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Don't expect to meet Americans in the Alps this winter...

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
[NB This thread's been revived, following a very belated reaction from Meribel Tourist Office - see below]

Don't expect to meet Americans in the Alps this winter if they've read this article: "Skiing Into Terror", by "Will Rizzo", from Skiing Magazine.

Here's a selected quote:

"We have not taken additional measures for security. We don't think we're directly threatened by any terrorist group," says Eric Guilpart, vice president of Compagnie des Alpes, a French business operating 12 resorts (including Meribel and Chamonix) that see a combined 10 million skier visits each year. "We believe that an attack in Europe would be carried out on U.S. interests-like the Disney park."

Surely he didn't really mean that?


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 16-08-05 19:56; edited 3 times in total
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I can't believe he came out and said that. Would be interesting to see the original quote in French, and the full context....
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Maybe Compagnie des Alpes sees Disney as its competitor. I can think of a few similarities.
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"I think it's the weak dollar that's keeping people out of Europe."

Fortunately, there's Canada.
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Quote:
Maybe Compagnie des Alpes sees Disney as its competitor. I can think of a few similarities.

David Goldsmith, that would be really below the belt. One third of CDA investment is away from lift company operations, in amusement parks and similar activities, and they are looking to strengthen their position in the marketplace. Surely a deliberate cynical ploy would be unthinkable. Hmm.
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On a lighter note....maybe it'd make the slopes more James Bond-esque....that is assuming they plant mines on slopes! May improve those turns for the likes of myself.

And to quote....
" According to an April Boston Globe story, AZF demanded $6.1 million-or else. "

What's the .1 mil for? I guess it beats an arbitrary request for a whole figure.

I'd imagine you'll find any tourist flights out of the US are down by 20%....not just skiing for the purpose of skiing....so maybe it's more in general.

Maybe one should avoid the likes of Kloisters though! wink
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biggles76,re the $6.1 million, I would guess maybe it was a rounder figure in Euros
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PG wrote:
I can't believe he came out and said that.


I can.
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D G Orf, i know i know...! Cool
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Now, if only those atrticles would be spread around a bit more, say, in Germany...
I'd have emptier slopes here too...amd lower prices.
Cynical, isn't it?
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Perhaps snowHeads should devise its own 'travel advisory' for globetrotting Americans.

I gather the rides at Disneyland Alps (Val d'Isere) are perfectly safe from terrorism, but local moguls could explode at any time.
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Does that mean wherever I go could be a target? . . . I wonder how much they'll pay me to stay away?
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I'd donate my pocket money for a start
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Ohh good- they do ruin a holiday
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11 months on, and something weird seems to have happened with Will Rizzo's "Skiing Into Terror" article.

FirstTracksOnline.com is suddenly reporting a reaction from Meribel tourist office, as if the article has just been published. We first linked to it on 23 September 2004, as above.

This is what Jean-Marie Choffel of the Meribel T.O. had to say:
Quote:
“I am shocked. Mr. Rizzo’s comments regarding the safety of American tourists visiting European ski resorts are both alarmist and unfounded. Although it is not the responsibility of tourist boards or tour operators to counter the threat of terrorist action in holiday resorts, as national security is the responsibility of Governments, we deeply refute the claim that we are blasé about the safety of our guests."

He continued:
Quote:
“Following the incident in Grenoble, and more recently in London, the French Government has increased the number of Police guards (routinely armed) on trains and at airports – ensuring that they are very visible – to deter would-be terrorists," Choffel explained. "The local authorities are very aware of their security responsibilities and continually liaise with central agencies to see if there is anything more they should be doing to increase the safety of visitors.

“Because of other normal ski safety issues, staff constantly check the mountains, resorts and ski lifts and cable cars anyway. Given the current climate we have instructed all staff in and around the resorts to be extra vigilant and will be reviewing our procedures on a regular basis," Choffel said.

