Skiing in France |
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Skiing in France is simply unbelievable... fantastic, exciting, fun, beautiful!
Having learned to ski at age four on pink wooden skis at Willamette Pass Ski Area, with only the Bunny Hill and one tow rope slope in 1954, I can only say that the French Alps are amazing. There was eventually a poma-lift which I believe came from France at the modest ski area my grandparents - George and Trilla Korn - ran for 15 or so years. How I wish they had been able to ski at the many wonderful French ski resorts that I've been to. The French Alps ski resorts are outstanding in organization, number of lifts, restaurants, hotels, apartments, ski schools, off piste possibilities and more. If you don't ski, you should still visit the ski areas in late spring or summer for hiking, tennis, mountain biking, golf, swimming, hang gliding, relaxing - you name it. At the end of this page is an excellent article by Mike Beaudet on Megeve. I've yet to ski there - and it is one of the few resorts I've not skiied at, so am hoping to try it out soon.
See also other travel articles by Linda Thalman here:
Les Arcs - France
What a wonderful week of skiing we had at Les Arcs in the heart of the French Alps. I wish I still had those little wooden pink skies I had at age 4. They would be great for a ski museum. The 21st century skies are parabolic and so different but I still manage to get down the toughest black slopes and all the red, blue and green pistes, too.
Les Arcs is one of the largest ski resorts in France, connected to La Plagne for kilometers of great skiing. Both resorts are 'modern' and don't have the old village feel of Val d'Isere. We rented a studio that could accommodate 5 people for the week. That is: a main room with two single beds, kitchen nook, bathroom with tub, separate WC and a room with 3 bunk beds where we dumped all our ski equipment and stuff. Tip: book a studio for 4 or 5 people even if you are only two people. Studios for two are like broom closests.
At the end of the day we skiied right to the door of the apartment building. In the morning we did have to hike to the lifts... it was a tough 5 minutes UP HILL. Younger skiers practically ran up the slope, but with more than 50 years of skiing behind me, this was a minor displeasure of the day. We signed up for morning ski classes with the ESF (Ecoles du Ski Français), the French Ski School. I cannot stress strongly enough how much fun and enjoyable it is to take lessons with ESF instructors. Bernard, our 'moniteur' at Les Arcs, was so encouraging and his English was darn good... he did confuse falling off and falling down, but he sure knew how to teach us to ski! ESF has top notch teachers, all certified, all love skiing and teaching. And, you get to jump the queues/lines if you're in a ski class... just love going to the head of the line when there's a crowd.
"The Farm" is down, down, down in Villaroger. Unfortunately, it was below the snow line this year. But you just park your skies at the top and take the chair lift down to the village and walk through a bit of field to an authentic mountain chalet restaurant. Tip: Reserve by phone or just enjoy waiting while the staff bring on the tasty, honest food and drink with the most amazing smiles, friendliness and speediness that I've rarely, if never, seen when dealing with over a hundred customers. Bravo! Merci to Michel Emprin who runs the bar and coordinates everything to perfection.
http://www.lesarcs.com/ Web site in French, English and German
http://www.esf.net/
http://la.ferme.free.fr/ Phone: 04 79 06 90 85 Le Pré Derrière - 73640 Villaroger
Val d'isere
We had booked our stay for 2006 at our favorite hotel in Val d'Isere way last October 2005. Thankfully we did that as the Hôtel Les Lauzes did not have a room left in January and it wasn't even a school holiday week. Six glorious days of sunny but chilly (minus 16C at 3,000 meters!) skiing. We were lucky to see an evening show with the ski teachers coming down the Bellevarde Olympic slope with torches followed by fireworks. Simply splendid. Val d'Isere, like many ski resorts in France, has a swimming pool, movie theater, ice skating rink, loads of restaurants and shops. I attended a lecture and tour (in French) about the town's history which was ever so interesting. Winter sports were developed here as early as the 1930's and sports fans may well recognize the names of Jean-Claude Killy and Henri Oreiller from Val, as it is called by the locals. Even if you don't ski, there's a lot to keep you busy. Skiing in Courchevel was delightful and so was the Chabichou. Ski Courchevel and be sure to book a meal - which you will never forget - at le Chabichou.
Le Chabichou - Courchevel
The choice was not easy, but we opted for the 80
euros menu and we were so pleased!
The mise en bouche started with cappachino de palourdes,
homard gratiné and The omble chevalier en meunière was a perfectly done
deep water mountain fish, which had a delicate 'trout' flavor. The
Roulade de cochon du Cantal that Pierre had was mouthwatering.
The wine waiter suggested the Pinot Noire 2001, vin de Savoie, to
accompany our meal. It was an excellent choice.
Dessert was heavenly - pomme confite au miel de sapin - apple
with honey and an assortment of chocolates and other delights followed
by an excellent coffee.
