Event Previews & Reviews from Les Arcs

It may be the last month of the year, but the ski lifts are open and Christmas is on the horizon.

It’s the most magical time of the year. The mountains have become a winter wonderland complete with abundant snow, twinkling fairy lights and the entwined intoxicating smells of wood-burning fires and gently simmering mulled wine wherever you go. There is nothing quite like skiing on Christmas day, as excited families enjoy the slopes between opening their presents and (over-)indulging themselves in hearty Christmas fayre. To help you have a wonderful, very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, here is all you need to know for the next couple of weeks.

Katie Summerhayes from Sheffield is back on snow for the first time since her ACL injury. She talks about the freeski scene to come out of Sheffield Ski Village and how Woodsy helped to push her when she started out on the European circuit.

Billy Morgan is one of the Britian's best chances of a Freestyle snowboarding medal at the Sochi Olympics.

So far we've seen not only some fantastic racing, stunning scenery and nail-biting sprints from the 2016 Tour de France, but we've witnessed several unusual crashes, the yellow jersey literally running up Mont Ventoux and more than one incident of an over-enthusiastic fan causing disruption.

It's very cold, so wrap up warm and get outside to find new year adventures.

Murray Buchan a skier who grew up on the finger-snapping plastic of Edinburgh's Hillend made a choice to ski rather than play rugby and hopefully that choice will take hi to an Olympic medal.

After four exciting days of racing in the Alps, Chris Froome emerged victorious in Paris for the third win of his career. Equalling the records of Philippe Thys, Louison Bobet and Greg LeMond who all have three Tour wins under their belts, and becoming Britain's first three-time winner.

Stage 17 of the Tour de France 2016 took the riders from Bern, the capital of Switzerland, to Finaut-Emosson on the Swiss-French border, just around the corner from Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.

How the team trains for the Olympics and how they came to be a team in the first place.

Highlights of the 2009 Columbia Speedflying Pro in les Arcs which was once again won by Antoine Montant.

There is only a month left before the ski-lifts reopen and, whilst thoughts naturally turn to the snowy slopes, the start of the season also brings a wealth of “extra-curricular” entertainments to keep you feeling good during your stay. Les Arcs has got so much to give this year, so here is our brief introduction to what’s going on this winter.

This year, Saturday 15th December is a very significant date indeed. Not only will the Les Arcs lifts open, ferrying the first, fortunate passengers of its 50th year as a fantastic ski area, but it is also the 10th anniversary week of the annual Les Arcs Film Festival. Snow, movies and birthdays all round, it’s going to be a great time to celebrate!

Follow the training of our British Olympic hopefuls as they prepare for the Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi.

February was dominated by the Alpine Skiing World Championships, held every second year, which kicked off in St Moritz on 6th February. Over 13 days, 589 athletes from 76 countries competed in eleven competitions in front of 165,000 spectators.

The Relentless Freeze Festival did exactly what it said on the tin and those not wearing their ski jackets could be found with teeth chattering, huddled around the vin chaud stand wrapping themselves in a fruity alcoholic blanket.

Fête de la Musique is the celebration that takes place every summer solstice on 21st June in cities, towns and villages across France.