In a way, I'm surprised he bothered. The whole article seemed ridiculously alarmist, written for the over-neurotic tourist. One wonders if it was geared to keeping US skiing 'in-house'.
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 Poster: A snowHead
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Now for the American point of view...it is the current exchange rates that will keep Americans away from the European resorts this year, based on my statistical sample of three (me, my wife and our little one). I have skied Switzerland and France each year for the past ten, and each year the rate gets a little worse for us. This past year we didn't make it to the Alps as Junior was not yet up to a ten hour flight, so we skied locally at Mammoth Mountain, California and Park City, Utah. We had a great time.

As for the terror aspect, I live in Los Angeles, and it seems that every other day there is some news bulletin saying that this city is in the crosshairs of yet another threat, so with that in mind, a trip to the Alps would actually lower our chances of becoming caught up in something. Shocked
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JohnnyC,

Agree it is the exchange rate.
My US golf buddies didn't want to come over this year because of it and chose Hiton Head instead.
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Let's be honest. If he did say what he apparently did, it's only common sense.

The talking point is that somebody in that position actualy said it.
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Spot the spelling mistake.
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Spot the dog
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David Goldsmith, I spotted it - do I get a prize? wink wink
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NickW, That's the second cheap 'Increase my No of Posts' in a week wink
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It is definatley the exchange rates and not the pussy ass coward terrorists. Hell they are bombing the brits too, ya know. Terrorists Kicked our ass to the ground with the 9-11 low blow. But we are still kicking thier asses Twisted Evil We recovered very quickly as a country and will continue to beat them into the ground till every last one of thier piece of sheet no good coward asses are lynched!!

But anyways I'll be in St. Anton this winter as well as B.C. and all over the great USA! Bring on the snow.
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Quote:

and will continue to beat them into the ground till every last one of thier piece of sheet no good coward asses are lynched!!
huckingfellers, I wa truly shocked at 9/11, but your post sums up why people accross the world are not to keen on the commercial and foreign policies of your country. I dont think that the worlds premier military power should take a great deal of pride from victories in Iraq or Afghanistan. Not really a fair contest. Sorry to get heavy so early in the morning.
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huckingfellers, Sorry guy, we're kicking no-ones ass. The monster that planned and executed 9/11 (and who was wanted dead or alive) is still kicking his heels and applauding Baby George's inhuman and illegal clusterf*** in Iraq.

Nearly 2000 young Americans have died for nothing but a lying *astard's vanity AND YOU'RE PROUD OF THAT?

If you had a news service and were capable of sitting in front of it with your eyes open you might have heard that the bombers in London were motivated by the cretins in the White House foreign policy.

Your comments shame me for being an American.

John B
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Bloody hell, and I thought Ii was being hard on our American friend
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Masque wrote:
... you might have heard that the bombers in London were motivated by the cretins in the White House foreign policy.


Who said that? Suicide notes, postumous video? I hadn't seen any confirmation of motive.
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rob@rar.org.uk, statements by council for two of the second set of bombers and comments by the investigating team for the 7/7 attacks. I'm making the assumption that they're well and better informed than I am. This has been reported but taken a back seat in the news because of the killing of a Brazilian.
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Masque, I'm no supporter of Bush's foreign policy, but to be perfectly honest I would take with a pinch of salt anything said by men who had decided to kill themselves and as many other people as possible. Didn't Hussein Osman also say that they never wanted to kill anybody, just to scare people? I'd be more interested in the motivation of the people who helped to radicalise the men who were involved with both sets of bombings.
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rob@rar.org.uk, Agreed with caveats . . . I can only pop in and out of here at the min, I'll catch up with this and my inbox tonight . .. but a thought, does anyone actually know what the chickenhalk's foreign policy is? But we can guarantee that US troops indifferently killing people in Iraq (have you read any of the non-sanitized reportage even from the US news teams?) is a consistent and powerful motivational force.
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Masque wrote:
rob@rar.org.uk, Agreed with caveats . . . I can only pop in and out of here at the min, I'll catch up with this and my inbox tonight . .. but a thought, does anyone actually know what the chickenhalk's foreign policy is? But we can guarantee that US troops indifferently killing people in Iraq (have you read any of the non-sanitized reportage even from the US news teams?) is a consistent and powerful motivational force.


