Ben Clatworthy's Blog

In parts of the Alps resorts are opening their lifts early following heavy snowfall, whilst in some resorts openings are being delayed due to a lack of the white stuff.

It’s quite a common a scenario and no real change to many previous seasons. Last year broke the mould in many ways with bumper amounts of snow across the whole Alps.

I would be lying if I said that I didn’t quite enjoy all the speculation and discussion that I hear and read each November and early December. It’s all quite interesting and funny – everyone has their own take on the picture and everyone thinks they know whats going to happen. I don’t have a crystal ball, or any special powers but I would guess that as has happened in years gone by the snow will come; it’s just a matter of when.

Val Thorens today, fresh snow at 11am. c/o Snowbrainer

In Switzerland the resort of Verbier, which is very popular with British tourists opened on November 7, whilst the French resort of Val Thorens opened one week later on November 14, a week early. Tignes is also open in France and Zermatt in Switzerland has the most snow in the world with 4 meters.

I’m not here to write a snow report but there its easy to feel quite optimistic going on those few resorts. It’s not that simple everywhere though, Bansko in Bulgaria remains closed despite hoping to open earlier this month and now has it’s fingers crossed that the snow will arrive.

In the French Alps temperatures remain quite warm and lots of the early season snow that fell over the past weeks is, if not already, starting to melt. It’s a nail biting situation for any seasonal worker and especially tour operators.

Ischgl's famous opening season concert c/o PlanetSKI.eu

The Austrian resort of Ischgl, which is world famous for its beginning and end of season concerts, opens for skiing this Friday and then hosts international singer Katy Perry on Saturday for this years concert. Kylie Minogue, The Scissor Sisters, Pink, Elton John, Lionel Richie, The Sugababes and Bon Jovi have all performed live concerts there in years gone by.

If only I was going, it’s always a super event and enjoyed by everyone! It really is a ‘Wish I was There’ moment every year… I just need to find a valid reason to go!

No doubt the snow will come, in 2006 it didn’t come to many parts of the Alps until mid-december, but in 2008 it came in October.

The British media love to give the snow situation as much hype as possible. In 2006 a chalet manager in the resort of St Martin de Belleville in the world famous 3 Valleys invited one British ski journalist to stay in his chalet for a week, free of charge. But why? To make him go home and write a positive story about the snow that, in fact wasn’t as bad as the media had reported. You can’t blame them, every journalist wants a good story and people love reading about snow… I’ve already admitted that.

It’s important to remember that snow in November doesn’t necessarily mean snow in December, and with that in mind no snow in November doesn’t mean no snow in December. It really is swings and roundabouts this skiing lark!

This is not a snow report. Views expressed are those of Ben Clatworthy. If you are looking for a professional snow report then Ben recommends PlanetSKI.eu, who publish a detailed report regularly.

Putting on a play is hard at the best of times, doing it whilst trying to balance school work, sport and everything else that is thrown in your way is a different matter.

It’s been a while since I last wrote a ‘proper’ blog entry because any spare minute I seem to have is swept up as I try to Production Manage the Clifton College School Play.

I’ve done the job for the past few years and really I think I would be silly to give up now with just the sixth form left of school. This year it’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’, adapted by Head of Drama at the school, Rob Morris.

The idea of putting on some of Chaucer’s work in a school play does seem like a slightly mad idea, ‘what about the sex?’ is a question I seem to get asked daily as we lead up to the opening night tomorrow. Well, with the mature cast  that we have issues like this have become very unimportant. We’ve kept the sex, kept the bums and most importantly kept the jokes. It’s no less funny, and its certainly no less interesting. We really do have it all, puppets for the Merchant’s Tale, masks for the Manciples Tale, and Beyonce for the Nun’s Priests Tale.

The Redgrave Theatre, Clifton College

Here at Clifton we are very much lucky enough to have a full size, 323 seat, professional theatre on the campus so putting on the school play is no little deal. The play is becoming the talk of the school. The technical and dress rehearsals are done, the lighting is programmed, the sound cued up and I am ready in the wings.

Life goes on though, its a full day of lessons tomorrow and then the opening night. The play runs for four nights, and we have lessons everyday (even Saturday) throughout. Joy.

Drama at Clifton is taken seriously, we have the School Play, the Junior Play and all 11 houses put on a play in the Lent Term during ‘House Play Week’. It’s an awesome week with 3 plays each night, all 45 minutes long and all with a different cast. The School Play may be the big-brother to all the rest but one mustn’t knock such an event. Especially as my house won last year.

John Cleese, the star of the BBC’s ‘Faulty Towers’ was a Clifton boy many years ago and I am sure he would have loved the Canterbury Tales if we go my some of the old rumours that the school believes.

For the first time ever I headed to the Metro Ski and Snowboard Show on Wednesday for Press Day with PlanetSKI.eu. What a day it was!

