Winter & Ski Home Property & Living Living the Dream in Serre Chevalier, Hautes-Alpes

Living the Dream...

Ski coach Gavin Crosby and his wife Mel talk about their work and lifestyle based in Briançon in the Hautes-Alpes. Gavin Crosby, a familiar figure in the Serre Chevalier mountains, is now running the New Generation ski school whilst Mel manages their EurekaSKI resort-based services company.

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, the perfect base for 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. New Generation Ski School (previously known as EurekaSKI) is based in Serre Chevalier, one of France’s largest ski resorts with 250km of pisted terrain reaching 2800 metres altitude. Now in his ninth year teaching those holidaying in Serre Chevalier, Gavin offers what he considers the highest quality British ski coaching in the region.

Why Serre Chevalier? In 2001 the resort 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 using 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 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. "There is a lot of very good new accommodation as well as traditional old village houses which can be rented at prices up to 40% lower than comparable resorts in the northern Alps," she adds.

“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!”

For the 2010/11 winter season, Serre Chevalier has invested in yet another new six-seater chairlift, this time in Monêtier, carrying skiers high above the rolling 'Cucumelle' valleys. This opens up the terrain for ski coaching in the Monêtier sector enormously, and means that those staying in nearby villages Chantemerle, Villeneuve or even the main town of Briançon (travelling anywhere up to 14km from one end of the valley to the other), can get to Monêtier with just one or two chairlifts.

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 Hintertux.

The family Crosby with children Ewan and Ellen, and right, Gavin & Mel Crosby.

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. In 2009, Ewan's little sister Ellen-Rose was born and relaxing hasn't been on their agenda recently!

Despite a growing family and their new relationship with New Generation (one of the Alps' favourite ski schools) keeping them so busy, they do find time in summer to walk, climb, visit friends, sit in cafés and go on short day-trips to nearby lakes. With Ewan apparently loving the outdoors, they even managed to fit in holidays to Antibes, Menton and Lake Garda, all of which are just a 4-5 hour drive away. Despite their successful winters, Gavin and Mel still work year-round. Gavin is a qualified carpenter and joiner, and Mel still looks after the growing demand for EurekaSKI's resort-based services.

Gavin and Mel have made the Alps their home, and are clearly enjoying being parents and converting 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.

Contact Details

The New Generation British run ski school in Serre Chevalier is headed by Gavin Crosby. The school offers small groups high quality ski lessons in English.
Creative high-energy coaching that transforms your skiing performance.
Tel: +33 (0)4 79 01 03 18
Email: info@skinewgen.com
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EurekaSKI will organise all aspects of your ski holiday in Serre Chevalier; accommodation, ski or snowboard coaching, childcare, transfers, excursions, corporate events.
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 24 56 47
or +33 (0)6 79 46 24 84
E-mail: info@eurekaski.com
Visit website