I have no doubt that the current situation in Iraq is a powerful motivational force, and for some people it might be the motivational force. But the road to Islamic terrorism taken by the current jihadist-salafists is a very long one, dating back at least 30 years, and I think it would be difficult to describe it as a rational response to any action taken by the West. Inferring that if the US had a different foreign policy moderate Muslims, Arab nationalist governments and all of the West would not be threatened is not supported by history in my opinion.
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Hey masque or whatever your namne is. I support the president of the United States of America! Yes I do. As well as the troops that are over there now. Regardless of what they are there for we as americans need to support them. This will not be over for many years to come. We do need to be there bring the fight to them and keep them and it off of our soil. You probably arent even really american masque! Everyone is entitled to thier own opinions, now you have mine. people need to stop dwelling on, oooh G Bush lied to us thier is no WMD. whatever, thier was belief that thier was WMD, and our time there so far has broken up a brutal and rutheless regime. Freed many many people from torture. War is war people die, and many many more will before this is done. Which will be no time soon. Not to mention that I have a few family members in the army and Marines who all believe they are there breaking up terrorist organizations that could attack us again. And they are!

Anyways the topic was no americans because of the terrorist. Which is not true. I cant think of one day where when i traveled or went out i thought i might die from a terrorist attack today. Twisted Evil
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I traveled to 18 different European countries over a three-month period in 1991 during the Gulf War. I had no idea how badly the news media had scared Americans about Europe until I met ZERO Americans during my entire three months trip. ZERO Americans at any of the hotels or youth hostels I stayed in. ZERO Americans during my 25,000 miles of rail travel. ZERO Americans at any of the ancient Greek and Roman excavations I visited. ZERO Americans. (I did travel with some Canadians, Australians and Argentinians).

As JohnnyC writes above, being in America is far more dangerous than traveling or skiing in Europe any day. We have five times greater chance in America of being raped or killed by Americans than the chances of being raped or killed in Europe by Europeans or terrorists. The absence of other Americans in Europe in 1991 was an embarassment because it showed how cowardly, misinformed and reactionary Americans have become.

Exchange rates SHOULD be a major factor in Americans decisions to travel to Europe, but sadly in the winter of 1991 only fear was the factor. Today Americans are far more fearful than fourteen years ago, which means that if you own an Alpine ski resort, don't waste your time marketing it to Americans. The country's soldiers may be brave and reasonable, but not its citizens.
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huckingfellers,

Interesting that you state
Quote:

.......in the army and Marines who all believe they are there breaking up terrorist organizations that could attack us again


Every British Soldier I have spoken to on the subject firmly believes that they are are in Iraq simply due to the politics of oil and the neccesity for the West to control the Arab oilfields in any way possible.

As you say the US is in Iraq for the long term, as demonstrated, I am told by the current extensions to the US. R&R facilities in Kuwait
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huckingfellers

huckingfellers wrote:
We do need to be there bring the fight to them and keep them and it off of our soil.

... careful mate. It is exactly that kind of logic that Frosty the Snowman was referring to when he said that your logic was the reason 'why people across the world are not to keen on the commercial and foreign policies of your country.'

The people of Iraq (read 'innocent majority' who you claim were liberated) are dying in anarchy each day so that the fight is kept off your back yard?

As a political scientist I understand the concepts of the exercise of power - and that because the US is the only super-power they can pretty much do as they please and that is the way it is. What annoys me is when propoganda tries to sanitise that and justify it.

