Tell me – Are you loving the winter Olympics’? Does it make you want to wrap up and speed along in the snow/ice?
Now put aside all the thoughts of amazingly fit people in lycra suits, zooming down pistes at 80mph.
Now, insert an average skier losing balance and landing a face full of snow. Yeah. That was me. I’m sure there was snow in my mouth.
It’s ski season so my family and our partners all whizzed off to the alp’s for Nutella crepes, over priced beer, cheese fondue and winter sport.
Our first port of call from Alps d’Huez, which was a new resort for all of us, the main reason for us visiting was because it has a huge variety for new lower level/skiers. I really loved the apartment and the novelty factor that we could ski all the way back to our accommodation. As predicted there was a vast area to explore, we were fortunate that ‘Le Tunnel’ and the ‘Sarenne’ were open during our visit, I’m of the understanding this is very dependent on how much snow there during the season.
During my first day, I was pretty hopeless, it was almost as if I’d forgotten how to ski (or did I even know in the first place?) I remember following an adult dressed as a teletubbie and thinking ‘Whatever you do don’t snow plough – You can do this, just follow dipsy the telebubbie’.
I became more confident as the week went on and enjoyed exploring the area, I loved having a huge selection of blue pistes to choose from. Then, to my misfortune, I got struck down by a horrendous 24-hour sickness bug. Meaning what would have been my last day on the slopes was spent feeling very sorry for myself in bed.
The following week we were based in Chamonix which is one of my most favourite places in the world. G cannot understand my obsession but it feels like home away from home (well, in my defence it felt like my second home for a few years!) and if I win the lotto I’ll buy a place there unless I win Euromillions then we are hot footing it to Switzerland.
Anyway…
Back in Chamonix, I got to enjoy the familiar (and not so familiar) pistes and although I had some terrible news mid-week (our pet had died) and the weather wasn’t always on our side but it was wonderful to be back in the area.
The only problem with skiing in Chamonix is that to reach the pistes you have to travel by car or bus to each resort, fear not, the buses are often free and very frequent. After the luxury of being able to ski in and ski out, it was just a little more time consuming for us but it did mean we got a lot more flexibility about where we skied. Chamonix is not as kind to lower level skiers, however, if skiing off piste is what you’re looking for? You’ve come to the right place!
For all my foodie readers, I spent the day with an Irish ‘Ski Bum’(by her own admission) and at lunch time we skied down the piste and dropped in ‘Kitsch Inn’ for homemade fish finger sarnies and chips. Not the most glamorous of meal’s but for warming my feet and soul mid day it was just what I was after; we also enjoyed watching a live band there après ski, worth a visit if you’re ever in the area.
Towards the end of the two week’s I will admit I’d started to feel really achy, in desperate need of a long hot bath and ready to return home.
Who said skiing was easy?
I may not be the fastest on the slopes but some of the hours I spent in my own little world following the downhill curves of white powder were seriously enjoyable.
Tell me do you ski/board? Where is your favourite resort?
Katie
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