La Source, a place of change.

La Source in the press, Saturday Guardian 4th Dec

2010-12-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

http://www.greenalpinechalet.com/

Winter get ready

2010-11-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

Duncan McCallum- I am hosting and avalanche awareness course at La Source in the French Alps this Jan and again in March see this link for details..http://www.greenalpinechalet.com/yoga-special-weeks/avalanche-awareness-off-piste/

Avalanche Awareness & Off Piste | La Source | Eco Chalet Samoens

www.greenalpinechalet.com

La Source and The Faction Collective Ski Company are proud to present The La Source/Faction Avalanche Awareness courses Avalanche awareness courses Winter

Sunday Times.. 26 out of 50 best winter trips...

2010-10-04T03:59:00.000-07:00

The Sunday Times on 3rd October voted us no. 26 out of 50 of all winter trips!

26 Stretching out in Samoëns
What a great way to limber up before a day in the snow — at green-tinged La Source (00 33 4 50 58 61 07, greenadventure retreats.com), the day begins with an hour of hatha vinyasa yoga, in which participants link poses with smooth, fluid movements in time with their breathing. Once that’s done, you can take off into the great outdoors for all kinds of mountain adventure. There are 165 miles of lift-serviced pistes on offer in the Grand Massif ski area, as well as guides willing to take you out on your first ski-touring trip — climbing up the mountain, then skiing down. Or you could elect to take things at a gentler pace, booking extra yoga sessions, a massage or maybe some t’ai chi. The chalet — which faces south and has been fashioned out of an old hay barn — is certainly a lovely place to hang out. Skiing and yoga weeks cost £670, excluding travel, or £630 if you come by train or shared car. Return rail fares from London St Pancras to Cluses start at £109 with Rail Europe (0844 848 4064, raileurope.co.uk).

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/travel/Holidays/Winter_Sports/article408089.ece?contentSlug=ingear-The_Story.gif-78&slugImage=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/multimedia/dynamic/00076/SKI_PLUS_76993ba.gif:23:59:

Via Ferratta "by night"...

2010-07-09T03:23:00.000-07:00

Another way to enjoy Via Ferratta.... By night with head torches. Not for the faint hearted !

Moped- Easy Rider

2010-06-18T03:25:00.000-07:00

For the summer we have two 50cc mopeds for hire, Cool!! at €20 per day it Easy Rider in the Alps brrrumm

Help Required

2010-06-16T23:44:00.001-07:00

La Source, Samoens, France. Adventure Sports and Yoga

We have space for 2 people to come for a working holiday from the 20th June to the 4th July. Arriving at Geneva airport on Sunday 20th 3pm and will be brought back to Geneva at 2pm the following Sunday. Details will be sent through on request.. looking for someone to Chef and Chalet Host 5 hours 5 days a week with plenty of time and opportunity to Climb, Hike and do Yoga.
Interested?

Sunday Time Article June 13th - Alps for softies

2010-06-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

The Alps for softies

Scale the Eiger if you want to, but the Alps in summer are just the thing for those who like holidays that pamper

Once upon a time — back in the 1990s — ski resorts thought that summer was for sweating. They’d built their fortunes on selling energetic winter holidays to energetic people, and believed that to fill their hotels, apartments and chalets in July and August, they had to offer more of the same. Bungee-jumping, zip-wiring, rock-climbing, mountain-biking, via ferrata — if it gave you vertigo and a heart rate of 160bpm, then it was on the agenda. They stocked the shops with Lycra and crash helmets, hired a bunch of hairy-chested adrenaline junkies as guides, then waited for their loyal winter customers to come scurrying back for more.

They didn’t. It turned out that even skiers like to take things easy on a summer holiday, thanks very much, so, in recent years, the emphasis on mountain holidays has begun to switch back to a more contemplative, even playful approach. In some ways, it’s been an obvious shift. Thanks to all the infrastructure left behind by skiing, the Alps are full of cutting-edge hotels, cute chalets, state-of-the-art spas and Michelin-starred restaurants, along with a sprinkling of innovative green-tinged projects designed to get you back in touch with nature without actually giving you blisters.

So, if you’re still sitting comfortably, and would like to do more of the same this summer — to the accompaniment of a chilled glass of white, the scent of pine forests and a gobsmacking view — let me begin. Because the mountains are made for softies, too.

Yoga in Samoens, France

Samoëns is not your average mountain resort. The village was famous for its stonemasons long before its snow, and its ancient core is on France’s national register of historic monuments. In summer, the wide valley in which it’s set — backed by towering crags and distant peaks — is lush, green and serene.

It’s an appropriate home for La Source (00 33 4 50 58 61 07,sourcealps.com), a chalet opened in 2009 by the film-makers and all-round outdoors enthusiasts Saskia Anley and Duncan McCallum. They’re pioneering a more balanced, less frenetic approach to mountain holidays, and a blend of hatha and vinyasa yoga is an integral part of their summer programme. A week’s course includes daily 90-minute morning sessions and three evening classes, which are usually taken in the open air — sometimes on a floating platform on the lake at nearby Morillon. This year, they’re giving guests the chance to take dance classes, too: Dan Ludwig, from New York, will be staying at La Source throughout July, and is going to demo a range of styles, with the group deciding which one they want to learn during the week. Between breakfast and dinner, guests are free to do as they please — hiking, biking or hiring a local massage therapist for just £38 an hour.

If that makes La Source sound laid-back, well, that’s just how it should be. The chalet is an eco-tinged establishment that serves organic vegetarian food and will knock £40 off the price of a holiday (typically £619pp for a yoga week) if you make the journey to nearby Cluses by train, which is eight hours from London. Return fares start at £135 through Rail Europe (0844 848 4064,raileurope.co.uk). Or fly to Geneva, which is served from 20 UK airports, as well as Dublin and Cork. Airlines include Swiss (0845 601 0956, swiss.com), EasyJet (easyjet.com) and BMI Baby (bmibaby.com).

Further information: greenadventureretreats.com.

A Video of La Source

2010-06-03T01:49:00.000-07:00

My cousin just posted this little video of La Source on U-Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKlR6fOGniY

Things to do in Samoens

2010-06-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

There are so many Summer activities to do in Samoens. Here are a few we recommend.

Free Activities

Hiking

The hiking around here is exceptional. There are plenty of hikes from the door and some exquisite full day adventures. Please ask us for recommendations.

Lac Blue, Morillon

There is a lovely 30-minute walk to Lac Blue which is a great place to swim, walk, etc. It is also the base for the horse riding and high ropes course.

There is a café at the lake.

Lac De Samoens

Lac de Samoens is a lovely place to walk and enjoy the scenery. There is a great playpark, another ropes course and golf ‘putt’ing into the lake. There is a café there too.

Wednesday Market

8am-1pm Don’t miss the bustling farmers and craft market!!

Jaysinia Botanic Gardens

The botanic gardens in the centre of the village are worth a visit!

Holistic, Yoga and Dance

Deep Tissue Massages

Debbie offers wonderful deep tissue massages and they are a total bargain at €45 at La Source or €40 at her house. Debbie also offers waxing, facials, pedicures, manicures, etc.

06 23 04 60 27

Shiatsu

Philippe is a very good Shiatsu masseur who will give you feedback about meridian energy blocks. He will come here for if 2 people want consecutive massages, or you can walk to his dojo 10 minutes a way. €60 here or €50 at the dojo.

06 87 14 29 55

Energy Healing and or Reiki

Duncan has been offering energy healing with powerful results. If you want to realign mind and spirit or work through an emotional or physical trauma, a healing can be very helpful. €50 for a 40 minute session.

06 09 36 07 66

Private or Group Yoga

Yoga harmonizes body, mind and spirit. It gives you flexibility, strength, balance and peace of mind.

These sessions are run by either Thilo or Saskia for €50 per hour.

06 33 34 68 03

Life Coaching

Life coaching can help you free yourself from barriers and fears preventing your from reaching your potential. When Thilo is here, he offers ‘live’ life coaching but he also works over skype when he is away. €85 for 1 hour. www.recipesforhappypeople.com

Sports & Activities

Rock Climbing, Via Ferratta and Hiking

Agniezka is a professional rock climbing, via ferratta and hiking guide and a wonderful woman! She has all the equipment you will need and provides the transport. If you would like to try any of these activities, don’t hesitate to call her to discuss the options.

Generally, the cost is:

½ day of rock climbing is a minimum of €130 or if you gather a group €40 per person (max 4-6 people).

½ day of via ferratta or hiking is a minimum of €100 or if you gather a group €40 per person (max 6 for the via ferratta and 8 for hiking).

A full day of rock climbing is a minimum of €240 or if you gather a group €70 per person (max 4-6 people).

A full day of via ferratta or hiking is a minimum of €200 or if you gather a group €50 per person (max 6 for the via ferratta and 8 for hiking).

06 89 35 02 03

White water rafting or inflatable kayaks

This is great fun and we thoroughly recommend it, even on a rainy day. Wet suits and everything you need are provided. Bring a swim suit, polar fleece and change of clothes. Starts €35 an hour

http://www.ecolorado-rafting.com 04 50 34 45 26

Canyonning

Nunuyak offers canyonning trips most days. You will spend a thrilling afternoon abseiling down waterfalls and swimming in water pools.

http://www.rafting-canyoning.fr/ 04 50 93 86 74

Parapenting

Davide is a very experienced Parapent instructor. This is one of La Source’s most popular activities! You fly like a bird above the valley. A 30 minute flight is around €70.

06 20 30 75 53

Horse riding

Giles has some lovely horses. His stables is right by Lac Blue. You can go on a 2 hour hack for €35.

06 80 68 69 65

High Ropes Course ‘Accro-Branch’

This is a great afternoons activity. You will spend 2 hours in the trees and flying above Lac Blue on a zip wire.

€21 for the adult course.

06 24 79 25 99

Cooking

We offer a vegetarian cooking workshop on Wednesday. You will be taken to the market to select your ingredients, and then come home and cook yourselves a 3 course meal which you will enjoy together. Minimum 3 people.

Workshop and Lunch €50

Workshop, Lunch and Dinner €60

Day Trips

Annecy is the Venice of France. This 15^th Century town is stunning with huge parks and a Lake. You can hire a pedalo or a speed boat for the morning, have lunch in a canal side café, and shop in the boutiques in the afternoon. Minimum 3 people.

€40/ €15 for kids for the transport and accompanied trip.

