Cow Fighting in Le Chable!

Not your average ski resort activity, but certainly something we will never forget! Two of the Oxford Ski team had the pleasure of spending a couple of days in Verbier last weekend which included being immersed in some typical Valais cow fighting! This is a traditional occasion for the Valais region where the locals compete their cows in a bid to win the title of ‘Queen’!

A selection of cows, similar in size and weight, are put together in the ‘arena’ and set free, with their owners standing lovingly at the edge. Slowly but surely the cows begin fighting, under the watchful eye of the judges and controlled by a few brave men who ensure the fights are kept clean! If one of the cows turns away, she is out and her opponent essentially moves on to the next level. This continues until the last two are standing and they battle it out until one of them can take no more.

These pictures may look pre-historic, but no lies, this is real Valais life!

Tempted by some skiing for next season? Visit www.oxfordski.com for more information!

We’ve Done a 10K Road Race to Raise Money for Charity!

On Sunday 25th March, 4 members of our team competed in Carterton’s 10k Road Race, just down the road from us here in Witney.  Our aim was to raise as much money as possible for our chosen charities – Disability Snowsport and The Rifles Care for Casualties Appeal.

Disability Snowsport promotes equality in ski resorts and provides opportunities for people with disabilities the chance to take part in snowsports – helping to improve their enjoyment and standard of performance at a level of their choice. We’ve raised money for them before by competing in a skiathon and will be doing this again in a few months time! We also wanted to raise money for The Rifles Care for Casualties Appeal because two of our partners are currently serving with the Rifles in Afghanistan.  Care for Casualties helps severely wounded soldiers and their families rebuild their lives after being injured on operational tours.

Over 250 runners turned up to compete in the road race and we were slightly nervous when we saw how professional they all looked! It was a beautiful sunny day though and everything went well. We all completed the race in under an hour.

So far, we’ve raised £760 but there is still time to donate, so if you have any spare pennies to give to either of these amazing charities, we’d be really grateful for your help -

Disability Snowsport – donate here

The Rifles Care for Casualties Appeal – donate here

Some Fantastic Easter Offers!

Last minute skiing holidays…stressful?  Keep calm and don’t worry – we’ll search through all the latest and best special offers for you organising everything you could possibly wish for on holiday.  There is still plenty of time to slope off this Easter and we have some amazing offers to share with you. Here are just a few of the latest! All of the following include excellent full catering amongst other services. Call our expert team for unbiased advice and further information on 01993 899 420 to find out more -

Available from Sun 1st April -

Chalet Anchorage, Chamonix  SAVE 33% now £776 pp (was £1,176 pp)

Club Alaska, Morzine Now just £949 pp (was £1,129 pp)

Haus Bor, Zermatt Now just £899 pp (was £1,300pp)

Available from Sun 8th April -

Chalet Mistral, Val d’Isere  SAVE OVER 50% now £995 pp ( was £2,345 pp)

Chalet Sabaudia, Meribel Now just £663 pp (was £1,325pp)

La Ferme du Bois, Chamonix Now 500EUR per person (self catered) (was 1,200EUR pp)

Chalet Lindon, Meribel Now just £559 pp (was £1,119 pp)

Chalet Baloo, Chamonix  SAVE 33% now £1,108 pp (was £1,680 pp)

Amazon Creek, Chamonix  SAVE 33% now £1,363 pp (was £2,065 pp)

The Oxford Ski Company and OS Private Travel are featured in new magazine Tempus!

Tempus, the brand new (and very beautiful) magazine for aficionados of quality, luxury living, has featured The Oxford Ski Company and our Summery sister OS Private Travel in their inaugural issue!  Aiming to provide the latest luxury-lifestyle news and features, Tempus came to us for advice on current travel trends for their feature, ‘Wish We Were There.’

As Lizzie Rivera says in her article, ‘Holidays are as much about experience as relaxation’ – we couldn’t agree more!

Chalet Serena in Chamonix, Chalet L’Himalaya in Val d’Isere and L Raphael in Verbier were all featured because of their AMAZING facilities that really raise the bar for experiential travel.

Look at the pool at L Raphael! We think it’s just incredible…

Diana Cherry of OS Private Travel praises the advantages of  private island and yacht holidays in the article too. Everything can be tailor-made by us. Let us know your thoughts!

Sight seeing in Megeve

“Hmmmm, yes we think the snow looks pretty good!”

Karen and Ellie, our hotel specialists, are busy visiting some of our favourite hotels and chalets in Megeve this week.  We’re not sure though….this photo seems to suggest skiing rather than inspecting?!

