La Tania Celebrity Watch
Celebrities Spotted in La Tania and The Three Valleys
Some a lot more famous than others - but where do you draw the line...
David Walliams of Little Britain in the Ski Lodge having lunch on a bad weather day in 2004.
Posh and Becks posing outside chalets at 1850 in April 2004 but restaurant searches failed to locate them.
Victoria and the kids turned up again in March 2006, even skied a bit too.
Posh seen here outside the cable car station in Courchevel 1850 on the March 2006 trip. Full size pic here
Once again Victoria turned up in March 2007 - even lunching at the Bouc Blanc just above La Tania and tandem Hang Gliding above 1850 showing off her Channel skis.
Dominic Cork of England, Derbyshire & Lancashire is a La Tania / Ski Lodge regular.
Pawel Pawlikowski stayed in Saboia apartments in La Tania and was awarded his BAFTA while in La Tania (he won Best Director for My Summer of Love).
Formula one team owner Eddie Jordan flew his jet in to 1850 Altiport apparently and has lunched on the Ski Lodge terrace a few times.
Chris Evans in La Soucoupe mountain restaurant between La Tania and 1850.
Racing drivers David Coulthard and Jaques Villeneuve have been seen in 1850 plus Alain Prost has a chalet in Méribel but sightings are rare.
Jean Blanc, founder of Courchevel, French Resistance hero and French skiing legend who started the original L'Equipe bar then Ski Shops in 1850 many moons ago.
Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev and his friends are reported to have paid £1.2million for Sir Elton John to sing at a private Christmas party in Courchevel 1850. Eminem is also reported to have played at private Russian parties in 1850 too.
Robbie Williams spotted in La Grange apparently with the Russian mafia.
The King of Spain - An Urban Myth regarding him owning the chalet in 1850 next to Plantery lift spread by TC and told to many, many punters by chalet girls and ski guides. The King of Morocco does holiday in 1850 though.
Brian Moore ex-England rugby star on the beers in Méribel.
Ian Botham has been to 1850 at least a couple of times and has been spotted on the Bellecote drag lift with his kids. And spotted for a third time on a snowy day in March 2007 drinking coffee in La Soucoupe.
The Feeling
The Feeling were know as Super Fly when they lived in La Tania in 2001 and have been visitors and occasional performers ever since.
Now with a number 1 and 2 album and 5 top 20 singles under their belts plus a Brit award nomination, the most air play on radio in 2006, the 21st best selling album of the year with over 800,000 copies sold in the UK, 115,000 tickets sold to the Twelve Stops and Home tour and the 2007 Ivor Novello Award for “Songwriters Of The Year” they've managed to get themselves on to this page, but are they too famous to play here now? Watch this space we said - and in March 2008 The Feeling Came Home.
Their second album "Join With Us" released on 18 Feb 2008 went straight in at No 1.
Roman Abramovitch spotted eating Lobster & Champagne in 1850 restaurants with his dodgy mates. He's now a regular for Russian New Year in mid January and chatted to Saisonnaires watching football on TV in TJ's bar in 2006. In 2003 he failed to buy a chalet despite offering 20 chalet owners triple the market price.
Other mega rich Russians in 1850 include Boris Berezovsky, Vladimir Potanin and Tatiana Yeltsin (Boris's kid). In 2004 President Vladimir Putin helicoptered in for lunch at Le Chalet des Pierres.
In 2007 there was a prostitution scandal when another billionaire Russian Oligarch, Mikhail Prokhorov was arrested by 50 armed police with 25 others at dawn from his four-star hotel in Courchevel 1850. They got off though, the girls were just "friends" who just happened to have thousands of Euros on them....
Rock band Ash all drinking and snowboarding in Méribel, they didn't play a gig as far as we know though. Peter Gabriel, Bob Geldof and DJ's Lisa I’Anson and Jo Whiley are also reported to have been to Méribel - is that why The Feeling were on Jo Whiley's show very early in their career?
TC - Three Valleys legend. Former drinker, ski bum, video-er, ski guide, barman, lover and robot now has his own bar in Tignes, Le Lavachet - tcsbar.com
Jeremy Paxman drinking cheap beer in TJ's Courchevel 1850.
Pat Sharples the leading British free rider, bump skier, commentator, model, cover start, TV presenter and now author with his new book The Top 50 Resorts in Europe has been a long time La Tania regular visitor.
Mr Poma who invented those button lifts has a chalet in Méribel.
Hotel Byblos (and Les Caves nightclub) boast of a clientele including Flavio Briatore, the Arnaults, Paul Allen, the Italian oil magnet Orsi, Naomi Campbell, Karen Mulder, Giorgio Armani, David Ginola, Sacha Distel, Elizabeth Hurley, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Beyonce, P Diddy, Terence Conran, George Clooney and Charles Aznavour.
Ronan Keating seen on the Chenus lift, not a bad skier we've heard.