Chamonix is the world’s climbing and mountaineering Mecca. You can take a cable car to the Aguille du Midi to see fast retreating glaciers. There is also a train trip, lovely for children to the Mer de Glace (approx €35).

€40/ €15 for kids for the transport and accompanied trip.

First Climbing Course of the 2010 Season

2010-05-24T01:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone arrived just in time for the beautiful Spring weather! There was snow on the high peaks and spring flowers all over the alpages. Our guests all had 5 days of outdoor climbing including 2 days of multi-pitch climbing and a special trip to Col de Clombaz, near Grand Bornard, a stunning spot.

We were honoured to welcome our first honey-mooners who loved their week!

'I think the place has the perfect balance of everything. You come away from the week feeling physically and emotionally healthy!'

Lindsay, Glasgow

Geraldine from Kenya got a special lead trad climbing lesson with Duncan and Myriam, from Belgium, who was training for a marathon, enjoyed her spectacular morning runs and the healthy food!

Dan and Thilo are co-hosting and cooking and offering the most wonderful dance classes. Lindsay and Phil did some LindyHopping!!

The Foodie Way Forward

2010-03-26T01:44:00.000-07:00

The Way Forward

We like freedom and choice which is why we think out of the box at La Source and do things a little differently.

If you are renting the whole of La Source, you can choose to self cater, 'meals on demand' (that means the meals are just delivered to the kitchen and you lay the table and wash up) or 'full service' (you just relax and let us take care of everything).
What's more, you can ask us to cook 1 night or every night!

3 course Meals on Demand are €25 per head
3 course Full Service Dinners are €35 per head

Here is an example of what we can provide. If you would like to choose, you can,.. or we can choose for you.

*We can do dinners for a minimum of 8 adults. Children can share.

Starters

Caramelised Onion & pear Tart
A pastry base layered with caramelised onions and pears topped with local goats cheese baked in the oven until golden brown, served with a dollop of creme fraich.

Orange & Yogurt Couscous Salad
Organic couscous infused with vegetable stock combined with organic chickpeas, topped with diced green peppers, chili,cucumber and orange segments, served with a natural mint yogurt dressing and a sprinkling of mixed nuts.

Carrot & Coriander Soup
Fresh home grown carrot soup seasoned with coriander that's picked from our own herb garden and spices from India with a scoop of locally farm churned creme fraich to give it a delicious creamy texture that wont add pounds to the hips.

Spinach & Zucchini Soup
Home grown tasty zucchini combined with one of the well known power foods spinach to fill you with energy day after day. served with a dollop of bio yogurt and a sprinkling of local cheese.

Roast beetroot & Goats cheese salad
Roasted beetroot from samoens market with goats cheese from riviere enverse served with fresh salad
and a sticky balsamic dressing.

Chicken liver pate
Smooth chicken liver pate blended with a selection of herbs. Served with caramelized red onion marmelade & Melba toast.

Main Courses (V) Suitable for vegetarians.

Biscuit Topped Creamy Chicken Pie
Succulent corn fed chicken smothered in a creamy bacon & white wine sauce with fresh pan fried mushrooms and leeks seasoned with fresh cracked black pepper and finely chopped tarragon from the garden. Topped with a light & fluffy biscuit dough. Served with wholegrain mustard mash & fresh carrots

Spiced Beef with Apricots, prunes & pecans
Tender cuts of fresh beef marinated overnight in red wine, mixed with pan-fried shallots seasoned with spicesslowly baked with soft fruits to give an irresistible flavour for 4-6 hours. Served with potato & Carrot mash with green beans.

Indian Spiced Chicken Curry
Tender pieces of corn fed chicken infused with authentic Indian spices with freshly chopped spinach leaves, peppers and chillies. Slowly oven baked in coconut milk, lime juice & fresh ginger.
Served over organic rice with natural yogurt, toasted almonds & nan breads.

Classic Coq Au Vin
A classic, french dish with pieces of corn fed succulent chicken combined with roasted shallots,juicy fresh mushrooms & smoked bacon. Slowly baked in French red wine, seasoned with fresh cracked black pepper,natural sea salt & fresh thyme. Served with oven roasted potatoes & fresh carrots.

Roasted Red Pepper & Beef Lasagna
Layers of organic pasta with fresh slow roasted red peppers, courgettes, aubergines, cherry tomatoes, a homemade bolognaise sauce using local prime minced beef and red wine and a creamy bechamel sauce, topped with a mix of Parmesan and local cheeses and fresh chopped basil.
Served with a simple green salad tossed in a balsamic dressing.

Mozzarella meatballs w/ Roasted Ratatouille
Swedish inspired meatballs using premium local minced beef with a delicious fresh courgette, aubergine & pepper ratatouille sauce. Topped with local mozzarella cheese. Parmesan and freshly chopped basil slow baked in the oven until golden brown and bubbling.Served with lightly flavoured garlic mash .

Mozzarella Butternut Squash & roasted Ratatouille (V)
Sweet butter nut squash drizzled with garlic infused olive oil, roasted slowly in the oven smothered with a delicious fresh courgette, aubergine & pepper ratatouille sauce. Topped with local mozzarella cheese. Parmesan and freshly chopped basil slow baked in the oven until golden brown and bubbling.
Served with lightly flavoured garlic mash .

Vegetarian Savoyard Tartiflette (V)
A traditional french meal of potatoes & onions with sweet roasted peppers with a creamy sauce topped with local reblochon cheese and oven baked. Served with a fresh green salad and bread.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna w/creamy Marscapone Sauce (V)
Layers of organic pasta with fresh slow roasted red peppers, courgettes, aubergines, cherry tomatoes, a homemade mushroom, tomato & red wine sauce and a creamy bechamel sauce topped with a mix of Parmesan & local cheeses & fresh chopped basil. Served with a simple green salad tossed in a balsamic dressing.

Biscuit topped Vegetable Pie (V)
Fresh Seasonal vegetables smothered in a creamy white wine sauce with fresh pan fried mushrooms and leeks seasoned with fresh cracked black pepper and finely chopped tarragon from the garden. Topped with a light & fluffy biscuit dough.Served with wholegrain mustard mash & fresh carrots.

Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry (V)
Pieces of sweet potatoes infused with authentic Indian spices with freshly chopped spinach leaves, peppers & chillies. Slowly oven baked in coconut milk, lime juice & fresh ginger. Served over organic rice with natural yogurt, toasted almonds & nan breads.

Desserts

Lemon & Almond Tart w/Thyme Pastry
A Crisp sweet pastry seasoned gently with thyme, filled with zesty lemon & almond to create this zingy tart.

Tarte au Chocolate
A mix of fair trade dark & white chocolate mousse on a biscuit base topped with fresh seasonal berries and locally churned creme fraich.

Fresh Fruit Salad
A medley of fresh seasonal fruits served with a warm chocolate dipping sauce.

Berry & Meringue Nests
Homemade organic sticky meringue nests filled with whipped cream & fresh seasonal berries.

Organic Apricot Bread & Butter Pudding
Slices of organic bread with homemade apricot marmalade & raisins baked in an free range egg base and served with cream.

Apple & Brioch Bake
Apples & raisins smothered in local honey topped with crumbled brioche & almonds baked in the oven & served with brandy infused creme fraich.

Pear & Chocolate Crumble
Succulent jucy pears sliced with chunks of fairtrade milk & dark chocolate topped with a rich aoty crumble topping baked in the oven until golden. served with soflty whipped cream.

La Source on Guardian Green Travel List 2010

2010-03-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

We're on the Guardian's Green Travel List 2010! Here's what they have to say about us (bold formatting by us):

La Source, French Alps
"La Source is a former Alpine Savoyard hay barn that has been converted into a five-bedroom luxury chalet, five minutes from the Grand Massif ski area.

The owners haven't skimped on creature comforts, providing a hammock, Wi-Fi, wood-fired hot tub plus a mini climbing wall, yet it all comes with impressive eco-credentials: the name refers to the mountain spring that supplies the lodge's water, the owners have recycled all the old wood into doors and cupboards, bought new wood from a sustainable timber yard (800m away), double insulated it with recycled newspaper, and fitted triple-glazed windows, a wood-pellet burner and a wood-fired sauna.

Travel by train, shared car, hitching or bike, and you'll get a €100 discount in winter or a €50 reduction in summer."

(image: The Guardian)

LaSource featured in Times article on Europe's greenest ski lodges

2010-03-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

We were featured on Times Online in an article on Europe's greenest ski lodges this past February!

Here's what they had to say about us:

La Source (www.sourcealps.com, +33 (0) 9 79 68 41 82)
Luxury eco chalet five minutes from the village of Samoens and the 264km linked pistes of The Grand Massif (Samoëns, Flaine, Morillon, Sixt, and Les Carroz). The food mostly comes from local organic suppliers and farms and ski holidays at La Source include yoga, wood-fired hot tubs and back-country trips. Guests arriving by train, shared car, hitching or by bike receive a €100 green travel discount in the winter and €50 discount in the summer.

Check out the rest of the article here.

Times Online - Europe's greenest ski lodges

2010-02-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

Europe's greenest ski lodgesFebruary 3, 2010

Eco-friendly travel expert Richard Hammond stayed at Hotel Lagació in the Dolomites and recommends five more low-impact locations

(Tim Martin/greentraveller.co.uk)

Mountain Living Residence Hotel Lagació, San Cassiano, Italy

Richard Hammond

Richard Hammond is the founder of greentraveller.co.uk and co-author of Clean Breaks – 500 new ways to see the world(Rough Guides, £18.99). He will be speaking tomorrow at 12pm at Destinations Holiday and Travel Show, Earls Court, London

What can beat the exhilaration of downhill skiing, the crisp alpine air, the vast mountain panoramas and the adrenaline rush of hurtling through powder and pine?

Yet the energy required to service high-altitude purpose-built resorts, operate chair-lifts and run artificial snow-making machines – as well as the carbon emissions emitted in getting there - means that skiing can hardly be considered a particularly green holiday.

So how can you limit the damage? The Ski Club of Great Britain has produced a Green Resort Guide, which rates over 200 ski resorts on their environmental credentials to help skiers and boarders choose those resorts that are doing their bit for the planet.

Two of the best performing resorts are Lech in Austria, where almost all the town’s heating energy comes from a biomass heating plant, and Switzerland’s high-altitude resort Saas-Fee, where cars are banned and there’s a free bus service around the resort.

