Skiing in the French Alpes - Kerry McDermott-Lunn guest writer
France is well known for its long summer days, sunflowers and lavender, landscapes and coastal towns, historical sites, relaxed extended lunches and warm summer evenings with Fêtes and activities in abundance. As well of course during the months of July through to September the ‘canicule’ heat waves.
In addition, visiting the Alps in the summer can be just as relaxing with its mountains, lakes, and amazing walks through beautiful, picturesque scenes. But the Alps are also a great winter holiday for skiing, snowboarding and even paragliding off the snow peaked mountains.
We are asked quite a lot about what we do in the winter months here in France, after such beautiful, glorious summers. For us, the answer is always…...we look forward to our winter ski holiday.
So far, we have visited three ski resorts - Chamonix, Les Deux Alps and Avoriaz. All of them have accommodation in variety, from large ski lodges for families and friends, traditional chalets, hotels with spas, to one-bedroom cabins full of charm, warmth, and character. Each provides sufficient facilities from waking up and taking in the stunning views; to relaxed evenings for warming up and winding down from the day’s activities.
The resorts all have plenty of local independent shops from gifts to essential supplies that line the snow filled streets of the ski villages with of course a plethora of restaurants and bars serving traditional local cuisine such as Tartiflette, Savoyarde, Fondue or a Raclette. Nearly all have log fires, heaters, and blankets available to keep you snuggled and comfortable, even if choosing to eat outside surrounded by the white glistening snow.
The snow is like white powder and the bright sun gleaming off it lights up the incredible mountainous views. I will never forget arriving at one resort on a rather gloomy late afternoon with heavy clouds full of snow and then the next morning waking up, going out onto our balcony, and being taken aback by the breath-taking view of the snow-capped mountains before me. The cloud had lifted, the sun was shining, and the snow was an incredible brilliant white, inviting us to explore its beauty.
Yes, it is cold…….but a few thermal layers and good ski wear is sufficient. Once you are on the move it soon warms up and it will not be long before you are needing a refreshing drink at one of the cafes and bars dotted up in the mountains. Each provides magnificent views and for some to sit with your blanket, sip your hot or cold drink and watch the incredible paragliders take off from the peaks and soar over the mountain ranges and down across the lakes, is amazing. The vibrancy of colour from their canopy reflects beautifully off the crisp white snow and clear blue skies.
Getting about up the slopes is the easy part. You have a variety of ski lifts from closed gondolas, open chair lifts and cable cars. It is the coming down that can be a little scary for newbies and thrilling for the most experienced. But there are plenty of different ski level slopes from novice, to comfortable, intermediate, to advanced and of course the expert level. There are also areas for beginner classes from the ages of 6 to adult and these can be in group classes or one to one.
Ski equipment can be expensive, but there are numerous hire outlets in the resorts where you can book in advance of your trip and collect all that you require on your arrival, returning everything on the last day. We did this for our first ski holiday, but having caught the bug, we have now purchased all our ski wear and second-hand ski boots and skis. Also recommended is booking your ski pass in advance (there are discounted rates in doing so), this will give you access to either the whole ski area or a smaller part of the ski resort through swabbing your pass at all the various ski lifts.
Our memorable resort was Avoriaz; a ski ‘in’ and ski ‘out’ resort. On arrival you park your car in a secure building and are then taken by horse drawn sleigh or a ski buggy into the vehicle free snow filled resort to your accommodation. Getting around the resort is on skis or by foot; you simply walk out the door of your accommodation, clip on your skis and go!
If you have not been to the French Alps before in the winter, we would highly recommend it. You do not have to ski, you can simply enjoy the sleigh rides, the mountain lifts to take in the views; including stepping into a glass floor box hanging over the side of a mountain! and of course the gastronomy of alpine cuisine in front of a roaring fire.
https://www.avoriaz.com/en/winter
