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What does it take to be a competent agent in Nendaz? Jay Christopher, our very own Secret agent, reveals his preparation for the job.
Is this the most important man in Nendaz?
Every snow school has its own personality, depending on its niche. Montagne Magique specialises in private tuition, delivered by qualified experts. Danny McCabe is one of them
First time visitors to any rented property require a leap of faith that the accommodation lives up to its billing, that all the appliances will work and that there will be someone there to smooth their arrival. Secret Alps is fortunate to have our very own Action Man in Haute Nendaz who meets guests in the centre of the resort, escorts them to the penthouse, explains how to operate every piece of equipment and then makes himself available to help with any queries during their stay.
Jay Christopher has been working in the Swiss Alps 
for only 4 years but has proved to be a natural. There is no amount of snow and ice or incline too steep to prevent him getting a job done. If anything, the trickier the conditions, the more contented he becomes. What is the secret? A former career in the British Royal Marines where, as Jay explains, he "developed invaluable skills that have proved to be a bonus here in Nendaz".
Not everyone needs military training to live happily in Nendaz. But for visitors who like the security of knowing that "our man" is prepared for extreme conditions, it could not be better. Jay spent nearly 7 years with the Royal Marines pursuing rigorous commando training in the Scottish mountains, the jungles of Central America and in the Arctic Circle. Then following a stint in Kosovo, his exceptional endurance ability was recognised and he was selected to become an elite athlete.
What that meant was that he became a full time member of the biathlon team which competes in cross-country skiing and shooting. More training followed in northern Norway where he happened to take other propitious courses in snow and ice driving and also in mountain leadership. Life as an athlete ended abruptly when the team was sent into active service.
It is easy to see how Jay's military career would lead him to continue mountain pursuits. But the decision to settle in the Swiss Alps has more to do with a chance encounter in Verbier some years before he left the Royal Marines. Settling into an evening's recreation after a strenuous day's training in the 4 Vallées, he struck up conversation with a visitor from Lausanne. That proved fateful as by the time he left military service, he and the girl from Lausanne were married and had identified Nendaz as the ideal place to develop their own business.
Stephanie has plenty of strengths of her own, not least her impressive linguistic talents which stretch from French and English through to German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. The couple has energetically expanded their empire from the original Mira Lodge guest house to opening a commercial laundry in the middle of Nendaz and creating a complete chalet services operation. This all requires organisation and stamina. It is exactly what Jay wanted. "I was looking to continue an active life. And my background has been in the mountains." Mission accomplished.
One of the best aspects of self-catering is the total privacy it affords. No nosy staff to disapprove of pyjamas at the breakfast table; no sulking cook who 
complains when you are late for dinner; no outsider who can eye your holiday from the inside. Bliss! All you have to do is organise your private party: someone needs to devise the menus; someone needs to shop; someone needs to cook. Suddenly it does not sound so blissful.
Enter Patrick Petoud, our star chef, who turns “self catering” breaks into dream vacations. Patrick is happy to take the strain in the kitchen and yet provide exquisite meals with proverbial clockwork regularity. He does this without any temperamental ‘creative’ moods and after presenting the meal he disappears to let you enjoy it in private. So how does he do it?
First of all, he is a professional. Trained as a chef of classical Swiss cuisine in Lausanne, he spent a good number of years working in top culinary establishments in French-speaking Switzerland before he joined the well known Manuel catering company in Lausanne. There, he perfected the art of posh nosh. Shortly after, he met his wife and decided to come to Nendaz to set up shop.
Now he uses his culinary experience to create top notch dinners for famished visitors. The idea is simple. We send you Patrick’s extensive menu before you leave for Secret Alps; you select what you want and forget about cooking on holiday; then when you return to the apartment from a good day on the slopes or the bisses, Patrick delivers the entire meal, ready cooked. He will explain how to re-heat where necessary; how to operate the oven; how to assemble any tricky bits; and how best to keep the food until required. Everything for a perfect 3 course meal, including wine, arrives with a smile. He then leaves and you have the rest of the evening to enjoy his dishes.
For a special celebration, Patrick can step up the style. For these, we send you the menu for a 5 course extravaganza. You make your selection in advance of your arrival at Secret Alps. On the evening Patrick will prepare your chosen gourmet meal in the apartment, stay to serve it and take care of all the clearing up. So impressive is his service that one Secret Alps guest describes Patrick as “the most important man in Nendaz”.
Patrick is also an oenophile and has his own wine bar in Nendaz too. He can deliver wine with or without catering. For self-caterers who dread being trapped in the kitchen or dislike spending holidays grocery-shopping, the Secret Caterer is the man to know.
The Secret Skier spent a day exploring some of the more challenging itineraries around Nendaz with Danny McCabe, an instructor with Montagne Magique. Each of Nendaz’s 4 ski and snowboard schools has a particular speciality. In Montagne Magique’s case this means a bespoke service. Montagne Magique concentrates on private classes, tailoring tuition exactly to requirements. So whatever aspect of skiing, snowboarding or telemarking is demanded, Montagne Magique promises a made-to-measure programme.
Danny is a bit of an enigma among the skiing fraternity. Most instructors appear to be born wearing skis but 
Danny did not attempt the sport until he was 40 years old. To the bemusement of others, he went on to gain his qualification from the International Ski Instructors’ Association (ISIA) in double quick time and now routinely out-skis kids half his age. After 30 years as a weapon engineer officer with the British Royal Navy, nothing is going to faze him on the slopes. He can confidently boast of having taught all ages, all stages: his youngest pupil being 5 years old and his most senior 83 years of age.
Montagne Magique was established by Swiss-born Ismaël Mathez and English-born Justin Bennett. They employ a multinational team that speaks French, German, Italian, Dutch and English and that guarantees to find Secret spots, including a piste-side table where drinks can be delivered on a discreet mini-cablecar.
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