My highlights of 2016 have all been in France. For me it’s been the year of the Surf House and the Mountain Lodge
Heading down to South West France with the family in tow around the time of the Quiklsilver Pro has become an annual pilgrimage for my family and I.
Two weeks of sun sea and surf hitting the sandy beaches of Hossegor, being able to run in an out of the water for quick surf, building a sand castle, sorting a round of ice creams before jumping back in for another few waves is how it goes down there and we love it.
This year Ticket to Ride were in town as well, partnering with Wavelength Surf Magazine to run the Surf house in Hossegor for 4 weeks and what a fantastic set up it was. The house slept 17 with two Heimplanet tents set up in the garden.
Hosting the house we had Gwil and Joe ( fresh back from the Alps where they had spent the summer renovating our new Ticket to Ride Mountain lodge). Leading the coaching we had the mighty combination of Chris Bond and Sam Lamiroy with Max Hepworth-Povey bringing the good vibes. As a team they don’t come any stronger than that.
Thanks to Wavelength and their friends at MINI, surfers joining us for a week of surf coaching in France were riding around in a fleet of MINI Clubmans. Awesome cars that are super fun to drive and are deceptively spacious. We all want one!
So there it is, my highlight of 2016 was sitting on the beach in Hossegor with my family, watching Chris and Sam delivering world class surf coaching in 3-4 foot Hossegor perfection with Gwil and Max on the shore taking photos and shooting video for feedback session when they get back to the house just before dinner is served.
And whilst I know that I am only meant to recall one highlight of 2016, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t slightly bend the criteria.
My second highlight was arriving at the Mountain Lodge last week to see the total transformation of what was once a tired oversized chalet in Meribel to what it is now. The Ticket to Ride Mountain Lodge is another exciting step for Ticket to Ride winter operations in the snow.
Upstairs the lodge sleeps 30 people, downstairs there is a fully stocked bar serving all our favourite beers including Beavertown Gamma Ray (my personal favourite). The food is exactly what you want whilst in the mountains, Debbie’s breakfast burrito is simply the best. The chill out space has a super HD TV, surround sound and a roaring fire. Simply put, this place the ultimate place to unwind after an amazing day of snowboarding in the Three Valleys. We are all set for an incredible season, and Gwil and Joe should feel mighty proud of what they have created.
So there it is, out of all the places we now operate, my two favourite moments of 2016 have both been closest to home in France. Next year I am definitely getting involved in the Sri Lanka and Indonesia trips. Having opened an office in Cape Town this year, I am pretty sure I have the perfect excuse to get down there too.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has joined us on Ticket to Ride in 2016, it is great to see so many returning faces on the surf and snowboard trips that we love to operate.
And finally a big shout out to our Ticket to Ride team, we are now a team of over 30 strong and full of some of the most fun, positive and inspirational people I know.
Merci beaucoup
Bon Noel
Will