Thankfully there is also a new breed of eco-conscious ski lodges and hotels that aim to keep your footprint only snow deep. In early December, I had a sneak preview of a new hotel in the Italian Dolomites, which has received the highest rating for energy-saving from the Tyrolean certification scheme KlimaHaus Casa Clima.

The elaborately named Mountain Living Residence Hotel Lagació is in the South Tyrolean village of San Cassiano, a small but fashionable village (home to two Michelin-starred restaurants) on the doorstep of the Sella Ronda and Alta Badia – the world’s most extensive ski region carousel with more than 750 miles of piste served by 460 ski-lifts.

Hotel Lagació’s interpretation of green is as much about using natural materials as it is about energy efficiency. The 24 beautifully crafted apartments are made of a combination of local wood, natural slate, loam, loden and linen fabrics as well as swiss pine, larch and spruce with old timber beamed facades and large glass thermally insulated windows.

Breakfasts include fruit, muesli, jams, freshly pressed juices and local delicacies and the hotel’s water comes from the owner’s own spring. However, the hotel doesn’t skimp on creature comforts - there’s a Finnish sauna, steam sauna, low-temperature sauna, ice crushed ice well pool, and a ski shuttle service to and from the Alta Badia ski area.

A room at Hotel Lagació costs from €180 B&B (+39 0471 849 503,www.lagacio.com). For more information on Alta Badia and the Sella Ronda see www.altabadia.org and for travel in the South Tyrol see www.suedtirol.info. Train from London to Innsbruck costs from £213 return (raileurope.co.uk, 0844 848 4070).

More green ski lodges and hotels

La Source (www.sourcealps.com, +33 (0) 9 79 68 41 82)
Luxury eco chalet five minutes from the village of Samoens and the 264km linked pistes of The Grand Massif (Samoëns, Flaine, Morillon, Sixt, and Les Carroz). The food mostly comes from local organic suppliers and farms and ski holidays at La Source include yoga, wood-fired hot tubs and back-country trips. Guests arriving by train, shared car, hitching or by bike receive a €100 green travel discount in the winter and €50 discount in the summer.

Chalet Chatelet (www.chalet-chatelet.com, +33 4 50 73 69 48)
A luxury catered solar-powered chalet near Portes du Soleil with access to 650km of slopes in the French and Swiss Alps.

Whitepod (www.whitepod.com, +41 24 471 38 38)
Tucked beneath the Dents du Midi above the Swiss alpine town of Les Cerniers, this innovative low-impact, hi-tech camp of domed “pods” is a glimpse of how eco chalets could look in the future. The camp has reopened after renovations last winter and now has 15 pods that are a short walk from Chalet des Cerniers where there’s a restaurant and spa. The camp also has access to a 600m private run (with two drag lifts) or you can strap on a pair of snow shoes and explore off-piste woodland trails.

Maison Coutin (www.maison-coutin.fr, +33 4 79 07 93 05) a small family-run lodge near Les Arcs, for those that want all the benefits of the Tarentaise Valley but without having to stay in the crowded resorts.

Chic Chocs Mountain Lodge (www.sepaq.com, +1 800 665 3091)
A ski-in ski-out lodge where guests have exclusive use of the 60-square kilometre Matane Wildlife Reserve in the east of Quebec.

Driven by a dream

2010-02-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Dream
Driven by a dream, and going against all advice, we bought a 19th Century Savoyard Farm in 2007. We moved into the Farmhouse downstairs and drafted a plan for The Barn above. We wanted a low impact, sustainable and low energy house.

Renovation 'a gusto'
We started the renovation with a general building contractor who was going to ‘do it all’. It all started ‘a gusto’ but after a few months and a fat check later, there were fewer and fewer people on site. There was a treacherous hole in the front garden for the non-existent septic tank and we had no toilet for a month over Christmas. The workers were not being paid and finally, as we were about to tear our hair out and give up, the builder completely disappeared. The company went into liquidation. The insurance papers were false.

Angels appeared...
A few weeks later, angels appeared out of no-where.. Wandering along a path near the house, we met a retired English architect, David Ford, who lived along the road. He took us under his wing. Our eco- insulation company Pen Y Coed helped us find a dream team to put up all the stud walls and plaster. A friend put us in touch with 2 lovely wandering French craftsmen carpenters. The crew grew and grew until we nick-named it ‘The Commune’ - everyone supported each other, worked hard and played hard. Often we’d start the day with yoga and end it with jamming together on the porch.

So how is La Source ‘eco’?
We super insulated with Warmcell, used triple glazed Internorm windows, and a highly efficient wood pellet burner and low temperature under floor heating. The large windows face the sun. The water source feeds the house and hot tub. The materials, flooring and paints are as natural as possible. There are compost and recycling bins integrated into the kitchen design and the lights and appliances are low energy.

The La Source Commune
It just shows that with a lot of passion, ignorance, determination and an open mind... good things happen! We love The Commune... thank you guys!!!!

Chris, having left school at 15, dyslexic, was transformed by the La Source Commune experience. He travelled across India after finishing the renovation, moved back to Samoens and got into CAT to do a Masters in Ecological Architecture. He is cycling 1500kms to Uni. See www.cycle2uni.com

David, our longest serving Communer went back to New Zealand to start a degree in Landscape Architecture.

Ricky and Andy, the most awesome pair who single handedly made La Source as beautiful as it is today are still travelling. Andy is going back to Uni to study Graphic Design and Ricky is making beautiful custom designed furniture.

Paul went back to NZ to help is brother open a shoe design company. Mark and Kyle are still travelling around Europe.

Saskia went to India, leaving the family for over a month for the first time in 7 years, to do her yoga teacher training course.

Thanks also to Victor, Pierrick, Agniezka and Dean...

But the story continues...
At the end of the first ski season, the recession bit. Our only choice was to get jobs, or start generating income from La Source. We decided to set up Climbing and Yoga courses thinking it might help us and Agniezka. Agniezka - a single mum of three, was the only local ‘communer’ and had just got her Brevet D’Etat 2 year French Qualification to instruct climbing.

The Magic of La Source
I began work on our website... and finding partners like Responsible Travel. Within 3 weeks we had our first bookings. We set up a multi-adventure course, a yoga holiday and a Family Adventure. They all filled. People’s lives were evidently enriched by their experiences here. The magic of La Source was destined to spread. We love what we do. The house is always full with wonderful and interesting people.

Live your dreams!
Live your dreams.... and if you don’t know what they are, just live to your fullest potential, take risks, dance, cry, go against the grain, follow your gut, be you and be free!

Sourcey People

2010-01-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

"Just spend a wonderful, beautiful, amazing week at "La Source"... I loved every minute of it! The week felt more like a month in the best possible way! We did so much! Skiing, walking, bathing in the hot tub at night, yoga, dancing classes, randonnee in the most amazing setting above Chamonix, delicious food, massages, parties.... and beautiful connections, discussions, creations with the gorgeous people who were here... The integrity, simplicity, warmth and beauty of the place and the people in it resonated with my deep self and allowed a gentle natural and joyous unfolding of the "Sourcey Me"! I loooooooved it! Thank you so much Saskia and Duncan for this memorable week! You created a truly special space here... "Sourcey Me" is smiling..."

Kalinka

Much Better Adventures

2010-01-22T06:21:00.000-08:00

We are now members of muchbetteradventures.com! We are delighted to have been accepted as one of the early members of www.muchbetteradventures.com, a carefully selected community of fantastic adventure providers who have a strong ongoing commitment to sustainability.

Everything you need for responsible travel
You can see us featured as part of their local travel directory which puts you in direct contact (no commission) with handpicked active holidays, tours, courses and accommodation. The site also provides travellers reviews, the resources you need to book a low carbon journey, and have started a collection of community built guides to each adventure sport, where users are invited to share their favourite spots, useful info, ideas and inspiration.

The widest and fairest travel selection
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Garden slope style !

2010-01-10T04:01:00.000-08:00

The Flying Chef....

Its a change over weekend, the cleaning has been done all the flights are delayed so what do we do when there is lovely powder in the garden!

Press, The Sunday Independent

2010-01-10T03:59:00.000-08:00

We were featured in an article in the Sunday Independent. Here's what they said about us in the part on 'green skiers': "There's also the new "eco ski lodge" La Source (0033 633 346803; sourcealps.com), in the Alpine resort of Samoens. It's a great retreat for the eco-conscious skier, complete with wood-fired hot tub, organic bed linen, ski-yoga classes and wholesome organic breakfasts and dinners.".

Find the complete article on 'green skiing' and other niche skiing holidays here.

Cooking and Ski Week

2010-01-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

On the 17th-24th January we have a vegetarian cooking and ski week - it was not planned, but as always at La Source, like minds come together and this is the interest of the guests!! The keen skiers will hit the slopes early and the keen chefs will stay behind to cook along side our chef and learn tips of the trade. We will learn about alkaline diets and creating well balanced tasty meals with a very high fruit and vegetable content.

Spring Rock Kick-Start

2010-01-07T00:36:00.001-08:00

Spring is almost here, and so is our Spring Rock Kick-Start Course. With 200 routes to choose from, it’s a chance to kick start your climbing season with a week in the sun. The crag offers a wide range of routes, and is equally suitable for those with little outdoors experience, as for those with a fairly high level.

In keeping with our philosophy we have selected this region and nearby town Correns as it was the first 'eco-village' or 'green village' in France.

This will be a self-catering week. We are going to be staying in a fab Provencal Gite close to the crag and the villages of Bargiols and Correns, so we can each take turns at trying to outdo each other in the kitchen or slope out into the nearby villages to taste the delights of French regional cooking.

Cost:
€775

Dates Available:
18th - 25th April

What a week includes
7 x nights self catered accommodation
Nice airport or train station transfer
Local transport

5 guided and instructed days of climbing
All climbing gear
Taxe and TVA

What is not included?
Crag food
Dinner and breakfasts
Flights
Climbing and Travel insurance
Extras such as postcards to jealous mates

About the location
Have a look at the village and a map.

More info and booking
The minimum number that we require for the course to function is 5, so don’t book your flights yet - firstly register you interest with us and we will let you know in good time when to hit the go button. There are 2 people signed up already!

