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24/09/2010
Issue 32

Suncream is good

For the first time this year I have been struck down by some sort of mad bird-flu type cold virus. Thankfully I have had my mother and copious amounts of Benylin on hand. But it has taken it's toll on my work. Runny noses and keyboards are not good bedfellows.

While trying to think of what jibberish to fill your inboxes with this week I was asked what words of wisdom I would impart to new seasonnaires. So with a little help from Mr Luhrmann.

Chaletgirls and boys of the class of '2010

If I could offer you only one tip for your season, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy your season to the fullest; oh nevermind; you will not understand what you have missed on your season until it has finished. But trust me, in 1 year you'll look back at photos of the season and recall in a way you can't grasp now how many possibilities lay before you and how many were missed….Don't quit....Your chalet girl arse isn't as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about your season; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve your weekly shopping budget deficit by drinking too much cheap wine. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some Tuesdays.

Don't worry about your accommodation, or your accommodations roommate. He/you might be a complete slob but accommodation is only for sleeping. Do one thing every week that you wouldn't normally do. Never say "I'll only do it if my friend comes along". Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Don't let your managers get you down, most are complete arses. Theirs is a thankless task and they often transfer stress to their staff. If you do your job properly you have nothing to worry about. At every opportunity Ski! Don't worry about your liftpass, it might not cover all the ski area but trust me you probably won't use that often. Your rental skis will have edges that wouldn't cut butter thats probably why they were lent to you.

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. Remember the compliments from guests, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old enquirers. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you'll need them when you're at the top of a black run. Maybe you'll find Miss right, maybe you won't, maybe you'll get married, maybe you won't.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.. Dance like nobody's watching. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do NOT watch ski movies out of season, they will only make you sad. Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in La Tania once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Courchevel 1850 once, but leave before it makes you soft. Accept certain inalienable truths, beer prices will rise, managers will lie, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young beer prices were reasonable, managers weren't arses and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to do your work. Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…

The editor (and Baz)

The new Fall line magazine has forgone a glossy cover
Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg is worth more tha Apple's Steve Jobs

SkiMate
Something for the more old-school readers. Thanks to the nice people at 4OD a piece of courchevel ski history has been unearthed. Back in the 90's before Big Brother a much younger Davina McCall hosted a show for Channel 4 called Streetmate where she would find dates for two singles found off the street. Back in 1998 she came to Courchevel for an episode of Skimate where she tried to matchmake the hotel manager from the St Louis and, a then Scott Dunn chef, Rob Stephenson. With some cameos from fellow Scott Dunner Tor and Scott Evil look-a-like Ben. In the second half we get some views of the original L'Equipe bar, the Kalico. A real blast from the past. Because this is from 4OD this is only viewable from the UK. click here

New Enquirer t-shirts for sale
The Courchevel enquirer finally has it's own t-shirt. On a very limited print run of 29. The logo is printed on the front of a black fruit of the loom t-shirt bearing a slight resemblence to the Ramones iconic t-shirt.
Available in Small to XX-Large.
They're available from the online store.