Seriously though, we cannot speak highly enough of the importance of regular visits to all our hotel and chalet partners.  We invest a lot of time and effort into getting to know everything about the properties and resorts in our portfolio so that we can offer you honest, impartial advice. From in depth inspections where we meet all the hosts and managers to checking out  all the latest restaurants and ski schools – we really know our stuff! Occasionally, we also have to fit in a bit of skiing…just so we can tell you which are the best pistes. Purely for research you understand!

If you’re interested in going to Megeve and want to have a chat about it, please give us a call – 01993 899 420

Excellent value ski-in, ski-out chalets in Val d’Isere

Clinging to the hillside in the exclusive Carats enclave in Val d’Isere and spread over 4 floors, beautiful sister chalets Cristal A and Cristal B have arguably some of the best views of all the chalets in the resort.  They’re also ski-in, ski-out AND they offer excellent value for money! What more could you want?

Flexible service? No problem.

Your chalet manager here will arrange and organise anything you require during your stay, acting as your personal concierge to tailor-make your trip, exactly as you want it. Sometimes for example, it’s nice not to be catered for on every night of your holiday, so in the evenings here you can choose to eat out in one of Val d’Isère’s many restaurants, cook for yourself or we can arrange for a chef to prepare and serve dinner for you. The chalet price will be altered accordingly offering excellent value and ensuring you don’t pay for anything you don’t want or use.

There is also a hammam, home cinema and an extensive wine cellar! What’s more, if you enjoy challenging skiing, the formidable Face run is just 50m from the door.

There is still plenty of time to book a ski trip this season but there is very little availability left at these chalets! Book now and save 25% off the normal price for the weeks beginning 3rd March, 17th March and 24th March. Call us on 01993 899420 to find out more.

Introducing The Little Concierge Company

Here at The Oxford Ski Company, we’re always keen to highlight the fact that the holidays we organise are truly tailor-made.  We really can organise every last detail of your trip, planning everything to suit your personal needs and requirements. In order to do this, we work  closely with some wonderful concierge partners and we think this is such a great idea, we had to tell you about it…

Introducing The Little Concierge Company…

Travelling with children can often leave you feeling exhausted.  Will your little ones like eating the local food? What if you can’t get the same nappies over there? The hassle of  taking your own formula, baby food, sterilisers and bottles and then dealing with excess baggage charges can leave you wishing you’d just stayed at home.  Family holidays mean mountains of luggage, especially when you’re going skiing and with many airlines only allowing you 20kg or less per person, it’s often incredibly difficult to fit in everything you need. This is where The Little Concierge Company comes in…

They can deliver every baby essential you require during your holiday direct to your chalet or hotel, saving you space in your luggage and easing the stress of family travel.  After all, you’re meant to relax on holiday and little extras like this give you the chance to enjoy a  worry free break.

How does it work?

It’s all very simple! Choose all the same brands of trusted product that you use at home, put them in your basket and input your destination.  The Little Concierge Company will do the rest, carefully hand packing and shipping all your items to your chalet or hotel so they’re ready and waiting for you on arrival. What’s more, they can also take care of parents too with a huge selection of grown up essentials and luxuries available.

If you book with The Oxford Ski Company, we can offer you an exclusive 10% discount with The Little Concierge Company so call us today on 01993 899420 and get ready to breath a sigh of relief. We really can help you relax!

We only have one thing to say to you today…KEEP CALM BOOK OXFORD SKI!

Incredible Verbier deals!

Do you like to keep things simple? How does an all inclusive holiday in the fabulous resort of Verbier sound?

Throughout March and April we can offer an amazing ‘all inclusive’ price where you don’t need to worry about a thing – Lift passes, transfers, equipment hire and 1 day of ski guiding are all included when you book one of these beautiful Chalets:

Chalet Kernow
Chalet Bella Coola
Les Esserts
Gentianes
Fontanet
Le Ti

It goes without saying that you will also receive top notch service, fabulous cuisine and an all round wonderful holiday.

AND………

If you want the luxury Chalet experience but there are just two of you or you are a small group, we also have the perfect solution. The fabulous Chalet Fontanet is available to book room by room on 26th February or 25th March at just £2,500 per person. That’s not all though, you also receive a free lift pass! It really doesn’t get much better..

To find out more details of this incredible offer, please call The Oxford Ski Company today on +44 1993 899 420 and we can make your holiday booking as hassle free and straightforward as possible. Simply look no further.

SPECIAL OFFER at Chalet Floralie!

Chalet Floralie, a beautiful luxury ski lodge in the heart of Les Trois Vallees but off the beaten track in the charming village of St Martin de Belleville, is now available for the week commencing Sunday 19th February for just £1,500 per person  - a special offer saving of £250!

It’s the perfect place to go with a group of several families and children and sleeps up to 18 guests.  If there are fewer of you, the Penthouse (sleeps 4), can be booked separately for this week on a self catered basis for just £3,200.

Don’t delay! Call us to discuss – 01993 899 420