Courchevel resorts renamed this season
The ski areas of Courchevel in the French Alps have been renamed. Courchevel 1850 becomes simply Courchevel, 1650 is now Courchevel Moriond, 1550 is Courchevel Village, and 1300 is Courchevel Le Praz. If you can find the place, at least your children will be safer on the slopes: those taking lessons in the resort with the French Ski School (ESF) will find that all 18 of the resort's chairlifts have been fitted with the Magnestick safety system (www.magnestick.net). Children wear a magnetic ESF waistcoat which clamps on to the back of the seat during transit and releases automatically on arrival.
New ski slopes in the US, Austria and Canada
Ski Jewel (www.skijewul.com), a brand new ski area in Austria's Tirol region, opens next Friday. It has been created by linking the ski areas of Alpbach and Wildschönau (also known as Niederau, Auffach and Oberau); a new lift and ski run have helped create a single area with 145km of pistes.
In the US, the appropriately named Snowmass in Colorado, one of Aspen's four ski areas (www.aspensnowmass.com), will open nearly 100 hectares of new terrain just before Christmas. The newly accessible Burnt Mountain slopes will offer rolling, low-angle meadows, glades and spectacular views but is graded at an advanced black-diamond level. The newly opened Westin Snowmass Resort (www.starwoodhotels.com) adds to the already substantial selection of accommodation.
In Canada, Stoneham (http://ski-stoneham.com) ski area near Quebec City will add two new gladed runs. La Biche ("the doe") is a new intermediate trail in the Family Zone. For the more advanced, L'Urubu (meaning bird of prey) is a steep, new double-black-diamond, 300m descent.
Luxury lodge in Spain's Sierra Nevada
Spain's Sierra Nevada mountain range near Granada is great for intermediate skiing but has always failed to attract an international clientele. This may change this season with the opening of El Lodge, a five-star Finnish-style log cabin with 20 rooms, right on the piste at 2,100m. It has a spa and nightclub, Suite Lounge, which has a sister outlet in Marbella, Spain. Double rooms cost from €300 (Dh1,436) per night (http://ellodge.com).
Ski in China near North Korea border
The latest ski resort to open in China is the Changbaishan International Resort in Fusong County, with 43 ski runs in the Changbai Mountains in the north-east of the country along the North Korean border. At the base of the resort are two luxurious, new Sheraton and Westin hotels (www.starwoodhotels.com).
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.