For details go here, and to book contact us at info (@) sourcealps.com.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T04:15:00.000-08:00

Have a Wonderful Christmas!! Dunc is cooking a Wild Boar. I wanted to take the kids skiing as it has just started snowing again, but they are having WAY too much fun playing with all their new toys... so I am going to go and join them Roller Skating in our corridor!! Lots of Lovexx

The La Source new website

2009-12-25T04:06:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that we had a new, much more professional web site up for about a week... Well that was just a taste of what is to come! It has gone back the the workshop floor for perfecting and will be live as soon as possible. You will be able to book and pay on-line among other things!

Half Term Ski Chalet

2009-12-25T03:53:00.001-08:00

The 14-21 February and the 21st -28th February are Half Term in France, Holland and the UK. I think just about every ski chalet is booked at half term! If you want to ski and get away from the crowds, you can still book La Ferme. We have just opened up La Ferme, a gorgeous little 5* rated farm house in Samoens 5 minutes from the ski slopes of the Grand Massif which links with Flaine. There is loads of room for up to 6 people. For more details see:

http://www.sourcealps.com/La_Ferme_up_to_6_.html

If you really want to avoid the crowds, we can set you up with some great guides to get you out of the lift system.

Green Travel Discount

2009-12-25T03:46:00.000-08:00

La Source have introduced a new Green Travel Discount for all of our catered weeks and courses. If you come by train, shared car, bike or hitch from your home, we'll give you €100 off in the winter and €50 off in the summer per adult.

We have a lovely new van... and all local transport is included. We do a pick up at Geneva Airport every Sunday at 3pm and there is a drop off the following Sunday at 2.30pm.

We can come to Cluse train station any time between 9am and 6pm.

Yoga Ski Holiday 10-17th February

2009-12-25T03:35:00.000-08:00

Have a great start to the New Year with a week of Yoga and Skiing!!

As it is Christmas, we are offering €200 off to the next 2 people to book.

See the details at: http://www.sourcealps.com/yoga_ski.html

Look ahead to spring

2009-12-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

Its hardly started snowing but already are already thinking about the sun. So we are planning a wee spring diversion, a rock-climbing camp and coaching holiday in the Var region of the south of France....

if you like the sound of warm rock, rose' wines, lavender fields, and the sun of you back drop us a note.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spring Kick Start.

Rock Climbing lead and coaching camp

La Source, goes climbing in the green – Châteauvert (Var) Provence, France.

Who is it for…

For anyone climbing indoor or outdoors 5a (fr) and above

Where…

A week long lead and coaching camp held in the heart of French rock climbing, Provence. Chateauvert is one of the most beautiful climbing venues in the Var region of France.

When…

Sunday 18^th fly in to Nice – leave from Nice, Sunday 25^th

What…

With 200 routes to choose from it’s a chance to kick start your season with a week in the sun. The crag offers a wide range of routes suitable for all levels of climber, and is equally suitable for those with little outdoors experience as for those with a fairly high level.

In keeping with our philosophy we have selected this region and nearby town Correns as it was the first eco-or green village in France.

This will be a self catering week. We are going to be staying in fab Provencal Gite close to the crag and the villages of Bargiols and Correns, so we can each take turns at trying to outdo each other in the kitchen or slope out into the nearby villages to taste the deilights of French regional cooking.

How much…

€775 for the week, this includes transport from Nice Airport (1 Hour away) coaching, breakfasts and accommodation, and all gear except rock shoes.

Does not include

Crag food, dinners, flights, and extras such as postcards to jealous mates

Who with......

With Easyjet and host of other low-cost carriers

( http://www.chateauvert.fr/Anglais/Welcome/Welcome.html )

( http://www.maplandia.com/france/provence-alpes-cote-dazur/var/brignoles/chateauvert/ )

Its Snowing.....

2009-11-30T00:34:00.000-08:00

The 30th November finally signalled the start of the winter season, although there has been some snow on the tops on and off for the last 3 weeks this morning we awoke to 15cm and growing on the hot tub lid. So its a final week of prep before we break the boards and skis out, snow brushes, snow tires on the cars, de-icer, wood in and dry, ... get your easyjets booked.

As part of the new seasons plans we are redesigning the web site, out with the charming iWeb site which we have lived with for 2 years, in with a fresh clearer looking set of pages. We have also just registered and new a new web url.. www.eco-chalet.net which will run in conjunction with www.sourcealps.com. All a bit techie at the moment, but all of this works it should allow us to be able to play a bit more this winter

oh bugger..... wax

Greener Travel

2009-11-26T00:47:00.000-08:00

The article below prompted some thoughts

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/science/earth/18offset.html

The big question facing anyone traveling for a holiday that is "aware", is the carbon footprint of your travel. The argument for carbon offsetting i.e. paying into a fund which then invests in green solutions to limit emissions though promoting or developing green/eco technologies or initiatives as simple as planting trees which then in turn absorb CO2 is fraught with questions of effectiveness and accountability.

The arguments for offsetting are complex and confusing; is offsetting an emotional panacea providing guilt free travel or actually an effective solution for travelers. The answer seems to be somewhere in the middle.

Offsetting a flight will not immediately cancel out your emissions as the technology or incentives you are investing in, are often very long term projects, some 10-20 years away from producing tangible reduction or absorption results. Having said that it can be viewed as investment in a future greener world. But then it may well be too late.

So what do you do.

Firstly the numbers… according to

http://www.co2balance.com/

http://www.jpmorganclimatecare.com/

If you fly as a single person by car from London to Geneva you produce 0.19 to 0.26 tons of carbon depending on the efficiency and age of the aircraft

If you drive a 40mpg diesel car you produce roughly 0.28 tons of carbon.

Four people in the car produce 0.07 per person.

Taking the Train produces 0.07- 0.09 tons per person

So is fairly obvious. If you are travelling alone the train produces less carbon.

Practical advise…..

If you are you are on own and you have time, take the train.

If you have loads of friends, consider filling a well-serviced car

If you are flying, book a flight with a carrier who fly’s new planes with modern engines and who fly full aircraft.

If you feel that offsetting is a good solution for you, use a program verified by the approved by a United Nations certification program for reducing emissions, as Easyjet do.

The biggest point is, be aware and make lifestyle choices

Yoga is good for you....

2009-11-26T00:14:00.000-08:00

Yoga Boosts Heart Health, New Research Finds

ScienceDaily (Nov. 25, 2009) — Heart rate variability, a sign of a healthy heart, has been shown to be higher in yoga practitioners than in non-practitioners, according to research to be published in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics.

A Winter Prologue by Lisa Storm-Olsen

2009-11-15T23:56:00.001-08:00

Winter Prologue

A tremor of winter

heaving from the mountainside,

pushing eel fingers along the valley.

Skies smoking their shroud to grey.

Water moves, darkening. Trees downing

their ornaments. Bolets blackening

at the feet of great oaks, melding

with leaves heavying together, holding

the last liquid, a preface

to the rivers’ thickening.

All yellows and reds driven deep

into peat soft earth to sleep.

A buzzard, sky shark, sea-less,

lowers to the fields - stillness,

a quiet presence, layering the air.

Silence, the bridge tendered by autumn.

All wild things going to ground.

A season drawing down its brood -

shedding itself of all the year’s colour,

emitting a black echo

ahead of its soft white song.

Amanda Hamilton's Detox Week at La Source

2009-11-15T23:33:00.000-08:00

I was curious, but when I saw the enema bag and amount of coffee that you wash out your colon with I decided I would decline getting too involved in Amanda's detox week at La Source. I went to the evening lecture. 70% of our energy is taken up by digestion. The food we eat plays an enormous role in our energy levels. By drinking only vegetable and fruit juices for a few days, it allows the body 70% more time to do other things. In that time it can really cleanse and heal. The thing I found most exciting is the that in our lower intestine we have a big build up of colon plaque, a hard, slimy build up of toxins. The colonic irrigation dislodges the plaque and you can actually see it come out. Many people have worms and parasites and all sorts of other nasty things come out.

The colonic plaque fascinated me. So after getting a guarantee that it would come out, I signed up.

Our hard core group were doing twice daily irrigations and 5 complete days of only juices. I managed 2 irrigations and 3 days of juices (with a bit of avocado and pear)! I only had to wait till Day 2 and the 2nd irrigation and hey hoo... there is was!! Duncan refused to come and look at it.. can you believe it?

Enough about my colon plaque. What was really incredible, was the magical healing power of this process. Some people arrived visibly withdrawn and closed and left extrovert and full of energy. Others arrived barely able to touch their toes, and by the end of the week they were sitting on the floor and getting up without props, tying their shoes without sitting down, etc..

The detox was accompanied by yoga, healing and shiatsu. Duncan (healing) and Philippe (Shiatsu) felt energy blocked in exactly the same places. After energy work, Guests felt energy pouring back into their limbs. There really was a lot going on that we are so unaware of in our busy daily lives. It reminded everyone of the magic of LIFE.

Not your usual ski chalet food

2009-11-15T23:17:00.000-08:00

La Source is just finalising its winter menu. If you think 'Mildred's' in London or 'Bann's' in Edinburgh... 'The Grenier de Notre Dame', in Paris, you will get an idea of the La Source menu.

La Source is serving 5* restaurant quality vegetarian food. We do one fish dish a week. Meat can be served on request. We make everything from yogurt to breads on site. Raw milk is from the farm next door.

We are sourcing the majority of our food from organic suppliers and recipes are being based on what ever fresh fruit and vegetables we can source locally in season. We are 90% vegetarian. Our fish is either net caught or farmed organically, and we source any meat from the local butcher in Morillon. We try to buy meat from only wild or free-roaming creatures!

We are trying to make our food sustainable for the environment and for our guests. You will go home with way more energy that you came with!

If you want a break from skiing, we offer a 3 hour cooking workshop throughout the winter for E45 including lunch.

The edge of winter

2009-11-02T23:47:00.000-08:00

A lovely picture taken from the office window heralding the onset of winter.

For details of ski and snowboard trips and courses visit www.sourcealps.com

Turkish Delight

2009-11-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

It's a 6b although it looks like 8b!

Turkish Delight

Following a great summer working and climbing I decided to take some time off and go climbing!. Recent climbing grape vine noise suggested that Antalya in Turkey was the latest hot rock winter venue. So along with John Falkiner (Mountain Guide) and cousin, we hopped on a Swiss Air holiday flight and landed in the German version of the British "Costa's" for two weeks of sleeping, cranking and eating. The new 2009 guide for the area which had been posted through the door step 2 weeks before departure and with 500 climbs to choose from we landed with some anticipation for the weeks ahead.

