Event Previews & Reviews from Les Arcs

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.

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.

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.

The unique brainchild of Henrik Harlaut and Phil Casabon aka. B-Dog & E-Dollo known simply as the B&E Invitational, is back in Les Arcs for it’s third year, ready to wow the crowds and lay down some of the sickest tricks by the some of the sickest skiers on the planet.

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.

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.

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.

As the best freeriders in the world gather in Revelstoke this weekend for the first stop on the all-new Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face, we were fortunate to be able to have a sit down with a free skiing legend, holder of the world record for the highest cliff jump and super nice guy - Fred Syversen.

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

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.

Le Tour de France 2016 kicked off last Saturday with stage one and the 'Grand Depart' being hosted by the stunning island community of Le Mont Saint Michel.

It's the height of summer in Les Arcs, and that means a bumper events calendar for August.

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.

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