Ski France - Week 1

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Itinerary:

· 2 Mar – dep SYD

· 3 Mar – Lyon

· 4-11 Mar – Val d’Isere

· 11-18 Mar – Les Menuires (3 Valleys)

· 18-25 Mar – Malta

· 27 Mar – arr SYD

Week 1 – Val d’Isere (4-11 March)

After 9 months of planning the day finally arrived for us to depart from Sydney. Dale, Mum and Dad had departed a day earlier and flew into Zurich with the plan to catch the Glacier Express scenic train from St Moritz to Zermatt.

Our flight from Sydney to Singapore was thankfully uneventful with a row all to ourselves. Unfortunately our night flight from Singapore to Frankfurt was very eventful with the passenger on the window waking us every 2-3 hours needing to go to the bathroom. At first it was very annoying as we’d both taken a sedative and had settled in for the night, but we soon learnt he had food poisoning and was feeling quite sick the whole flight. It was still annoying but we were much more sympathetic of the constant interruptions. We arrived at Frankfurt airport and immediately understood why our German friends don’t like it. It has separate terminals that can only be accessed by shuttle buses and the gates from 1 to 40, are up to 2km apart. Needless to say we got our steps up during the 3hr layover. We treated our taste buds with fresh bretzels (German for soft pretzel).

We arrived in Lyon, dropped our luggage at the hotel and went out for lunch. We found a local artisan boulangerie one block down and indulged our stomachs with fresh baguettes, a chocolate éclair and chocolat flan. Sooooooo goooooooood!

We caught the metro into Vieux Lyon (old Lyon) to visit the small site of Lugdunum, which is the Roman name for Lyon. The town was established in 43BC by the Roman Gaul’s and there are still 2 partially in-tact amphitheatres among the ruins. We were surprised that the entire historical site offers free entry. We wandered the site appreciating the commentary on the info boards and taking photos of the amphitheatres. We were even treated to a French drama by two high school girls who were reciting lines on the main stage in front of their class mates. We have no idea what they were saying but their dramatic display allowed us to appreciate the acoustics and vibe of the place.

We rendezvoused with Mum, Dad and Dale in Val d’Isere. This is the village that Whistler was modelled on. Our apartment was good too. For A$2000 for the week it’s in a great location in the village, it’s more spacious than we’d expected and is quite comfy for 5 adults. We had blue skies for 3 days and despite there not being any snow falls for over 3 weeks, the pistes in Val d’Isere were in fabulous conditions.

The views are INSANE! Ski lifts and runs in every direction, 2-3 peaks across. We could see for over 100km through to Mont Blanc on the Swiss border and the line between the French and Italian Alps. We also skied past the Col d’Iseran, which is where the Tour de France had a stop in 2019. One of my favourite lifts takes you up and over one of these peaks between Val and the Fornet ski area. You ride up to the top of the sharp peak on the chair, and as you summit at the tower on the top, the mountain falls away several hundred meters below you as you pop over the top and down the other side. It’s one of the only lifts where you can upload and download without getting off. Again, the views are incredible and I never get tired of it.

We spent Sunday conditioning our legs on cruisy green and blue runs. On Monday morning Dale skied the famous “La Face” of the Bellevarde mountain – the most difficult black groomer in the resort. In the arvo we hired a private Scottish instructor called Dougie for 3 hours, which was great. Not only did he take us on a tour of his favourite runs but he helped affirm our good habits and provided advice on how to break some of those bad habits. He also took us on three different types of terrain – groomed packed, groomed icy and off piste - and provided technique tips on how to ski each type. Dale and I felt it made a world of difference. Dwayne is still unsure but we both think he looks better.

On Tuesday we skied Tignes and conquered the Grand Motte – Europe’s highest ski run at 3454m. We opted for the black run over the easier red run and it turned out to be the run of the day. It was steep but less traffic meant the snow was excellent and the gradient wasn’t an issue. The rest of Tignes left a lot to be desired with average conditions compared to Val. Noticeably less snow, more grassy patches, over-crowded runs, longer lift lines and small stones and rocks on the runs made for frustrating skiing. It was a day of controlled slippage and burning quadriceps.

Wednesday saw the arrival of snow overnight, which is most needed on the slopes. Unfortunately all the grooming done after lift close was undone by the fresh snow. Every run was a killer with a patchwork of powder and packed snow, making it impossible to get any rhythm. The low light didn’t help either, since we couldn’t see any contours. Still, it was better than Tuesday.

Thursday was picture perfect. Fresh snow, partly cloudy/sunny skies made for the type of skiing you dream of. The runs were groomed with plenty of snow and there was powder off piste in every direction which made an already large resort, even bigger. We weren’t limited to the runs so we played in the powder for a little while before our legs screamed at us to get back on the runs. Renae powder planted twice but luckily they were soft landings and only resulted in a little stiffness of neck muscles. In the afternoon, Dale and Renae felt the adrenalin of a ski jump bungy. This is a 30m long ski jump ramp jutting out from the side of a mountain, and they attach 2 bungy cords to the waist and then push you down the ramp, launching the skier into the air and leaving them dangling on the bungy lines either side. They were both pumped with the experience. Dale paid for the official video and he nailed a backflip. Upon returning to the top to collect his backpack, they told him there had been a problem with the SD card and it hadn’t recorded, so they offered him a 2^nd jump for free, which he cheerfully accepted! He nailed a double back flip!! They reckon they captured it but we’ll see when they email it over the weekend. It was an epic day and gave us the quintessential French Alps experience.

Friday was a blizzard so Dwayne and Renae chose to be pedestrians for a day but Dale still went up to seek out the tree runs. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch, swim at the Aquatic Centre and afternoon nap before packing, ready for departure the next day.

Mum and Dad, who are not skiing, have been enjoying their time in the resort as pedestrians. They explored the cute village and sniffed out all the boulangeries and patisseries. They rode the lifts on Monday and joined us for lunch at the top of Bellevarde, taking in the breath-taking scenery. They were blown away by its majesty. They got into the spirit of apres-ski and supped on multiple hot chocolates and delicacies throughout the week. On Tuesday they did an 8km round trip walk in the snow on a groomed hiking trail out to a waterfall, taking in the solitude of Manchet Valley, along with all the other hikers. On Thursday they did another forest hike around Fornet, with a fresh cover of snow everywhere. Mum spotted the elusive Ibex on the mountainside, although the famous Val d’Isere eagles eluded them. The Aquatic Centre was also tackled and tamed on Friday in their search for the local swimming hole.

By Saturday morning we’d received 1m of snow and it blanketed the landscape in sparkling, uniquely individual fat flakes. It changed the feel of the village and we felt privileged to have seen the resort in both sunny weather and full snow. In fact, our pre-booked taxi driver was delayed by 2hrs and then he gave us a mild heart attack saying we may not be able to get out due to all the snow, which was still falling heavily. Whilst he wanted to come back on Sunday, we implored him to attempt the transfer, given we had no accommodation in Val d’Isere and we had already paid for the accomm in the 3 Valleys. He eventually relented and we left the village that has soldered its way into our hearts. The 1.5hr transfer took 3hrs but we arrived safely at our next location, Les Menuires.

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