(Source: www.dailypeloton.com)

To celebrate his 50^th birthday, on the 14 July our chairman Steve Tate will be embarking on a two week, 1,000 mile bike ride across Europe.

Starting in Geneva, Steve will be riding alone and unsupported across five countries around the Alps (Switzerland, Italy, France, Austria & Germany). In doing so he will cross five major mountain passes along the way.

To report on Steve’s brave and challenging journey, we will be posting regular blog updates of his progress.

Steve sees this as a personal challenge and not necessarily for charity. That said, if you would like to support him, his charity of choice is Save the Children and you can make a donation using the link below:

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/donate.htm

We all wish Steve the best of luck with his exciting adventure and look forward to hearing about his escapades.

(Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com)

The après-ski is a massive part of any winter holiday, with off-piste activities taken as seriously, if not more so, than the actual skiing. Being an avid skier, I was not shocked to read an article in the Daily Mail discussing the extent of the drinking culture in resorts across Europe.

The Foreign Office is trying to get the message across that alcohol can affect you more at high altitude and limit your awareness of danger and the cold. A recent study shows that every year, a third of British skiers and snowboarders aged under 25 are involved in accidents involving alcohol. 

I’m not sure whether the blame lies with the holidaymaker or the bars selling booze specifically for customers to neck before skiing back to their chalets. Skiing can be dangerous enough when sober, but combining it with destructive sounding cocktails, such as the Jagerbomb or the Grenade, is surely a recipe for disaster.

At a bar in Italy, drunken customers at end of the night are given torches to attach to their heads as they ski down the mountain. A British tour operator referred to in the article said that after taking customers to this bar, he prayed that they returned in one piece. 

And if a hangover isn’t bad enough, heavy alcohol consumption can lead to effects similar to food poisoning, such as diarrhoea – which is never a nice experience, particularly if you are caught on a ski run! It is important to know exactly what you are drinking and your limits, so that you don’t ruin your holiday.

I have been a skier for 25 years and probably did drink too much when I was younger, when the mountains were less crowded and more sedate, but alcohol intake and skiing in today’s crowded resorts is not a good idea. I urge anyone planning a ski holiday to enjoy the après-ski responsibly and make sure the skis are off before attempting to stagger home.

Steve Tate

Earlier this week, while tucking into my bowl of porridge I was greeted with the news that Britain tops the league of filthiest hotels in Europe. Some people might be shocked by this, assuming that standards in Britain far exceed those of the rest of Europe, even the world. I, however, am not surprised in the slightest!

As a company we have worked with hotels and resorts outside of the UK for over a decade. Advising them on how they can improve standards at their establishments and protect guests from picking up a nasty bug. We have only recently started working with hotels in the UK, why is this? Well until of late, UK hoteliers’ attitudes towards health and safety were slack at best.

The main problem was, and still is, a complacent attitude and over reliance on Environmental Health Officers (EHOs). There is a mindset within some quarters of the industry that says it is easier to deal with the consequences of a health and safety breach or a food poisoning incident after it has happened, than proactively take actions to stop it happening in the first place.  Ignorance is widespread, but ignorance is not a legal defence if someone gets ill or breaks their leg on carpet that isn’t properly laid and decides to sue, nor will it do much for the hotel’s reputation.  The responsibility must lie with UK hoteliers and restaurant owners for ensuring they maintain high standards at their establishment.

This isn’t a problem that is going to go away over night and the UK hotel industry really need to step up in order to compete with its European counterparts – who can offer higher standards of quality in sunnier climes.

It is an issue that I am very passionate about – otherwise I wouldn’t be doing my job. Let’s hope the league table shames UK hoteliers into addressing the problem.