High oil prices could mean bumpy ride for skiers

With piste bashers in large French resorts consuming up to 10,000 litres of fuel every day, Resort Managers are thinking the unthinkable - unbashed pistes save money.

But for many, the focus seems to be on bashing better, not less. A number of ideas are on the table, from using bio-fuels like in Aspen, Colorado, to installing GPS in the machines - thereby allowing the driver to keep track of his tracks.

French phrase of the day - "le pétrole fait flamber le coût des dameuses" - "oil is hugely increasing the running costs of piste bashers"