The view from the house

John had organised we stay at The Rasayana Guest-house a small veggie eco farm just 1km from the main cliff in the village of Geyikbayiri, a great choice as it turned out. The first impressions are of a countryside barely surviving but you soon realise this is a solid agricultural area with depth and history, it just looks ramshackle.

John with our favourite restauranteur

The climbing is spread over 4 distinct cliffs with numerous sectors and caves. It truly is an extraordinary place to climb although still in mid October it was a touch to hot in the sun to climb. With 100 5,s -6as it looks like a great place for the beginner but be warned its all very steep, so rock fitness is a must for this place, with some of the routes running to 40m in length and even some of the 6a's over hanging as much a 4-5m , phew!

Fresh squeezed pomegranate

We climbed in the morning and normally took a break in the middle of the day to eat some fresh trout prepared in the cliff side local cafe, this is washed down with Turkish, coffee and sweet black tea. Then when the rock cooled down at 3-4 we would climb until the sunset or our arms or skin gave out. The rock is fab, Tufa's, caves, orange limestone conglomerate overhanging wals and grey/white vertical finger fests. It is a world class area to climb in with a very chilled vibe. We spent some time sussing out the place to see if we could run a La Source rock camp and the answer is a solid yes, so watch out for dates and details in the coming months. If you fancy it get training and fit. It is suitable for most people but i would recommend that you should be leading 5's solidly and be able to top rope steep 6a's on the indoor wall if you are going to get the most out of an Antalya course.

One advantage of the late October early November dates would be that the monster hornets which seem to nest in some of the holds will have retired for the winter, and climbing in the sun will be not so blistering.

A typical lower off! Tea time again

Over the two weeks we climbed about 60 routes up to 7a+ , drank 90 cups of tea each, eat 10 trout each ( they are locally farmed), munched though 14 pomegranates, 200 olives, got buzzed on 40 Turkish coffees, saw thousands of goats, smoked a couple of Hookah water pipes flavoured with melon and espresso tobacco! and met some great people who will remain friends for a long time. This is a journey of flavours, steep rock, sun, lighting, orange rock and shooting stars.

Trimming off the rosemary at the Eco-Farm

see you next year in Turkey

PS hard skin is required

Road side cafe Turkish style Hire car 4x4 ing

Easy Jet Ski SALE Starts today!!

2009-10-16T01:00:00.001-07:00

We do encourage getting the train.. but for those of you with serious time constraints, book your winter ski flights today as Easyjet has just launched its ski flight sale.

http://www.easyjet.com/asp/en/book/index.asp

The Respect the Mountain Envirotrek & The Family Adventure!

2009-10-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

You can always expect a surprise at La Source! On the Family Adventure in August, we got our 5 families collecting rubbish along the Giffre River Banks. We cycled over treacherous terrain (see below!) with buggies and and 9 kids under 9 years old, attuned our eyes to collecting every scrap of debris we could fine, and then went rock climbing and white water rafting with the RESPECT THE MOUNTAIN crew. This is the article that was published in the local paper about the event...

One of our guests experience taking the train

2009-10-14T03:44:00.000-07:00

Sick of just arriving in a new place with a bump I decided to take the train from London to Cluses. And a good decision it turned out to be. Taking the 09.01 Eurostar from St Pancras took me to Paris Nord for 12.20. The 2hr20min journey was a pleasant one and flew by. To pick up the train to Annecy I had to change to Paris Gare Lyon station. This could be done by Metro or a 20 minute taxi ride, and feeling indulgent, this is what I did. My train to Annecy left at 13.50 so I had time to have coffee and a baguette and enjoy bustling Paris and the introduction to France.

The train to Annecy was luxurious in comparison with Eurostar (sorry!). The 3hr40min journey was a pleasure. The landscape changed from town to village to fields to rivers, streams and then the hills emerged. I had never been to the Alps, so creeping closer and the anticipation growing was exciting. Arriving at Annecy at 17.30 meant waiting an hour to catch the 18.26 to Cluses. Arriving at Cluses at 19.39 I was met by Saskia and my adventure begun. By now I was surrounded by beauty – the mountains, lush grass, flowers, trees, pretty chalets…it was endless. And the best part was that I felt as if I had savoured every moment. The drive to La Combe with the sun setting seemed to end the perfect day of travelling. By 20.00 I was seated at a dining table with a roomful of expectant strangers and feast before me. A fabulous welcome.

No words can do justice to the experience of the week. Everyone comes with their own motivations and looking to take something. It takes time to sink into the place and begin to absorb the energy that surrounds you. The moments that will stay with me are the yoga sessions outside where you can feel the sun on your skin and he grass beneath your feet. The walks that take you to beautiful places that change with every twist and turn of the path. And the food. The sumptious meals prepared every night were a joy to see and eat.

So taking the train home seems the ideal way to ease back into city life. Meandering past the villages and towns. The lakes and rocks will decrease, and be replaced by concrete and congestion. Home.

If there ever was a person so who was put on this earth with a clear path then it is Saskia – she just does what she does and it works. So I leave behind people with vision and clarity that is openly shared with others, should they choose to see it. J

Rita 23^rd September 2009

Rock Climbing - 5th-10th October

2009-10-12T00:30:00.000-07:00

As the leaves are now turning to their Autumn colours, we have just finished our last Rock Climbing/Yoga course of the season. For serious climbers its now the time for action, cooler rock and belaying in duvet jackets await, but for the moment even this late in the season, shorts and tee-shirts were still necessary on a couple of the days. 5 girls and a lone Alistair made up the team for the week. Two of the team were back for their second visits Sophie and Natasha (KGB) from Russia who had both started climbing with us in the spring came back to push their leading and have a last ditch warm rock session. This was a pure coaching week with all pushing their limits with 5a leaders leading 6a+ by the end of the week and 6a climbers pushing 6b+'s.

We were slightly thwarted by the weather having to resort to the Chamonix Climbing wall at Les Houches on the last day due to very heavy rain.

A few tips for those heading back into indoor walls for the next few months.

1) Treat the wall as a means to an end not the only place to climb. It is as a training tool.

2) if you max level is X warm up on routes 2 full grades below your max,

eg max level 6b warm up on 5b's and do 2 or 3 of them before you start on 6a's and then work up to you target route.

3) Use routes for stamina and endurance and bouldering for strength and power. So do not try and push you power limits on a lead route as you are more lightly to force a move and injure yourself.

4) Try and climb on the foot holds as if they were on a route on real rock. Avoid high stepping and use the little features for you feet

If you are serious about progressing, work in blocks of 4-6 weeks per physical "area"

4 weeks doing masses of easy routes one or two grades below your max for endurance

4 weeks bouldering doing problems with 5-15 moves for power

rest for a full week... repeat until the tulips arrive

have fun on the wall

See you in the spring...

YOGA AND COOKING

2009-10-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Warren was raised on a wildlife lodge in South Africa. He was one of South Africa's top sprinters and was on a strict athlete's diet from the age of 14.. which may have prompted his interest in food. For the last 5 years he has been travelling the world perfecting his art and passion; cooking!

He is now head chef at La Source in the Alps where he has started running cooking workshops along side the yoga and multi-adventure weeks.

We have had such great feedback from Warren's food. When Emily arrived from Canada this week, she said that 'The food here is better than in a 5* restaurant!'

I asked the guests how the first workshop went?

'We cooked parmesan crisps which we thought would be really difficult, but they were actually very easy (and top secret!), banana and walnut bread, kebabs on a stick of rosemary, a pastry basket filled with chutney, and for desert... strawberries dipped in white and milk chocolate. Yum Yum!!'

'I learned so much! I am going to buy a bread-maker as soon as I get home!'

'That was a great afternoon! We spent 3 hours learning how to make everything and then sat down for a delicious lunch!'

The children thought it was the best thing we did all week.

SKIING!!

2009-10-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

One of the best ski teachers in the valley Herve Mugnier, will be our preferred ski instructor this year. He will teach the skiing component of our Beginner's Mountain Immersion. He loves the concept of what we are doing at La Source. Herve is well aware that skiing goes well beyond the physical. If we are able to go beyond mental blocks and fears on the slopes this easily transfers into life.

2009-10-02T05:07:00.000-07:00

This article about La Source was written by Amanda Astill

The House That Friendship Built

Ripped off by French builders Saskia Anley-McCallum refused to say goodbye to her dream of a home in the Alps. Instead she came up with a unique solution - relying on the kindness of strangers to help them build it…

With the French Alps sparkling against the crisp backdrop of blue skies, Saskia Anley-McCallum, 39, should have been enjoying the peaceful life she had craved. But work on the stunning Alpine farm she and her husband, Duncan McCallum, 48, were renovating had ground to a halt. Months ago, a digger had hacked a vast crater outside the farm, where beautiful meadows should be. The hole was still there. The toilet was no longer working, and whilst Saskia had come up with an innovative, if not basic, bin bag system, it was a nightmare. Her two children, Miki Bee, 8, and Jay, 6, viewed their new life as one big adventure, but the roller coaster ride had finally derailed. Speaking to lawyers, the reality finally sunk in. The building company they’d put all their faith in had gone bust – taking a big chunk of their budget. It looked like their dream of a new life was over. Unless Saskia could come up with a radical solution…

Facing a bleak winter, it was a far cry from the glittering city life she’d enjoyed the previous year in 2006. With homes in London and Edinburgh, Saskia enjoyed a jet setting lifestyle as a film director. Happily married with two beautiful children, from the outside life looked perfect. But behind the closed doors of her five-bedroom house she felt worn out from juggling motherhood and a hectic career. She says, “I went back to work three months after having my first baby. I’d take a breast pump on shoots and even courier milk home from the set.”

Deep down she knew she wanted a different life. “I yearned for the simplicity of the family life I had enjoyed as a child,” she says. “My father finished work at 3pm, and we’d walk into the village together to buy vegetables.”

At breaking point, during a skiing holiday in the Alps at the end of 2006 Saskia made a decision. She had to quit the rat race. Despite her husband’s misgivings, he agreed to move to the Alps for a year. Renting their house out, he could run his successful adventure sports design company remotely – and Saskia could finally spend quality time with the kids.

Overshadowed by Mont Blanc, with vivid green meadows that appeared to be in high definition colour, Saskia and her family felt like they’d landed in paradise. Samoens, the small village they’d settled in was like stepping back in time. “I’d walk into the village and everyone would smile at me and strike up conversation – unlike London. After picking the kids up from school, we’d go apple picking in nearby orchards. Every day I had a different invitation to pop in for a coffee or have a glass of wine. The sense of community was incredible, and a world away from the isolation of city life.”