Its a fantastic event, but time and time again I heard people saying, “Its a day I love to hate” and by the end of the very long, tiring day I kind of see where they are coming from. I’m quite glad I didn’t have to get up and do it all again the next day like the exhibitors.

I wrote an article for PlanetSKI.eu about what it’s like to be a newbie at the show. It was quite the experience.

We had two PlanetSKI reporters at the Metro Ski and Snowboard Show. Here’s a view from 16-year old Ben Clatworthy who’s never been before.

Standing on the platform at Earls Court I felt as if I had just stepped out of the UK and into a ski resort. To my right were two young lads wearing baggy hoodies and knitted beanie hats with the little bubble on the top and to my left was a middle aged woman and her husband, the kind of people you might find in Meribel or Val d’Isere, talking to one and other about the brilliant snow at the end of last season.

As I walked though the main doors the atmosphere and excitement hit me; one massive building, one massive ski show, hundreds of exhibitors and loads to do.

Within two minutes I had already bumped into three people I knew.

Avoid eye contect if you don’t want one of theseAs a strolled up the aisles it didn’t take long to learn that if I stopped walking for more than a couple of seconds I would be asked if I would be interested in skiing in Japan or entering some competition or other to win a free rental car.

Not making eye contect with people on the stands who were trying to sell, sell, sell was a trick I leant quickly.

I told quite a few people I knew that I had never been to a ski show before and they all said they were surprised that someone like me had never been.  Being an avid ski racer it would seem the sort of place I would reside. Not so, but why? Well the Metro Ski and Snowboard Show has always been in my half term and I am usually away training in Saas Fee then.

I wandered for over an hour, meeting the odd person, having a quick chat and then back to gazing at the various stands and shops. Time went so quickly; the hour only seemed like 20 minutes. There was quite a buzz to say the least.

In the middle of it all was a 50 foot kicker that was used for The Trespass Big Air competition and demonstration.

Extraordinary sightI had never seen anything like it before.

On the other side of the room was a 100m2 ice rink where children and adults alike were happily skating away.  It may have been Christmas!

Ready for a rest I headed to the ‘3 Valleys Resort Bar’ to meet up with a few people I knew for a chat and quickly found myself chatting to some of the big people from the British ski world as it was a drinks for the movers and shakers in ski industry.

The CEO’s of the major companies were there, officilas from the resorts in the Alps had flwn in specially and various website editors, journalists who write features for papers such as The Times, The Telegraph and The Independent. It quickly became apparent that everyone knew everyone, and that they were all very happy to see one another after the summer break.  It was lovely to have a chat with the people whose articles I read in the papers each weekend and who run the web sites I love.

After more talk and networking I headed off to see more and take a look at some of the wired and wonderful things that one can buy at the show.

We will have a look at some of those on PlanetSKI in the next few days. I had a long conversation with Raef Bjayou who some of you may remember from the 2008 series of the BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’. He is now the face of a new motorized bag that is apparently ‘perfect’ for skiing.

I then headed for the BASI stand where I met up with Duncan Freshwater, who was the Head Coach of my ski team for several years, and he persuaded me to have a go in a sit ski playing on the new Vancouver 2010 Wii game. They had very cleverly mounted the sit-ski onto a Wii Fit board and with lots of skill apparently it was possible to ski down the course.

Sean Rose, who is the UK number 1 disabled ski racer managed to complete the whole course in 1 minute 40 seconds. Could I beat that? Well the honest answer is no. In fact I ended up on the floor with the sit-ski on top of me – much to the amusement of Duncan and about 100 people who were sitting in the café.

There was so much going on; so much so there is just too much to write. I really had to pick out some of the best bits, but the whole day was wonderful. There’s no way I could fully sum up such a good day in 800 words, but I think its needless to say that I will be back next year for more, and hopefully for years to come after that. People are happy, there is optimistic talk of the coming season and I think it is safe to say in that corner of London people will definitely be heading to the slopes this season.

It may only just be November but I’ve been in the Swiss Alps skiing for the past week with the Kandahar Ski Club race training for the coming ski season.

Each evening I wrote a daily blog post from the resort of Saas Fee which is a glacier resort in the Saas Valley. The blog focused on everything from race training at 3800 meters, lift queue fist fights and even a lady walking a pet goat.

I had a brilliant week and it’s always great to get back on the snow for a new season, even if its just for a week. Race training is tough and not a holiday!

The blog was written for PlanetSKI.eu, a mountain based ski website. Follow the links below to view the blog:

Day 1 – Monday 26 October

Day 2 – Tuesday 27 October

Day 3 – Wednesday 28 October

Day 4 – Thursday 29 October

Day 5 – Friday 30 / Saturday 31 October

Ben Clatworthy would love hear what you think of the blog. Fee free to leave a comment on this post by clicking on the link to the left.