Jonno Verity (aka back-flip Jon) star of the Adidas goggles adverts and snowboard mag cover star did a few seasons in Méribel and drank lots of toffee vodka in various bars including La Tania's Ski Lodge.
The mid 90's saw DJ James Whale escaping from Le Pub in Méribel, plus Gibb had dinner with Murray Walker, Ian Botham was spotted once again and Richard Branson bought a round in 1850.
Prince Edward and Sophie attended the British Land Ski Championships in Méribel in April 2004. The popped in to Lodge du Village in Méribel Village for Happy Hour too! This looks likely to become a regular event as these championships seem to make Méribel their home and the HRH The Duke of Wessex is the patron of Snowsport GB.
The British Land boss Sir John Ritblat skis around the Three Valleys during the championships.
Footballers Didier Deschamps, Graeme Souness, Alan Brazil and Youri Djorkaeff reported to have visited 1850. Thierry Henri was seen shopping in 1850 in 1999 and David Ginola posing in Les Caves.
We ate breakfast with Arsene Wenger in our hotel in Lisbon during Euro 2004, when La Tania visited Portugal - more here
Tennis stars Yannick Noah, Henri Leconte and Cedric Pioline spotted knocking about in 1850.
Squadron Leader James Provost leader of the Red Arrows Synchro Pair. A regular visitor to La Tania, once flew a Harrier to a military air strip near Lyon got his ski boots out of the cockpit and came skiing for a couple of days to visit his brother Dan who worked at the Ski Lodge.
Original bad boy free rider from the old school and worshipped by the La Tania veterans) - the legendary Glen Plake.
Said hello to us at the Ski Show in October 2004 and promised one day he'll ride with us in La Tania.
He even talked about using skis less than 2m too!
Nicky Clarke cutting some fine lines in Méribel.
Bonnie - La Tania's very own Page 3 girl worked here in 2002. There's a pic of her somewhere on this page here
Ian Hislop visited St Martin de Belleville a couple of years ago. They filmed the ITV Holiday program there too once and our friends from Brewskis made it on telly!
Liz Miller - British Adaptive Ski Champion worked in the Ski Lodge in 2003 and has necked a pint out of her artificial leg on at least one occasion - go hard girl!
Nick Ross of BBC's Crimewatch program spotted with a loaded hot chocolate in La Soucoupe restaurant above La Tania in March 2006.
World, Olympic, European & Commonwealth 100m champion Linford Christie and former Stoke City, Bradford City, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Luton Town, Leeds United, Stoke City, Swindon Town, Brentford, Portsmouth, Swindon Town and Portsmouth mid-fielder (and now Sky Sports presenter) Chris Kamara got collared by T. Wall at the World Cup in Germany in June 2006 - pics here
Margaret Thatcher seen visiting the Les Allues fete in July 2006.
Ruth Wilson who plays Jane Eyre in the BBC series (aired during October 2006) and was nominated for a BAFTA for the role is the daughter of Nigel & Mary Wilson from Chalet Sebastien in La Tania. BBC article on Ruth here.
Michael Schumacker in Méribel, December 2006. Reported to have bought a chalet.
Princes Harry and Wills with entourage skiing above Mottaret in December 2006 - well those who witnessed it are sure enough and absolutely swear to it, but there was no media coverage of it, so who knows...?
Mackem Steve Cram and his girlfriend, fellow ex-athlete and BBC summariser Allison Curbishley spotted in La Tania in January 2007.
Frank Gallagher from Shameless staying in La Tania February 2007. Is this true?
Jack Tweed (one of BB Jade's hangers on) behaving badly in Cafe Caz and Bar Malaysia in Val Thorens in March 2007. Jack and his mates were caught out by the Sunday People however.
Richard Branson discussing Virgin Atlantic flying to La Tania next season (or was it the Virgin Group being taken over by Tim Wall?).
Seen at the Rugby World Cup Semi-Final in Paris in 2007.
Also in attendance was Aussie Centre Tim Horan.
More at La Tania at the Rugby World Cup
Keira Knightley - seen skiing in to La Tania in March 2007, needs confirming...
Boris Johnson, MP for Henley spotted around 1850 in early April 2007. Read his Times article on skiing Grand Couloir.
Greg Dyke former head of the BBC spotted in the Hotel du Golf restaurant in Courchevel 1650 in March 2007.
Jonathan Edwards CBE the former Olympic, European, World Champion and current world record Triple Jump holder (over 60 feet) enjoying the Ski Lodge in January 2008.
Sergei Bubka, the Ukranian Pole Vaulter considered the best of all time with 6 consecutive World Championships and who broke the world record 35 times.
Seen in the pic here riding the La Tania gondola on Boxing Day 2007 with Pierpaolo D'Urso.
Jason Donovan spotted by Sarah "Oops" Adams at the Courchevel Altiport in January 2008.
Nicky Clarke again - locks flowing on the Biollay lift above 1850 in February 2008. Spotted by Lou and Erin.
Jody Koenders - Dutch snowboard champion worked in the Ski Lodge in 2000 (ok we're struggling now)
to be continued......