After three months, the family decided to stay for good.

Now all they had to do was find their dream home. They’d already seen a perfect place - a massive 400 square metre alpine farm on the sunny side of the mountain, but unfortunately it had recently been sold. So when they discovered the sale had fallen through, they leapt at the chance to buy it. Friends, however, thought they were crazy to take the project on. Especially as they had decided to make the renovations eco friendly, making the cost of the building work e400,000 on top of the e530,000 purchase price. “I didn’t have a clue about renovating a farm,” Saskia admits. “And Duncan was virtually allergic to DIY. But I’d already fallen in love with the place; Built in 1865, the vast space of the barn, with its curving beams and shafts of clear mountain sunlight streaming in, felt like the perfect antidote to the claustrophobia of city homes I’d lived in before.”

On a recommendation, they hired a French building company to take care of everything. All Saskia had to do was sit back and watch her dream home be built. But right from the start, the French firm appeared suspiciously inept. “There was no project manager, just a bunch of itinerant builders on site, mooching in through our kitchen with dirty boots. With no health and safety regulations in place, the site had become a death trap,” says Saskia. In desperation, she spent hours researching eco renovations and trying to account for the e180,000 they had already paid in advance. By the winter of 2007, the situation became critical when she discovered the shocking news that the firm had gone bust. “I put the phone down and sat sobbing,” she recalls. “There was nothing we could do. The manager had run off leaving his wife and six children behind. Our money was gone.”

Without enough cash to complete the renovations, their dream was in tatters. But despite these setbacks, there was one ray of light. During all the chaos, Saskia had put an ad on community website Gumtree.com to find an au pair. A gorgeous Kiwi called David had replied, turning up wearing a rock t shirt. But he was more than a handsome face - he was also a Godsend to the family. In the evenings, he’d strum Tender is The Night by Blur as he sat underneath the canopy of mountain stars, making Duncan and Saskia feel like the life they’d dreamed of wasn’t quite lost. He even decided to take on the garden, turning the mud bath back into its beautiful natural glory. Through the website Saskia found a replacement au pair, Petra, who also felt more like a member of the family, than staff. It gave Saskia a radical idea.

She decided to start a commune – advertising for members on Gumtree. The plan was to offer people the chance to experience community life in exchange for helping build the house. It sounded like a crazy idea, but an experience from her youth inspired her. “After university, I’d worked as an Outward Bound instructor in America, where we taught people to live in the woods with nothing but the clothes on their backs,” she remembers.

This simple life, where people pulled together to survive, had struck a chord with her. But in the consumer-driven world of London she’d forgotten about these ideals. Could her Alpine farm be the place to resurrect them? “If I was so desperate to escape city life I reasoned there must be others who felt the same – even builders!” Saskia says.

“Come and live in an adventure sports paradise, work hard and play hard on an eco renovation of an old farm in the Alps,” the ad read, as Saskia pinged it into cyberspace, wondering if she’d get any replies. Within minutes the responses flooded in, and over the next few weeks hundreds of people replied, desperate for the chance of adventure and to swap their settled life for a new experience.

Instinctively, Saskia knew the people who would fit in with the family. “We were looking for people drawn to the adventure sports and the challenge of an eco build,” she says.

By April 2007, ten people from all around the world were travelling to join them.

Some of the recruits were surprising. When Chris, 27, the owner of a plastering company in Yorkshire arrived, after driving the entire distance in his white van, he looked every inch like a typical Brit builder. Short, but stocky, with cropped blonde hair and a vivid scar on his face, he usually spent his evenings down the pub having a pint. How would he cope living in a ‘hippy commune’? But he had hidden depths. “You wouldn’t expect to find a vegetarian builder from Scarborough, but we did,” Saskia laughs. “He’d been glassed in the pub, and it had been the final straw for him – he wanted a new life.”

Having left school at fifteen with dyslexia and no qualifications he’d never read a book before. Within days, he was devouring Autobiography of a Yogi.

Right from the beginning, everyone instantly bonded. The family stayed in their cramped quarters in the habitable rooms of the farmhouse, and the rest of the commune slept in the open space of the barn, with only sleeping bags for beds. But no one complained – instead they were excited by the adventure they had embarked on.

“I wanted to fulfil my promise and make it a life-changing experience,” says Saskia, “Every morning we all woke up at seven, walking through the dew of the early morning meadows until we got to the nearby lake – where I would teach an outdoor yoga class. I’d taken classes in London, but no one else had done yoga before - they loved it though.”

After a breakfast of homemade bread and local fruit, work would begin at eight with everyone throwing themselves into the challenge. Two local builders, Pierrick and Victor, had also joined the commune, and they passed their expertise onto those who weren’t builders by trade. But the fun began when the commune workers knocked off at five. “We had a big wooden farmhouse table in the kitchen, and everyone would gather round in the evening to eat dinner, which we would all take it in turns to cook. Sharing simple meals like pesto pasta, under the glow of candlelight was magical,” says Saskia. “Afterwards, we’d gather round and tell stories, strumming guitars and singing songs. It felt like travelling in your own home. I couldn’t believe how lonely and stressed out my life had once been.”

As the house progressed, life became easier. Soon the commune workers had walls to sleep within, and when David built a sixty metre decked area, it became an impromptu outdoor dance floor for the commune. “We’d have BBQ’s outside, and afterwards it would became a disco, with everyone dancing like crazy under starlight. Neighbours and locals often popped by to join in with the festivities,” says Saskia. “Everyone was on an amazing journey together. Travellers such as Paul, 28, – who’d come from Australia to join us – said they’d never felt such a community spirit in their lives. No one was motivated by money, which felt liberating.”

At weekends Duncan would take everyone biking and climbing, making the most of the incredible landscape around them. “The kids were in their element too, and they loved being surrounded by people giving them attention. They were also very independent,” says Saskia. “It wasn’t like living in a city where you had to keep them close. They were free to run about and play. At six-years-old, Miki Bee would walk quarter of a mile through fields to visit her little friend at a neighbouring farm.”

Of course, not everything went smoothly. “Mostly everyone got on, but there could be arguments. One of the guys slept with a local girl another commune member had his eye on. They didn’t talk to each other for a week, which was awkward. But they soon made it up, and it was never mentioned again. Some disagreements are only to be expected.”

By November 2008 the house was complete – built with an invisible framework of friendship. It was a beautiful five-bedroom conversion with a mezzanine area, which meant it could sleep twelve. It felt like their extended family home. Ricky and Andy, from the UK, decided to stay with the family. But one by one the other commune members had to return back to their lives, bidding each other sad goodbyes. Some returned back home and set up their own businesses, whilst others, like Chris, were inspired to live differently. “With long sun-kissed blonde hair and a healthy tan, you would hardly recognise the person who arrived,” says Saskia. “Instead of returning to Yorkshire, along with another commune member, he headed for India.”

Life for Saskia and her family had irrevocably changed too. Afterwards she took five weeks off – the first time she had ever been apart from her kids – to train as a yoga teacher. Now, the farm is an eco retreat where people can take yoga classes and head off on rock climbing and skiing expeditions to renew themselves. It’s still run by the principles of the commune – shared meals and the soothing sound of sinagalongs drifting through the alpine valleys, bringing strangers together. “I’m happier than I could have ever imagined,” admits Saskia. “I don’t miss my successful city career for one minute. There’s more to life than money – and this beautiful farmhouse proves it.”

www.sourcealps.com

www.adventureconcepts.net

French Web site making a splash!

2009-09-30T02:18:00.000-07:00

Wow radical, we are now uploading our website in french,

Enjoy.

Coming by Train

2009-09-21T03:16:00.000-07:00

Coming by Train!

More and more people are coming by train. I have asked Josie and Rita to write a little blog to let us know if they have any tips.

Two Weeks of Climbing 3rd-10th 10th-17th Sept

2009-09-21T02:29:00.000-07:00

We have just had time to sit down following two fab Yoga/Rock courses, the first run with Agnieszka saw Ivan from Slovenia leading 6b's and experiencing some 6b+ and 6c routes for tasters. He also took the prize for the best fall of the summer. A first this week was a visit to La Culaz just beyond the Col de la Colombiere, a great cliff with well bolted routes for first time leaders from 3a! to 7a, good rock and a sunny beautiful outlook just perfect for a late summer pull down. The others during the week all lead routes from a standing start during there first ever weeks climbing outdoors... A great achievement for all.

Week two run with John Falkiner revisited La Culaz but also managed a multi pitch "rest" day at La Frasse where with three pitch routes of 5b standard the team got some height above the Autumn farm lands. Both weeks had a mixture of performance coaching, rope-work and "how to lead" instruction. 5 days climbing in a row is a lot, especially when so much of what you do is new, but with the correct pacing and some slabs chucked in everyone managed to push hard even on the last days. Well done and thanks to all, it was good fun.

Gearing up for the Ski Season

2009-09-21T02:25:00.001-07:00

La Source has found a fantastic UIAGM guide to work with this winter. A local, Didier Tiberghien spent his childhood scouring the Grand Massif back country. Apart from his extensive mountain knowledge, Didier had just graduated with a PhD in Earth and Universal Sciences! He will guide on all of our ski touring courses and our eco-ski week.

Sean Newsom, the ski editor of the Sunday Times will be our first client on our eco-ski week pre X-mas.

Philosophising

2009-09-21T02:21:00.001-07:00

Our right brain sees things as they are.. as whole, interconnected, as one... our left brain organises everything, creates form and creates 'reality' as we know it. In our society.. we favour the left brain way of seeing the world. We are part of the growing momentum and shift towards opening right brain awareness and creating equal balance between the 2. Left brain is masuline (pingala) and equates to the right nostril and right side of the body - generally males get injured on their female or left side... Right brain, female, equates to left nostil (ida) and left side of the body. Females usually injure themselves on the right or masculine side.