If by your above quote you are unashamed to say that innocents are dying in another country who had nothing to do with terrorism so that you can be safe on home ground, then good on you for saying it the way it is. If not, then realise how those statements can upset people who find 'solutions' where other 'innocent' people are used as pawns for their benefit abhorent!

Sorry - this thread is way off topic now and we are discussing one of those taboo topics ... politics Puzzled
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huckingfellers, If you want to spout jingoistic crap do it on a different website. You opened your pie hole and all I'm hearing is the echo of a corrupt administration. This war was designed, it was engineered and it is completely fake. If you're too dam idle or just too stupid to read beyond the third grade Bushsh*t that comes out of Washington (from both sides), then there's probably no hope.
The ONLY evidence for the existence of WMD in Iraq were very old chemicals (long past possible utilisation) and forged documents relating to Uranium ore, the sourcing of those documents is moving steadily back to them being instigated in Washington. The weapons inspectors were removed and denied finishing their work in Iraq by the US military when it became clear that there was nothing to find and that Iraq's state of Armament Report as submitted to the UN (via Washington) was completely accurate.

You don't FIGHT terrorism by starving, invading and killing the innocent people of another country . . . that's how you CREATE it. Why do you thing we fought so hard against Hitler? Occupied peoples fight and they gain a lot of support for their cause through that occupation. It's not rocket science its history. Hell, what do you think the Indian Wars were all about, or have they even stopped teaching that in American History.

Let's get something straight. The Office of the President of the United States ASKS for respect from the American People, it DEMANDS respect from its temporary incumbent. They have to raise their standards of thought and behaviors to meet the responsibilities of the job. The semi-shaved ape that's crapping on the Oval Office carpet deserves nothing but our contempt and a rope for the treason he has committed to our country, its constitution and our people.

By supporting this president you are dishonouring the troops, helping in the destruction of the US military and many communities around the States, wasting billions that should be being spent on the protection from, and prevention of, terrorist acts and going a long way to making the way of life you think is so wonderful, nothing but a lost dream.

AFYI. Most of the boys and girls getting their asses blown off feel exactly the same way. take that junior Republican Primer out of your ass and widen your sources of information.
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boredsurfin wrote:


As you say the US is in Iraq for the long term, as demonstrated, I am told by the current extensions to the US. R&R facilities in Kuwait


I'm not aware of any such facilities. Mind you I don't know everything which goes on here but if they are setting up camps or R&R facilities way out in the desert they could just as easily enhance their camps in Iraq and save all the dangerous travelling. One bit of stony dust patch looks pretty much like any other. There is certainly no booze here for the US Military (but there is if you are attached to their Embassy). Camp Doha which was a major supply base for the US Invasion of Iraq is about to close. The US Naval Base which has been in Bahrain for years is the only bit of that lovely little island which is 'dry'. The UAE could provide girls and grog but fortunately there is no sign of the sort of R&R 'cultural' infestations which affected so much of the Far East during the Vietnam debackle.

I do agree they are 'trapped' in Iraq for a longish time to come since they are absolutely hopeless at providing effective security. You cannot 'police' a population sitting in a tank and not understanding a word the civilians around you are saying. The rampant looting days after the 'liberation' showed clearly where the coalition priorities lay. The oilfields were relatively untouched but museums and central banks were trashed while US Forces and the world's press looked on. Since that time, of course, the insurgents have taken out oil pipelines quite regularly. They are very very difficult to secure throughout their entire length.
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Provided that people exercise freedom of speech without gratuitous insults, I'm in favour of it personally.

Now, where were we?
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David Goldsmith wrote:
Provided that people exercise freedom of speech without gratuitous insults, I'm in favour of it personally.

Now, where were we?


The old man has forgotten already where we are...

We're on the INTERNET, talking about SKIING, remember?

Oh, here comes nursie now with your pills...

Very Happy


(sorry, couldn't resist the gratuitous insult)
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David Goldsmith, There was nothing gratuitous in my post, they were fully intended.
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