Blogs from Courchevel, Rhône-Alpes, France, Europe
February 5th 2010
Thursday 28-01-10 Here we go again, 10 weeks till we need to be back in Inverness for my niece’s wedding. Off to the Alps and then to seek out some early sunshine in Sicily. It’s the 28th January (happy 24th birthday Abby), and we are in a Motorhome Aire in Arques near St.Omer in northern France. The plan is to meet up with my brother Bob and his family who are ski-ing in Courcheval. We have equipped the van with a smart looking external insulating blanket, snow chains and re-fillable LPG in anticipation of some testing conditions. (but due to the recent bad weather in Britain we are still in search of a snow shovel). The site in Arques is beside a small lake where there are lots of plastic ducks sitting on the water and ... read more
Our first White Christmas in the French Alps (Meribel)
Published: January 9th 2010Europe » France » Rhône-Alpes » Courchevel
December 20th 2009
Well, I'm still alive and managed not to ski off a snowy French Alp and plunge to a bloody death - (not that there was any risk of that mum :) and actually managed to have a fantastic first White Christmas considering we were away from our families. Our skiing adventure started with a disgustingly early departure from London (which funnily enough was covered in snow at the time) and landed in a cool Swiss -9 temperature. Ike! I was a tad scared as although I've survived Canberra winters before which get pretty darn cold, I had never experienced cold like this; where in the middle of the day in the mountains it would be downwards of -20 degrees; so I was hoping all the thermals and layering I had invested in would do the trick! ... read more
February 2nd 2009
Our second ski trip of 2009 was a week in Meribel with N's brother, sister-in-law and their 4 kids (aged 3 - 11). Meribel is part of the Three Valleys (Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens) - apparently the largest linked ski resort in the world. However, the 600km of piste was not enough for us (I know, greedy, greedy), so we organised two off-piste days. The first was well planned (or lucky...), as it was a particularly windy day. For the entire day, only the lower lifts on the mountain were open. Turns out it was a great day to get away from the resort and the large crowds around the few working lifts in the resort. The only small flaw in this plan was the start of the day, as we ended up having to ... read more
April 18th 2008
Me and Sian went with the Ski gang, Sian hadn't skied before, but after 1st day she was loving it!!! Loved Val d' Isere too;) but that's another story... read more
Spring Weekend Slobbery '07: Meribel Moods
Published: February 17th 2008Europe » France » Rhône-Alpes » Courchevel
Courchevel - now with 1% added fun!
Published: March 25th 2007Europe » France » Rhône-Alpes » Courchevel
March 25th 2007
I have never been considered the most observant person in the world. In fact, I am often surprised to learn that the "new" shop I have just discovered on the high street has been there for 5 years and I have been walking past it twice a day all that time, blithely unaware of its existence. So it came as little shock to me yesterday morning when I arrived at Chambery airport that for the first time I noticed that this tiny gateway to the French Alps was surrounded by large mountains, each dusted with snow, and providing what could be the best welcoming backdrop to any group of excited skiers. However, rather than blaming my general lack of awareness of anything outside my own ego, this time I can happily say that I was ... read more
January 5th 2005
Well, Val Thorens was the set of my first skiing experience. People tend to say that as younger you are when you learn new things, the easier it will be to pick it up. This is very true!!!! I have to admit that it was harder than I first thought and that I did hurt my self badly. Despite the ski trip catastrophe I manage to enjoy the scenery and have fun! Maybe next time, I will take it easier! Or maybe I will try surfing instead! ... read more
April 4th 2002
Happy Easter Everyone By now you would have all made it back to work (except for those lucky souls who are still on holidays) and be wondering no doubt how I go on in France. First things first.......I have never, ever seen mountains so big and I have never ever seen so much different terrain. OK here is a rough acount of the trip: DAY 1 - Meribel Valley We skied from about 11:00am to 4:30pm and were well and truly stuffed by the end of it. It was a day of reaquainting oneself with the two planks and getting to know the Mountain......this may sound dumb, but believe me if you ever go the France and ski Les 3 Vallees you will understand what I mean. The lift network is amazing and the amount of ... read more