We are like mini power stations.. every one of us... our energy, thoughts, feelings, spread in waves and vibrations to everyone around us and to the larger universe. Houses, rooms, cities, streets, mountains.. all carry a particular energy and we all sense it, albiet, generally on an unconscious level. We need to become more aware and have to make conscious choices about what we emit. Fear and negativity emit fear and negativity. Love and compassion emits love and compassion. Integrity emits integrity. Many of us feel we have not got a choice, but when we feel a strong emotion, the chemical and celluar reaction lasts for 90- seconds after which it is our choice. We can choose to hook into the feeling and emotion or we can choose to let it go. This requires self training and awareness. I have started to train the kids and it is amazingly affective. They have 90 seconds to go crazy and scream and shout.. Jay had more sweets than me! It is mine... I don't want to do that!... SCREEEEAAAMM and then.... they have the choice. Do you want to carry on feeling like this or are you ready to choose another way.

Family Adventure Week

2009-09-21T02:17:00.000-07:00

Our first summer is over.. and we have been overwhelmed by how many wonderful people have come to share our space and adventures. We already have guests coming back for Autumn Rock Climbing and Yoga courses and, then Ski Touring Courses in the Winter.

We have spilled over to the neighbours house as we have run out of space at the Lodge, but luckily our massive dining room can cope with 20+ people!

The last busy week was the Family Adventure. There were 5 famillies including ours - 9 children of 8 and under and 12 adults. The highlight of the week was swimming under a waterfall in Fer a Cheval. Closely followed by... hiking to a high mountain refuge with 2 'out of control' donkey's! We hiked to Refuge Anternne and on the way the kids stripped off for a dip in an icy stream.

Places have certain feelings, and this place just enables you to relax deeply and let go of 'reality'. There were 1300 sheep in the distance under an enormous cliffband. The shepard lived in a hut near the refuge and explained that under the cliff the grass was dry and therefore his sheep fattened better! Dunc, Warren and I slept under the stars, and everyone else was warmly tucked into a big open plan dorm on mattresses on the floor.

Another great day was the day Respect the Mountain had a rubbish collecting event. We all cycled to the Gorge du Tines and collected rubbish, had a BBQ and then went rock climbing or white water rafting. It was a great day.

Ski Touring Winter 2009/10

2009-09-21T02:16:00.000-07:00

I have just posted our winter ski courses! We are really excited about meeting Didier - an unassuming lovely guy who will by our Mountain Guide. He is an aspirant UIAGM guide who spent his childhood scouring these mountains. He knows the area like the back of his hand and will be an indespensible part of our winter team. We will be discovering all the best off piste ski runs this winter! Didier, at 29, is also a Doctor of Earth and Universal Sciences. These amazing people just seem to appear like angels at the right time.

International Guests

2009-09-21T02:14:00.000-07:00

Climbers from all over the world are discovering our unique Climbing Holidays! It is great to meet such an interesting group of people every week. We are running back to back courses due to popular demand. Both Agniezka and John Falkiner who are instructing are really enjoying the weeks. It gives John a break from guiding the 4000m peaks!

A Yoga Holiday in the Alps

2009-07-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Another special week of Yoga at La Source… We had 4 wonderful Irish women across 2 generations, and a lovely American traveller. Back at base, there was also a group doing rock climbing, hiking, a journalist from The Guardian (so look out for us in the Travel Section) and a journalist from Adventure Travel Magazine. From the first night, everyone was excitedly chatting as though they had known each other for weeks!

Rain was forecast for 3 days, but every morning, we woke up and the sun peeped through the clouds until (at least) after our morning yoga practice by the lake. We were only forced indoors one morning and the dojo is so calming that it was hardly a sacrifice!

So, as always at La Source, the weeks are spontaneous and adventurous. We skipped the overnight in a refuge due to the impending storm, but the girls did a day hike up instead. It was only the promise of hot lemon tart and Gina’s Reike that got everyone to the top and it was well worth it for the views and satisfaction. It was also good training for Sarah and Miriam’s little involuntary adventure… They ended up getting lost one afternoon and hiking miles up a dead end canyon.

By the end of the week it was close to 30 degrees in the sunshine. The Irish gals were in bliss and could not get enough warm rays.

My cousin John – mountain legend and free spirit was here leading the rock climbing. He spent 10 years studying White Crane – a gentle form of martial art so we did a White Crane yoga session by the Lake one morning. A lovely ancient French woman passing on her bicycle stopped and started to mimic our actions. We invited her into our circle and she practiced with us for a little white. We had other guests, like the neighbors cows, and a few goats. Of course Java, our dog showed us all up doing downward dog.

Everyone made great progress with the yoga. The grass really helped give confidence to those a little anxious about headstand. The group were experienced yogi’s and we managed to get quite experimental with postures and in meditation. We drew upon Deepak Chopra’s 7 daily spiritual laws of Yoga.

After some serious hikes and 3 hours of yoga a day, the girls decided to have an afternoon treating themselves to Shiatsu massages by our local Tai Chi master. He describes where one holds tension and the emotional aspects of physical tension which ties in well with the yoga. He kindly offered to lead us in an interesting Dance of Shiva – a sort of a meditative Tai Chi Dance which was a novel experience. It is amazing what you come across deep in the countryside!

Climbing and Yoga June 2009

2009-07-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Climbing & Yoga Camps

June 6^th – 13th - Ed, Robbie, Sarah, Lizze and Chantal

June 21st-28^th - Christina, Clodagh and Ellie

We have just finished two Climbing Yoga courses almost back to back. For these two weeks we were joined by legendary Verbier based mountain guide, telemark guru, 007 stunt skier and “sporting yoda” John Falkiner.

In keeping with the family vibe at La Source, Johnny, who actually is family, set the tone for a super calm couple of weeks of climbing instruction. The old hippie mixed up the yoga pre or post climbing with some fab White Crane martial arts movements, a kind of Tai Chi - Yoga mix.

During the weeks he pushed hard when it was required and gently encouraged when the rock and flow just needed a little nudge. During the first week we successfully turned the 4 who had not lead into outdoor leaders and climbers and the 5^th into a smoother more confident leader. The key is to believe that you actually can do it, “trust the rubber and it will not let you down”.

16-year-old Robbie who was on work experience got literally to "hang out" with a real mountain legend and watch Johnny lead the 'sessions on the rock' during the day and 'the wine lubricated impromptu guitar ones' back at the ranch as the sun went down.

The first day was just about blowing off the cobwebs, looking how you should move over stone and, for many realising that “hey the holds are not coloured”. The main things to overcome, especially for a few who were new to real rock, were the subtleties of climbing on real rock, footwork, footwork, footwork, and oh yeah some time the holds are real small and come at you in funny angles.

Crag choice is becoming increasingly important as we roll into summer. Some of the teaching spots are full of kids and school groups trying to scare each other, and it's getting hot. Late afternoon thunderstorms are now quite a dramatic way to finish a days cragging. To add a little adventure to the end of week 1, we made a play for a big day out. We rose early (missed the yoga) and drove 2 hours through the Mont Blanc tunnel into the granite lined Valle d’Aosta in Italy. After a compulsory espresso stop at the not to be under estimated Autogrilla motorway service station ( how come in Italy even the service stations take pride in fresh food and 5 star coffee, and in the UK it is reduced to floppy damp sandwiches and iceberg lettuce salads?) We drove through Arnad village to reach the foot of the 300m high Corma di Machaby. After a sweaty 20 minute approach, Johnny choose the 10 pitch “Diretta Al Banano” and I choose the very varied 9 pitch “Bucce d’ Arancio”. Both the mega slab fests weigh in at 5c, (but it's a help if you can lead 6a). “Bucce” is a bit more sustained. To add more colour to the day, if it was needed, we were accompanied by free-ski super legend Glen Plake and his wife Kimberly. Glen performed his amazing levitating boomerang hat trick on pitch two of “Tike Saab”(you’ll need to ask him) whilst Robbie and Chantal looked on in amazement. A little tip for Machaby, don’t descend down the front face of the hill beside the crag unless you want more adventure. Sneak off down past the church onto a nice road, rather than experience the wobbly ladder down climbing thing ( I won’t be doing that again).

The transition from limestone pockets and positive edges to the subtitles of hot long granite slab climbing is something that we should all experience every so often. In fact so often that we went back there during week two with Christina, Clodagh, and Ellie; just to impress on the girls that footwork counts. On that day, by pitch 5 out of 9, the thunderheads started to rise above Monte Bianche. We put on some fast shoes and blasted up the last 4 pitches just before the rain drops arrived. There is no better way to help slab-climbing toe than to indulge in a cold beer and some Italian pasta.

After a big day on the hill a more leisurely start and some Yoga stretching it was time to push the bodies a bit and some top ropes were strung up on a few routes that were on the limit just to get the weight of the sore toes. Its amazing how climbing pushes the buttons, of self confidence, commitment, going beyond what you thought you could do and puts you into new territory both physically and emotionally. If it comes together positively as it did these last few weeks its wonderful to behold. It is no beach holiday (as my ole' climbing buddies in the States used to say 'It ain't no weenie roast'), but far more valuable and memorable.

A place of change - comments from our guests

2009-06-14T00:39:00.000-07:00

A place of change....

Wow! We are so lucky to have such amazing people to come and stay with us. It is like we are travelling but get to stay in our own home.

We did not really know what we were doing at La Source. We started by simply eco-renovating an old farm. The journey started then. We had a corrupt builder who had given us false insurance numbers, papers and credentials. He left us with an enourmous hole in the garden (for the septic tank) and our bank account. We had no option but to take an alternative tack which turned out to be the best thing we could have done. Angels came out of the woodwork - we met a retired architect on a trail near the house who took us under his wing and helped with all the renovation detailing. Talented and gifted craftsmen from the UK, Australia, France and New Zealand arrived with sleeping bags having seen our advert on Gumtree. We lived together, ate together, biked, jammed and danced together. It was amazing. We finished the renovation just in time to share the space with my family for Christmas. We ran the chalet self catered over winter, but the most fun was when we had guests come and stay with us as weekly B&B or catered guests. In April we had no bookings for the summer and a massive mortgage pay so we thought we better set up some courses. One of my greatest passions is Yoga and one of Duncan's greatest passions is Climbing so we set up Climbing and Yoga courses and low and behold... the whole ball just started to roll and roll - we are running singles courses for Adventura, Yoga holidays for the Yogatraveller, Detox programmes with Amanda Hamilton, Multi-Adventure and climbing and yoga courses and before we knew it, we were almost full right up to the end of September!

Here is what our guests have said:

'I have just come back from La Source where I spent some

awesome days rock climbing, doing yoga in the outdoors,
parapenting, hiking and eating delicious organic, vegetarian

food!! The whole experience was just amazing - even on the
way to the airport on the last day I found myself herding
cows (complete with bells) into a wild flower laden meadow!

