Bw

I think topachat are kosher although I had some problems with them over a PC component that when it arrived wasn't what I ordered.  2 months and promises of a refund which mutated into an, unwanted, credit note later I asked my credit card company to sort it out.  Still waiting for a refund

Hi I own and run a catered chalet in Le Seignus (part of the same area as La Foux/Pra Loup which is the biggest ski area in the southern Alps).  We have a great snow record (season is from Dec. - Apr.), lots of sunshine and no lift queues (OK, in the school holidays there are queues but otherwise the slopes are empty).  Ski hire and lift passes are noticeably cheaper than resorts in the northern Alps. Isola has a good snow record but is very ugly and can get busy.  The amount of skiing probably isn't enough for a week's visit but if you're heading up for weekends it, or Auron, would be fine. You could see Nik's lazy pisteurs (sp.?) as being public-spirited by leaving lots of deep powder for everyone to enjoy.  I'm sure that was their excuse! I've sent you a private message with more details in case you'd like a chalet holiday Ben

Hi, I own a chalet in Le Seignus (just over 2 hours from Nice) and run catered ski/board holidays there. Le Seignus (and the nearby resort of La Foux/Pra Loup) has over 150 miles of pistes, a very good snow record (December - April), loads of sun and is cheaper than the resorts in the northern Alps. Isola is a very ugly resort and gets quite crowded, the skiing's OK and it has a good snow record.  Isola and Auron are a bit small for a week's skiing - unless you're a beginner - but are worth a long weekend. I've sent you a private message with more details. Ben

We have one waste water pipe that's external (all others are internal). One snag is that it freezes in winter (where the elbow between the down-pipe and the horizontal(ish) part is. If you're somewhere temperate that's fine but we're a mile above sea-level in a ski resort so it happened a couple of times last winter!

We had a buried gas tank installed by Primagaz. There was no charge for the tank but it remains their property. As a lawyer, I noticed that the contract didn't actually give them the right of access over our land to remove it. The benefit of gas is that you can use it for heating and cooking. The downside is that it seems to be very expensive. Having our tank filled costs about EUR1,500 and we got through one and a third of these in 6 months over winter (5 bed chalet in a ski resort). The per litre price was actually no less than if I was buying a few litres of LPG for a car at the local petrol station!