British ski coach Gavin Crosby pauses for a photo
above Monêtier, Serre Chevalier.

It’s the eve of the new Millennium and Mel is on yet another skiing holiday – Les Gets this time. Mel met her partner, BASI (British Association of Snowsports Instructors) ski instructor Gavin Crosby, through friends in St. Ives (Cambridgeshire) three years previously, so the majority of their time spent together was in ski resorts. Soldeu (Andorra), Mammoth Mountain (California), Les Gets and Morzine (French Alps) were Gavin’s bases and Mel’s holiday destinations over a five-year period.

During this time Mel was the Marketing Manager for a consumer software publisher. Skiing wasn’t at the top of her agenda. She’d only skied once at the time she met Gavin — ‘a quick go’ in Austria when she was about ten years old. “I remember almost doing the splits on my skis. They got further and further apart,as I had no technique whatsoever. I’m surprised I didn’t break something!” she adds.

L-R: Le Monêtier-les-Bains, base for EurekaSKI ; ski instructor Gavin Crosby.

Little did she know she’d marry a ski instructor, and that they’d set up a ski coaching business in the French Alps. EurekaSKI is based in Serre Chevalier, one of France’s largest ski resorts with 250km of pisted terrain reaching 2800 metres altitude. Now in its seventh year, EurekaSKI offers what it considers the highest quality British ski coaching in the region.

Why Serre Chevalier? In 2001 the resort that was relatively unknown, and certainly ‘low-key’ in the eye of British tour operators. Gavin knew the resort quite well from previous visits so when looking for a resort to make their home, they identified ‘Serre Che’ as a base which would offer a fantastic lifestyle and which, they firmly believed, had a good outlook for growth. There were airports nearby (in particular Turin and Grenoble) to attract independent travellers with budget flights, and just as importantly, they would be introducing a unique concept in Serre Chevalier – its first British ski school. Over many weekends in mid to late 2001 a web site was created, brochures printed, tour operators contacted and, finally, in December their bags were packed.

For their base they bought a two-bed apartment in Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Serre Chevalier 1500), a traditional spa village at the highest end of the Guisane valley, which hosts Serre Chevalier’s network of pistes. They found the whole valley extremely friendly, with only a couple of French instructors refusing to acknowledge Gavin’s existence. There were a few British families living in the valley, and numbers have since increased. Clients soon began coming to Serre Chevalier because of EurekaSKI. So much so that one year 25 percent of the previous year’s clients returned for more coaching (no doubt they also loved Serre Chevalier!)

Gavin’s reputation grew rapidly. Many clients would ask for recommendations of where to stay, so Mel created EurekaSKI PLUS, a free accommodation-finder and property care-taking service which works alongside the ski coaching side of the business. She can also book transfers for holiday-makers “and generally take away any hassle from a skiing holiday, allowing people to experience one of their best holidays ever!” says Mel.

“The skiing in Monêtier is exceptional,” explains Gavin. “Being at the end of the valley, it’s quieter. The slopes are mainly North-facing and hold the snow right through April. The nursery slopes are at the bottom of the ski area, making them ideal for complete novices. There is a lot of varied intermediate terrain and the off-piste is very entertaining and immediately accessible. By taking just two chair lifts from the base of the resort, I can accompany advanced skiers down ‘La Montagnole’, for example, a valley with glaciers perched above. We ski alongside a river and over bridges back to the resort – with no pushing or walking required at all!”

Clients come to Monêtier to ski with Gavin from throughout Serre Chevalier, and even travel from nearby resorts such as Puy Saint Vincent, Villar d’Arène and La Grave. He offers coaching for all levels and ages of skier in Serre Chevalier, and is now employed by BASI to train aspiring instructors in resorts such as Zermatt and Wengen.

So, are his summers spent relaxing? “Not yet!” In June 2007, Mel gave birth to a baby boy – Ewan. Ten days later they finally signed the purchase agreement and moved into a 250 year old five-storey townhouse ‘in need of restoration’ in the Old Town (Cité Vauban) of Briançon, one of the highest towns in the Alps. Just 13km from Monêtier, and at the far end of Serre Chevalier, this is an extraordinary place in which to live.

Summers are spent walking, climbing, visiting friends, sitting in cafés and going on short day-trips to nearby lakes. With the imminent arrival of baby Ewan, they even managed to fit in holidays to both Antibes and Menton, which are just a 4-5 hour drive away. Despite EurekaSKI’s successful winters, Gavin and Mel still work year-round. Gavin is a qualified carpenter and joiner, and Mel looks after the year-round admin tasks for EurekaSKI and EurekaSKI PLUS.

Gavin and Mel have made the Alps their home, and are clearly enjoying being new parents and looking forward to seeing architect’s plans for the conversion of their loft space into living space. The killer feature? Views of the Durance valley and of Serre Chevalier’s skiers cruising their way down Briançon’s pistes. Perfect.

British ski coaching in Serre Chevalier

Based in Serre Chevalier (Hautes-Alpes - France), Gavin Crosby offers inspiring ski coaching to skiers of all levels.
Under Gavin's direction, complete novices, recreational skiers who've reached a plateau, keen skiers seeking high performance training, and instructors wanting to advance to the elite level, will each benefit from his ability to inspire, motivate and improve while skiing the mountain.
EurekaSki
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 24 56 47
or +33 (0)6 79 46 24 84
E-mail: info@eurekaski.com
EurekaSKI PLUS: In addition to ski coaching, EurekaSKI PLUS will organise all aspects of your ski holiday in Serre Chevalier.