I believe that what these guys are doing deserves to be sung
about from the rooftops - it is just inspiring to be
surrounded by such positivity in the current climate of
political and economic doom and gloom.'

'Thank you for welcoming me into your lovely home. The week at

La Source is certainly one of the best experiences of my life...'

'A Unique experience - amazing to be able to arrive and immediately settle into a really friendly welcoming group of people - a great atmosphere in the house, and a healthy and delicious communal evening meal. I think it is a fantastic formula and I had a brilliant week!

'I absolutely love your place and what you have going on here! I'll never forget it and will definitely be back!'

'During this week, you guys have given me so much I can barely imagine how I will continue my life in Moscow the way I have got used to living and working. Thank you so much for this experience'

(a.k.a. KGB e-mailed is a few days after her holiday to let us know she was resigning and had applied to do a 2 year mountain leader course in Peru!)

'Thank you for one of the most incredible experiences of my life until now. The beauty and intricate style of the place is breathtaking and you can be sure that I will visit again'

If I can pipe in here... so what is different about La Source? Well it is eco, and mostly organic and vegetarian but that is just an aside. I think it might be that Dunc and I are passionate about positive change and potential. La Source and the mountains surrounding us is the ideal environment for people to tap into their Source. For some people flying through the air like a bird in the sky (parapenting) gives them a new perspective. For some it is the silence of the sunsets over the awe inspiring mountains that brings them an inner peace. For others, the yoga actively and experientially develops self awareness and realisation.

Whatever combination it is, there is an underlying energy here that encourages positive change and stimulates potential.

La Source is raw and real. Don't expect sheets without a wrinkle or your sheets to be changed more than weekly. This place is not about pampering but initiative. Don't expect strict schedules but adapt to the rhythm of nature and the elements. Breathe again!

Yoga - Rock Climbing 1st-9th May 2009

2009-05-11T04:54:00.001-07:00

Wow! We have just come to the end of our first La Source, Alps - Yoga and Rock Climbing week. La Source, a '21st Century Commune' set in an adventure sports paradise, carries a magical energy that affects people deeply and our guests often comment on it… ‘One of the most amazing experiences of my life so far…’ ‘..the suberb energy..’ ...'I feel re-sourced!'...

This was our first ‘facilitated’ holiday and energy ran higher than ever. It was incredible!

The sun shone, the mountains gleamed and the spring flowers sprouted colour before our eyes. Each day began with yoga. We started our yoga practice inside the beautiful dojo, under the Magnolia tree, in a field, by a lake and in the woods. We practiced asanas, pranayama, relaxation, meditation, laughter yoga, silent yoga….. Each practice became more spontaneous and expansive as the week progressed. Not only were we becoming more flexible and strong in our bodies but also in our minds.

Our wonderful guests came from all 4 corners of the earth – Dubai, Nimibia, Canada (via Indonesia), Italy, Russia and the UK (via Switzerland). An eclectic group, we laughed and learned a lot together.

Everyone contributed to the richness of the week! Marijke brought us lots of laughter and joy and had relentless energy. Hanneke, brought grace, elegance and flair to the group. Miriam, an Iyengar yogi, had to acclimatise to a much more fluid form of yoga - although I have just heard that she has been inspired to find a similar class back home. Simona had only ever practised in front her Nintendo DS, and was very happy to have a ‘real life’ teacher and has gone back to Milan to find one to perfect her headstand! Natasha, aka KGB, has gone back to Moscow with wings ready to quit her job and has already signed up for a 2 year guiding course. Nicola, who had never climbed before, has found her new favourite sport. She brought us some mind-expanding ways of looking at life and ourselves….

During the day, there was a lot going on; hiking, rock climbing, visiting the glaciers in Chamonix, or beautiful Annecy, white water rafting, or reading mind expanding books.

After a full day, we were all happy to meet back at La Source for a delicious wholesome meal and interesting conversation. Hannecke and Marijke was most relieved that we were not austere purists and that good red wine was on offer! On the chefs night off, our lovely Italian guest, Simona, offered to cook and has introduced coconut chocolate balls which we will become a highlight every holiday!

A few words from our guests:

'During this week you guys gave me so much, I can barely imagine how I will continue my life the way I have got used to living and working, etc.. Thank you so much for this experience.'

'This week at La Source was certainly one of the best experiences in my life'

There is nothing like a lot of laughing and the mountain air to get you in touch with your SOURCE!

Rock Climbing - Leading Outdoors 2nd - 7th May

2009-05-11T02:31:00.000-07:00

Learning to lead on Rock.

The first climbing course of the spring found some low lying snow providing a beautiful backdrop to some of the cliffs we climbed, notably Le Tuet. Anna Torretta, Mountain Guide and Womans World Ice Climbing Champion 2002, made the short trip from Courmayeur Italy to supervise the course. The first course was an all woman's affair, instructors and clients.

Anna and Miriam, reviewing belay practise on day one at Anton crag.

The course "learning to lead outdoors" found most of those on the course having a mixed bag of experience but a very similar standard of movement over stone. The transition from pulling on plastic indoors to flowing over rock outdoors is a challenge and it is this factor that instructors Anna and Agnieszka focused on for the first two days of the course. Learning not to bring your feet too high, standing on dimples and features on the rock, planning moves ahead and the many key hand hold variations proved to be the biggest challenge.

Nicola on W"ENSA's story , Les Tignes

However, by the end of day one, all were placing gear, whilst top roping and practising the principles of leading.

Anna Torretta just making sure

At La Tuet, it was lead time! By luchtime everyone had led there first sport routes on rock a great achievement.

Practising Yoga in the mornings and then heading-off to the crags proved to be a good combination, stretching tight limbs and focusing the mind on balance flow and form.

On the 3rd day, bummer it rained, so the team headed off to the climbing wall in Les Houches (Chamonix). Here we practised lower-off transitions and dynamic belaying.

Abseil practise "trust the prussik"

The following days blended into yoga, rock, and flowing over stone, like water not rock!

Natalia on her rest day cruising a tough 6b on sector Rhino, Anton

The goal of the course was to take climbers from the dusty indoors, and turn them into confident leaders ready to explore sport climbing on rock. However it turned out to be a lot more... it became a conversation with nature, harmony between body and stone, with messages of flow and trust all bonded by new found friends.

The May 2009 Yoga and Climbing Course

2009-05-07T02:18:00.000-07:00

We were very excited, on our first course, to have people from Nimibia, Dubai, Russia, Italy, Canada and London. Wow! A great mix of lovely and interesting women.

The first night was Andy (our Chef's) 29th Birthday so we brought everyone over to a neighbouring farmhouse where friends had organised a surprise BBQ. It was a beautiful evening and relaxed atmosphere and a great way to start the course.

The next morning we went to the dojo for our first yoga class. We lit the wood burning stove and candles to Om's and started with a blend of Chi Gong and yoga warm ups - mind silencing pranayama (useful to overcome lead climbing fear!) - sun salutations - and a class of 'climbing specific' flowing asanas leading to final relaxation. Most of the team had practised yoga before. The Iyengar yogis were challenged to let go of their habitual practise and Simona, who had only ever practised in front of her Nintendo DS, was excited to have a real life teacher!

The climbers had 2 coaches this week; Anna Torretta, the ex-world ice-climbing champion and Agniezka - the 2 most 'ripped' women in the valley! On Day 3 and 4 everyone was leading. The yoga kept tired arms from stiffening too much. Horray!

Back at base, La Source is full of organic food and mellow red wine, breathtaking views and sneaky fags on the balcony! What do you do... this IS after all a holiday! As Nicola says, it is our intention that matters.

Yoga has now gone freeform. We have moved beyond four walls and practice in front of a Lake with the snowy peaks reflected in the water. We are literally paddling with tadpoles and feeling the dew and spring flowers between our toes. Everyone's practice is really progressing. We used gravity to assist us with headstands and nearly everyone is up! Then we did laughter yoga and could not stop laughing for the rest of the day.

La Source, a place of change.

La Source in the press, Saturday Guardian 4th Dec

Winter get ready

Duncan McCallum- I am hosting and avalanche awareness course at La Source in the French Alps this Jan and again in March see this link for details..http://www.greenalpinechalet.com/yoga-special-weeks/avalanche-awareness-off-piste/

Sunday Times.. 26 out of 50 best winter trips...

Via Ferratta "by night"...

Moped- Easy Rider

Help Required

La Source, Samoens, France. Adventure Sports and Yoga

Sunday Time Article June 13th - Alps for softies

The Alps for softies

Scale the Eiger if you want to, but the Alps in summer are just the thing for those who like holidays that pamper

A Video of La Source

Things to do in Samoens

First Climbing Course of the 2010 Season

The Foodie Way Forward

La Source on Guardian Green Travel List 2010

LaSource featured in Times article on Europe's greenest ski lodges

Times Online - Europe's greenest ski lodges

Eco-friendly travel expert Richard Hammond stayed at Hotel Lagació in the Dolomites and recommends five more low-impact locations

The most extreme adventures on Earth

RELATED LINKS

Driven by a dream

Sourcey People

Much Better Adventures

Garden slope style !

Press, The Sunday Independent

Cooking and Ski Week

Spring Rock Kick-Start

Merry Christmas

The La Source new website

Half Term Ski Chalet

Green Travel Discount

Yoga Ski Holiday 10-17th February

Look ahead to spring

Its Snowing.....

Greener Travel

Yoga is good for you....

Yoga Boosts Heart Health, New Research Finds

A Winter Prologue by Lisa Storm-Olsen

Amanda Hamilton's Detox Week at La Source

Not your usual ski chalet food

The edge of winter

Turkish Delight

Easy Jet Ski SALE Starts today!!

The Respect the Mountain Envirotrek & The Family Adventure!

One of our guests experience taking the train

Rock Climbing - 5th-10th October

YOGA AND COOKING

SKIING!!

French Web site making a splash!

Coming by Train

Two Weeks of Climbing 3rd-10th 10th-17th Sept

Gearing up for the Ski Season

Philosophising

Family Adventure Week

Ski Touring Winter 2009/10

International Guests

A Yoga Holiday in the Alps

Climbing and Yoga June 2009

A place of change - comments from our guests

Yoga - Rock Climbing 1st-9th May 2009

Rock Climbing - Leading Outdoors 2nd - 7th May

The May 2009 Yoga and Climbing Course