left fight, generally crashing there heads together.  The fighting is sporadic and doesn’t last long.  The event works in rounds with the best fighters, chosen by a judging panel, stay on until a winner is announced.

It was a very French affair, with family’s sat around eating raclette and beef bourguignon and drinking wine.  It was a beautiful afternoon with the sun shining and much more enjoyable than anticipated.  The winning cow receives the title Queen of the cows and her owner gets a helicopter ride and a calf.   A strange but fun event, steeped in culture it was a great experience.

Eating out in Chamonix is great; this cosmopolitan town has a great deal of eateries to entice even the fussiest of eaters.  From Savoyard through to fast food the choice is immense. As a corporate event company Ten80 get to take clients to some great restaurants and check out new places to eat and call it work.  I found myself at Hotel Eden after a long walk and opted for the four course set menu.  At the time it was half price but even so it is very reasonably priced and a great meal; I could not fault a thing.  The food was tasty and plentiful, the service was friendly and the wine was just delicious.  The food was a mix of cuisines with, falafel, tartiflette and tempura battered Seabass on the menu.  Another great meal I’ve had was also in Les Praz when we discovered that Les Rhodos is not just a great bar but also sells tasty pizzas too.  They are reasonably priced and traditional tasting with thin bases.  If you’re after pub grub in town the nachos at MBC are a great option.  Hands down they are the best I’ve had; loaded with homemade toppings the only problem is they are too moreish.

There is an abundance of places to eat in town, Alan Peru near the Augile di Midi lift offers up a great mix of food from different cultures.  Although the summer menu does not offer the dumplings which are a favourite in the winter season, the menu does not disappoint offering fare from many regions of the world.   I can also recommend the house white which was a great tasting dry white perfect for a summers evening.  Le Caveau in town is worth a visit for the garlic bread alone, although serves another worldly mix of food and offers a great selection of pizzas.  A popular restaurant in town is the Petit Kitchen who offer authentic full English breakfasts and fish and chip with homemade tartare sauce, perfect for those British travellers who are a little homesick.  For a complete change Satsuki serves up Japanese cuisine which is often washed down with saki.  Food is always an important part of corporate event trips, which means events in Chamonix are always popular with corporate clients who have a number of tastes to satisfy, especially after a day filled with activities to work up an appetite.

Food to suit all tastes in Chamonix

Cool down in the heat

A very British topic of discussion but still a worthy one when the weather is this good.  Of course because I went back to the Uk for a few days the weather in Chamonix raised to scorching levels.  It is beautiful over here which means the views from the Aiguile du Midi are amazing over to Mont Blanc.  The hot weather and clear skies always draws out the parapenters which looks like a great sport and perfect for any level of fitness.  Heat also means an increased interest in barbeques, ice creams and al fresco drinking.  On my walk back from work the streets and bars are filled with tourists and locals all enjoying the sunshine with some ice cream, local wine or happy hour beer.

Of course in this heat the best sports are the one’s that cool you off, and the rivers in Chamonix are still pretty nippy so rafting and canyoning are great choices to enjoy the valley.  If you’re after walks then a visit to some glaciers or the ice cave will provide a drop in temperature. There are also some great shady walks around the valley floor to keep you out of the sun.  If like me you are a sun worshiper then sunbathing is perfect to while away some time with a good book.  My other favourite past time is eating which is great when the sun is out; picnics and barbeques are always great ways to enjoy the weather.  We had some clients out for pre visit for their corporate event in March, they had a great time and had chance to do some climbing and some glacier ladder walks as the weather was so nice.