I shook hands with Chef Rochedy and he told me his team of 18 was
'an orchestra'. Our lunch was an unforgettable dining experience on the sunny terrace
accessible directly from the ski pistes. Simply amazing!
From the web site: "Dans un décor alpestre et la chaleur des
boiseries, découvrez une des meilleures tables de Savoie. Fort de
son restaurant entièrement rénové, Michel Rochedy vous propose sa
cuisine toujours inventive, à la fois traditionnelle et originale.
Vous pourrez déjeuner sur la terrasse ensoleillée au bord des pistes,
ou dîner dans la salle à manger principale ou en salon privé dans
une ambiance feutrée et luxueuse, pour le plus grand plaisir de vos
sens."
Hotel & Restaurant Le Chabichou
Megeve France Skiing and Guided Ski Tours
How to get to Megeve - but don’t tell anyone! Megeve is well known by few and is a jealously guarded secret among those that frequent its ski slopes; Michelin Guide rated restaurants, high-end shopping stores, Casino and quaint narrow cobbled streets. The village is dominated the traditional church belfry, by a square all in a pedestrian friendly atmosphere. Horse drawn sleighs carry tourists all over during the peak periods adding a festive and memorable experience for young and old. The ski area is laid out to almost always have the summit of Mt Blanc in view when skiing Megeve ski runs. The runs are cut through the trees a very welcome change to most ski areas in the Alps that are above 'tree line', adding a touch of green to this Haute Savoyard village! Great skiing for all levels with a particularly pleasing predominance of upper intermediate skiing terrain. The Espace Mont Blanc domain is a whopping 445 kilometers and with over 111 lifts make Megeve and partner ski areas (la Giettaz, Saint Gervais, Saint Nicolas de Veroce, Combloux, les Contamines Montjoie and Cordon) in the top 6 longest ski able areas in France.
I often bring my clients on a beautiful day to see and ski what I think is the best vantage point
to view the French Alps and the Mont Blanc:
You should be a good intermediate skier to do this run, in several places it is quite narrow and in whiteout conditions not advised at all. However on a brilliant sunny day you will want to look around you and capture a visual picture that even the best of cameras could never capture... the whole of the French Alps in all their beauty right before your eyes! After taking it all in, it's time to ski all the way down to Chatrix, the longest of runs in the domain. But don’t tell anyone how nice it is ! If you are flying in to ski the French Alps and Megeve you have the following possibilities: Chambery Airport, Geneva Airport and Grenoble Airport are all approximately a one-hour drive away. This makes Megeve a highly accessible ski destination, area even for a long weekend, from any airport in the UK. Leave the UK at 08:00 and you’re on the pistes by 12:00 noon. Be aware that the above can vary depending upon traffic and weather conditions. Driving: From Geneva you will go to the A40 direction Mont Blanc/Chamonix and turn off at Sallanches and about 17 kilometers direction Albertville, to Megeve. Driving: In the event of bad weather: If you drive from Grenoble and Chambery, direction A 41- E712, to Annecy/Geneva/La Roche sur Foron and get on the A40 direction Mont Blanc/Chamonix and turn off at Sallanches and about 17 kilometers direction Albertville, to Megeve. Good weather alternative: If you drive from Grenoble: A 41- E712 to the A 430 direction Albertville. Take the N212 at Albertville up the beautiful Gorges de Arly to Megeve. Please note however that this route can be closed due to rock and mud slides and traffic can be a problem! Mike Beaudet also known as 'Megeve Mike' is the founder of Ski Pros Megeve. Megeve is located in the French Alps, at the foot of Mt. Blanc, a one-hour drive from Geneva International Airport. Day ski tours, private and small group ski lessons for skiing enthusiasts of all levels and ages are available in the French Alps, Italian Alps and Europe. Mike has an extensive background in skiing, teaching group and private ski lessons. Mikes credentials include Full Certification in Professional Ski Instructors of America-RM, the prestigious French Government Ecole National de Ski et d’Alpinisme in Chamonix as a Moniteur de Ski Diplome and a member of the first PSIA National Academy held at Mount. Hood Timberline, Oregon. Mike has over 30 years of ski teaching and coaching experience in the US and in France and has taught in all the major ski areas in France and America.
Copyright © 2006 Megeve Mike - All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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| From Paris No Snow to Guzet Neige http://www.parisinsites.com/guzet/home.html In the French Pyrenees
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Much to my chagrin, I did take a nice fall on a black slope which was photographed for
all to remember!
We went twice to La Ferme for lunch. Not to be missed at any price... the best
restaurant at Les Arcs. Delicious, hearty food and drinks served at the speed of light
even when the entire place is packed with skiers.
The best of winter can be the snow, particularly when one goes skiing.
gaspacho avec guacamole. Devine. Pierre had the mushroom consommé
and I was delighted with a Beaufort cheese starter.
I can indeed confirm that our meal was a 'symphony' from start to
finish. The 2 stars awarded by Michelin and the 18 out of 20 rating
from the Gault Millau were spot on.
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