For the Love of Mountains
Throwing ourselves down a mountainside on skis, albeit with varying degrees of style, is, as you would expect, a shared passion at Powder Byrne HQ. As well as the sport, we are also smitten by all things alpine and a way of life that can only be found many metres above sea level. Its allure can be just as strong as the love of carving the pistes. This was something I learnt fast when growing up.
In my family, my mum decided that once her three children had learnt to ski she would bow out gracefully. She had learnt as an adult, long before Powder Byrne’s 'Learn in Style' programme had been invented, as this would have been the ideal way for her to make her debut and get hooked. The ski bug caught by the rest of the family had never quite bitten her.
A few years into leading by example for the sake of the kids, a run-in with a T-bar was the final straw for her skiing career. The incident ended with her youngest daughter, then aged 8, dusting her down and scooping up her skis which had flown off in opposite directions. Though not quite the swansong she imagined, it was time to “hang up the boots” and make the most of everything else a ski resort has to offer. And of this there is plenty.
A ski holiday without skiing can manifest itself in a number of ways – pure relaxation, high octane or a mixture of the two. Think a yoga class with sun salutations to the panoramic mountain vista, an aromatherapy “Alpine herb” massage, snow-shoeing through quiet forests to a remote mountain hut or an action-packed day navigating cross-country tracks.
Snow-shoeing is a fun way to explore the mountains and it's a great workout too.
Last winter we introduced our Powder Byrne 'Mountain Host Service'. This is designed to help our guests make the most of all the different experiences available in our winter resorts and create opportunities to share them with other guests if they wish. Our Mountain Host also makes it possible for you to meet up with the skiers in our PB guiding groups for lunch so that you can all enjoy a glass of wine together at 2000m.
And if after lunch you want an adrenaline rush, without donning any skis, this can be arranged. Hurtling down the 12km toboggan run in Grindelwald, propelled by the weight of fondue, definitely set my heart racing very fast a few years ago.
Of course no trip to the mountains would be complete without sampling the delicious local delicacies and our Client Concierge team is perfectly poised to offer advice and make bookings at the finest and most authentic restaurants and mountain huts.
For advice on our winter resorts and to learn more about our Mountain Host Service please call the Powder Byrne team on 020 8246 5300 or click here.
